Two scenes in the Disney+ show The Falcon and the Winter Soldier have been censored to be less graphic. Disney+ is Disney’s streaming service with approximately 7,000 television episodes and 500 films available to watch. Subscribers have the benefit of a huge range of programs to entertain with, but with that range comes the flipside that some content on the platform falls outside of Disney’s usually family-friendly tone, something the company has been trying to protect on its premier streaming platform as it expands its library of content to include shows like Netflix's Marvel series and others acquired via the 20th Century Fox merger.
Although most Disney+ subscribers seem unbothered by the presence of violent shows on the service, some of the public have raised concerns over Disney Plus’s more mature programs. Complaints about the Marvel show Daredevil, for example, point to the idea that Disney is synonymous with family-friendly content and state the company is betraying the trust of subscribers and tarnishing its brand with the addition of mature and R-rated content on the platform. Interestingly, content restrictions are not consistent for all Disney+ subscribers and instead vary by region—as is the case for the limited series Pam & Tommy which is available on Disney+ in the UK but not in the US.
Now, staying in line with their family-friendly branding, Disney Plus censored two violent scenes in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The Direct reported two changes to the shows that are subtle but do manage to make the scenes less intense. The first is in the scene showing the death of Hydra scientist Wilfred Nagel. Where there had been spots of blood on Wilfred’s face and shirt there is nothing, and the scientist’s eyes are closed shut rather than open and staring as they were pre-edits. Another scene was updated to change a pipe from piercing through an enemy’s shoulder to the pipe simply bouncing off of their body.
Though the changes made are small, they do change the tone of each scene. Before being edited, the clips were gory in a way that is not uncommon for media but had the potential to be traumatizing for children. The changes keep the general excitement of the scenes, yet take away the shock value that could be concerning for parents watching with their kids. Of course, these are far from the most violent moments featured in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier so it begs the question of why were these scenes edited as opposed to others.
In any case, this censoring of Disney+'s own content does point to a possible future for the platform. Specifically, viewers may need to prepare to see fewer action-packed shows made available to subscribers. Perhaps Disney is just trying to get ahead of complaints being raised over The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but if this is anything like Pam & Tommy, US watchers may need to look elsewhere to find the more adult shows.
Source: The Direct
