Why is Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness banned in Saudi Arabia?

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the long-anticipated sequel to 2017’s Doctor Strange, which featured Benedict Cumberbatch’s surgeon-turned-sorcerer, will be released May 6, 2022. The Sam Raimi-directed sequel is a direct follow-up to the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home and the season finale of Disney+’s Loki. As it is a Marvel film, Multiverse of Madness is expected to be an immense worldwide box office success, especially considering how quickly and how many pre-sale tickets have been sold. However, there has been some controversy as of late, as Saudi Arabia has officially banned the film from being released there and in other Gulf countries.

Why the ban?

After the news of the ban was announced, Saudi Arabian cinema representative Nawaf Alsabhan specified the reasoning behind this, saying that Disney was requested to cut out approximately 12 seconds of footage featuring a character discussing her “two moms.” The character, played by Xochitl Gomez, is a lesbian herself, which is a step in the right direction for LGBTQ+ representation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, following the appearance of Brian Tyree Henry’s gay superhero in Eternals, the queer representation in Multiverse of Madness is slight in comparison. Despite such a brief mention of queerness in the film, as Alsabhan says, “being in the Middle East, it’s very tough to pass something like this.” After requesting that the moment be cut from the Saudi Arabian release, Disney declined to do so, which is significant, seeing as the company was slow to speak out on the “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Florida.

As homosexuality is currently illegal in Saudi Arabia, the ban comes as no real surprise, especially since the country had already banned Eternals, which features a same-sex couple in a prominent relationship and a gay kiss. Saudi Arabia often bans global films for other reasons, such as sexuality and violence. At the moment, Multiverse of Madness has also been pulled from Kuwait and Qatar, whereas the United Arab Emirates has yet to drop the film.

With movie theatres reopening and more people returning to the cinemas, Multiverse of Madness is among other big-budget, highly-anticipated films — such as the next Marvel film, Thor: Love & Thunder — expected to perform extremely well at the box office. The bans in the Middle East should not have much of an effect on this, as much of the box office success will stem from larger countries like the United States and China.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is directed by Sam Raimi and stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. It is scheduled for a worldwide, theatrical-only release on May 6, 2022.