Deadpool Creator Rob Liefeld Calls X-Force an “R-Rated Avengers”

Deadpool and X-Force creator Rob Liefeld says the mutant super-group can “absolutely” rival Marvel’s Avengers.

Asked that question by Fandango, Liefeld said: “Well, this version, yes.”

“I’m confident about the X-Force — that it’s an R-rated Avengers in the making,” Liefeld said of the X-team making their live-action debut in Deadpool 2.

“You can see where Fox is building up a roster that rivals what happened over with the Avengers. They built up piece by piece this impressive group of personalities, and actors, and talent that people just responded to,” Liefeld continued.

“So I’m obviously at a disadvantage. I’ve seen more than the average Joe has seen, but I see how well it clicks, and I think that when you throw the R-rating in there, the X-Force can absolutely rival the Avengers. X-Force is not family friendly, and that matters, too. I definitely do see them building their version of the Avengers with this.”

The fan-favorite writer-artist recalled what lead to his creation of X-Force in the early ’90s, saying he wanted to see a “more aggressive arm of the X-Men.”

“Back when I created X-Force, as a fan I was kind of tired with the X-Men. They had become what I would say kind of a mopey group. A mopey bunch of people,” Liefeld said.

“They were always drowned in their own sorrows, and I like action — I like kick ass characters — so when I transformed the book and turned it into X-Force, I think each of the characters, from Cable to Domino to Deadpool are a kick ass group of badass mutants that don’t take any sh—t. They knock down your wall. They ask questions later. They are very much a more aggressive arm of the X-Men.”

Liefeld transformed a book that would, upon introducing the team, sell one million units, a book that became “the second best-selling comic book of all time for a reason.”

“People rallied around it. I mean, my X-Men had weapons. They had attitude. They had aggression,” Liefeld said. “I just felt like somewhere between Xavier’s pacifists views and Magneto’s terrorist views there had to be an activist view. So you had pacifist and terrorist, and I introduced a much more aggressive arm of the X-Men.”

Two of those “kick ass” characters, Cable and Domino, make their long-awaited live-action premiere come Deadpool 2, joining star Ryan Reynolds.

The sequel reportedly utilized its reshoots to add even more of the mutant characters, played by Josh Brolin and Zazie Beetz, after the series newcomers proved breakout hits with test audiences.

Deadpool 2 acts as a sort-of “backdoor pilot” for the X-Force spinoff movie, much in the same way Captain America: Civil War served as a launching pad for Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.

Deadpool 2 opens May 18.