Theater's 'Avengers: Infinity War' Cosplay Policy Throws Shade at DC Comics Movies

To celebrate the opening of a new chapter in a beloved franchise, fans are known to dress up as their favorite character to merely attend a screening of the film. While many theaters encourage the behavior, some companies have been forced to put regulations in place so that customers don't distract other theatergoers from enjoying their experience, with one exhibitor using the DC Extended Universe as an example of getting too graphic when it comes to violence and gore.

My local theatre was throwing mad shade when talking about its policy on Infinity War costumes and such. from r/marvelstudios

It's unclear where the above notice was posted, but it reads, "All costumes must be work appropriate; nothing offensive, too revealing or shocking to the senses, such as excessive blood or carnage; after all, this is the Marvel Universe not DC."

The wording about costumes being work appropriate implies that this was a notice left to staff who were preparing to dress up, though the individual who posted the photo claimed they saw it when merely visiting the theater.

Regardless of where the notice appeared, it's clear that this was a jab at the DCEU's tendency to depict heroes on the darker end of the spectrum. While the world of superhero films has gotten more diverse in recent years, delivering audiences a variety of different adventures, the critique that has befallen films like Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League is that, for characters that are meant to inspire hope, the films themselves seem to be relatively devoid of joy.

Two of the most successful and critically-acclaimed superhero films in recent years areDeadpool and Logan, both of which lean heavily into violent subject matter and crass language. One of the reasons this R-rated approach was helpful to the films is that they both depicted characters that were known to be quite violent in the comics, with these films now allowing filmmakers to lean into that violence and not be worried about censorship.

Admittedly, audiences who have seen Avengers: Infinity War know just how massive the body count is for the adventure, though many of those deaths take place off-screen and without an abundance of gore.

Fans can see Avengers: Infinity War in theaters now.

Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe films include Ant-Man and The Wasp on July 6th, Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, and the fourth Avengers on May 3, 2019. The sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming hits on July 5, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 lands in 2020.

Do you think the DCEU is unnecessarily violent? Let us know in the comments below!