Disney
Following Disney’s industry-shifting purchase of Fox and all of its various subsidiaries, the first question that comic book fans began asking is how Marvel Studios would introduce the newly acquired characters — Fantastic Four, X-Men, and Deadpool, to name a few — into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Given the complexity and very distinct tone of the MCU, Marvel Studios certainly has their work cut out for them when it comes to bringing these characters into the fold, especially when it comes to the notoriously violent and vulgar Deadpool franchise.
And while many fans had naturally and understandably assumed that Disney would, well, Disney-ify Deadpool and make his movies more family-friendly, a recent rumor from We Got This Covered suggests that Disney may stay the course with the Ryan Reynolds-led franchise and continue making R-rated Deadpool films.
“There remains some lingering anxiety in certain corners of the fandom that the family-friendly Marvel Studios may force the violent, foul-mouthed antihero to go PG-13 for the upcoming Deadpool 3. But while Kevin Feige and his team have yet to offer any official confirmation on the matter, We Got This Covered is now hearing from our sources – the same ones who told us that both Black Knight and Moon Knight were coming to the MCU – that such fears are unfounded.
Apparently, the current plan is for Deadpool 3 to be another R-rated spectacle. This intel slots in nicely with Disney CEO Bob Iger’s comments earlier this year, when he suggested that he’s open to releasing more adult-oriented superhero movies, so long as they’re branded differently from Marvel’s PG-13 films. But while Wade’s third big screen outing looks set to be R-rated, we’re also told that Deadpool might still show up in other movies and TV shows that are rated PG-13.”
The rumors of Deadpool 3 being rated R comes a week after reports broke that the Merc with a Mouth would be making his MCU debut in 2021.
Given the way that the first Deadpool essentially changed the entire superhero movie industry with its R-rating, it should come as no surprise that Disney doesn’t want to mess with one of the most beloved action franchises currently going.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe will resume and kick off its Phase 4 when Black Widow is released in theaters on May 1, 2020.
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Eric is a New York City-based writer who still isn’t quite sure how he’s allowed to have this much fun for a living and will tell anyone who listens that Gotham City is canonically in New Jersey. Contact him on Twitter @eric_ital or via email eric@brobible.com