Xochitl Gomez says landing a major Marvel role did not produce the straightforward career momentum people might expect. The actor, who played America Chavez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, has described the experience as both a major opportunity and an obstacle when trying to secure subsequent work.
Gomez appeared as the multiverse-traveling teenager in the 2022 Doctor Strange sequel after earlier roles in Raven’s Home and The Baby-Sitters Club. But she says that, after the Marvel film, prospective filmmakers seemed to make assumptions about both her cost and her schedule. In practical terms, the perception of being tied to an enormous franchise could make a performer look unavailable to productions seeking a straightforward booking.
“After [Doctor Strange], I had a hard time getting roles,” Gomez said. “They were like, ‘She’s too expensive. What if she’s in this and that, her schedule?’”
Her frustration is especially notable because she says she wanted opportunities outside the blockbuster lane, including independent films. “It was a gift and a curse,” Gomez said, explaining that she wanted to make “the cool indie movies” and asking to be given a chance.
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The unusual gap after an MCU debut
America Chavez’s introduction seemed built for a continuing role. In Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the character has the ability to travel between universes, a power central to the film’s conflict. By the end, Chavez heads to Kamar-Taj to train with other sorcerers. That closing development presents her as a young hero at the beginning of a larger journey rather than one whose story is complete.
Yet Gomez has not returned as Chavez in another Marvel project. The gap is the key tension in her account: casting decision-makers could apparently treat the actor as if ongoing Marvel work were likely to consume her time, while no publicly confirmed follow-up appearance arrived to create that supposedly busy schedule.
That distinction matters. An actor being associated with a franchise is not the same thing as having an active production commitment. Gomez’s comments describe an industry perception problem, not a claim that she was actually occupied making more Marvel projects. The concern, as she presents it, was that others anticipated possible obligations and acted on that anticipation when considering her for their own films.
For smaller productions in particular, scheduling certainty can be important. A project may have a limited shooting window and less room to accommodate a performer whose availability is unclear. Gomez’s experience illustrates how uncertainty itself can become a barrier: no confirmed conflict may exist, but the fear of one can still influence a casting decision.
What “too expensive” can mean in this context
Gomez also said some people assumed she would be too expensive following a high-profile Marvel appearance. That does not establish what she was asking to be paid, what any production could afford, or whether a particular offer was ever made. Instead, it describes another pre-emptive assumption that can remove someone from consideration before a direct conversation takes place.
The perceived value of a franchise credit can work in conflicting ways. It may make an actor more recognizable to audiences and raise their professional profile. But it can also lead outsiders to presume the actor’s rate has risen beyond an independent project’s budget. Gomez’s comments point to the downside of that logic: a career breakthrough can change how people assess a performer even when the performer is actively looking for varied work.
It also helps explain why “bigger credit equals more choices” is too simple a model. Visibility is valuable, but it does not automatically translate into a steady stream of roles, especially if potential collaborators wrongly conclude that an actor is out of reach. Gomez won the 2023 season of Dancing with the Stars, but her acting output since the Marvel film has remained limited.
Why America Chavez still fits the MCU’s current story
Chavez’s absence stands out because her character’s power set is directly connected to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s multiverse premise. The multiverse, in this fictional context, refers to multiple alternate universes. Chavez’s ability to move between them made her unusually important in the 2022 film and makes the character an intuitive fit for stories built around realities colliding or crossing over.
That has naturally left fans wondering whether she could return in Avengers: Doomsday or the following Avengers: Secret Wars, films positioned to conclude the MCU’s Multiverse Saga. However, there has been no confirmation that Gomez will appear in either project. A role seeming thematically appropriate is not evidence of a casting decision, and it is important not to turn a plausible narrative fit into a reported appearance.
When asked whether she would appear in Doomsday, Gomez did not confirm anything. She answered, “Well, they own the rights to my image, so it’s possible.” That is an intentionally noncommittal response, not an announcement. It leaves the question open while offering no details about a role, filming, or the character’s future.
The reference to image rights should likewise not be read as a specific legal disclosure. Gomez did not outline the terms of any agreement or say that Marvel had used, or planned to use, her likeness in a particular way. Her point was simply that a return was possible. At present, possibility is the most accurate description.
A teased Kamar-Taj path that remains unresolved
The film’s ending at Kamar-Taj has also sustained interest in where Chavez might go next. Kamar-Taj is the sanctuary and training location associated with Marvel’s sorcerers, so sending Chavez there offered a natural route for the character to develop her abilities. Rumors have at times suggested a magical-school project called Strange Academy could continue that thread, but no such production has materialized.
That is worth separating into three categories: what audiences saw on screen, what has been rumored, and what has been confirmed. Chavez training at Kamar-Taj belongs to the first category. Talk of Strange Academy belongs to the second. A new America Chavez appearance has not moved into the third.
For Gomez, the unresolved status has consequences beyond fan speculation. Her account suggests that the possibility of another Marvel job has followed her professionally even without a confirmed return. The result is a particularly awkward version of franchise limbo: she is linked to a giant cinematic universe strongly enough to affect outside perceptions, but has not had the chance to build on that role within the universe itself.
The conversation around Gomez’s remarks has spread beyond Marvel fandom, with additional coverage of her comments focusing on that mismatch between perceived blockbuster status and actual casting opportunities.
The broader takeaway is about assumptions, not a confirmed Marvel plan
Gomez’s comments offer a useful correction to the familiar idea that joining a superhero franchise is an uncomplicated career escalator. A major role can provide recognition, a passionate audience, and a character audiences want to see again. It can also create assumptions about money, availability, and long-term contractual commitments that an actor may then have to counter while seeking unrelated projects.
Nothing in Gomez’s remarks confirms that America Chavez is finished in the MCU, and nothing confirms that her return is imminent. The on-screen setup and the character’s multiversal abilities leave ample narrative space for a comeback. But until Marvel confirms an appearance, the character’s status remains unresolved.
What is clear is Gomez’s own description of the professional aftermath. She views the role as a gift because of its scale and significance, but also a curse because it led some people to decide she would be unavailable or unaffordable before offering her the chance to prove otherwise.
