7 Superhero Movies & TV Shows That Totally Earned Their R-Rating

The early Batman and Superman movies, the early aughts Marvel movies, most of the DCEU, and, until Deadpool & Wolverine, the vast majority of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. What do all of those eras of superhero movie history have in common? They were either PG or PG-13, usually the latter. These days, it’s less rare to get a genuinely R-rated superhero project, even from the worlds of Marvel and DC. And, thanks to streamers allowing artists to really go for it with their series, we’re now in an age where superhero TV shows can properly adapt comics that were loaded front to back with violence and cursing.

What follows are the superhero movies and TV shows that included all the adult-oriented content it wanted to. They’re the ones you might want to think twice about before showing your kids. But there were a few exceptions. For one, Super didn’t count because it wasn’t actually a superhero movie. Furthermore, Logan, Darkman, and Birds of Prey didn’t quite make the cut because, compared to the entries that did, they’re not all that gory or obscene. You still might not want to show them to your kids, but compared to the next movies they’re not so bad.

7) Watchmen

Watchmen may be the least R-rated of these seven R-rated movies and shows, but it still definitely has its moments that aren’t great for kids. And, while it is violent, this is the entry of the list that isn’t kid-friendly because its narrative is adult-oriented.

This is a movie that has multiple characters get cancer just for being around a protagonist. It’s also a movie that has a scene where one of the more iconic “heroes” assaults a female colleague. And, lastly, it’s a movie with a scene where that very same “hero” guns down a woman he impregnated in cold blood. Definitely heavy stuff for a family viewing.

6) Kick-Ass

Kick-Ass caught some flack at the time for having a 12-year-old Chloë Grace Moretz say some of the more offensive expletives in the English language. But, of course, she made it work. We believed her as Hit-Girl.

On top of the language, the movie has some graphic scenes, just like the source material. For instance, there is a part where a man’s head explodes in a big microwave. Then there are the dark moments that are played (successfully) for shock laughs, such as the scene that opens the film, where a young man plummets off a building while trying to fly.

5) Joker

Superhero action doesn’t feel all that heavy even when it is of the R-rated variety. But Todd Phillips’ Joker is fully based in reality. So, when there is violence, it’s pretty jarring.

For instance, there are the shootings on the train, Arthur’s extremely brutal murder of Randall in his apartment, and, of course, his shocking execution of Murray Franklin on TV. None of this feels removed from reality and given how the movie has spent its entire runtime showing how tormented and discarded its protagonist feels, it’s as though we’re watching a horribly sad documentary. Well, compared to the other entries on this list, anyway.

4) Invincible

While foul language and sexuality are a factor in the TV-MA rating of Prime Video‘s Invincible, they’re not the main reasons. Primarily, this show earns its rating through bloody violence.

Characters get fists through their sternum, others get their head spun all the way around, and plenty of people just get their faces beaten to a pulp until teeth are flying everywhere. Then there are thematically heavy moments like Powerplex accidentally killing his family and Omni-Man aka Nolan’s killing innocent people just to assert his dominance over his son.

3) The Deadpool Films

Kids may go see the Deadpool movies, but they’re definitely adult-oriented. There was a small amount of nudity in the first one, the second one had heavy thematic material (a child being on a path of violence, hate, and rage), and the third one had Chris Evans getting all of his skin ripped off.

Language and violence are the main reasons the Deadpool movies are here. We won’t bother listing all the heavy expletives because we’d just have to bleep them out, as it were, but we can describe the violence, which includes bisections, decapitations, and headshots galore. Oh, and then there’s Wade Wilson’s Basic Instinct moment in Deadpool 2.

2) Brightburn

The grim tone of Brightburn certainly helped get it a spot on this list, but this is still another case of violence being the primary factor. The death of Noah McNichol, whose jaw gets ripped almost all the way off, was alone enough to get it in second place.

The reason for that is Brightburn‘s reliance on practical effects, a rarity these days. With CGI its blood-soaked deaths wouldn’t hit as hard. Then there’s the fact that the title character murders both of his adoptive parents, who have spent over a decade caring for him and genuinely loving him. The movie as a whole isn’t so great, but its violence definitely sticks with you.

1) The Boys

The Boys is easily the most R-rated superhero property adaptation ever made. As well it should be, because the source material is plenty intense and vulgar, as well.

For instance, there’s the part in Season 3’s debut episode where Termite shrinks himself down to go inside of his lover only to shrink and, bam, no more lover. Then there’s the fact that the same season has an episode that literally features an orgy. For anyone who likes their sexual content frequent (including an interaction between a man and an octopus) and their violence creative, The Boys is a treasure trove.

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