This is part of The Shadow League’s Hispanic Heritage Month In Focus series celebrating Latino excellence in sports and culture.
America Chavez is a latina queer superhero created for Marvel Comics by Joe Casey and Nick Delgado, with background story written by Kieron Gillen. The writer most famously connected to the character is Gabby Rivera. She has appeared in a myriad of team up situations, most notably is the A-Force squad she repped along with She-Hulk, Captain Marvel, Dazzler Thor (Yes, that was a thing!), Singularity, Medusa and Lady Loki during the most recent incarnation of Secret Wars.
Currently, America Chavez is in the Ultimates, a now diverse group of extremely powerful Marvel heroes that only faces galactic threats to Earth that includes Black Panther, Monica Rambeau (The third Captain Marvel), Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers), and Blue Marvel.
For comic book nerds who get their rocks off on “What If” superhero battles, this team will definitely help incite debate. America Chavez is a seemingly indestructible superheroine from an alternate dimension.
While much of the fanfare has been about this hero’s sexuality, or the culture from which she is inspired, Chavez is unique to me because of a highly unique power set that is the rival of just about any other high powered character in the Marvel Comic Universe.
Chavez, also known as Miss America, is from the Utopian Parallel, a parallel dimension of reality that once faced destruction.
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The reality was saved when America’s two mothers made a sacrifice that saved their reality, but left America parentless. Angry, she jumps from dimension to dimension, looking for realities at risk of annihilation so that she may save them in a never ending cycle of homage to her parents’ sacrifice.
Fans of Golden Age comic books may recall a character of the same name that was in print in the ’40s and ’50s. The Marvel version is loosely based on that character. However, since THIS Miss America is from a different dimension, she has no knowledge of her, according to comicvine.com.
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With the success of Marvel in the comic, movie, tv, and animated spaces, there’s no better time to be a nerd of color. Representation matters, and with the success of Netflix’s Luke Cage, Avengers 3, and even the CW’s Flash and Riverdale, the women are running things.
She has been an official member of the Young Avengers, Avengers West Coast, Latinos, S.H.I.E.L.D., Teen Brigade, A-Force and her current team, the Ultimates. Chavez’s only apparent weakness is her impulsiveness, which occasionally puts even puts her superpowered teammates in danger simply because she is so extremely, ridiculously over-powering.
The Marvel Comic Mutant Menace and the Negro Problem
Picture this: A race of people who are cast out by the mainstream because of the way they were born, look, or their culture. Those who oppose their existence wish to use them for their own selfish ends, while others simply want them all dead.
Below is a list of the abilities that make Miss America Chavez the most powerful superhero of latin descent, ever.
Superhuman Strength – America has incredible strength. Her top strength is unknown, but she is probably around She-Hulks level, who could lift at least 100 tons.
Superhuman Speed – America is extremely fast and can go almost as fast as speed of light. Monica Rambeau was even impressed and surprised how fast she was moving.
Flight
Invulnerability/Superhuman Durability – America is bullet proof and fire resistant.
Star Portals – Can create star shaped portal to other realities/dimensions with her kicks.
