Recently, Netflix rocked the world when it was announced that the service would be losing streaming rights to its own original Netflix series. This meant the likes of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron First, The Defenders, and The Punisher would be leaving their homes. Even better, they were posed to join the rest of the Marvel live-action library on Disney+.
When the move was made, many people worried about censorship; the shows can be fairly brutal, after all. Thankfully, that was never the case, and the integrity of the shows was maintained.
However, they weren’t immune from changes. For example, the original credit for Netflix in the opening credits was removed from the shows, instead replaced by a Disney+ logo.
Now, another adjustment to one of the shows has been discovered: the removal of a tribute to Stan Lee.
Stan Lee Tribute Removed on Disney+
A tribute to Stan Lee has been removed from The Punisher's second season finale, which was released in January 2019. The "In Loving Memory of Stan Lee" tribute is now replaced with a prolonged black screen before the credits.
What used to be shown can be seen below:
The reasoning behind the removal is unknown, but a prevailing theory is that the scene preceding the tribute has Frank Castle gunning down a group of people. Of course, this isn’t the confirmed cause of the change—after all, that’s how it was when the tribute first aired with the show back in 2019.
Oddly enough, the Stan Lee tribute found at the end of Jessica Jones season 3 is still present on Disney+.
This isn't the only tribute that Disney+ edited out of a Marvel-Netflix show: The tribute to late actor Reg E. Cathey, who played Reverend James Lucas in Luke Cage, during the season two finale has also been removed.
The original tribute can be seen below:
Why Did Disney+ Remove Stan Lee's Tribute?
When it comes to the removal of the Stan Lee tribute in The Punisher, maybe Marvel/Disney had always thought the placement of it in bad taste, with this being the company’s first opportunity to make that change (at least, under this current management). After all, it is a little strange to see what is supposed to be a touching title card just shortly after an entire group of people was gunned down.
As for the “In Memoriam” for Reg E. Cathey, that one is much harder to figure out. In fact, there really isn’t a good reason on the surface. Maybe the company is aiming to replace it with a different one?
A more intricate theory could be that in the show’s shift to Disney+, the powers at be used an older video file, one which didn’t have the tribute placed in the timeline yet.
Maybe Marvel will comment on the changes if enough conversation is sparked by the discoveries. Otherwise, it may be a mystery that will never get an answer.
All of the former Netflix Marvel shows are now streaming on Disney+.
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