Spider-Man: No Way Home has quickly become a worldwide phenomenon. Tom Holland’s third solo adventure as the famous wall-crawler sees the webhead going to Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange to try and fix his identity crisis, only to cause issues of Multiversal proportions instead. This is when returning faces such as Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock and Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin get yanked into the MCU, alongside several other villains from previous films.
Those many evil faces weren't the only people transferred into the universe, as Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire also got to make the trip. Seeing three different Spider-Man from various generations was something fans never thought they’d ever see.
It’s hard to imagine a movie like No Way Home even existing. The many moving pieces all seem like they’d be impossible to fit into place properly, yet Marvel Studios and Sony successfully did it.
But the movie wasn’t always what fans saw on movie screens. In fact, it seems like it could have played out in an entirely different manner.
Not only that, but at one point and time, it looks as if a character introduced in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was even set to appear: America Chavez.
Spider-Man: No Way Home's America Chavez Scenes
On their Twitter feed, Spider-Man: No Way Home concept artist Maciej Kuciara shared some art that depicts an entirely different film.
While the keyframe was almost immediately taken down after being posted, fans were still able to grab it—and it contains a fairly significant reveal.
The art sees Tom Holland’s Peter Parker, Zendaya’s MJ, and Jacob Batalon’s Ned Leeds at a bumper car rink, where it seems like something big and Multiversal is about to happen. Surprisingly, Tony Revolori’s Flash Thompson and Angourie Rice’s Betty Brant also make an appearance.
Looking closer at the image, in the center holding a mysterious book (which is likely the original design for Doctor Strange’s cube) is what looks to be America Chavez—but instead of Xochitl Gomez in the role, it seems to be actress Isabela Merced.
Back in January 2020, Merced was said to be associated with the America Chavez role by insider Charles Murphy. The actor is known for roles in Dora and the Lost City of Gold and Instant Family.
Clearly, that’s not what ended up working out, but it’s interesting to see what may have been.
Another piece of concept art by Marek Okon shows the hero, who has the ability to travel through the Marvel Multiverse, in the film’s final battle.
Chavez can be seen hanging off a crane hook, holding what looks to be the cure for Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin.
No Way There Was America Chavez
It’s hard to imagine this sequence of events; after all, general audiences don’t even know who America Chavez is yet. So why was she in the running for a key role in Spidey’s adventure?
Well, there’s a good reason. In the original Phase 4 line-up, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was actually set to debut before Spider-Man: No Way Home. Meaning that audiences would have already met Chavez, so the inclusion would have been far more natural.
In a recent interview, one of the screenwriters for No Way Home, Chris McKenna, revealed that at one point, it was a mystery Marvel character who brought Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield into the MCU to help Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. Given these newly revealed concept pieces, it was almost certainly going to be America Chavez.
At the end of the day, the introduction to the other Spider-Men couldn’t have been more perfect. As cool as it would have been to have additional MCU ties, it's safe to say fans are in the better timeline.
As for Chavez herself, audiences will get to know her on May 6, when she’s introduced properly in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Given how No Way Home was once set to utilize the character, maybe she will be responsible for more Multiversal cameos and crossovers after her debut performance. Perhaps she’ll be the one to give Garfield some more MCU screentime.
Spider-Man: No Way Home is playing in theaters worldwide.
