America Chavez is known for a lot of things. She can kick you to the moon. She's beauty and she’s grace and she’ll punch you in the face. And she’s the ultimate ticket to the multiverse. But above all of that, she’s gay as hell.
In fact, you could make a strong argument that she’s not really the same character when separated from her queerness. Unfortunately, that’s not how Kevin Feige and the people at Marvel Studios see it, and they decided not to “focus” on that part of her life in her MCU debut in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, out in theaters now.
We were all excited to hear that a lesbian superhero would be coming to the MCU, but when reports that the movie was being banned in some countries for a very brief, “12-second scene” in which she talks about her two moms, and nothing else, we got worried she’d be Queer in Name Only. Now that we’ve seen the movie, we’re sad to report that that’s, unfortunately, the case.
One thing that’s special about her is that she’s outside the multiverse, there’s only one America, and that America is a huge flirt and a huge lesbian. It’s an indelible part of who she is and why she fights for justice. And leaving out that part of her in the movie does a major disservice to the character, and to fans.
If you miss the loudly and proudly queer America, here are 17 moments from the comics that show just how gay she is, and just how impossible it is to separate her from her sexuality.
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One of America's most iconic scenes came in Young Avengers #15 when Kate Bishop realized she was the only straight member of the Young Avengers. That's when America side eyes her and delivers the iconic lesbian line, "Princess, I've seen the way you look at me. You're not that straight." In that moment, every sapphic nerd fell in love.
In Gillen and McKelvie's Young Avengers, America revealed that she made out with a boy, The Ultimate Nullifer, once, but it didn't stick. "It's always a shame when you end up as a damn stereotype," she says. "'Yeah I went with a boy on my first team, but I was just experimenting.'"
Ever since the two met, America and Kate Bishop have heavily flirted, earning them the ship name Amerikate. In West Coast Avengers we got to see America in all her flirty glory.
During Kelly Thompson's West Coast Avengers run, America started dating Ramone Watts, also known as the superhero Alloy. The two were all over each other in the comic.
When America was on a date with Ramone Watts in West Coast Avengers #5 and she got a call from Kate Bishop, she didn't think twice about bringing her GF on a trip through one of her star portals. When the two of them showed up, Kate asked why she brought her date on a mission. (Because America is just that gay, that's why!)
While the rest of the West Coast Avengers team were admiring their new headquarters, America couldn't help but stare at her girlfriend, Ramone Watts.
In West Coast Avengers, the team was being followed by a camera crew, but America had no time for interviews. When it was came time for her and Ramone to talk to the cameras, instead they flirted and America shoved her hand in the camera, allowing the girlfriends to make out instead.
After taking her date, Ramone, on a trip through one of her star portals, Ramone thought that would become their defacto way of travel. But America is a romantic, and wanted to take her time walking her girlfriend home.
In America Chavez: Made in the USA #1, America is hurt, and wakes up to see she's being taken care of by her girlfriend Ramone. The best way for a superhero to heal is to be taken care of by their partner.
When America had to leave Los Angeles to go find out more about her family, she had an emotional goodbye with her girlfriend Ramone in America Chavez: Made in the USA #5 by Kalinda Vazquez, Carlos Gomez, and Jesus Aburtov.
When James Rhodes died in the comics, America couldn't handle the funeral, as she was there when he died. When Kate Bishop tried to cheer her up, America asked her if she wanted to get out of there, opening up a star portal, and wondering if her girlfiend, Lisa, would be jealous.
In Secret Wars, Too #1, America met up with Lady Katherine of Bishop, a medieval version of Kate Bishop, her BFF and flirting partner. When that Kate decided she wanted to try pizza, America wasted no time taking her favorite princess on a trip through the multiverses to find some. (Talk about a lesbian!)
In this issue of Secret Wars, Too by Kate Leth, Brittney L. Williams, and Megan M. Wilson, America can barely walk by a buff woman without stopping and being gay. See how easy it is? All you have to do to show America being gay is have her comment on how hot Captain Carter or Scarlet Witch or any other woman is.
In 2016's All New Hawkeye, we got to see Kate taking America dancing, and based on America's smile, her crush on Kate has never left.
In Avengers #0 by Al Ewing, with art by Kenneth Rocafort and Dan Brown, America needs to fix a hole in the universe, the opposite of what she usually does: kicking holes in it. So what's the opposite of kicking? Dancing. She calls up her girlfiend Lisa and the two dance, fixing the universe with the power of gay love.
After a particularly hard mission in Ultimates #5, America met with her then-girlfriend, Lisa Halloran, who immediately called her out for not talking about her feelings. Even when she's being closed off, America is gay and cute.
In this story written by Jeremy Whitley, America explains why she's a superhero, and why she fights for a better world. "Out of the whole multiverse, I land in a place where immigrants and queer kids are bullied and women like my mothers are attacked and denied rights? Nah. That's not an accident," she says. "I think my moms are still guiding me. They're putting me where I need to be. There's so much wrong in this world. There's evil and prejudice and hate and injustice. But there's also so many good people that just need a chance. So much love."
