Eternals star Angelina Jolie has shared her thoughts on the latest Marvel film's ban in several Gulf nations, calling the decision 'Ignorant'. Eternals is already racking up big numbers at the box office with a story unlike anything ever made in the MCU, but unfortunately, some countries will not get to experience director Chloé Zhao's unique vision.

Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar will not screen the newest Marvel addition after local censors objected to the film's depiction of a same-sex relationship (with homosexual conduct being illegal in numerous Gulf nations). This decision prompted stars like Angelina Jolie to add her voice to the situation.

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"I’m sad for [those audiences]," the award-winning actress said during a roundtable interview on the movie's global press tour. Jolie, who plays the powerful Thena in the film, described the decision to pull the movie from release as ignorant. "I’m proud of Marvel for refusing to cut those scenes out," added Jolie. "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."

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In the film, Brian Tyree Henry plays Phastos, the tech-savvy hero of the Eternals group. After parting ways once the group believes to have killed the last deviants, Phastos becomes happily married to a mortal man named Ben, played by Dubai native Haaz Sleiman. During one scene, the couple shares Marvel's first same-sex kiss.

Reports indicate that Eternals will still play in other Gulf nations such as Sleiman's native country as well as Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt, but audiences will be presented with altered scenes that remove any heterosexual and homosexual intimate moments. This isn't Disney's first film that has been banned. Last year, Pixar's animated film, Onward, was banned in many Gulf nations due to the film featuring an LGBTQ character voiced by Lena Waithe. Even though Eternals will play in those other Gulf nations, it's still unfortunate that audiences will not get to experience the story the way it was intended.

Eternals centers on an immortal alien race that was created by the Celestials and has been living secretly on Earth for thousands of years. They finally have to come together to stop their evil counterparts known as the Deviants. The film has become one of the MCU's most divisive films to date, with many pointing out the change of pace and story structure. Eternals' star-studded ensemble includes Richard Madden as Ikaris, Gemma Chan as Sersi, Salma Hayek as Ajak, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Barry Keoghan as Druig, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, Kit Harington as Dane Whitman, Lauren Ridloff as Makkari, Lia McHugh as Sprite, and Harish Patel as Karun.

Eternals is now playing exclusively in theatres.

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Source: news.com.au