Disney's acquisition of Fox assets is now complete, meaning that Marvel has successfully recovered the film rights to the X-Men characters. Chief among the characters that fans want to see in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is Deadpool, but the character's recent use poses some challenges to that.
The Fox-produced Deadpool films were both rated R, a point stressed in the film's irreverent, edgy humor. Deadpool 2 director David Leitch has stated that future Deadpool films don't necessarily require an R rating. While this makes some sense, there are some definite problems with that logic. Let's look into why the R rating was integral to the success of the two movies, and why abandoning that might be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Did I Offend You?
2016's Deadpool came out at the apex of the MCU, which was gearing up to reach the climax of its Infinity Saga. Those films were and are known for being fairly family friendly, fitting in well with the Disney brand. To set itself apart, Deadpool was R-rated, the first movie with that rating in Fox's X-Men series. It earned this rating with a dictionary of four letter words, graphic violence and raunchy humor.
This was a stark contrast to what people expected from a Marvel movie at that point. It also made the movie a huge success, pushing it to reach box office heights for R-rated movies matched only by its sequel.
Just Another Marvel Movie
Without his graphic humor and gory action, Deadpool might fit in with any other Marvel movie. While this sounds like a good thing, that's actually part of the problem. Marvel Cinematic Universe movies are criticized as is for their overly comedic, cookie-cutter blockbuster formula. By removing what sets his humor apart from that found in every other Marvel movie, Marvel would turn Deadpool into essentially just Spider-Man with guns. Don't expect too good of action with those, either.
As Marvel enters its Phase Four, it seems to be expanding in terms of scope and thematic diversity. This includes martial arts characters such as Shang Chi and the cosmic gods of the Eternals. Hopefully those films offer something different from the Marvel norm, because there is the risk of audiences losing interest if the forthcoming films are too similar to what came before.
A Deadpool film that's interchangeable with Spider-Man: Homecoming or Guardians of the Galaxy would solidify these worries, driving people away from the studio. It may also cause resentment from fans of the Fox movies, who will look at the Marvel version as an unnecessary reboot at best and a boring, toothless knockoff at worst.
Deadpool and Deadpool 2 stand out against the more serious and dour X-Men movies. When placed among a sea of movies that are already filled with humor and pop culture references, it's the R-rated elements that make it stand out from the crowd.
Once Upon A Deadpool
Just before the Disney acquisition, Fox released a PG-13, Christmas-themed edit of Deadpool 2. This film, titled Once Upon A Deadpool, was seen by many as a testing ground for the character's introduction into the MCU. If so, it's a good reason not to make future films PG-13. This edit was far less liked than the theatrical release, making it the opposite of films such as Daredevil and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Many saw the film as running dry off the premise of making things "kid friendly," and the loss of trademark jokes made it, inevitably, far less funny. If a future Marvel Cinematic Universe Deadpool were to take such a path, he would be compared to the incredibly well-received Deadpool films in what is sure to be an uphill battle.
Other R-Rated Characters
Disney seems to be planning on using the Fox characters in a variety of different films, if inside talk is to be believed. Given that there is talk of solo Deadpool movies being R-rated, the question is whether or not those would be in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the now defunct Fox Universe? If neither, would they instead exist in their own universe?
There are also other dark characters being introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Hulu has apparently ordered TV shows for Ghost Rider and Helstrom. There is also the recently announced reboot of Blade, which will undoubtedly skew far from the norm for Marvel movies. Whether these characters pave the way for an adult-oriented Deadpool film from Marvel remains to be seen, but the universe is definitely widening past just family-friendly characters.
Let's just hope that the Merc with a Mouth doesn't have to watch his.