Movie Scenes Cut For Being Too Offensive

To give 2012's The Avengers the best chance of succeeding, Marvel needed a PG-13 rating—which, believe it or not, they were initially denied because the MPAA were unhappy about the scene in which Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) is stabbed in the back by Loki (Tom Hiddleston). 

"When we submitted The Avengers, the first couple cuts of it came back from the MPAA rated R," Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige told Movies. "That happened twice, so we went back and had to make adjustments. Whenever you impale somebody from their back and the blade comes out their chest, there are issues."  

In the original version of Coulson's (what turned out to be temporary) death, the edge of Loki's scepter bursts through the unsuspecting agent's torso. In the version released to theaters, the protruding blade has been edited out altogether and clever cuts lessen the horror of Coulson's cold-blooded murder, making it less visceral and more palatable for younger viewers.