This is strange, to say the least. One of Disney Plus’s long-since-released Marvel programmes, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, has been found to be missing vivid and gory violence. A show that premiered on March 19, 2021, will be receiving revisions in March 2022.
Note from the editor: Is it possible that Disney never intended for the modifications listed below to be implemented? The Hollywood Reporter’s Ryan Parker tweeted that this was the case “There was a software control problem, and the erroneous file was recently uploaded by mistake. It’s going to be fixed right now.” As far as we know, the previous version is still up and running. Here is the original story:
Reddit user u/MooninMoulin exposed everything in a post titled “Disney+ censorship,” which led to the investigation. This is how the user describes it in “Bucky hurls a metal rod at a lady at 37:45 in the third episode of the series. It used to go through her shoulder and pin her to the container, but now it merely bounces off of her shoulder.”
In a YouTube video, Thomas Nute shows how the scene has changed:
The Direct has put up a graphic comparison of how Disney Plus (which doesn’t have a lot of new movies and episodes to watch in April) has altered TF&TWS. Hydra scientist Wilfred Nagel is seen dead on the floor of a shipping container lab in a very quick image approximately 35 minutes into the programme. There is no blood on Nagel’s face in the revised version of this scene (we verified and can confirm), despite the fact that he was shot by Baron Zemo.
That sequence in which John Walker uses Captain America’s shield to decapitate a man? It’s still there, if you look for it.
Reasons for Disney’s action
Some Redditors have expressed their displeasure with u/post MooninMoulin’s in their replies. However, we can see why Disney took this decision to modify a programme more than a year after its launch.
Currently, Disney Plus is in the midst of a big transition, as it introduces more mature TV-MA programming and strengthens parental controls. It’s possible that these two events in 2022 prompted Disney Plus to rethink its programming.
To go back to the basics, let’s look at how TV-14 (which Disney and Marvel Studios programmes have) and TV-MA (which Netflix’s Marvel series have) ratings are different from one another. When it comes to violence, TV-14 shows may have “strong violence,” whereas TV-MA shows must contain “graphic violence.”
TF&TWS seems to have been seen as too similar to TV-MA by the powers-that-be. When they didn’t want the programme to be seen by youngsters and parents who couldn’t access TV-MA material, they decided to lessen the violence instead.
Nico777, a user on Reddit, explains that this is the case “again the pirates win. Even if they’re charging for the privilege of not owning something, they’re still altering it.” People who use streaming services like Netflix and Hulu aren’t yours to own, and they’re never going to be. Disney Plus content will be subject to cuts in the same manner that George Lucas’ Star Wars films were.