Disney ‘refused’ to cut LGBTQ+ Doctor Strange 2 scene with new Marvel hero | Films | Entertainment
The upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is going to split the universe up even more. Not only will the titular hero be venturing into new and fantastic universes, but he will also be introduced to a collection of new characters. On top of the rumoured arrivals of Professor X and Namor, a new hero will be introduced: America Chavez.
In the Marvel comics, America – otherwise known as Miss America – is a young superhero who has super strength, invulnerability, flight, and a Star Blast ability.
Crucially, however, America comes from a universe where men don’t exist. Because of this, she has two mums.
What’s more, the young Latin-American hero is also a gay character, making her one of the first openly LGBTQ+ character in the MCU yet.
Because of these two reasons, Saudi Arabia has reportedly asked Disney to cut “LGBTQ references” from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness before it is released there.
These “references” amount to approximately 12 seconds of the film.
Disney reportedly declined the request, leaving the film’s runtime as is.
Saudi Arabia’s general supervisor of cinema classification Nawaf Alsabhan has spoken out about the denial from Disney. Alsabhan said: “It’s just her talking about her moms, because she has two moms. And being in the Middle East, it’s very tough to pass something like this.”
He went on to add: “We sent it to the distributor, and the distributor sent it to Disney, and Disney has told us they are not willing.”
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Saudi Arabia previously requested edits in the recently-released Marvel movie Eternals. The film featured a male gay couple, which the country objected. As a result, Eternals did not play in cinemas in Saudi Arabia.
Before that, China laid waste to the 2021 Marvel film slate.
The country denied entry for all Marvel films in cinemas in 2021. This included Black Widow, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and even the multi-billion dollar movie Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The next Marvel film due to hit cinemas after Doctor Strange is Thor: Love and Thunder.
Watch all the Marvel Cinematic Universe films on Disney Plus now.
