MCU: Every Curse Word Cut Off Or Censored

Here’s every censored or cut-off curse word in the MCU. Generally, the franchise doesn’t shy away too much from the occasional swear word, and some MCU heroes certainly have dirtier mouths than others—Tony Stark being the main perpetrator. If Deadpool officially joins the MCU in Deadpool 3, expect Tony’s record to be blown out of the water.

Marvel’s writers do skirt around the really bad words, however. The comics have been doing this for decades with grawlix in place of the actual swear words, and profanity in the MCU usually gets handled in a similarly creative fashion. With a PG-13 rating to uphold, most MCU movies deploy a** and d*mn pretty freely but keep b**ch and sh** somewhat more infrequent, while never dropping an f-bomb without cutting it off.

Nonetheless, nothing quite signals the seriousness of situation quite like an emphatic curse word — and what are Marvel movies if not a series of very serious situations? To maintain PG-13 ratings without detracting from the MCU’s frequent life-or-death stakes, Marvel has had to creatively signal that swear words were being spoken without having them literally “spoken” — or, at the least, heard by the audience. With that in mind, here’s every time Marvel has dodged or cut off a curse word so far.

Bruce Banner Says “Oh Shi-” in The Incredible Hulk (2008)

At the tail end of The Incredible Hulk, with the Abomination rampaging through the streets of New York City, Bruce Banner decides he’ll try to “aim” the Hulk at the monster and take it down. The problem is, the Incredible Hulk may be gone for good, as Banner has just undergone an experimental treatment to remove all the gamma cells from his bloodstream. As he leaps out of a helicopter, he closes his eyes and waits for the adrenaline rush to Hulk him out. However, nothing happens, and a panicked Banner only has time to half-exclaim, “Oh, shi-!” before he plummets out of the camera’s eye- and ear-shot.

Peter Quill Says “What the F-” in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Before they officially become a team, the five in Guardians of the Galaxy comprise a ragtag bunch of mercenaries and thieves. In their first group effort, the five travel to Knowhere to sell the Power Stone to the Collector, Taneleer Tivan. Things go awry when the Collector’s enslaved assistant, Carina, makes a grab for the stone and triggers an explosion that takes down the whole building. Quill and Gamora take cover behind a table. As they emerge to take in the aftermath, a shocked Quill begins to say, “What the f-!” before a bursting lightbulb in the background cuts him off.

Groot Doesn’t Say “Frickin”’ in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 sees the team go up against Peter Quill’s all-powerful father, Ego. At the climax, the Guardians battle Ego in his brain/planetary core. After rigging an explosive that will destroy everything, Rocket tells Yondu they need to leave now, but Yondu heroically chooses to stay behind and help Quill beat his biological dad. Realizing the weight of this decision, Groot tells Yondu, “I am Groot.” When Yondu asks Rocket to translate, a tearful Rocket says, “He says, ‘Welcome to the frickin’ Guardians of the Galaxy. Only he didn’t use “frickin’.”” This is an especially creative censor since it comes suggestively translated from one of the other characters within the film.

Aunt May Says “What the Fu-” in Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)

Peter Parker can’t catch a break in Spider-Man: Homecoming. After trying to take down an illegal arms dealer on his own, Peter gets his suit confiscated by Tony Stark. He then has to continue his mission with even fewer resources, finally battling his homecoming date’s father in the climax. In the end, Stark comes around and returns the suit to Peter. During the very last scene, it’s sitting in a paper bag on Peter’s bed labeled, “This belongs to you.” A triumphant Peter puts the Spider-Man suit on, and the camera slowly pans up to take in how cool it looks. Unfortunately for Peter, his Aunt May is standing in the doorway, and as he takes his mask off revealing that it’s him, she says, “What the fu-!” before the credits cut her off.

Hope Pym Says “Oh Shi-” in Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

Master thief Scott Lang and his superhero partner Hope Pym return in Ant-Man and the Wasp to try to rescue Hope’s mother from Ant-Man‘s Quantum Realm. After their shrunken lab is stolen by the film’s antagonist, Ghost, Scott and Hope sneak into her place to steal it back. Ghost appears to be asleep when they enter, reclining in her stabilization chamber. After warning Scott that they need to move quickly, Hope then turns to see Ghost’s chamber suddenly empty. Realizing that they’re about to be attacked, Hope utters a brief “Oh shi-!” before she is cut off by Ghost punching her from behind.

Rocket Raccoon Says “Up My—” and Nick Fury Says “Motherf-” in Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

During Avengers: Infinity War, Thor confides in Rocket about losing his family, his homeworld, his eye, and his hammer. Taking pity on the God of Thunder, Rocket offers Thor a bionic eye he stole off a guy in Contraxia. Thor thanks him and inserts the eye right away, but Rocket responds by saying, “Oof, I would’ve washed that. The only way I could sneak it off Contraxia was up my—.” An alert noise from the ship’s control panel distracts him before he can finish the thought.

In Avengers: Infinity War‘s shocking ending, Thanos succeeds in collecting all six Infinity Stones and snapping his fingers to erase half the life in the universe. In the film’s final moments, many Avengers and Guardians disintegrate into dust. The post-credits scene shows Nick Fury and Agent Maria Hill catching up on events halfway across the world, and the people around them begin dusting as well. Hill vanishes, and Fury hurries back to their car to retrieve his Captain Marvel communicator. Just as he manages to push the button, Fury notices his hand starting to disappear, and he laments, “Motherf-,” in signature Samuel L. Jackson fashion.

A Student Says “Sh*t Is Crazy,” and Peter Parker Says “What the Fu-” in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

The first five minutes of Spider-Man: Far From Home feature a morning news segment from Peter Parker’s high school, Midtown Tech. After a student-made tribute film to the fallen Avengers from Avengers: Endgame, student news anchor Betty Brant sighs and begins to say, “This year has been nothing short of-,” before she’s interrupted by her co-anchor Jason’s addition of “sh*t is crazy.” He’s bleeped out because it’s a school program, and Betty makes sure to correct him as well.

While it turns out that Aunt May knowing his secret identity isn’t the end of the world for Peter, things do get a whole lot messier in this sequel. After defeating Mysterio, a disgruntled former Stark Industries employee who wreaks havoc while posing as a superhero, Peter returns to New York City triumphantly. However, in a mid-credits scene where he and MJ go for a web-slinging jaunt, Peter is shocked to see a video billboard from The Daily Bugle broadcasting a fake story that puts all the blame on him instead of Mysterio. If that wasn’t bad enough, J. Jonah Jameson then announces that Spider-Man’s secret identity is Peter Parker, with a school photo to boot. In an homage to the first film’s ending, Spidey groans, “What the fu-,” as the credits start back up.

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