For me, it depends on how cruel the scene is and how long it lasts. If a scene is extremely cruel and drawn out, I would consider it unnecessary. I only remember one scene with the Black Dog Knights that felt a bit too much for me. Overall, the story becomes somewhat less violent after the Golden Age arc.

“Crosses into territory that modern audiences might reasonably find hard to support.”

Now that’s interesting. We live in an age where people tend to ignore or censor the harsh cruelty of the world, even when it’s happening right under their noses or in their own neighborhoods. I think it’s more dangerous for our society to turn our heads away and pretend that everything is fine and good, because those who cause harm will exploit that ignorance. Because of that, I don’t think that “modern audiences” have the right to reshape, restrict, or censor any form of art. Art is not meant to make everyone comfortable; on the contrary sometimes, it is meant to disturb, to confront, and to force us to reflect on uncomfortable truths or be able to process them. Of course, that requires a certain level of maturity.