Though comic book movies have become almost a strictly family or teen-friendly pastime, garnering PG or PG-13 ratings for their soft approach to sex, profanity and violence, not all of them arrive tailor-made for the broader market. Coming up this month, for instance, is Deadpool, an R-rated, curse-happy and hyper-violent superhero movie from the Marvel Comics stable.
Starring Ryan Reynolds and Gina Carano, Deadpool promises to be this year’s refreshingly non-PC hit (if you don’t believe us, just check out the red band trailer above). That’s a big part of why Reynolds has been trying to get it made for so long: for over a decade, the actor has stayed attached to and been talking up the prospect of Deadpool film that was made with adult audiences in mind.
Deadpool is certainly a rarity, but it’s not the only comic book movie to disregard younger filmgoers and appeal solely to adults. Here are eight others that defied convention and went straight for the grown-ups market.
While not all of the following films found a ton of success, you still have to applaud them for not watering down their source material and sticking to their guns.