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:
CBFC deletes 33-second-long ‘sensual visual’ in Superman.
— Madhu Menon (@madmanweb) July 10, 2025
FFS, it's a PG-13 rated SUPERMAN movie! This country sucks. https://t.co/WAw4upcaZF
CBFC would allow horrific scenes of violence and sexual assault in a U certified film that kids are freely allowed to watch, but won't allow consensual kissing in a U/A comic book movie that kids should watch under adult supervision. ?
— Pranav Gangadharan (@pranavgngadhrn) July 11, 2025
You can have lewd double meaning jokes in Housefull 5.
— ANMOL JAMWAL (@jammypants4) July 11, 2025
Beheadings & gory violence in Jaat
But….
Superman kissing Lois Lane is where we draw the line
??????????
If this is true, this is RIDICULOUS!!! Some ridiculous crap happens every day. Every. Damn. Day.
— Shreya Dhanwanthary (@shreyadhan13) July 11, 2025
Sure this is the least of our worries but is something done about anything else? There is some crap every day. Every. Damn. Day. https://t.co/Kwg7fKSe0M
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.
