Xochitl Gomez Says Her Marvel Fame Came With an Unexpected Catch

Xochitl Gomez has been acting since she was 5, when her mother signed her up for a musical theater class. She went on to appear in 22 full-length musicals before moving into commercials, film and television. By the time most kids her age were figuring out high school, she already had a résumé.

In February 2020, Gomez auditioned for an unnamed Marvel project, though she figured she had little chance because the character was 18 and she was only 13. She later jumped to the Marvel Cinematic Universe at 16, starring as America Chavez in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.’ The film pulled in almost $700 million in its first 2 weekends.

Now 20, Gomez is looking back on that career-defining jump with some mixed feelings. IGN highlighted the comments on X, pointing to an interview with Bustle in which the actor called her big Marvel break “a gift and a curse.” The reason is a little surprising.

According to Gomez, after Marvel she had a hard time landing roles because filmmakers assumed she would be too expensive or too booked up to fit into a production schedule. She said she wanted to do the cool indie movies and just needed someone to give her a chance. In other words, the biggest credit on her résumé may have scared off the smaller projects she was hoping to chase.

The franchise experience had its own push and pull. Gomez explained that being part of a big franchise means excited fans and a clear map of what people expect, but also that others control what gets written, and scripts were changed constantly during production. As a 14-year-old, she found it difficult to push back when she felt her character wouldn’t act a certain way.

That tracks with advice she reportedly got on set. Speaking to D23 magazine, Gomez said Elizabeth Olsen encouraged her to speak up about her character, which gave her the confidence to put her “two cents” in. Still, finding her voice in a massive machine was clearly a learning process.

Fame came with another complication. Gomez told Bustle that after Marvel, it was hard to be herself because audiences expected a character, and she says winning ‘Dancing with the Stars’ at 17 helped introduce people to the real her. She also recalled that online criticism caused her to retreat, limiting comments and replying only to select people at 16.

The backlash was well documented at the time. Some Marvel fans took issue with her casting and with the fact that her skin was lighter than the comic book version of America, and she was also targeted by trolls when the film was banned in Saudi Arabia for including an LGBTQ character with 2 moms. Gomez said she was really happy that Marvel didn’t back down and stayed true to the character.

None of this means she is done with the MCU. Asked by Bustle about a possible return in ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ Gomez joked that Marvel owns the rights to her image, so anything is possible. She added that she would love to see how close America and Wong have become, and named Florence Pugh as a co-star she would like to share a scene with.

For now, she is staying selective. Gomez voices Gabby opposite America Ferrera in the animated ‘The Cat in the Hat,’ which arrived in theaters Nov. 6. She said she has turned down projects that felt off, and that she would rather say no than lose her spark like so many young performers she has watched.

The takeaway from her candid reflection is that a blockbuster launchpad doesn’t always lead to an easy runway. Gomez seems determined to steer her own path, whether that leads back to the multiverse or onto a Broadway stage.