Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness...and my take on Ethno-centric casting.
******* Spoilers Ahead - don't read if you can't handle it. ******
Let's get the review out of the way - The movie was....good. Not top ten of the current canon, but a good addition to the Marvel cinematic universe.
The story was overall enjoyable and great visual cinema, but has gaps in it that forces the viewer to fill based on other parts of the Marvel repertoire, which does not quite provide context. When did the Scarlet Witch transition from a woman who's misguided grief produced the massive but non-lethal mind control shenanigans displayed in WandaVision to full-on sociopathic megalomania? Even for marvel this seems a massive and unbelievable leap.
Dr. Strange's struggles with doing the wrong thing for the right reasons was consistent with the character, and the What If? series contributed much of the multiverse imagery we would see in the movie, while keeping it specific to this plotline.
The introduction of America Chavez provided a fresh new voice to the story, continuing Spiderman's lead for the next generation of super-heroes. Xochitl Gomez is great, does the character work, and looks good on the screen. For all intents and purposes, this would be the end of my thoughts on her character; she was great.
But... Marvel messed this up. The character of America Chavez is written very specifically to be an Afro-Boricua. That means dark skin, curly hair, and a very specific accent when speaking Spanish. Ms. Gomez had none of these, nor did Marvel attempt to incorporate any of these elements into her character. We only know that America is Latina, and that she can speak Spanish. It is an easy presumption that she is being portrayed as a Mexican American.
Now here's where it gets complicated, so bare with me. I've gone on record that I do NOT believe in ethno-centric casting. The best example would be the controversy over Jennifer Lopez playing Selena - and the idea that it should have been a Chicana playing the role. I disagree completely with that type of litmus testing.
The difference between the JLO/Selena casting vs. the Gomez/America casting is that Selena's character was kept whole. Selena was portrayed AS a Mexican American. One can debate Lopez's execution of that interpretation, but the character of Selena was not stripped of her ethnicity. It was Jennifer's job to portray the character and the ethnicity of the character, to which most people (including Selena's real life parents) believe she did justice.
The same cannot be said of America Chavez's character. America was stripped of both her Boricuaness and her skin tone, in order to accommodate Marvel's interpretation of what they wanted in a Latinoax Character, perhaps because in their "multiverse," Latinoaxs are all of only the West Coast variety - mostly Mexican American. So why wouldn't their first Latinoax superhero (who isn't an ex-con sidekick) not reflect that?
The story was overall enjoyable and great visual cinema, but has gaps in it that forces the viewer to fill based on other parts of the Marvel repertoire, which does not quite provide context. When did the Scarlet Witch transition from a woman who's misguided grief produced the massive but non-lethal mind control shenanigans displayed in WandaVision to full-on sociopathic megalomania? Even for marvel this seems a massive and unbelievable leap.
Dr. Strange's struggles with doing the wrong thing for the right reasons was consistent with the character, and the What If? series contributed much of the multiverse imagery we would see in the movie, while keeping it specific to this plotline.
The introduction of America Chavez provided a fresh new voice to the story, continuing Spiderman's lead for the next generation of super-heroes. Xochitl Gomez is great, does the character work, and looks good on the screen. For all intents and purposes, this would be the end of my thoughts on her character; she was great.
But... Marvel messed this up. The character of America Chavez is written very specifically to be an Afro-Boricua. That means dark skin, curly hair, and a very specific accent when speaking Spanish. Ms. Gomez had none of these, nor did Marvel attempt to incorporate any of these elements into her character. We only know that America is Latina, and that she can speak Spanish. It is an easy presumption that she is being portrayed as a Mexican American.
The difference between the JLO/Selena casting vs. the Gomez/America casting is that Selena's character was kept whole. Selena was portrayed AS a Mexican American. One can debate Lopez's execution of that interpretation, but the character of Selena was not stripped of her ethnicity. It was Jennifer's job to portray the character and the ethnicity of the character, to which most people (including Selena's real life parents) believe she did justice.
The same cannot be said of America Chavez's character. America was stripped of both her Boricuaness and her skin tone, in order to accommodate Marvel's interpretation of what they wanted in a Latinoax Character, perhaps because in their "multiverse," Latinoaxs are all of only the West Coast variety - mostly Mexican American. So why wouldn't their first Latinoax superhero (who isn't an ex-con sidekick) not reflect that?
And that was a serious oversight.
America Chavez could have been played by a Mexican, a Puerto Rican, a Dominican, a Venezuelan, a Colombian, or a Cuban - basically anyone who could pull off the Afro-Latino look and be coached into the sing-song accent that is unique to Puerto Ricans. If you want an example of how that can be done RIGHT - check This is Us's "Miguel" Episode (Season 6, episode 16) where Adalgiza Chermont's (A Dominicana) did an amazing (albeit too brief) take of one of Miguel's Afro-Boricua family members.
But rather than make that effort to find someone who could do the same with America, they simply made America Sanchez Mexican American. And that was a conscious choice that is erasure to Afro Latinoaxs, and Puerto Ricans specifically. And unfortunately, we should anticipate that Marvel, in order to provide some consistency between their movie and comic book franchises, will probably change the look of the character going forward as well. That would be insult on top of injury.
I want to separate Marvel's choices with America Chavez from the actor herself. Ms. Gomez did what any actor out there would and SHOULD do - take the gig, and do their best to give it dimension, humanity, and heart. All these things she did, and did well. We should support her and hope that her career only goes up from here.
All those things are true, AND - Marvel should have kept the character whole. Instead they stripped America of her ethnicity, and as many are saying on the internet (including my long time friend and Comic book guru Sergio Zenteno) - made it seem as if Latinoaxs are "interchangeable." We are not.
Let me reiterate that having a non-Puerto Rican playing one is not, in my opinion, the issue. As an former actor and the father of working actor children, they should have the opportunity to play any ethnicity WHICH THEY CAN INTERPRET AUTHENTICALLY. But I would hope that writers, directors and casting agents understand that Latinoax ethnicities are rich and complex, and can come in multiple colors. We must give these characters, and the communities they represent, the respect they deserve by keeping them whole.
In the end, should you watch the movie? Based on my "Worth It/Wasted" criteria - yes, it is "Worth" your time to see in theaters. But the recommendation is less than enthusiastic, as I give it 3/5 stars, with a full star off for not understanding the complexity of our Latinoax community. Perhaps there is a version of the multi-verse where they get this right.
America Chavez could have been played by a Mexican, a Puerto Rican, a Dominican, a Venezuelan, a Colombian, or a Cuban - basically anyone who could pull off the Afro-Latino look and be coached into the sing-song accent that is unique to Puerto Ricans. If you want an example of how that can be done RIGHT - check This is Us's "Miguel" Episode (Season 6, episode 16) where Adalgiza Chermont's (A Dominicana) did an amazing (albeit too brief) take of one of Miguel's Afro-Boricua family members.
But rather than make that effort to find someone who could do the same with America, they simply made America Sanchez Mexican American. And that was a conscious choice that is erasure to Afro Latinoaxs, and Puerto Ricans specifically. And unfortunately, we should anticipate that Marvel, in order to provide some consistency between their movie and comic book franchises, will probably change the look of the character going forward as well. That would be insult on top of injury.
I want to separate Marvel's choices with America Chavez from the actor herself. Ms. Gomez did what any actor out there would and SHOULD do - take the gig, and do their best to give it dimension, humanity, and heart. All these things she did, and did well. We should support her and hope that her career only goes up from here.
All those things are true, AND - Marvel should have kept the character whole. Instead they stripped America of her ethnicity, and as many are saying on the internet (including my long time friend and Comic book guru Sergio Zenteno) - made it seem as if Latinoaxs are "interchangeable." We are not.
Let me reiterate that having a non-Puerto Rican playing one is not, in my opinion, the issue. As an former actor and the father of working actor children, they should have the opportunity to play any ethnicity WHICH THEY CAN INTERPRET AUTHENTICALLY. But I would hope that writers, directors and casting agents understand that Latinoax ethnicities are rich and complex, and can come in multiple colors. We must give these characters, and the communities they represent, the respect they deserve by keeping them whole.
In the end, should you watch the movie? Based on my "Worth It/Wasted" criteria - yes, it is "Worth" your time to see in theaters. But the recommendation is less than enthusiastic, as I give it 3/5 stars, with a full star off for not understanding the complexity of our Latinoax community. Perhaps there is a version of the multi-verse where they get this right.
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