Summary
- Marvel Studios may develop R-rated adventures for other MCU heroes after
Deadpool & Wolverine’s
success. - Moon Knight, Nick Fury, Doctor Strange, Thor and the Hulk, among others, would be perfect for R-rated projects in the MCU’s future.
- An R-rated approach would allow for a darker and more intense exploration of characters and storylines in the MCU.
Marvel Studios may develop R-rated adventures for some other heroes in the MCU as Deadpool & Wolverine has become one of the franchise’s most successful movies. Deadpool & Wolverine was a huge risk, as the mature themes of the Deadpool franchise didn’t exactly fit in with the family-friendly tone of the MCU. Even so, when bringing Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool into the MCU proper, Marvel Studios gave him free rein to deliver the antihero properly, and this proved to be the best choice for the character and the MCU as a whole.
Only a month after its release, Deadpool & Wolverine has become the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time, and one of the most successful movies in the MCU’s own history. This huge level of success could prompt Marvel Studios to gift other notable MCU heroes an R-rating, making some unexpected characters more mature, intense and violent. This could benefit the likes of Nick Fury, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man and the Hulk, and could allow the MCU to explore some of Marvel Comics’ darkest and most transformative storylines.
Related Another R-Rated Marvel Movie Is Coming Out This Year & I’m Even More Excited After Deadpool & Wolverine
There’s a second R-rated Marvel movie releasing in 2024, and it is thanks to Deadpool & Wolverine that I now feel more hyped than ever.
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10 Moon Knight Is A Brutal New MCU Antihero
Moon Knight Was Last Seen In Moon Knight (2022)
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There are several recent dark and supernatural MCU heroes that would benefit from getting an R-rating in the MCU, and even more on the way, but Marc Spector’s Moon Knight may be the hero calling out for this mature rating more than any other. Oscar Isaac’s debut as Marc Spector and Steven Grant in 2022’s Moon Knight delivered a huge amount of power and as much brutality as was possible without a TV-MA rating. 2024’s Echo was the first MCU series to get this honor, but Moon Knight would benefit from being more mature next.
As an outright antihero, Moon Knight regularly maims and kills his enemies. These moments were included in Moon Knight, though most of them were hidden from view – the work of the secret third alter, Jake Lockley, who audiences didn’t meet until the end of the series. Marc Spector’s dark relationship with Khonshu, and the evil actions of some of the other Egyptian gods can be explored in much more detail with an R-rating, and some of his darkest Marvel Comics villains, including Bushman, Black Spectre and Shadow Knight could take center-stage.
Recent speculation suggests Oscar Isaac may be returning as Moon Knight in a possible season 2, though this hasn’t been confirmed. Isaac will reprise the role for Marvel Animation’s
What If…?
season 3.
9 Nick Fury’s R-Rated Return Could Redeem Him From Secret Invasion
Nick Fury Was Last Seen In The Marvels (2023)
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Nick Fury may seem an unlikely character to get an R-rating, but he is one of the most brutal characters from Marvel Comics who hasn’t been able to fully come into his own because of the MCU’s family-friendly nature. Samuel L. Jackson has done a fantastic job of portraying Nick Fury over the years since 2008’s Iron Man, but he struggled to deliver a strong storyline in 2023’s Secret Invasion, his first solo project in the MCU. Perhaps giving the veteran hero an R-rating would allow him to seek some redemption from Secret Invasion.
An R-rated Nick Fury-centric project in the MCU’s future could even be the best way to continue Secret Invasion’s storyline. President Ritson declared war on extraterrestrials in Secret Invasion’s finale, but this hasn’t yet been explored. Giving Nick Fury an R-rating, especially now that he’s Earthbound following The Marvels, could detail this destructive war against aliens living on Earth. Nick Fury deserves the chance to show what he’s really about in the MCU, and an R-rating could let him deliver this in spades.
Related The MCU’s Divisive 2023 Was Particularly Brutal For An Iconic Phase 1 Hero’s Legacy
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8 Luke Cage & Iron Fist’s Heroes For Hire Would Be Great With An R-Rating
Luke Cage & Danny Rand Were Last Seen In Luke Cage Season 2 (2018) & Iron Fist Season 2 (2018)
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The shows of Netflix’s Defenders Saga were all given a TV-MA rating, which allowed the likes of Mike Colter’s Luke Cage and Finn Jones’ Danny Rand to fully express their antihero-esque and sometimes violent natures. While they haven’t been confirmed to be returning to the MCU alongside Charlie Cox’s Daredevil, it would be great to see Luke Cage and Iron Fist come back, and bring their mature themes along with them. The sheer destructive power of the Iron Fist could be shown with an R-rating, while Luke Cage could continue to showcase the full range of his strength.
A version of the Iron Fist has been confirmed to be appearing in Marvel Animation’s canon
Eyes of Wakanda
series, though it’s unclear whether this will be Danny Rand’s Iron Fist or another iteration altogether.
There has been speculation that bringing Luke Cage and Danny Rand back to the MCU could finally introduce Marvel Studios’ Heroes for Hire. This team could take on street-level threats in New York City with little care for the law. An R-rating for Luke Cage could also see him take on Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin, perhaps supplanting him as Mayor of New York, just as he does in Marvel Comics. The Defenders Saga ended with Luke Cage as something of a villain, so it would be great to see this story continued to its fullest in the MCU’s future.
7 An R-Rated Black Widow Sequel Would Be Great For Yelena Belova
Yelena Belova Was Last Seen In Hawkeye (2021)
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2021’s Black Widow might have benefited from getting an R-rating, as the movie could have really leaned into the spy, espionage, thriller style that Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff always wanted to inhabit. Unfortunately, Black Widow missed the mark by not doing enough, but a possible sequel to Black Widow could explore the continuation of Yelena Belova’s story with an R-rating. This could accomplish something Romanoff’s MCU stories never did, despite her being one of the most skilled assassins on the planet.
Florence Pugh is set to return as Yelena Belova in 2025’s Thunderbolts*, which won’t have an R-rating. However, following that, her future in the franchise is uncertain. Her skills as a Black Widow assassin should be put on display, and an R-rating would be the best way for this to be accomplished. This can demonstrate her sheer brutality, and highlight the differences between her and her sister, who perhaps took more care not to harm people, breaking away from her past. Yelena Belova could certainly carry an R-rated Black Widow sequel.
|
MCU Thunderbolts Member |
Actor |
Debut Project |
|---|---|---|
|
Bucky Barnes’ Winter Soldier |
Sebastian Stan |
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) |
|
Ava Starr’s Ghost |
Hannah John-Kamen |
Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) |
|
John Walker’s US Agent |
Wyatt Russell |
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) |
|
Valentina Allegra de Fontaine |
Julia Louis-Dreyfus |
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) |
|
Yelena Belova |
Florence Pugh |
Black Widow (2021) |
|
Alexei Shostakov’s Red Guardian |
David Harbour |
Black Widow (2021) |
|
Antonia Dreykov’s Taskmaster |
Olga Kurylenko |
Black Widow (2021) |
6 Vision’s Upcoming Adventure Could Be Darker Than Anyone Expects
Vision Was Last Seen In WandaVision (2021)
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Paul Bettany has been confirmed to be returning to the MCU in the upcoming Vision series, which is set to premiere on Disney+ in 2026. Marvel Studios recently hired Star Trek: Picard’s Terry Matalas as the Vision series’ showrunner, and a recent update suggests the series will be much darker than anyone first anticipated. James Spader has been confirmed to be reprising his role of Ultron from 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, suggesting the Vision series will be heavy-hitting, philosophical and brutal in its delivery, reuniting Vision and Ultron for the first time in over a decade.
This development means that the Vision series would certainly benefit from getting a TV-MA rating, which would mark a huge diversion for Paul Bettany’s MCU hero. A more mature rating could reflect Vision’s transformation in 2021’s WandaVision, however, as the Vision in Westview was revealed to be a fabrication of the Scarlet Witch’s Hex, while the real Vision was rebuilt by SWORD and had his memories tampered with. A TV-MA rating for Marvel’s upcoming Vision series would suggest a darker and more violent Vision, which could be incredible to see.
Related I’m Now Convinced Scarlet Witch’s MCU Return Is All But Confirmed
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5 Doctor Strange’s Dark Magic Makes Him Perfect For An R-Rating
Doctor Strange Was Last Seen In Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022)
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As one of the key figures in the MCU’s Multiverse Saga, it seems unlikely that Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange will be given an R-rating. However, Strange has always walked the line between hero and villain, so it would be great to see this pushed to the extreme with a more mature rating. 2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness perhaps came close to an R-rating itself, with the inclusion of the villainous Scarlet Witch, the Illuminati members’ deaths and the reanimated Defender Strange, but future adventures can take it further.
Marvel Animation’s What If…? series has shown the potential of a dark Doctor Strange, so it would be great to see this implemented into Doctor Strange’s live-action story in the MCU. Strange has supposedly caused incursion events, which means the as-yet-unconfirmed Doctor Strange 3 could explore the brutal and traumatic destruction of the entire multiverse, which could be enhanced with an R-rating. Doctor Strange has seldom stuck to the rules, and it would be great to see this idea reflected in the maturity level of his own MCU projects.
Doctor Strange Supreme caused the death of his entire universe in
What If…?
season 1, and then tried to use villainous variants from across the multiverse to rebuild his reality in
What If…?
season 2.
4 Thor Could Leave The MCU In Style With A Brutal R-Rating
Thor Was Last Seen In Thor: Love & Thunder (2022)
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There has been speculation that a possible Thor 5 could be Chris Hemsworth’s final MCU project as the Asgardian God of Thunder, and it would be amazing to see him go out with the bang of an R-rating. Marvel Studios’ Thor franchise has already contained some of the MCU’s most brutal moments, but it would be fantastic to finally see Thor let loose and completely unleash his power during battle – perhaps against Zeus and Hercules. Since the comedic tones of Thor: Love and Thunder failed the movie, a darker direction may be the best way to go.
Many have called for a change of tone in Thor 5, should it actually be developed after Thor: Love and Thunder failed to match the success of its 2017 predecessor. With an R-rating, Thor 5 could become the darkest Thor movie yet, which would reflect the themes of the original two, Shakespearean-themed Thor projects, while also bringing something fresh and new to the table. This would allow Chris Hemsworth’s Thor to be as brutal and aggressive as he sometimes is in Marvel Comics, and could be the perfect, emotional send-off for the God of Thunder.
Deadpool & Wolverine
confirmed that, at some point in the future, Thor will embark on an adventure with Deadpool, which suggests that he may enter Deadpool’s R-rated world, as it’s unlikely Deadpool will be dulled down for the MCU.
3 Scarlet Witch’s Recent MCU Story Would Have Been Elevated With An R-Rating
The Scarlet Witch Was Last Seen In Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022)
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Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness marked the end of the road for Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda Maximoff, at least for now. The Scarlet Witch sacrificed herself after realizing the error of her ways, bringing down Mount Wundagore and destroying every copy of the Darkhold across the multiverse. This came after she rampaged across realities and pulled off some almost-R-rated feats, such as snapping Professor X’s neck, spaghettifying Mister Fantastic, forcing Black Bolt to blow up his head from the inside, and bisecting Captain Carter.
The Scarlet Witch did a lot without an R-rating in Phase 4, but her attacks across the multiverse would have been even more impactful has she had more freedom. Elizabeth Olsen is heavily rumored to be returning as the Scarlet Witch, potentially even in a solo movie, which would absolutely benefit from an R-rating. There are still many stories from Marvel Comics that the live-action Scarlet Witch hasn’t explored, so it would be great to see her return as a more brutal and mature MCU character.
Related Major MCU Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver Origin Mystery Is Solved By Excellent X-Men Villain Theory
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2 Tom Holland’s Spider-Man Could Become A More Mature Hero
Spider-Man Was Last Seen In Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
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As one of the youngest heroes in the MCU, Peter Parker’s Spider-Man seems like the last character who would be given an R-rating. However, this could actually be the best way to carry on after the emotional ending of 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, which left Tom Holland’s Peter Parker as a more mature, hardened and anonymous street-level hero. He almost killed Norman Osborn’s Green Goblin in an act of sheer revenge, and this will surely have had an impact on his joyful and optimistic temperament.
Notably, Spider-Man teamed up with Wade Wilson’s Deadpool for a hugely popular series in Marvel Comics. With an R-rated Spider-Man in the MCU, this partnership can be explored in all its hilarious and violent detail. Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy has spoken about wanting to bring Deadpool and Spider-Man together in the MCU, and this would only work with an R-rating. Elevating Peter Parker into a more mature hero would create space for a younger Spider-Man to debut, perhaps even Miles Morales.
Related Everything We Know About Miles Morales Live-Action Spider-Man Movie
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1 Bruce Banner’s Return In An R-Rated World War Hulk Would Be Incredible
The Hulk Was Last Seen In She-Hulk: Attorney At Law (2022)
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In recent years, there have been concerns that Bruce Banner’s Hulk has been “nerfed” – weakened unnecessarily. These worries were increased after 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, as it seemed the savage version of the Hulk would never be seen again, as Mark Ruffalo’s green Avenger combined his human and Hulk personas into one personality, Smart Hulk. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law continued this, but a future R-rated movie focused on the Hulk could fix these issues, particularly if it explores Marvel Comics’ World War Hulk event.
Marvel Studios has been heavily rumored to be setting up a World War Hulk movie for the MCU, despite the character’s distribution rights still residing with Universal Pictures. World War Hulk being given an R-rating would allow Bruce Banner to let loose once again, and could raise the stakes of the project, putting some of the MCU’s most notable heroes in the firing line. After the massive success of Deadpool & Wolverine, and the Hulk’s own appearance in the movie, Bruce Banner getting a much wanted R-rating seems more likely than ever.
Deadpool & Wolverine 35
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RAction Sci-FiComedySuperhero
A follow-up to the highly successful Deadpool and Deadpool 2 films starring Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth. The third film will be the first in the franchise to be developed under the Marvel Studios banner following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
Director Shawn Levy Release Date July 26, 2024 Distributor(s) Disney Cast Ryan Reynolds , Hugh Jackman , Emma Corrin , Morena Baccarin , Rob Delaney , Leslie Uggams , Karan Soni , Matthew Macfadyen , Brianna Hildebrand , Shioli Kutsuna , Stefan Kapicic , Lewis Tan , Randal Reeder , Jennifer Garner , Aaron Stanford , Billy Clements , Ollie Palmer , Chris Hemsworth , Rob McElhenney Runtime 127 Minutes prequel(s) Deadpool , Deadpool 2 Expand
Upcoming MCU Movies
- Captain America: Brave New World
Release Date February 14, 2025
- Thunderbolts*
Release Date May 2, 2025
- The Fantastic Four (2025)
Release Date July 25, 2025
- Blade (2025)
Release Date November 7, 2025
- Avengers: Doomsday
Release Date May 1, 2026
- Avengers: Secret Wars
Release Date May 7, 2027