- Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar have decided not to show Eternals, the new Marvel film.
- The decision of these countries is due to the fact that the film shows an “openly homosexual” relationship, which is why they have asked for a change to be made in this regard.
- Before them, the director of the film herself has said that she will not retract and will not make the changes that are being demanded.
Eternals, the new Marvel film, was censored in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar for showing an openly homosexual relationship in its history.
According to a publication by The Hollywood Reporter, Eternals has been banned in these countries and now faces a new controversy that brings to the table one of the most controversial issues in recent years: inclusion.
Inclusion, an issue that still generates controversy
For years, one of the main demands of the new generations has been to have more participation in different areas of society.
In this framework, issues such as freedom, diversity and tolerance play an important role, especially in times when it is a question of turning around a hegemonic discourse that not only lives in the common and daily practices of society, but also in other sectors, such as sports, cinema, fashion or other arts.
Starting from the latter, in fashion, for example, for years the catwalks have increasingly integrated models that are members of the LGBTQI + community, trans models, as part of a way of showing the diversity that exists in the world.
In the same way, within the most recent events, in the last edition of the Olympic Games, the story of the first non-binary transgender person to get on the podium and hang a medal, which was also gold. In fact, the 2021 Tokyo Olympics have been the most inclusive in history.
The facts
Cinema is another of the areas that is opening up, more and more, to inclusion. A few years ago, the Chilean film, Una Mujer Fantástica, was premiered, starring the actress and activist Daniela Vega.
Now, the Marvel Universe is the one that continues in that line with its most recent premiere, Eternals, starring Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Brian Tyree Henry, Lia McHugh, Don Lee, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek and Angelina Jolie.
After being Marvel’s lowest-rated film, Eternals is facing a censorship issue in some countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, which have refused to release the film.
The reason? Because it shows, in its story, an “openly homosexual” relationship starring the actors Brian Tyree Henry and Haaz Sleiman, a fact that is actually surprising.
The comics, from always, have exhibited this type of situations in several of their numbers is something that has wanted to portray in the films. Even the president of the company has declared:
“There are gay superheroes in the comics and in the movies we are not only going to reflect things as they were before,” also stating that “it is only the beginning.”
For her part, the director of the film, Chloé Zhao, has said that she will not retract or modify the script of the film, which has not gone down well with those countries, who are deciding not to present the film to the public.
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