Why The Black Widow Movie Will be Better with an R-Rating
It has been confirmed that Black Widow will be receiving a solo movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, there is still a long way before the movie can make it onto the movie theater screens, seeing as how the people behind it are still discussing various options for how to proceed. One excellent example is the recent rumor that said individuals have considered the option of making the Black Widow movie R-rated, which is something that has kicked up something of a fuss on the Internet.
Should the Black Widow Movie Have an R-Rating?
Making the Black Widow movie R-rated would result in a real trade-off. First, a R-rating means a smaller base of potential viewers. Yes, people below the age of 17 can still see R-rated movies so long as they are accompanied by either a parent or an adult guardian. However, that barrier is still going to have a notable impact on the numbers of people below the age of 17 who will see it, not least because parents and other adult guardians will have very understandable concerns about whether said content is suitable for their kids or not. Considering the contribution that said demographic has made to the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this isn’t something that can be overlooked.
With that said, a R-rated Black Widow movie could have benefits for the movie as well as the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole. In short, a solo movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe should be tailored to the character that it is centered upon. When one walks into an Iron Man movie, one expects to see super-tech mixed up with the military-industrial complex. Likewise, when one walks into a Doctor Strange movie, one expects to see various kinds of magical shenanigans.
Due to this, a Black Widow movie should be focused on the fact that the character is supposed to be an ex-KGB super-spy. It is perfectly possible for super-spies to be featured in relatively light-hearted entertainment, but nothing suggests that would have been the case for Black Widow. In fact, even the name speaks volumes about the kind of missions that she would have presumably carried out, particularly since we know that she is supposed to be a very well-trained assassin. As such, if a Black Widow movie is going to feel like a Black Widow movie, it should have a R-rating so that the director and other creative figures won’t have to hold back on the depictions of the character’s spycraft. Otherwise, it runs a real risk of making Black Widow a bit too much like her more prominent co-workers, which would be a real mistake when she is fundamentally a very different kind of comic book character.
Besides this, the potential impact of a successful R-rated Black Widow movie for the Marvel Cinematic Universe could be very interesting. So far, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has remained on the family-friendly side of things. Moreover, it seems probable that it will continue to do so for the most part because it makes no sense for it to make huge changes to a winning formula out of the blue. However, the R-rated Deadpool movies have made it clear that there is a market for R-rated superhero movies, meaning that a R-rated Black Widow movie could be a way for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to test to see if it can secure similar success by expanding outwards to encompass more characters who shouldn’t be limited to a PG-13 rating. Ultimately, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has shown a remarkable ability to hold its viewers’ interest by keeping up with the times, meaning that this isn’t as wholly impossible as it seems on initial consideration.
Final Thoughts
In the end, time and time alone will tell whether the people behind the Black Widow movie will go for a R-rating or not. There are definitely very good reasons why said project should be a R-rating. However, it isn’t as though a PG-13 rating would destroy its chances of becoming a success, meaning that either way, interested individuals might want to continue paying attention to the news that is bound to come out as progress on the movie continues to be made.
