Superman’s Mid-Air Kiss With Lois Lane Sets Tongues Wagging in India After Censorship Sparks Online Backlash

DCU film Superman is censored in India, where a “sensual visual” of the superhero kissing Lois Lane was cut in order to secure a release.

Superman’s mid-air kiss with Lois Lane, shown during pre-release trailers, was one of two kissing scenes cut for the Indian theatrical release, according to a report by Bollywood Hungama.

According to the report, this 33-second long “sensual visual,” spread across two scenes, was cut in order to secure a U/A 13+ certificate by the country’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

Warning! Spoilers for Superman follow:

Superman’s mid-air kiss with Lois Lane occurs at the end of the movie as part of the celebratory roundup of events. Both characters are in a months-long relationship at this point.

Meanwhile, Bollywood Hungama reported that the CBFC asked the studio to delete an eight-second shot involving a “foul gesture.” It was replaced by a two-second shot. The shot was not detailed, but we can speculate that it was the scene in which Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) swats away the armed forces of Boravia with a wave of his Green Lantern hand, which at times gives the invading army the finger.

This isn’t the first time a movie was changed to appease the Indian authorities. In F1, Brad Pitt’s character does a fist bump in the Indian version instead of sending a middle finger to another character. Marvel muted five words in Thunderbolts* / The New Avengers, and two words were cut from Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.

As you’d expect, the changes to Superman have sparked a backlash across social media. Here’s a snippet of the reaction:

https://twitter.com/shreyadhan13/status/1943602667890078128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

In the U.S., Superman got the DCU off to a flyer with a global weekend take of $217 million at the box office. Its $122 million domestic haul was enough to make it the biggest North American launch ever for a solo Superman film, not adjusted for inflation.

Check out IGN’s Superman review to find out what we think, and then head over to our Superman Ending and Post-Credits Explained to find out what it all means.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.