A subversive superhero cult classic plagued by hypocritical controversy changes the game on streaming

People tend to pick and choose what they want to be offended by, and in the case of the superhero genre, MatthewVaughn’s Kick-Ass provided one of the most stark examples.

The red-brand trailer for the subversive jet-black comedy crimefighter was greeted with gasps of shock and many pearls being clutched after the first glimpse of Chloe Grace-Moretz’s Hit-Girl revealed that she was using language you’d never associate with a 12 year-old kid.

There was an uproar on such unsavory content being included in what was an R-rated fantasy that leaned into the tropes of the comic book adaptation while simultaneously picking them apart, so a lot of the detractors completely missed the point. And yet, the fact Hit-Girl decimates an army of henchmen in brutally violent fashion managed to get away virtually scot-free, because bad words are apparently significantly worse than bludgeoning.

The storm in a teacup didn’t do a thing to dent Kick-Ass earning instant cult favorite status, though, with Vaughn’s ode to excessive spandex-clad vigilante justice recouping its budget almost three and a half times over at the box office while enjoying plenty of critical acclaim.

The less said about the sequel the better, but it’s the opener that’s been opening a can of you know what on streaming. Per FlixPatrol, Kick-Ass has scratched and clawed its way to the upper echelons of the Starz most-watched charts, over a decade after leaving jaws on the floor and stuffy cynics aghast at what was in store from the get-go.