It’s kind of a controversial subject about LGBTQ+ representation in the MCU, and it has been from the start. But in recent times this stigma seems to be changing with more information and awareness about the subject. With more representation of members of the LGBTQ+ community in comics and popular media, the MCU has been eager to contribute towards this with representation in their projects.
But it seems like Marvel Studios has been hesitantly going back on their words about the whole thing.
With the worldwide release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, a certain issue of a 10-second scene depicting Aneka kissing Ayo on the forehead has been cut from the film’s run time, which has fans both infuriated and disappointed.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Makers Removed A LGBTQ+ Scene
We all know that censorship rules and regulations are different in different places, and films have to respect and adhere to these norms to be able to publish the film in that region. Kuwait is one such example, where the 10-second scene of Aneka kissing Ayo on the forehead was edited out of the film by the censorship board of Kuwait.
A 10-second scene showing Aneka kiss Ayo on the forehead has reportedly been cut from #WakandaForever’s release in Kuwait.
🔗: https://t.co/bVLWySSccr pic.twitter.com/3DlHTycXXp
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) November 11, 2022
While Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had to accept these edits, fans were disappointed about it nonetheless, going on Twitter and being vocal about the whole incident.
A same sex forehead kiss is also known as “scissoring” in Kuwait 😵💫 pic.twitter.com/joNSFzkGAL
— ℍ𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕠𝕟 (@STARS_NZ) November 11, 2022
i wanna know their thought process when they did this because we usually greet people we respect a lot or people older than us with a kiss on the forehead here?? why was this cut 😭😭
— Hamad (@HamadPetras) November 12, 2022
What? Don't they like kiss one another on the cheeks in greetings etc in their culture, or am I tripping?
— BOANCÉ KNOWLESS (@bobesa_bw) November 11, 2022
— 21 CAN U DO SUM FUH MEH (@mamaaintraiseno) November 11, 2022
Similar to the incident in Kuwait, Marvel Studios has also decided to bring the axe down on this particular scene in China for similar reasons. Fans have been flipping over this fact, convinced that they did this whole thing just to appease the Chinese Censor Board for it. With the ban of the film at the Chinese Box Office, one of the biggest markets for Marvel Studios, it’s not hard to see why they did what they did in China.
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Why Did The Makers Do This?
It’s obvious for obvious reasons. It doesn’t have a choice but to adhere to these censorship laws so that it can release the films in these respective regions. Even when the censor board demands certain scenes be edited out due to some moral, sentimental, or religious reasons, the studio would much rather edit a certain part of it rather than forfeit the entire revenue stream over it.
In the end, it’s not the studios that decide what stays and what goes, it’s the censor board, and all we can do is accept.
You might also like: “You are my Brother”: Letitia Wright Details Her First Meeting With Chadwick Boseman and How She Got the Role of Shuri in Black Panther
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is in cinemas now
Source: @PopCrave
