In less than a month, the new movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, will hit theaters, which promises to be a most exciting psychedelic adventure; One of the new characters that joins the franchise in this installment is América Chávez, who is played by the 15-year-old actress Xochitl Gomezof a Mexican father. She is the first Latina superhero in a Marvel Studios blockbuster and is shaping up to be one of the fan favorites, but in a recent collectible figure they did not do her justice, as they lightened her skin, a very common practice in the industry. of entertainment.
You may also like: The worst examples of whitewashing in the cinema of the 21st century
Due to the racism that has been inherent in the United States, we find thousands of cases throughout its history where an actor or character received a whitewashing (whitening) when appearing on a poster, or in an action figure, this was done with the intention of adjusting more to the hegemonic canons of beauty, and white skin was for a long time one of its pillars. For some reason someone thought it was a good idea for the first female superhero of Mexican descent to be whiter in her Funko Pop figure of her, but when the images of this one were revealed in early March, the criticism began to appear. Some tweets pointing to whitewashing were collected by The Directand you can see them below:
America Chavez was whitewashed twice in her Funko Pop.
They double whitewashed America Chavez on her Funko Pop.
— The Lazy Mexican (@AmzingShite) March 1, 2022
I hope Funko gives a shred of the backlash they’re getting for America Chavez because this is just absurd.
i hope funko gives a crumb of a fuck about the backlash theyre receiving for america chavez because this is just absurd .
— uriel ∞ SAW SONIC 2 (@contrastingpen) March 1, 2022
All the people who signed that America Chavez Funko Pop are going straight to hell.
all the people who signed off on that america chavez funko pop are going straight to hell
— gam3 bo1 (@daisyjohnsonsgf) March 2, 2022
Also read: Rumor: Doctor Strange 2 will be bigger than Infinity War, Endgame and No Way Home combined
And the complaints were not in vain, since there was a big change that you can see below:
Now Marvel collectors will be pleased with this necessary adjustment; Since superheroes of color are not as abundant as white ones, it is appreciated that the character’s skin color is respected. It is not clear how we will meet América Chávez or her role in the plot, but in the comics she is the first Latin American LGBT character, since she is a lesbian, and in the printed version she has incredible powers obtained by the Demiurge, the incarnation of the Earth energy.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has done its best to counteract not only racism, but also the lack of diversity that existed in superhero movies. There have always been characters of color, but the original Avengers were white men and one woman, while black actors like Don Cheadle (War Machine) and Anthony Mackie (Falcon) were relegated to the background. Now both are more important within the franchise, and we have superheroes like Black Panther, who was played by Chadwick Boseman in all four of his big screen appearances; and Phastos, a member of the Eternals played by Brian Tyree Henry, who is not only black, but also gay and married. There is still a long way to go, but at Marvel they are ahead, and with characters like America Chavez, they continue to show it.
Don’t leave without reading: Deadpool creator would have confirmed Wolverine in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
After more than 20 years of superhero movies that have permanently changed the subgenre, studios must continue to push themselves to come up with something new that grabs the attention of the public. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has the complicated task of keeping up with the studio’s latest films, especially Spider-Man: No Way Home – 
92%, in which we had three versions of Spider-Man, played by the three actors who have brought the character to life on film.
–
