Top 10 Comic Books That Should Become R-Rated Movies

Last Updated on August 3, 2021

The success of DEADPOOL ushered in the new era of R-rated comic book movies but last week’s release of LOGAN cemented their viability for movie studios. Now, films that have struggled to make it to the big screen because of their graphic content have a renewed chance at life. Here is our ranking of ten comic books that deserve the big screen treatment. Some of which may be easy choices but others would have a lot more freedom with a restricted rating that allows violence, language, and sex. If you think we missed one or disagree with our choices, let us know in the talk backs below.

LOBO

For the longest time, Lobo sat alongside Deadpool as the character most fans wanted to see on screen but who was just to vulgar for studios to greenlight. Well, DEADPOOL is a hit so bring on Lobo. DC needs their own DEADPOOL in the wake of the grim and gritty DCEU films. SUICIDE SQUAD got close to pushing into an R-rating, but Lobo is the anti-hero we deserve. Hell, if there is any chance of this movie getting made the right way it is now. Come on, Warner Bros, show us your balls!

BLACK WIDOW

While the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been squarely in the PG-13 camp because of their ties to Disney, Black Widow is one character that could be handled in a truly badass manner if allowed to be in an R-rated film. There have been no active talks about when we will actually see a movie focused on Black Widow but what better way to set the character apart from the rest of the MCU than pushing the violence envelope. I mean, she is an assassin and her ledger needs to run as red as possible and that cannot be done effectively without blood spilled on screen.

VENOM

If you are going to do a Venom movie, do it right. Some characters just need to be brutal and not restricted to mainstream audiences. Venom needs to be able to rip people to shreds and be truly terrifying. Or, if Sony goes the Agent Venom route, they can make a wholly unique film that has shades of war movies and make it a combination of Spider-man and Punisher mythology. That could be a cool take on the character that has never been done before.

LADY DEATH

Another hallmark of late 90s comic books, Lady Death has faded in popularity like Spawn or Vampirella. If you go to comic book conventions you will still see fans dressed as the pale goddess. As far as the story, Lady Death is similar to Castlevania in many ways. Who wouldn’t want to see a massive fantasy-horror epic about a badass woman with a sword killing demons and the Devil himself?

SPAWN

Todd McFarlane has been promising an R-rated Spawn for years now and we do not seem any closer than we were before. After the abysmal failure of the live action film and the cult success of the HBO animated series, Spawn’s popularity has sharply declined over the years. But, the material is still viable for a big screen undertaking if handled correctly but it would have to be very dark and very violent. Hey, if DEADPOOL can survive a botched origin, so can Spawn.

SAGA

Imagine if STAR WAS was crossed with Futurama and rated R? That is what you would get with Saga. From Brian K. Vaughan, creator of Y: The Last Man, Saga is set in a wartorn universe populated by warring alien races and robotic royalty. There is a lot of nudity, a lot of swearing, and a lot of bloodshed. All together, it is the most stirring and unique comic book going and has a story about tolerance and race that is fitting for our current political climate.

LOCKE & KEY

Joe Hill (son of Stephen King) penned this brilliant series that is set in a haunted house that features various types of keys that unlock different abilities for the user. At one point, a pilot was shot for a FOX series that never made it to television, but this would be a contender for the big screen. While the main characters are mostly teenagers, the subject matter is far from appropriate for general audiences. So, why not go all out and make this the scary epic it deserves to be?

Y: THE LAST MAN

Another acclaimed comic that has struggled to turn into a film or a television series, Y: The Last Man is not as violent or perverse as either The Walking Dead or Preacher and yet could do so much more if given the proper production budget. Because of the adult nature of the comic, it would definitely need to allow nudity and gore to fully drive home some of the more intense storylines. But, it would probably just need the R for profanity.

PAX ROMANA

A four-issue limited series, Pax Romana is set in a world where The Vatican discovers time travel and sends modern weapons back to Ancient Rome to change the future. So, basically, imagine if 300 or GLADIATOR had been made with machine guns and you get the idea. So bonkers an idea that there is no way it deserves to be a SyFy series (as is currently being developed). This needs to be an ultraviolent feature film with a decent budget.

THE GOON

Eric Powell’s cult favorite comic book series has long been in development, most recently with David Fincher involved in an animated adaptation. The comic shares tonal similarities with Hellboy and follows the titular character and his friend who battles undead and supernatural entities in a noirish setting. Definitely a unique and dark comic, The Goon would benefit from pushing the envelope of an R-rating to deliver a faithful adaptation of the material.

Source: JoBlo.com

About the Author

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Alex Maidy has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. A Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and a member of Chicago Indie Critics, Alex has been JoBlo.com's primary TV critic and ran columns including Top Ten and The UnPopular Opinion. When not riling up fans with his hot takes, Alex is an avid reader and aspiring novelist.