The next Marvel movie, which is expected to be released on May 4 in France, will not be welcome in Saudi cinemas. In question, the inclusion in Doctor Strange 2 of a new character: America Chavez, a lesbian heroine played by actress Xochitl Gomez.
This is news that the queer public is unfortunately used to… The movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will not be released in theaters in Saudi Arabia, reports The Hollywood Reporter, censored because the new project of the Marvel stable includes a brand new lesbian character, America Chavez, played by Xochitl Gomez. The same decision could be taken on the Kuwaiti side.
Although the feature film has not yet been released anywhere in the world and has not even been shown to the press yet, it would seem that the LGBTQI+ representation in the film is enough to justify this ban. Since homosexuality is illegal across all Gulf countries, the majority of queer-looking films are censored in one way or another. This was notably the case of another Marvel film, The Eternals of Chloé Zhao, which included an openly gay superhero as well as a home parental family, censored in three Arab countries but also in Russia.
As for the character of America Chavez, he is relatively recent. First appearing in the comics in 2011, this superheroine – whose nickname is Miss America – has several powers: in addition to being endowed with superhuman strength, she can fly, move at high speed and open portals leading to parallel dimensions. She is introduced as a lesbian in the Young Avengers comics, where she is in a relationship with a rescuer.
If it will not be released in Saudi Arabia, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be entitled to its arrival in French theaters on Wednesday, May 4. But MARVEL LGBTQI+ fans are wisely waiting for the next project in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), namely Thor: Love and Thunder, where the character of Valkyrie played by Tessa Thompson is expected to be officially queer.
