‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ banned from UAE

"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" has been denied release in the United Arab Emirates due to the film's failure to meet the country's censorship requirements, according to Variety. One of the concerns cited by sources is a scene that includes a background poster featuring the transgender flag and the message "Protect Trans Lives."

This ban in the United Arab Emirates comes just a week before the scheduled release date of June 22 for the Sony Pictures film in the region. However, it is not uncommon for the country's censorship board to prohibit the release of movies that feature LGBTQ+ content. Last summer, another animated film, Disney and Pixar's "Lightyear," faced a similar situation when it was not released in the country due to a scene depicting a same-sex kiss between two lesbian space rangers. The "Toy Story" spinoff was also banned in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Malaysia.

The decision of the censorship board regarding "Across the Spider-Verse" is a departure from the release of its predecessor, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," in 2018, which did see a local release and earned $1.7 million in the territory. It remains uncertain whether "Across the Spider-Verse" will be released in Saudi Arabia, as the country's censorship requirements often align with those of the United Arab Emirates.

Apart from featuring the "Protect Trans Lives" poster, "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" has garnered attention for its exploration of Gwen Stacy's character (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld), which some viewers have interpreted as being trans-coded. In the film, Stacy hides her true identity from her father. Scenes set in her dimension prominently feature the colors of the transgender flag. However, the film does not explicitly label Stacy as transgender.