Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness star Benedict Cumberbatch addressed the film's recent ban in certain countries due to the film's inclusion of LGBTQ+ content.
Speaking during the ongoing press tour for the Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster, Cumberbatch shared his feelings on countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait banning the film. "It is, I’m afraid, an expected disappointment," said Cumberbatch. "We’ve come to know from those repressive regimes that their lack of tolerance is exclusionary to people who deserve to be not only included, but celebrated for who they are and made to feel part of a society and a culture and not punished for their sexuality. It feels truly out of step with everything that we’ve experienced as a species, let alone where we’re at globally more as a culture, but frankly, it’s just even more reason why this isn’t tokenism to include an LGBTQ+ community member."
Cumberbatch further spoke about America Chavez, one of the film's prominent main characters, who is openly gay. "This character is that from the comics. It’s not something we’ve created for the sake of diversity," elaborated Cumberbatch. "We’ve included her because of how awesome she is as a character. And that’s just one aspect of her character and that’s all it should be, but sadly, it’s also now, politically, very charged. And I wish it wasn’t."
This isn't the first time Marvel has faced a ban for including gay characters within an MCU film. Eternals was similarly blocked from releasing in several regions due to the inclusion of a same-sex couple: Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) is shown with his husband Ben (Haaz Sleiman) sharing an on-screen kiss.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will see the titular Master of the Mystic Arts embark on a journey across different universes. The film is expected to feature several major cameos from characters that exist both in and out of the MCU. A recent trailer for the movie confirmed that Doctor Strange will be confronted by the powerful organization known as the Illuminati, leading many fans to believe that characters like Professor X from Fox's X-Men franchise could finally join the ever-growing cinematic universe.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hits theaters on May 9.
Source: Twitter