Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness Banned In Saudi Arabia Over LGBTQ+ Character
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is reportedly banned in Saudi Arabia over the inclusion of LGBTQ+ character America Chavez. This is only the latest Marvel Studios project to be banned in the Gulf for the same reasons, as Eternals met a similar fate in 2021.
In Doctor Strange 2, the role of America Chavez will be played by Xochitl Gomez. As in the comics, the MCU's America Chavez is an LGBTQ+ Latin-American with several superhuman powers, including the ability to travel between dimensions.
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The Hollywood Reporter confirmed from Middle East sources that Doctor Strange 2 has been banned in Saudi Arabia following rumors that began surfacing on Friday morning (April 22). The decision has yet to be officially announced, and apparently, Doctor Strange 2 hasn't even been reviewed by those responsible for the ultimate decision in Saudi Arabia, but THR notes that its sources say America Chavez's inclusion in the film is the reason it will be banned in the country. At this time, advance tickets for Doctor Strange 2 are no longer available on cinema websites in Saudi, Kuwait and Qatar. However, early tickets can still be bought in the United Arab Emirates, suggestingDoctor Strange 2 will still release in theaters there.
Because homosexuality is illegal across the Gulf, films featuring LGBTQ+ stories and characters are targeted by censors for edits or outright banishment. As previously mentioned, director Chloé Zhao's Eternals was banned across the Gulf for the inclusion of a same-sex couple. Censors had reportedly requested cuts to Eternals that Disney, the parent company of Marvel Studios, refused to make, although an edited version of the film did screen
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