It was heavily predicted that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness would become the first Marvel Studios movie since Spider-Man: Far From Home to secure a China release, but the emergence of online backlash due to a single shot from the sequel's opening scene may have dashed its chances.
According to Deadline, the first few minutes of the film, which sees Benedict Cumberbatch's sorcerer battle Gargantos, includes a quick glimpse of a newspaper kiosk bearing the Chinese characters for The Epoch Times, an international multi-language newspaper and media company which opposes the Chinese Communist Party.
The shot is said to be very difficult to spot, but people with far too much time on their hands have scrutinized the footage and are now fueling the "controversy" online. Sam Raimi's film has been submitted to the Chinese authorities for review, but the trade seems to think it will ultimately be denied a release in the Middle Kingdom.
There are various theories relating to China's apparent blackballing of Marvel-related movies, but it does seem to be a thing. Black Widow, Eternals, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Spider-Man: No Way Home were all refused a theaterical release in the country.
It recently came to light that Doctor Strange 2 has also been banned in Saudi Arabia, but for a completely different reason (find out more here).
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