Get ready for more blood and F-bombs because the Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t steering away from R-rated movies. Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige has confirmed that Deadpool & Wolverine wasn’t a one-off. Though he didn’t name any specific titles, future entries in the MCU will indeed boast an R rating. Though it doesn’t sound like it’s going to happen all of the time or anything like that.
During a recent press conference (via Deadline) to promote the release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Feige was asked if Marvel Studios has plans for more R-rated movies in the future. Feige replied with, “Where appropriate and where necessary.” That’s not a lot, admittedly, but it’s a pretty big change from the firm PG-13 days before Disney purchased Fox in 2019.
These comments by Feige are perhaps not surprising in light of the fact that Deadpool & Wolverine made $1.3 billion at the box office last year. The only post-Avengers: Endgame MCU movie to make more was Spider-Man: No Way Home ($1.9 billion). That’s good company to be in. It only makes sense for Disney and Marvel Studios to look for opportunities to further that success. This is no time to limit oneself.
The box office is more uncertain than it’s ever been and Marvel isn’t immune. Captain America: Brave New World made just $415 million at the box office. Thunderbolts, despite great reviews, made just $382 million. They are both amongst the lowest-grossing MCU movies alongside other post-2020 titles like Eternals and The Marvels. During the interview, Feige also said movies like Eternals were worth the risk, even though they didn’t pan out.
“If you take success and don’t experiment with it, and don’t risk with it, then it’s not worth it. That’s why Eternals was first up. Let’s take something that nobody knows, that has these giant celestial mythic characters and work with a filmmaker like Chloé [Zhao] who sat around pitching us the history of humanity.”
As for what the next R-rated MCU movie will be? That’s anyone’s guess. Ryan Reynolds recently revealed he’s writing a new Deadpool project. Whether or not that moves forward remains unclear. There’s also the long-awaited Blade reboot, which was announced six years ago but has since stalled multiple times. Whatever it is, the good news is that if a character warrants more edge, Marvel is open to allowing that. This is certainly better than sanding down the edges to secure a PG-13 rating.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits theaters on July 25.
What do you think? Which characters do you want to see in an R-rated Marvel movie? Join in on the conversation over on Facebook or Twitter!
