Disney+ recently welcomed Netflix’s Marvel library onto its platform in a move that came along with some baggage. Shows like Daredevil and The Punisher are loaded with adult themes and are more extreme than a lot of the family-friendly content on the streaming service. Changing parental controls seemed like a solution to the problem to remove any need to change scenes, but it turns out that Disney+ went back and retroactively edited some bloody Marvel moments from one of its originals.
The edits were to scenes in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and changed two particularly violent moments. In one, the blood is removed from Hydra scientist Wilfred Nagel’s shirt, and his eyes are edited to be closed as opposed to open, perhaps in an effort to mask his apparent death. Check out the images of the original scene and the edited version below.
Bruh why? It's still the original one that's streaming over here. Which version do you see on your Disney+? It's from The Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 3. pic.twitter.com/iBJMpVQbwnMarch 30, 2022
Viewers also noticed that a scene in which Bucky threw a pipe that went through a woman’s shoulder was also altered. The altered scene shows the woman getting hit with the pipe, but it bounces away rather than sticking through her body. See both scenes in question in the video below:
The edits are confirmed, but according to The Hollywood Reporter’s Ryan Parker, not permanent. Parker mentioned on his personal Twitter account that a reliable source indicated the altered scenes are a result of a “software control issue,” and that the wrong file was published as a result. In short, the edited scenes will allegedly revert to the original scenes soon from the time of writing.
The incident, even if unintentional, might raise concerns about censorship for Disney+ subscribers and Marvel fans. After all, shows like Jessica Jones and Luke Cage feature far worse scenes than anything The Falcon and the Winter Soldier depicted. I can understand if any are concerned about the situation, even if Disney didn’t intentionally mean to alter the scenes to censor the content.
After all, we already have examples of movies like Splash that Disney+ deliberately edited for content, so it might take a minute for fans who had issues with that Splash edit to feel a little more secure that their favorite shows and scenes won’t be quietly changed. It’s hard to imagine shows like The Punisher without bloodshed or that gruesome glass scene (which actually has a hilarious backstory).
Disney+ is still the home of all the Marvel content any fan's heart can desire, and you can find all the various films and TV shows streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Moon Knight just arrived on the platform, and if our reaction to Episode 1 is any indication, now is a great time to subscribe. If you're still in the market for some other viewing options, check out our 2022 TV schedule.
