Strange And Wong Meet America Chavez In New Doctor Strange 2 Image

Thanks to all the big game day trailers, it's starting to feel like Marvel is chucking out new movies and TV series left and right. The hype train for both "Moon Knight" and the forthcoming "Doctor Strange" sequel has very much left the station, partially because the projects promise a new crop of characters and world-shattering consequences for the entire MCU. It's certainly not new for a Marvel project to squeeze in new characters — "Eternals" took special care to tack on not one but two end-credits scenes hinting at big things to come — but "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" feels like a very special case. This time, there are cracks in the universe and there's no telling who might slip through.

Based on all we've seen so far, the film is expected to be a massive reality-spanning gambit with the potential to introduce monsters, character variants, monsters, and some of Marvel Comics' most powerful heroes. Some of these details have been more covert than others — we can speculate all we want about the mysterious voice heard in the trailer but Marvel has yet to give said voice a face — but there are aspects we know for sure to get excited about. For one thing, Doctor Strange is set to welcome another young hero into the mix: that was indeed America Chavez's recognizable star you caught a few glimpses of, so it looks like she's officially joining forces with Strange and Wong to defeat whatever evils are erupting into the world.

A new still (via Empire Magazine) shows Xochitl Gomez's America Chavez meeting up with Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and the Sorcerer Supreme himself, Wong (Benedict Wong). Though we've seen plenty of footage from the upcoming film, her exact role in the chaos to come is still unclear. Is America herself part of the existing MCU? Or is she a new addition, per the cracks in the universe? And why is she chatting with two sorcerers in a dingy NYC alley? Whatever the explanation for her introduction, the timing is certainly impeccable: thanks to her powers, Chavez could be a very powerful ally to Strange in the midst of multiversal madness. Plus, he should be well-equipped for teaming up with a teenager given his prior experience. Hopefully, this one doesn't trap him in an interdimensional portal ... but given her powers, it's completely within the realm of possibilities.

Besides super strength and durability, Chavez also has the ability to open star-shaped portals to other worlds. By literally punching or kicking the walls of reality, she can open a portal and travel through dimensions. In the comics, the young hero is an alien who runs away from home and eventually becomes a superhero on Earth. She's most famous for becoming a member of the Young Avengers, and there's reason to believe her MCU appearance may follow suit.

Chavez is one of many next-generation heroes getting their intro in Phase Four, along with Kate Bishop in "Hawkeye," Tommy and Billy Maximoff (Speed and Wiccan) in "WandaVision," Kid Loki in "Loki," and Eli Bradley/Patriot in "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier." We also expect to see more of Cassie Lang, now played by Kathryn Newton, in "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" and the introduction of Kamala Khan in "Ms. Marvel." Given Wanda's involvement in "Multiverse" and her ominous words to Strange in the trailer, the film may present her with the opportunity to pull her children in from a separate dimension. Then we'd have more thane enough members to begin forming the Young Avengers.

But before America Chavez can join a team, she'll have to face down some trippy threats with her new pal, Doctor Strange. "Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness" hits theaters on May 6, 2022.

In Marvel Studios' "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," the MCU unlocks the Multiverse and pushes its boundaries further than ever before. Journey into the unknown with Doctor Strange, who, with the help of mystical allies both old and new, traverses the mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities of the Multiverse to confront a mysterious new adversary.