Marvel's Doc Strange Sequel Banned in Kingdom of saudi arabia over Inclusion of Gay Character

The latest Marvel-Disney superhero moving picture, Doc Foreign in the Multiverse of Madness, will non be released in Kingdom of saudi arabia, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed on Friday.

The apparent ban was due to the inclusion of a gay graphic symbol in the movie, the Reporter said citing "Middle East sources."

The new film, a sequel to 2016'south Doctor Strange, was initially scheduled for release on May 5 in the Gulf states. In improver to Kingdom of saudi arabia, advance tickets for the movie are not available in Qatar or Kuwait, although they are still available in the United Arab Emirates.

Movies that feature LGBT references can exist banned by the Saudi censors, the Reporter noted, and the new Doctor Foreign features a lesbian grapheme, America Chavez. Gay relationships are illegal in Saudi arabia.

The ban comes later on Marvel's Eternals was not released as planned in Kingdom of saudi arabia, Qatar, or Kuwait in November 2021. The ban was imposed because of the inclusion of a same-sex couple in the picture, the Reporter and Variety said at the time.

The news of the Doctor Strange ban comes after Warner Brothers confirmed the studio removed a reference to a gay human relationship from Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore in the version of the picture released in Red china.

"As a studio, nosotros're committed to safeguarding the integrity of every film nosotros release, and that extends to circumstances that necessitate making nuanced cuts in guild to respond sensitively to a variety of in-marketplace factors," the studio told the Reporter on April 12. "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."

In improver to increasing gay representation in their films, Marvel's parent company Disney has begun to insert itself into domestic politics when matters related to homosexuality ascend. The company recently spoke out against Florida's Parental Rights in Education Bill, prompting the land'southward Republican legislature to strip the company of the autonomous governmental status that allows it to manage its amusement park costless from zoning laws and other regulations and taxes.

The ban comes subsequently Warner Brothers removed a reference to a gay relationship from the Chinese version of its latest Fantastic Beasts sequel at the Chinese Communist Political party'southward asking.

The six-second clip that was scrubbed from Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore alluded to a homosexual romantic relationship between benevolent wizard Albus Dumbledore (Jude Constabulary) and dark sorcerer Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen), characters in J.Yard. Rowling'due south Harry Potter cinematic universe.

A Warner Bros. spokesman insisted that "the spirit of the film remains intact" despite the censorship.

More from National Review

  • Tom Hanks Announces He Has Coronavirus

  • Saudi Military Students Expelled from U.S. afterwards Shooting at Florida Base

  • OPEC, Russia, and Others Hold on Production Cuts to Stem Free-Falling Prices

Our goal is to create a safe and engaging place for users to connect over interests and passions. In society to improve our community experience, nosotros are temporarily suspending commodity commenting