Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness scene causes backlash in China

A tiny detail in one scene could prevent film from being shown in China

Ellie Harrison
Monday 02 May 2022 05:53 BST
Comments
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

A scene from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has caused a backlash in China, potentially dashing hopes that it might become one of the rare Marvel films to be released in the country.

The movie, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, has upset some in China over a scene that shows a newsstand for The Epoch Times, an international newspaper and media company that opposes the Chinese Communist Party.

Doctor Strange 2 is currently with Chinese authorities, who are reviewing it before approving its release in China, according to Deadline. The publication reported the scene in question has been “making waves on local social media”.

No Marvel films have been released in China since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.

It is thought that the prevention of releases of Marvel films such as Black Widow, Eternals, Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Spider-Man: No Way Home in the country are partly due to Black Widow’s depiction of communism and critical comments about Beijing made by Eternals director Chloé Zhao.

Marvel released the trailer for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in April.

Directed by Sam Raimi, the film brings back Cumberbatch’s character for the first Marvel film after Spider-Man: No Way Home.

It will also mark the return of Wanda Maximoff AKA Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) for the first time since Disney Plus series WandaVision.

The trailer appears to debunk a theory that was floating around following WandaVision’s post-credits sequence – that she will be a villain in Doctor Strange 2.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be released in the UK on 5 May and in the US on 6 May.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in