by Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has been banned in both Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The reason behind this ban rumored to be the inclusion of a LGBTQ character, America Chavez. America Chavez is going to be a new hero that is entering the MCU with the power to hop between different multiverses. Recently, due to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, Disney has decided to get political and has included this character in the film to display their political values.
What has been done in the past
In the past, there have been gay references in Marvel movies, but they have been removed when the film was released in countries like this. A good example of this was the gay reference when Steve Rogers was hosting a small group in Avengers: Endgame. In other countries, they changed the reference from the guy saying “I’m seeing him again tomorrow” to “I’m seeing her again tomorrow.”
Now I know what you might be asking. Why doesn’t Marvel just do the same with this film so that everyone can enjoy the film without worrying about the politics that are in play? The answer is because America Chavez can’t be removed from the movie because she is a huge part of the movie and the plot.
The effect on Disney and what is going to likely happen
This has a negative effect on Disney, as countries are going to start banning their films as long as they contain this type of content. The question that Disney has to ask themselves is are they ready to start losing profits and money at the global box office? We have yet to see what effects this will have on the box office, but I have a feeling you will begin to see that Disney is going to find that they are trapped between a rock and a hard place.
In the end, will Disney and Marvel make any changes to the content in their movies? I think it depends on how this movie and Thor: Love and Thunder do at the box office. Both of these movies have teased that they will include LGBTQ characters, but if they don’t do well at the box office, I think that Marvel will go back to small references but eventually the MCU will just dissolve by Phase Five or Six. What are your thoughts?
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness releases on May 4th, 2022 and is starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Xochitl Gomez and is directed by Sam Raimi.
Featured image from marvel.com, which states that the picture is owned by Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios and is not our own, we only use it to identify what movie we are criticizing.
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