Doctor Strange 2 Poster Censored in Italy for Hilarious Reason
Non-verbal communication is a funny thing. What may be a meaningful, but harmless, gesture in one culture could be nonsense or even offensive in another—and it's the latter scenario that's lead Marvel Studios to alter a poster for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in Italy. On Reddit (via CBR), a user shared a poster for the upcoming Marvel Studios film that shows Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) using a hand gesture with his left hand that is similar to what most Americans would recognize as "rock and roll" or "rock on" compared to the Italian version which has changed the hand gesture entirely because the "rock on" gesture means something offensive in Italy.
Apparently, in Italy and in the Mediterranean region the original gesture— "the horns"— can mean various things depending on how the hand is positioned. The positioning in the poster is reportedly an offensive or rude way to call someone a "cuckold". That's certainly a solid reason to make an edit to the poster. Of course, fans in the comments of the Reddit post had a bit of fun with the edit themselves, changing out the hand gesture to mean a variety of other things from other cultures as a joke. The internet, it's a fun place.
As posters for the upcoming Doctor Strange sequel go, Marvel recently released the official IMAX poster for the film as well. That poster features Doctor Strange's face central to the image in the broken glass motif used in other marketing materials, with different reflections of the character, as well as Wanda Maximoff, featured in the shards. Advance tickets for the film also went on sale this week and in just the first 20 hours, the film broke Fandango's advance ticket sales record for 2022.
"The epic first day of presales for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness proves fans are beyond excited to experience all the thrills, chills, and blockbuster surprises Marvel Studios is known to deliver," Erik Davis, Fandango Managing Editor said in a statement.
Disney's official synopsis for the film is as follows: "To restore a world where everything is changing, Strange seeks help from his ally Wong, the Sorcerer Supreme, and the Avengers' most powerful Scarlet Witch, Wanda. But a terrible threat looms over humanity and the entire universe that no longer can be done by the powers alone. Even more surprising, the greatest threat in the universe looks exactly like Doctor Strange."
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness opens in theaters on May 6th.
What do you think about the edit to the Doctor Strange 2 poster for the Italian market? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section or hit me up on Twitter @lifeinpolaroid!