Doctor Strange might be able to tackle multi-dimensional versions of himself in Marvel’s forthcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but he hasn’t been able to defeat the narrow-minded censors in Saudi Arabia, where Sam Raimi’s long-awaited sequel has been banned for what’s believed to be ‘LGBTQ issues’.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has suffered the same fate as Chloe Zhao’s Eternals, which was banned in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar for its depiction of the MCU’s first openly gay character in Brian Tyree Henry’s superhero Phastos.
THR’s Middle East sources say that it’s the character of America Chavez (played by Xochitl Gomez) which has led to the ban. Fans of the comics will know that she is Marvel’s first Latin-American LGBTQ+ character, but that means that it was sadly inevitable that the film would be pulled from their schedules due to their strict censoring of LGBTQ+ issues and representation.
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In Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the MCU unlocks the Multiverse and pushes its boundaries further than ever before. Journey into the unknown with Doctor Strange, who, with the help of mystical allies both old and new, traverses the mind-bending and dangerous alternate realities of the Multiverse to confront a mysterious new adversary.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is directed by Sam Raimi and stars Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange), Benedict Wong (Wong), Rachel McAdams (Christine Palmer), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Mordo), Michael Stuhlbarg (Nicodemus West) and Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch) as well as MCU newcomer Xochitl Gomez (The Baby-Sitters Club) as America Chavez.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is set for release on May 6th 2022.
Originally published April 22, 2022. Updated April 23, 2022.
