Saudi Arabia bans Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Just like Marvel’s Eternals and Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, the Doctor Strange sequel features an LGBTQ+ character in the film. America Chavez is a gay character in the comics. According to Hollywood Reporter, the Saudi Arabian government has a policy that homosexuality in media is illegal in Movies and TV.
The Doctor Strange sequel will not be showing on May 5th in Saudi Arabia as it starts its worldwide premiere. Tickets are not for sale in Kuwait and Qatar but are still available in the United Arab Emirates.
During a conversation with Empire Magazine, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness director Sam Raimi said Chavez, who is played by Xochitl Gomez, was important for the sequel. “Strange is still learning about the Multiverse,” Raimi started to say. “And here’s a character that can actually travel through it. He’s such a know-it-all all the time, and to have to learn from a kid probably smarts.” So it seems Strange will have to learn from Chavez.
“There’s a lot of reckoning. And a lot of self-discovery. Strange is almost a stranger to himself before this film unfolds and reveals what, essentially, is in his nature, that he then has to either confront or resist or fall into or become… There are some very bold ideas, and some extraordinary tests of Strange and encounters. There are some very unexpected conclusions,” Cumberbatch added while discussing the Doctor Strange sequel.
Marvel Studios Description for Doctor Strange Sequel
“Now that Iron Man and Captain America have left after a fierce battle in Avengers: Endgame, former genius surgeon and the strongest magician of them all, Doctor Strange, is expected to play an active role as a central figure in the Avengers. However, using his magic to manipulate time and space at will with a forbidden spell that is considered the most dangerous has opened the door to a mysterious madness called ‘the Multiverse.'”
“It’s a big, big movie,” promises Cumberbatch, whose Doctor Strange was last seen desperately trying to fix cracks in reality at the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home. “It’s going to be an absolute riot. And if it brings off the level of ambition it’s got, we’re going to have a success on the level of Spidey. There you go, I’ll put my flag in the sand.”
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness premieres in theaters on May 5th. Tickets for the Doctor Strange sequel are now on sale.