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Eternals Gets Restricted M18 Rating in Singapore for Marvel's First Onscreen LGBTQ Kiss


Eternals has been in the center of the talks as it received mixed reception from critics ahead of its release this coming Friday for all sorts of reasons: being the lowest rated MCU movie ever, having representation and diversification for the marginalized sectors, and recently, it got a restricted M18 rating in Singapore for one reason: a scene with a gay kiss, the first onscreen for Marvel.

Eternals Gets Restricted M18 Rating in Singapore for Marvel's First Onscreen LGBTQ Kiss
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Credit: Marvel Studios
Eternals Gets Restricted M18 Rating in Singapore for Marvel's First Onscreen LGBTQ Kiss

It is no question that Marvel is taking a huge leap when it comes to representation, inclusion, and diversification in their latest release, Eternals, where it would be the debut of Phastos, the first openly gay character in the MCU and he has the complete package: a loving husband and a cheerful son. However, it is also because of this that Eternals has received mixed reception and bombed reviews.

It is no surprise that there would be a kiss between Phastos and his husband, a moving scene which made everyone in the set of Eternals cry. It is an amazing feat as such would be the first ever onscreen LGBTQ kiss in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Such a representation and diversification come with the inclusion of the LGBTQ+ community in large franchises such as Marvel and it is a huge step to applaud.

However, not all accepts such kiss from happening. More than that, a lot are not in favor of having a gay character in the movie. It became the reason why Eternals got review bombed. In fact, in Singapore, the kiss was the reason why Eternals received an M18 rating or one which is restricted to those aged 18 and above as reported by Yahoo Life SEA.

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The M18 rating limits the audiences of a movie and it is given by Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), the media regulatory agency of Singapore. Eternals got this because of the kiss of Phastos and his husband. It has been considered as an act of intimacy between two persons who belong to the same gender.

Marvel declined to comment on such censorship but it could be remembered that Zhao did not wat to remove such scenes for the international release.

Phastos and his husband along with their son debuts in Eternals on November 5, 2021.

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