04/10/2023

The MCU’s Goriest Scenes Revive Marvel’s Ratings Debate

The MCU has remained PG-13, but its recent projects have included gorier action scenes, and many are debating if its movies should be R-rated.

Summary

Marvel’s PG-13 movies have included gory and violent moments, pushing the boundaries of the rating.
Recent Reddit post highlights violent scenes like the Illuminati massacre and the High Evolutionary’s real face.
The success of R-rated superhero films like Deadpool may lead Marvel Studios to experiment with a wider range of content ratings to diversify their stories.

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A recent Reddit post discussing the goriest moments from the MCU has revived a debate about the ratings of Marvel movies. Marvel’s parent company, Disney, may be known for family-friendly projects, but there are still several gory or violent moments that have snuck their way into Marvel’s PG-13 films, especially recently. Shows or specials on Disney+ also have several shocking scenes that might cause parents and children to become squeamish. Still, the movies continue to get away with being PG-13.

In a Reddit post by JamJamGaGa on the Marvel Studios page, the user shared a compilation of images of the gorier moments from the MCU. This included the Illuminati massacre in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the interrogation scene from Secret Invasion, and the High Evolutionary’s real face in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. These are only a few of the violent moments from the MCU as one could also bring up U.S. Agents shied from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and the many deaths from the Werewolf By Night special. All of these scenes seem to toe the line between PG-13 and R.

Why The MCU Needs To Have A Range Of Ratings In Its Releases

The MCU still has not attempted any R-rated projects, but that will soon be changing. DC has had success with their R-rated movies, such as Joker, and Fox’s X-Men universe proved R-rated superhero films could be successful with Deadpool, Deadpool 2, and Logan. However, the MCU is finally dipping into more mature content with Deadpool 3, which will bring back Ryan Reynolds’ iconic Merc with the Mouth along with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. If the movie is as successful as its predecessors, it may convince Marvel Studios to experiment more with a wide range of content ratings.

R-rated movies aren’t necessarily more mature or interesting than any other rating, but opening the door to the type of content allowed in R-rated projects could help Marvel Studios diversify its stories. One common critique of the MCU is that the tried-and-true story formula is starting to wear thin, and the franchise must evolve or die. The MCU doesn’t need to rely on gory or profane material, but there are plenty of dark and gritty stories from the comics that could be much better told with less restraint from a PG-13 rating.

Source: Reddit