The MCU’s next R-rated action movie release is in sight following the brand’s success with adult characters like Deadpool and Daredevil. Having gone the entire Infinity Saga with only one family-friendly PG-13 rating, Marvel Studios took its first dives into the R-rated market in Phase 5. That venture began where nobody expected: the five-episode Hawkeye spin-off Echo received a TV-MA rating (the television equivalent of an R-rating). While Marvel Zombies and Daredevil: Born Again followed in its footsteps by bringing vicious adult action and the first tastes of gore to Disney+, to this day, Deadpool & Wolverine remains the MCU’s only R-rated movie to be released in theaters.
One week after Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 concludes, Marvel Studios’ first R-rated movie in almost two years (since July 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine) will land on Disney+: The Punisher: One Last Kill. Despite being only one hour long, the Special Presentation was hyped as an adrenaline-packed, TV-MA mini-action movie, but that’s just the beginning of the MCU’s upcoming R-rated plans.
Announcing The Punisher’s solo outing, star Jon Bernthal described it as “high octane” while Marvel Television boss Brad Winderbaum declared it a “shotgun blast of a story” that has “all the pathos and emotion” one would hope for.
One Last Kill’s trailer lived up to its action-packed promise, showing Castle slaying bad guys, charging out a window of a burning building, firing shots in midair, and protecting the innocent as chaos erupts on the street.
The Punisher special isn’t holding back on its R-rated brutality, with set videos confirming a tragic death that is bound to leave many viewers uneasy.
With a one-hour runtime, One Last Kill has no time to waste, and it looks to use every moment. Frank Castle is doing what he does best and getting plenty more blood on his hands (figuratively and literally), making it more akin to a short film than a TV episode.
Moving forward, Marvel Studios, Television, and Animation have three more R-rated projects in the pipeline and two more that could bear the red rating.
Every Other R-Rated Marvel Studios Project on the Horizon
Daredevil: Born Again Season 3
Marvel Television
Fans already enjoyed two seasons of the TV-MA-rated Daredevil: Born Again on Disney+, and they can look forward to a third next year. The series’ gritty, grounded violence will continue as Born Again explores more intense themes.
Born Again showrunner Dario Scardapane confirmed to The Direct that there are a “few” more new villains coming to the Disney+ show, beyond the return of Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin. One of those is Lady Muse, whose Season 1 artistic killer inspiration certainly points to another gruesome arc next season.
Marvel Zombies Season 2
Marvel Animation
The red brand joined the likes of Invincible in the market for TV-MA animated shows with last year’s Marvel Zombies, an MCUified take on the comic run of the same name, hailing from The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman.
After Marvel Zombies Season 1 used its R-rating to the fullest extent, with heroic skulls smashing and bodies being sliced in half, development is underway on Season 2. Based on last season, the adult-only rating will primarily denote its extreme gore and occasional horror, with limited and mild foul language.
Blade
Mahershala Ali
Blade’s status is a mystery, as the vampire-centric MCU flick was announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2019 but has since hired and lost multiple writers and directors. In fact, some reports stated that Blade was scrapped altogether.
For the time being, that is all rumor, but one thing that is official is that former director Yann Demange confirmed Blade would be R-rated, allowing Mahershala Ali’s vampire slayer to express his complete “ruthlessness.” If Blade happens, it seems there will be plenty of vampire blood on the supernatural hero’s sword.
BONUS.) Deadpool 4
Marvel Studios
Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson led Marvel Studios’ first R-rated movie, so it’s only right that rating holds into the MCU team-up project he is penning for the next saga that will unite Deadpool with other mutants. However, as Deadpool is stepping back into a supporting role, the untitled flick may not be quite as adult.
If Deadpool 4 follows in the footsteps of its predecessor trilogy, fans could expect an outrageous blend of violence and foul language, possibly along with alcohol abuse, nudity, sex, and drug references (but not use, because, according to Wade Wilson, “Cocaine is the one thing that Feige said is off limits”).
BONUS.) Midnight Sons
Marvel Studios
Even if Blade doesn’t move forward, Marvel Studios seems to be moving ahead with Midnight Sons. This would be an ensemble team-up uniting supernatural icons from the Multiverse Saga, as well as some that fans are waiting to meet. One has to wonder if Midnight Sons could be the MCU’s first true horror movie.
If Midnight Sons became a replacement for Blade on the MCU slate, it stands to reason that it, too, would be R-rated. There’s no denying that an adult focus would complement the likes of Blade, Moon Knight, and Ghost Rider, allowing their violence to shine through as they slay demons together and take on Mephisto.
