With their latest film, Eternals, the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to push boundaries. Director Chloe Zhao made the bold decision to include not only the franchise’s first sex scene in her movie, but also a same sex couple – Phastos, a superhero played by Brian Tyree Henry, and Ben, a non-hero played by Haaz Sleiman.
While reactions to the sex scene have been all over the map, some countries were so offended by the idea of LGBTQ+ representation in cinema that they pulled the film last week. Daily Mail notes that an official reason has not been given, although homosexuality is an illegal act in many parts of the Middle East, and it wouldn’t be the first time a film has been banned there for featuring a same-sex kiss.
Actress Angelina Jolie shared her feelings regarding the decision in an interview. “I’m sad for [those audiences], and I’m proud of Marvel for refusing to cut those scenes out.” Eternals was reportedly set to premiere in the Middle East on November 11th, but has since been removed from websites advertising upcoming films.
“I still don’t understand how we live in a world today where there’s still [people who] would not see the family Phastos has and the beauty of that relationship and that love. How anybody is angry about it, threatened by it, doesn’t approve or appreciate it is ignorant.”
The LGBTQ hero and Ben are said to “share a passionate kiss” in the movie, which several nations requested be edited out of their version of the film. In fact – they wanted to see a complete removal of the queer couple from the Eternals, as if the boundary-breaking decision to represent different relationships in Zhao’s movie had not been made at all.
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