Marvel’s Doctor Strange Banned in Saudi Arabia Over LGBTQ Character
Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will not be released in Saudi Arabia due to the inclusion of an LGBTQ+ character, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Saudi has specifically taken issue with the character America Chavez, played by Xochitl Gomez, who is a lesbian in both the film and the Marvel comics.
The outlet further reported that the film that advanced tickets for the film are also no longer available on the websites of theaters in Qatar and Kuwait.
Tickets are still available on United Arab Emirates websites despite the fact that homosexuality is also officially illegal in the country — as well as throughout the Gulf.
The ban comes after Chloe Zhao’s Eternals, also part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was banned across much of the Gulf in November due to the inclusion of the franchise’s first gay superhero as well as a same-gender couple.
An edited version of the film was released in the United Arab Emirates despite reports that Disney was unwilling to make any edits to censor the LGBTQ+ references.
News of the Doctor Strange ban also comes after Disney scrubbed references to a gay relationship in the Harry Potter prequel Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
Warner Bros. later issued a statement on the censorship to The Hollywood Reporter. Read it below:
As a studio, we’re committed to safeguarding the integrity of every film we release, and that extends to circumstances that necessitate making nuanced cuts in order to respond sensitively to a variety of in-market factors. Our hope is to release our features worldwide as released by their creators but historically we have faced small edits made in local markets. In the case of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, a six-second cut was requested and Warner Bros. accepted those changes to comply with local requirements but the spirit of the film remains intact. We want audiences everywhere in the world to see and enjoy this film, and it’s important to us that Chinese audiences have the opportunity to experience it as well, even with these minor edits.
Watch the Doctor Strange trailer above, via YouTube.
