Ever wondered what an R-rated version of the Marvel Cinematic Universe might look like? We need no longer wonder, as a team of visual effects artists has shown us how bloody it could be, mostly using Captain America: Civil War as an example. However, they do go over what it could/would look like, if the heroes we’ve come to know and love over the years had their powers portrayed a bit more realistically in the movies. The results are, to say the least, pretty shocking and brutal. Those who like to think of Steve Rogers in a certain light may want to turn back now.
The video starts out by posing one interesting point. Thor’s trusty hammer Mjolnir is supposed to weigh as much as a planet. Yet, when he hits an enemy with it, no matter who it is, they just go flying. In reality, or something likely closer to reality, whoever suffered the brunt of his hammer would likely explode in gruesome fashion. And it’s points like this that inspired the video, which paints the MCU in entirely different, very bloody light.
These artists pored over the various movies in the MCU and determined that the Captain America movies presented them with the best opportunity to display R-rated carnage, since Cap is often fighting humans, as opposed to otherworldly beings. So, they decided to bloody up the opening sequence from Captain America: Civil War, which sees our heroes taking on Brock Rumlow, aka Crossbones, and his gang of thugs. The scene, in its original form, was a wonderfully executed, entertaining beat-em-up action heist/chase sequence. Now? It’s unsettlingly hardcore.
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Captain America’s shield turns into a brutal weapon, capable of decapitating well-armed soldiers. Falcon’s wings become razor-sharp death blades. Scarlet Witch’s mystic powers are now capable of pulling a man’s blood from his body. Bones are crushed. Buckets of blood are spilled. It’s, in a word, gnarly. They did have a little bit of fun with the sound design, which makes the whole thing a bit goofy and slightly less jarring. Still, it’s all very incredible to see, especially since we’re used to seeing action a certain way in this universe. The MCU is known for great action sequences, but they just avoid getting needlessly violent.
Movies like Deadpool and Logan showed the world that R-rated comic book movies can work on a critical and commercial level. With the MCU more than a decade into its run, it’s highly likely that we will, eventually, see what an R-rated movie in this universe looks like. After all, we did just learn that a Blade reboot with Mahershala Ali is coming. However, it’s highly unlikely that Kevin Feige and the rest of the crew at Marvel Studios will ever deliver something quite like this. Be sure to check out the video for yourself from the Corridor Crew YouTube channel.
