Rated R Mutants
Are violence and mayhem the answers?
by Phil Perich for the True Believers Blog
In case you haven't heard, the Deadpool movie shattered a bunch of box office records this past weekend with an over $300 million dollar worldwide opening. Not only is a script already in the works for Deadpool 2, but there is talk of other Fox superhero movies (Wolverine 3, X-Force) going for an R rating like Deadpool had. But is that the secret to Deadpool’s success? To go all grim, gritty, and violent?
Deadpool, Duh!
Comic Books of the 1990’s went through a similar trend. Did it work? Let’s examine the evidence.
- X-Force
The early 1990’s saw the New Mutants, young students of the X-Men, break off and reform as X-Force under the leadership of the mysterious mutant soldier known as Cable. X-Force was a more pro-active militaristic strike force that proved very popular for most of the decade. Was it their shoot first and ask questions later methods that made them so popular?
X-Force, armed and tacky
2. Cable
X-Force’s leader was a big mystery for many years. Although he was later revealed to be the time traveling son of the X-Men’s Cyclops who had powerful mutant abilities of his own, Cable relied on heavy weaponry, usually big guns in his fight against evil. Was that the secret to Cable’s success? Huge weapons and giant shoulder pads and pouches?
Cable knows how to accessorize, use everything!
3. Wolverine
Of course probably the most popular and well known mutant to ever come out of the X-Men Universe is Wolverine. As popular as Wolverine was prior, He fit in quite well in the guns, battle armor, hardcore 90’s, even after Magneto painfully removed the adamantium from his body for a few years. Would this hero’s next movie be helped by an R rating as much as Deadpool was. Some say this limits your audience, but is this guy someone who could be a role model for young kids?
Another Canadian desecrating the US flag!
So in the final analysis, Is it the violence, foul language, or even the slightest hint of sexuality that comes with a R rating that drove Deadpool to number #1, or could it be the smart humor, the whole “seriously not taking itself to serious” aspects to the movie? Please let me know the answer:
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@nightwingpdp or @marvel_roundup on Twitter.
You can hear me and my cohost Charlie Esser (@CharlieEsser) discussing all thing Marvel every week on our podcasts All New Marvel Roundup and Superconnectivity. I also write another blog, Legends of DC. You can find all my podcasts, blogs, and those of others at www.southgatemediagroup.com
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That’s it for this time, until we meet again…NUFF SAID!