As it stands, the Marvel Cinematic Universe doesn’t have any R-rated outings. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has confirmed that Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool 3 will take place in the MCU and be rated R, but this will apparently be a one-off as Marvel isn’t planning any other R-rated efforts.
DC’s big-screen franchise, on the other hand, has released a few R-rated movies. These include standalone works, like Todd Phillips’ Joker, and entries in the mainline continuity, like Birds of Prey and Zack Snyder’s Justice League. There are plenty of valid arguments for and against Marvel veering into R-rated territory beyond the Deadpool threequel.
Should: The R Rating Gives Filmmakers More Creative Freedom
Marvel has a much better track record of giving its filmmakers creative freedom than DC. While DC has a notorious reputation for tampering with the vision of its directors, Marvel has allowed its own directors to thrive. James Gunn, Taika Waititi, and Ryan Coogler all put a personal stamp on their Marvel movies.
But no matter how much creative freedom Kevin Feige gives them, they still have to keep it PG-13. R-rated movies can be entirely uninhibited (well, not entirely uninhibited, or it risks bordering on NC-17, but a lot more uninhibited than PG-13).
Shouldn’t: The MCU Has Less Room For Standalone Movies Than The DCEU
While both franchises have a shared continuity, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is much more unified than the DC Extended Universe, which has a few parallel timelines, a few standalone movies, and an on-and-off SnyderVerse. Every movie in the MCU takes place on a larger timeline and contributes to a wider narrative. In a sense, they’re all small parts of one giant movie.
A one-off R-rated effort like Joker would have a tougher time fitting into the more integrated continuity of Marvel’s cinematic output than DC’s.
Should: Some Marvel Characters Are Better-Suited To R Ratings Than PG-13
Most of Marvel’s superpowered icons fit comfortably within the restrictions of a PG-13 rating. But some of the more ultraviolent antiheroes, like Wolverine, Blade, and the Punisher, are better-suited to an R rating.
Just compare James Mangold’s PG-13 portrayal of the title character in The Wolverine with his subsequent R-rated work on Logan. The latter, more lenient rating allowed Mangold to dig into Wolvie’s darker characteristics and lean into the brutal, bloody violence that results from having metal claws for a superpower.
Shouldn’t: The MCU’s Lighthearted Tone Works Perfectly
The fun, lighthearted, comedic tone of the MCU is a big part of what holds the whole universe together. The reason why Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and Captain Marvel all feel like they belong in the same world is the MCU’s pitch-perfect tone.
As the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The PG-13 tone has been working wonders for Marvel so far, so maybe they should just stick with it.
Should: It Could Keep The Franchise Fresh
While declaring that the MCU’s output isn’t cinema is a little extreme, the franchise’s movies risk falling into a familiar formula post-Endgame. If Spider-Man: Far From Home is anything to go by, these movies are going to keep following the same cookie-cutter structure. It’s working for now, but audiences will eventually become disillusioned if Marvel can’t shake things up.
Opening up the franchise to R-rated stories could be a great way for Marvel to keep the franchise fresh and avoid settling into doing the same thing over and over again.
Shouldn’t: Marvel Already Has Enough On Its Plate
The existing characters and storylines in the MCU have a ton of payoffs on the way, like the formation of the Young Avengers and Nick Fury’s space mission with the Skrulls.
Marvel will struggle to pay off all these story threads even if it keeps up its current output of three to four movies a year with a handful of streaming series. If it goes outside the mainline MCU continuity to also produce one-offs like Joker, then Marvel fatigue might finally set in.
Should: It Could Win Over Marvel’s Detractors
Marvel’s detractors, from Martin Scorsese to PewDiePie, often accuse the MCU of playing it safe. If everybody always has sequels lined up, then they’ll always have a suit of plot armor. Kevin Feige said that killing off half the cast in Infinity War was a risk, but all those characters came back to life in Endgame.
If Marvel does a decidedly unsafe movie like Joker that delves into challenging themes and graphic violence, then the MCU will no longer be susceptible to criticisms of playing it safe.
Shouldn’t: Joker Wasn’t Actually That Great
While Joaquin Phoenix’s Oscar-winning lead performance is mesmerizing and Lawrence Sher’s cinematography ensures that the movie looks gorgeous, Joker wasn’t actually all that good.
It blatantly ripped off superficial elements from Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy but failed to dig into any of Scorsese’s interesting subliminal themes. There are better movies for Marvel to emulate than Joker. Hollywood needs to move away from this kind of vapid, unoriginal filmmaking.
Should: The MCU Needs Movies That Aren’t Beholden To Other MCU Movies
Connecting to the other movies in the MCU is ironically what holds back a lot of movies in the MCU. It’s hard for a movie to stand up on its own when it’s also a prequel, sequel, and side-quel to a bunch of other movies.
The beauty of a standalone movie like Joker is that it’s not beholden to any other movies — it can just be its own thing. So far, Marvel is missing that.
Shouldn’t: It Could Be Accused Of Stepping On DC’s Toes
When Batman v Superman assembled the Justice League and teased a bunch of future sequels and spin-offs, Warner Bros. was accused of copying Marvel’s franchise model (and not only that but rushing into the interconnected elements at a breakneck pace).
With the release of Joker, Warner Bros. finally brought something new to the comic book blockbuster world. If Marvel emulates that success, then it could face the same accusations that DC faced.
