‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ will be banned in China for featuring openly gay characters: report

• ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ could be the last Marvel Studios movie to be banned in China.
• According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film will likely be blacklisted along with DC’s “Black Adam.”
• A queer relationship shown in the film could be the reason why the film may never be released in Chinese cinemas.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” may have hit theaters around the world on Friday, but its fate in China is yet to be determined.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the likelihood of Marvel Studio’s latest superhero episode hitting Chinese theaters is slim – the main theory behind why the inclusion of overtly weird characters. As Insider previously reported, “Wakanda Forever” reveals that Dora members Milaje Ayo (Florence Kasumba) and Aneka (Michaela Coel) are dating. The two are also together in Marvel’s 2016 “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” comic.

Disney, the owner of Marvel Studios, did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.

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But if the second “Black Panther” film ends up being blacklisted by China’s censorship authority, it will join a long list of other Marvel Studios films that have met the same fate.

Fortune reports that among the current list of superhero movies banned in China are “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”

“No Way Home” – a Sony and Marvel production – was approved by China’s local film administration, but never landed a release date, Business Insider reported. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the leading theory was that there was too much symbolism of American patriotism, namely the Statue of Liberty.

Meanwhile, Deadline reported that “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” came under fire for a newsstand scene with The Epoch Times, which opposes the Chinese government.

After its September 2021 release date in the United States, “Shang Chi” did not receive a release date in China – likely due to comments by Simu Liu, the leading man in the cinema, about the country in 2017 , reported Business Insider.

The film was also embroiled in controversy over the main character’s comic book history, having included a character now seen as having perpetuated racist Asian stereotypes when first released.

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In June, Disney’s “Lightyear,” a prequel to the “Toy Story” franchise, was also banned in China after the production company refused to cut scenes featuring gay kissing from the film. As of November, the film has no China release date, according to IMDb.

At the time, Chris Evans, who plays the lead, told Variety he was “frustrated” that the inclusion of queer characters was even a point of contention. “The goal is that we can get to a point where that’s the norm, and that doesn’t have to be uncharted waters, that eventually it’s like that,” he said.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Brothers’ latest DC Comics superhero movie, “Black Adam,” will likely never reach Chinese theaters. The outlet reports that there is speculation that a photograph that Pierce Brosnan, who plays Kent Nelson/Doctor Fate in the film, took with the Dalai Lama two years ago is the source of the prohibition.

Warner Brothers did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.