So many popular superhero films have graced the big screens. But not all popular superhero films are as beloved worldwide. Some of these movies never made it to the theaters in these countries. Some of them made it to the theaters in these countries only after way too much of a ruckus. These countries were not as enthusiastic in welcoming the superhero genre like the rest of the world. the reason are wild and weird.
Justice League – Lebanon Doesn’t Like Gal Gadot
The DC movie was already facing flak when the mutilated Whedon Cut hit the screens in 2017. But a certain country decided to ban it even before the movie hit the theaters. While it may look like a fortunate choice from their end, the reason for 2017’s Justice League being banned in this country is due to an ongoing international crisis. The cast of Justice League has Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Gadot has been a vocal supporter of the Israeli Military since she was once part of it. The country of Lebanon has welcomed many popular superhero films but banned the Justice League because it has Gadot as one of the leads.
V For Vendetta – China Did Not Agree To Its Core Message
The Alan Moore comic book is a cult classic. In 2005, this classic tale finally got a movie adaptation. The movie instantly became a cult hit, becoming one of the most popular superhero films of all time. But the government of China rejected the movie from being shown in its theaters. The reason was bizarre but kind of accurate. The story of a lone man inspiring an entire nation to rise up against a tyrannical government is not the type of content the Chinese government would like its people to see. In a surprise movie, an unedited version of the movie was broadcast in 2012 on Chinese national television. But many see it just as lip service in the backdrop of other things that have happened in the nation.
Superman – The Chinese Believed It Would Fuel Revolution
In 1978, DC gave us Richard Donner‘s Superman and the world would never be the same again. One of the most popular superhero films to ever grace the theaters, you would seldom find a guy who hates this film. Unless you were in 1986 and were a Chinese government official. The story of a guy serving the “American Way” of freedom and justice was not welcome there. That decade so major political upheavals in the nation as citizens demanded better rights. The chinese state media labelled the movie an “American Propaganda” tool and claimed it’s a:
“a narcotic which the capitalist class gives itself to cast off its serious crises.”
Constantine – Brunei Saw It As A Threat To Its State Religion
A small nation in the south-east corner of Asia, Brunei still has a strict control over media and takes censorship very seriously. Any Hollywood movie that professes or even tries to explore mythology of anything but its state religion is quickly suppressed and rejected by the government. 2005’s Constantine, starring Keanu Reeves, was at its core a tale of Christian mythology gift-wrapped as a superhero tale. This didn’t bode well with the Bruneians, who believed the movie was a threat to their national religion and quickly boycott it.
Eternals – Kuwait Didn’t Like The LGBTQ Representation
The recently released MCU movie Eternals was banned not just in Kuwait. It was also banned in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The reason was pretty absurd. The three Middle Eastern countries banned the movie because of its depiction of same-sex relationships. Phastos, an Eternal, is in a same-sex relationship and had a child. Apparently it sent off red-flags in all three nations’ film boards.
