Saudi Arabia bans Doctor Strange 2 for being gay

We’re still almost two weeks away from the release of the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe, directed by Sam Raimi Doctor Strange in a multiverse of madness. However, you know what they say: Early Bird must continue to run a rigorously anti-gay regime, and so it’s not entirely surprising to learn that Saudi Arabia has already gone ahead and gotten the film banned from its shores out of the way.

This is for every THR, which notes that this is just the latest major release of a movie that has been banned from the country (and many others in the Bay Area) for the heinous crime (and frustrating literal) of including a gay character on its roster. (In this case, Xochitl Gomez’s America Chavez, Raimi’s dimensional-hopping heroine and idealism, just as she’s been in the comics since it was introduced in 2011.) Dr. Gharib Being the latest movie to be banned for having even decent amounts of Disney’s LGBTQ+ content inside its reels – see also eternityand Steven Spielberg West side storywhich was prevented from being released across the bay due to a passing character.

In danger of giving Disney – currently involved in Local issues with the Florida government Because it has at times less ardent push against anti-gay legislation in the country – much to the credit, it has so far refused to back down when faced with foreign governments demanding the removal of LGBTQ+ content from films, despite losing access to a number of lucrative overseas markets in these the operation. (In contrast to Warner Bros., which I succumbed to China’s demands to cut off six seconds of content Confirming that Dumbledore and Grindelwald have been lovers lately Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore’s Secrets.)

China will, as always, be the biggest test of the company’s willingness to commit to its arms; Disney has skipped the nation for several recent releases, including last year’s Marvel movies Black WidowAnd Eternal, Shang ChiAnd Spider-Man: There is no room for home.