Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has officially been banned in Egypt over the inclusion of the LGBTQ+ character, America Chavez. Doctor Strange has been a fan favorite character in the MCU ever since he was introduced in the character’s stand-alone film, Doctor Strange, in 2016. Since then, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Stephen Strange has become a cornerstone of the MCU and seems to be one of the franchise's driving characters in Phase 4. Coming off the heels of the wildly successful Spider-Man: No Way Home, the anticipation for the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is incredibly high.
Marvel’s parent company, Disney, has always tried to have their films played in theaters all over the world but, due to the laws in some international countries, some films are unable to be screened in certain territories. In the past, when Disney has chosen to leave any reference to the LGBTQ+ community in their movies, it would result in the movie being pulled from theaters and thus a major loss of money for the company. This most recently occurred with Marvel’s The Eternals when the film was pulled from theaters in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar after Disney refused to edit out a homosexual relationship.
IMAX Egypt announced on Twitter that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has been canceled and will not be released in Egypt. While not explicitly stated in the tweet, the film has been banned due to the inclusion of Xochitl Gomez’s character America Chavez, a character who is canonically gay in the comics. After the film was banned in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar earlier in the week due to the inclusion of the lesbian main character, it was speculated that more countries in the Middle East may also ban the film.
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Many fans of the MCU may be devastated by this news as it’s possible that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness may not be coming to their local theaters. With homosexuality still being illegal in many countries throughout the Middle East, it is unlikely that any films, Disney or otherwise, that depict the LGBTQ+ community will be allowed to be screened in theaters. It is possible that some version of the film that edits out any references to the LGBTQ+ community may be available one day, which did happen with The Eternals, but at this point in time it appears Disney is once again unwilling to provide that edit themselves.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness may find itself in financial trouble after being banned in so many countries. Going off of the box office revenue for Spider-Man: No Way Home, the new Doctor Strange film could lose up to $500 million if countries continue to ban it due to its inclusion of the comic accurate America Chavez. After the uproar Disney has received from editing out LGBTQ+ content from upcoming projects, such as Lightyear, it will be interesting to see how Disney handles inclusivity going forward. Until then, Doctor Strange will team up with America Chavez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness as early as May 4, 2022 in participating theaters.
Source: IMAX Egypt/Twitter
