As Marvel Studios and Disney become more inclusive in their films, they face being banned in some countries, as is the case with Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness
Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of MadnessMarvel’s long-awaited sequel starring Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sorcerer Supreme, has been banned in Saudi Arabia (and probably Kuwait) as reported. The Hollywood reporter.
While the movie has yet to be released and has yet to be reviewed. It is said that the decision could be related to LGBTQ issues. According to THR’s Middle East sources, Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness presents in the UCM the character of América Chávez (played by Xochitl Gómez), who in the comics, is a lesbian. With homosexuality being illegal throughout the Gulf, films that feature LGBTQ references often fail to pass censorship, as it did in this case.
Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, it was due to open across the Gulf on May 5 as part of its global launch. While advance tickets are no longer available on cinema websites in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, they are still on sale in the United Arab Emirates, suggesting that it will be released there.
It is not the first time that Disney has been banned in the United Arab Emirates
The film follows in the footsteps of The Eternals by Chloe Zhao, which was banned from much of the Gulf in November following the inclusion of a same-gender couple in the film and the MCU’s first gay superhero. At the time, the censors had requested that a number of edits be made that Disney was unwilling to do. However, an edited version was screened in the United Arab Emirates.
In January, it was also prevented West Side Story hit theaters in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait. This time, it was due to the character of Anybodys, written as transgender in the new adaptation directed by Steven Spielberg, is played by non-binary actress Iris Menas.
So much The Eternals What West Side Story are now available on Disney +, If you do not have your subscription you can do it at this link.