Not all superheros are created equally: Why some superhero movies should not be rated R

First off, we all know that the Deadpool movie superseded everyone’s expectations. It released with overwhelming success and is now the highest grossing rated R movie of all time. So now studios are clamoring to find that next big “adult” superhero movie. There’s been talking about making the third stand alone Wolverine movie rated R. Zack Snyder said he would release a rated R version of Batman V Superman on DVD. Hell, some have been campaigning Disney to release a rated R MCU movie.

The thing is, it’s wrong. And simply not good for audiences nor the studio’s.

Here’s the thing, Deadpool worked so well as a rated R movie because its source material is also rated R. He’s the “merc with a mouth”. His comic is centered on crude humor and gratuitous violence. You cannot take someone like Captain America and turn him into killer dropping F-bombs left and right. It simply wouldn’t work because the source material is not like that so it wouldn’t be true to his character.

Critic might argue that, for example, batman can be dark and be rated R with some pretty dark imagery. While this is true from a studio standpoint its hard to release a rated R batman because he has turned into such a household name. Thus making an R rated movie would cut it’s possible target audience pretty much in half. Now I am aware that we have gotten away from the campy Tim Burton Batman to the darker and grittier Nolan and Snyder Batman but that just the character changing with the times. There will always be little kids itching to go see the next superhero movie so by making a character like that inappropriate to kids who have grown up on him isn’t conducive from a marketing standpoint or a studio standpoint.

As much as I would like to see some of my favorite superheros spouting off inappropriate one liners and engaging in visceral combat it simply wont happen widespread. But that makes the ones that are allowed to be all they can be that much better and non-saturated. Needless to say I am looking forward to the next rated R superhero movie, whatever that may be.

Image credits: calverygrace.org, forbes.com, imdb.com