Not everybody has showered Sony's hit sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse with praise. The film has been banned in the United Arab Emirates for reasons that haven't been officially disclosed. However, there are some theories as to why this happened.
The Spider-Man film left fans with many questions, and not all of them dealt with its surprise cliffhanger. What's Spider-Punk's story? Will Miles and Gwen get together in the next Spider-Verse movie? What about all those other spoilerific questions about the ending? Viewers have several topics to discuss in the wake of this experience. But one interesting topic dealing with Gwen's personal identity may have escaped the notice of many, and it could have something to do with the UAE ban.
As reported by Variety, the ban seems likely to be connected to a "Protect Trans Lives" poster seen briefly in one Across the Spider-Verse scene. This wouldn't be the first time the UAE has banned a film purely for an innocuous depiction of LGBTQ+ themes or even the tiniest mention of them, as the country also enacted a similar ban on Pixar's Toy Story spinoff Lightyear due to a same-sex kiss in one scene. This will be a shame for many in the UAE looking forward to the sequel, as the previous film Into the Spider-Verse managed to get a release there. But it's also worth noting that the flag in one scene may not just be a completely isolated moment.
Many viewers have been speculating about a potential detail surrounding Gwen in Across the Spider-Verse regarding her possible status as a transgender-coded character. During the film, many of her personal story arc beats resonated with trans fans who noticed similarities to their own lives. Gwen Stacy (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) hides her true identity from her father, which creates a rift between them, and when she "comes out," that rift seems to only grow at first. Combining that with the use of the trans flag colors in certain scenes (at one point, Gwen's hair appears to prominently sport those colors), it's not difficult to see where this idea is coming from.
While Gwen is never explicitly confirmed as trans, it's not outlandish to assume these themes were intentional. Both Into the Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse are very tightly-made films with every detail accounted for, and it's a bit hard to believe something like the trans-coding wasn't specifically planned. Transgender people, especially youths, are currently in the fight of their lives all over the world against harmful legislation seemingly hellbent on stamping them out of existence. So it wouldn't be surprising to see writers and producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller make a statement of sorts on the issue, no matter how subtle.
It's a genuine shame that the folks in the UAE won't get to enjoy the laughs and cameos in Across the Spider-Verse properly, as it's a genuinely good time (even despite the audio mixing issues). Here's hoping things eventually turn around. There are some things certainly worth fighting for, and the protection of trans lives is absolutely one of them.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is now playing in theaters.
Source: Variety