Disney+ has censored The Falcon and The Winter Soldier to make the violence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series less graphic.
Reddit user u/MooninMoulin first reported the two changes Disney+ made to the show, which both appear in the third episode, "Power Broker." The first edit is visible in a shot of Hydra scientist Wilfred Nagel's dead body, which is no longer splattered with blood. Nagel's eyes are also closed and the blood has been removed from his mouth. The second edit comes later in Episode 3 when Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes and Sharon Carter go up against a band of bounty hunters. Bucky originally pinned one of the combatants to a shipping container by hurling a pipe through her shoulder but now the pipe glances off her chest. This causes a continuity error, as Bucky's opponent is later shown pinioned against the container.
Disney's sudden decision to self-censor The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has surprised fans, since "The Power Broker" has been available in its original, violent form since April 2021. This isn't the first major post-launch edit done on an MCU project. Disney+ and Marvel Studios tweaked the finale of WandaVision to subtly reinforce its connection to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's edits are the first time an MCU series has been altered so dramatically.
A popular theory attributes The Falcon and the Winter Soldier changes to the recent controversy surrounding the arrival of Marvel's TV-MA Netflix shows on Disney+. Added to the subscription service as "The Defenders Saga," these series prompted the streaming platform to overhaul its parental controls to protect younger viewers from mature content in the likes of Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage. Fans speculate that this process also motivated Disney to remove the more explicit violence in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to avoid any concerns over its appropriateness for viewers with profiles capped at a PG-13 equivalent rating. Disney and Marvel Studios have yet to offer a formal explanation.
The news that Disney+ edited The Falcon and the Winter Soldier follows reports that Moon Knight's UK rating is now 16+, instead of 12+ as originally advertised. This puts the upcoming MCU series on par with Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders and The Punisher (which are also rated 16+), and just below Daredevil (which is rated 18+). It also positions Moon Knight as more adult-oriented than fellow MCU Disney+ originals The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, What If...? and Hawkeye (all rated 12+) and WandaVision (rated 9+).
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is currently streaming on Disney+.
Source: Reddit, via The Direct