Xochitl Gomez, the up and coming 15-year-old actress making her Marvel Universe debut in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse ofMadness (2022), is receiving unhealthy amounts of online threats across social media following various countries banning the upcoming Marvel movie over LGBTQ representation.
Being an actress in the rough and gruesome Hollywood world is one of the most challenging experiences anyone looking for success will go through, especially when you’re a child.
Xochitl Gomez, just 15-years-old, is breaking open the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the reality-hopping America Chavez, a fan-favorite character that every Marvel fan has been eager to see on the big screen.
Now, however, following the ban of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in Egypt and Saudi Arabia due to “LGBTQ issues,” according to The Hollywood Reporter, actress Xochitl Gomez is receiving near-death threats and more:
The comments under Xochitl Gomez’s Instagram post it’s really heartbreaking
In the post above, various Instagram users are leaving degrading and vile comments filled with hate under Gomez’s latest Instagram post, blaming her for the ban of Doctor Strange throughout the Middle East.
What’s all the commotion? While the film does not release in theaters until May 5, America Gomez is seen sporting an LGBTQ rainbow pin on her iconic star jacket and referencing her ” two moms,” thus indicating a same-sex marriage relationship, according to The Guardian.
Credit: Marvel Studios
The references reportedly last “12 seconds,” but that’s enough for some Middle Eastern countries to ban the movie altogether, as same-sex relationships are illegal in these various territories.
The Hollywood Reporter writes:
Although the film is yet to be released and also hasn’t yet been reviewed, the decision is once again said to be related to LGBTQ issues, according to Middle East sources, with the new sequel character America Chavez (played by Xochitl Gomez) being gay, as per her portrayal in the comics. With homosexuality officially illegal across the Gulf, films that feature any LGBTQ references or issues often fall foul of the censors.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was due to be released across the Gulf on May 5 as part of its global rollout. While advanced tickets are no longer available on the websites of cinemas in Saudi, Kuwait and Qatar, they are in the United Arab Emirates, suggesting it will be released there.”
It’s a shame that any Marvel star receives hate over characters they portray in live-action or animated formats, but the internet is cruelest to the most innocent.
The hatred received following the shocking Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness censoring has reportedly forced Xochitl Gomez to delete her famous TikTok. Nonetheless, the actress remains on Instagram at the time of writing.
More about Doctor Strange
Dr. Stephen Strange casts a forbidden spell that opens a portal to the multiverse. However, a threat emerges that may be too big for his team to handle.
All bets are off for Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Benedict Cumberbatch leads this mind-shattering Marvel movie, with Rachel McAdams (Christine Palmer), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Karl Mordo), Benedict Wong (Wong), Xochitl Gomez (America Chavez), Elizabeth Olsen (Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch), and Sir Patrick Stewart (Professor X) all supporting the Sorceror Supreme.
The Kevin Feige production features numerous Stephen Strange’s, including Evil Doctor Strange, Strange Supreme, etc.