Marvel Studios has been cautious when it comes to tailoring their content to fall in line with specific guidelines that allow most ages to enjoy, particularly under Disney's banner. They have been wary when attempting to push boundaries and slowly ebb away from their near-predictable filmmaking format that has unfortunately dominated the reputation of the brand. Their efforts to protect their box-office revenue by projecting the superhero genre as ‘“family-friendly'' has consequently stripped away fan expectations and creative freedom upon each upcoming film’s release. There are certain limits that the studio keeps itself in line with and has been stubborn when reconsidering the possibility of leaving its comfort zone. In some ways, this reinforces the stereotype that comic book cinema only subscribes to a certain audience. It chips away at the gravitas of the comic book source material that have the potential to be greatly captured in cinema, but there is, above all, a Disney-oriented mentality to stray away from intensity.

Moon Knight has finally joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe after the series was initially teased by Marvel Studios, scoring the second-highest debut behind Loki. Oscar Isaac acts concurrently alongside himself as ex-Marine, ex-CIA mercenary Marc Spector and his four other personalities as he assumes the role of the Fist of Khonshu. Marc lives with Disassociate Identity Disorder, a mental illness that causes one to believe that they are living multiple lives as different individuals. The complex nature of Moon Knight in the comics was initially hoped to transfer over into the MCU. Indeed, the conversation between content and television rating truly having a correlation has given way to the concern of whether Moon Knight should have been made with the intention of scoring a higher rating that would match the prevalent themes in Moon Knight's comic book source material. Now that the series is underway, the question is: should Moon Knight have been R-rated?

Related: Is Moon Knight the MCU's New Batman?

What is the Current Rating for Moon Knight?

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Marvel Studios

The televised rating system operates differently than the Motion Picture Association's means of deeming which films receive what ratings and why. Because of this, Moon Knight has been awarded the rating TV-14, which can be viewed as the equivalent of PG-13 if Marvel Studios opted to debut Moon Knight through their traditional cinematic outlet instead. While it may sound promising to those who are unfamiliar with Marvel's previous works, the TV-14 rating falls in line with ratings assigned to WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Loki. This may be viewed as a disappointing decision made by the creative forces behind Moon Knight as those who have followed the Marvel hero have expected the comics' brutality to echo throughout the series. According to Inverse, Marvel President Kevin Feige had assured anxious fans that Moon Knight would be "brutal" and “it’s been fun to work with Disney+ and see the boundaries shifting on what we’re able to do." His statement now feels as if it can be categorized as false advertising as the series enters fresh thematic territory in the show's later episodes while still resigning itself to typical Marvel humor.

Will the MCU Ever Have Rated-R Content?

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Marvel Entertainment

Moon Knight may have avoided the TV-MA rating, the equivalent of an R-Rating on the small screens, though the upcoming Deadpool 3 will crown itself as Marvel Studios' first R-Rated project. After Disney and Marvel accumulated the rights to Marvel properties previously held captive under the 20th Century Fox licensing, they were able to reclaim the X-Men (including Deadpool) as their own. The inevitable buyout spurred on questions around the long-awaited Deadpool threequel that would now fall into the lap of Marvel Studios. Disney knows that one of their most in-demand characters was far too valuable to abandon altogether and that the thought of excluding Deadpool from its live-action content would result in overwhelming backlash. Marvel Studios has since confirmed that a third film will arrive under an R-Rating. The Merc with a Mouth was originally slated to debut in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, though the plans to include him did not proceed past the early stages of concept art.

“It will be rated R, and we are working on a script right now, and Ryan’s overseeing a script right now… It will not be [filming] this year. Ryan [Reynolds] is a very busy, very successful actor. We’ve got a number of things we’ve already announced that we now have to make, but it’s exciting for it to have begun. Again, a very different type of character in the MCU, and Ryan is a force of nature, which is just awesome to see him bring that character to life," Feige said in an interview with Collider that confirmed the film's development in 2021. It is assumed that because the Marvel President last spoke on Deadpool 3 over a year ago that the film will enter its production phase soon. Deadpool diehards can collectively share a sigh of relief as their pressing questions were answered.

Related: Does Deadpool 3 Really Need to Be R-Rated in the MCU?

Why Moon Knight Doesn’t Need an R-Rating

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Marvel Studios

Contrary to popular belief, Moon Knight doesn't need an R-Rating — or its televised rating equivalent — to be successful. The absence of extreme violence and heavy thematic content surrounding the complexities of the character and his atypical lifestyle have yet to fully emerge in the series, but these concepts can be explored without needing to subscribe to such a restrictive rating. More mature topics are possible to tackle without exploiting them for theatrical effect. Moon Knight currently sidesteps the explicit gore and language that the comics favor and, instead, plays out in the fashion of character study. There is the opportunity for the showrunners to execute these dramatic elements without having to overproduce them. The preference to place the focus of Moon Knight not on the anti-hero persona, but instead to approach the live-action interpretation from a more humanized point-of-view, allows the show to possess a more mature sense of self. Frankly, omitting the intensity of unreserved bloodshed while allocating that intensity through other narrative principles squelches the association between DID and unhinged acts of aggression. Moon Knight achieves the showrunners' vision without needing to escalate itself to a TV-MA rating that may distract away from the show's true intentions. Above all, the TV-14 rating proves that a discussion around mental health and wellbeing does not have to be limited to a certain audience.