Since Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox’s various film assets, one of the biggest points of discussion has been the Marvel properties that are now under the control of Marvel Studios. Fans have been eager to see how the Marvel Cinematic Universe incorporates the likes of The Fantastic Four and the X-Men into their films. The assumption from many has been that the MCU will reboot the two franchises, as neither film series was in a particularly great standing anyway. However, there has been one hiccup with that approach, Deadpool.
The Deadpool films starring Ryan Reynolds are huge hits with audiences, and to not continue that series would be a massive disappointment. The issue, though, has been the film’s rating, as Deadpool is about as R-rated as a superhero movie can get, which makes mixing it into the very PG-13 MCU a difficult task. It is beginning to look more and more likely that Disney is willing to accept that challenge. The latest bit of evidence for that is the addition of the first two Deadpool films, as well as Logan, to Disney+ in the United States. The addition marks the first time that R-rated content has been put on Disney+ domestically, and it’s a good sign not just for Deadpool but for other more adult Marvel characters as well.
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Expanding into R-Rated Content
20th Century Fox
Through Disney’s purchase of much of 20th Century Fox’s content, the Mouse House suddenly found itself owning much more mature content than it previously had. Up until now, it seemed that the company has wanted to separate that material from its typically family-friendly image. It has done that in the US by funneling all that content onto Hulu rather than Disney+, while internationally that material has only been accessible on Disney+ through a separate hub on the service called Star.
Deadpool and Logan, now on Disney+ proper in the US, seems to indicate that Disney and Marvel are starting to be more open to R-rated material than they have been in the past. While some MCU movies have certainly been more serious than others, as of this point none of them have really come close to pushing an R-rating. The only MCU-adjacent material to do so has been the shows produced by Netflix, such as Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and The Punisher. When those series were canceled altogether a few years ago, it seemed like Disney was cracking down. It looked like they were hoping to maintain a consistent rating across their Marvel content, and since the Netflix series didn’t match that level, it got the axe. Now, with the inclusion of adult content like Deadpool and Logan alongside the likes of Ant-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy, it seems increasingly likely that Marvel Studios could be producing R-rated content moving forward.
The Proper Return of Daredevil and Kingpin
Netflix Streaming Services
One of the biggest concerns fans have had lately is the re-introduction of characters from the Netflix shows into the MCU. While Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock/Daredevil made a brief appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the first real example came with Vincent D’Onofrio’s return as Wilson Fisk in the Hawkeye series on Disney+. D’Onofrio’s Kingpin was the primary antagonist of Netflix’s Daredevil, and as such he was a very violent and mature character. However, the character’s inclusion in Hawkeye saw the Kingpin dialed back a lot. While it was great to see him, the character felt like he was much more reserved and less aggressive than he was in Daredevil. It did not feel like the same person. Naturally, this has had fans worried about the return of Murdock and Fisk in the new Daredevil series that is reportedly in the works for Disney+.
However, if the streamer is willing to be home to the intense violence of Deadpool and Logan, it would stand to reason that it could also continue the dark tone of the previous seasons of Daredevil. The same will hopefully be true of the rest of the Marvel Netflix characters, such as The Punisher, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones, the last of which is rumored to appear alongside Daredevil in the upcoming Echo series. Over the course of Phase Four, the MCU has already toyed with an increased level of grit and violence, most notably in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Moon Knight, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. These entries in the Marvel cinematic canon could have been testing the waters to see if fans would be open to an increased level of violence in the MCU, and with Deadpool now on Disney+ those tests seem to have gone well.
A Larger Playground for Blade, Werewolf by Night and Others
New Line Cinema
This willingness to delve into the darker and more violent side of the Marvel universe is good news for more than just the Netflix characters. There are also a number of other characters gearing up for an MCU entrance that could benefit from an R-rating. Mahershala Ali’s Blade is a great example of a character that would be better introduced through embracing the adult-side of the character, rather than watering him down to a PG-13 rating. The same could be said for Werewolf by Night, which is getting the Disney+ treatment through a Halloween special directed by Michael Giacchino that will release later this year.
Finally, the character that would undoubtedly benefit the most from a shift toward R-rated content would be the merc with a mouth himself, Deadpool. Deadpool 3 has been in development at Marvel Studios for a while now, with The Adam Project and Free Guy director Shawn Levy signing on to direct the film earlier this year. Though the creatives behind the film have insisted that Marvel is letting them keep the R-rating of the previous two films, fans have still had their doubts about Disney’s willingness to commit to it. Now, with the two previous Deadpool films on Disney+, it seems the studio is signaling that they are in fact ready to go all in with the third Deadpool film. More information about the film will likely be unveiled in the coming months, but it’s starting to feel like fans can start getting their hopes up for a Deadpool 3 that actually stays in line with the previous two.
