Marvel fan theory: Will Deadpool 3 age rating RUIN new movie?

Deadpool, who has been unforgettably brought to the screen by Ryan Reynolds, is a major fan favourite. His satirical swipe at the X-Men leaves fans in stitches every time a new movie comes out. But there has been some concern that now the films will cater to a younger audience.

Marvel fans have been fiercely debating the possibility that the latest instalment in the Deadpool universe will be PG-13.

So far, all of the Deadpool films have been rated R in the USA, meaning children under 17 must see it with an adult.

PG-13 means all children can see the film, but those under 13 may find certain aspects of it disturbing.

As a result of Disney’s acquisition of Marvel, and their acquisition of Fox, Deadpool now sits under the remit of a company known for making children’s films.

So far no Marvel films directly from Marvel Studios has had a rating other than PG-13, with only Fox-released films going above that.

Other than Deadpool, only the final Wolverine film Logan – featuring Hugh Jackman – was also rated R, and used far more profanities and violence.

Now, fans are concerned Deadpool will be ruined as a result of the possible change in age rating.

A Reddit fan forum has now started up, which received hundreds of comments from fans sharing their views on whether a PG-13 rating would ruin a Deadpool film.

One fan started a forum, stating that Deadpool will not be ruined by the possible change of rating, saying: “Let me clarify that I will be glad if DP continues to have movies and they are r-rated.

“I hope the third will be better than DP 2 but otherwise they have a good thing going on.

“But I swear to God people saying Marvel is gonna butcher DP if he is not r-rated probably havent; opened a single Deadpool comic in their entire life.

“The most acclaimed DP run by Joe Kelly wasn’t even close to r-rated.

“It had inventive and irreverent humor but it didn’t involve the profanity and gore of the films.

“People shouldnt make claims about a character integrity if they are completely unfamiliar with the character himself.”

Many fans, however, were not entirely sure about whether this is true, and were concerned that some of the references would fly over the heads of younger fans.

One fan said: “Eh, I never saw the PG-13 release of the movie.

“That being said, I do know that the PG-13 release of the movie bombed and people who did like the R-rated version didn’t like the PG-13 version.

“I also know that they added in some scenes with Deadpool and an actor whose name is escaping me right now, but it was set up to be something like a Princess Bride parody (the scenes with the Grandpa telling his grandkid the story of Buttercup and Wesley).”

This relates to that fact that, with Deadpool 2, Fox attempted to release a PG-13 version, but this was not believed to be as popular as the R rated version.

Another fan added: “It’s true the character would be fine at PG-13, but Reynolds plays him in a direction where there’s a lot of sexually based humor and that’s going to be the touchstone that hits the R without fail.

“Historically, the PG-13 rating is what basically destroyed the Die Hard franchise.

“That’s how they see it, at least. I personally think that franchise died when McLane stopped being a panicked every man and started being a unstoppable robot bad ass.

“But hey, that’s just my opinion. The point is that there’s precedence for a studio’s concern.

“Either way they could very easily walk the middle ground and lead with a PG-13 release, then follow with an R rated cut without diluting either the character or Reynold’s performance.”

There were well argued point on both sides – but fans will have to wait and see whether Deadpool 3 is rated a PG-13 or an R.