8 Times Superhero Movies Pushed The Boundaries Of PG-13

Mark Steven Johnson's big-screen take on the Man Without Fear was originally released with a PG-13 rating in the States, but was actually slapped with a 15 certificate in the UK and Ireland, and it's not hard to see why. 

In the movie's most brutal scene, Bullseye (Colin Farrell) mercilessly dispatches Elektra (Jennifer Garner) - but before delivering the killing strike with her own Sai, he torments her about her dead parents, impales her hand, and cuts her throat with a playing card. 

There's hardly any blood (the MPPA hates blood) but it's still a pretty nasty moment, and stands out as some cruel and unusual punishment for the leading lady in a superhero movie to endure. The scene is more graphic in the R-rated director's cut, but even as is it's a wonder Johnson managed to bring it in at PG-13.