Marvel Studios shared exciting new marketing material for its upcoming R-rated project on Disney+. The MCU shows no signs of slowing down with R-rated movies and TV shows, finally embracing more adult-oriented material after strictly operating under a PG-13 rating or lower from 2008 to 2023. This will continue in the immediate future for the MCU, as 2025 will close out with one of the franchise's most mature projects to date.
Marvel Studios released a new trailer and poster for Marvel Zombies, the MCU's next R-rated Disney+ show. Featuring an army of the undead, led by famous MCU heroes like Okoye in the following image, the trailer teases a world in which all of the Avengers are dead or zombiefied as chaos ensues.
As seen in other images released from the series, Okoye serves as the general for a massive army of zombies. Heroes and villains like the Abomination, Ghost, Hawkeye, Monica Rambeau, and more stand behind her as they look ahead at their next meal.
The trailer shows this universe's versions of heroes like Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova and Iman Vellani's Kamala Khan (one of the story's main characters). One shot puts them next to the MCU's first true depiction of Blade as they look up at a zombiefied Namor the Sub-mariner.
As mentioned, Blade makes his long-awaited MCU debut in Marvel Zombies, complete with the Moon God Khonshu enhancing his powers and abilities. Taking inspiration from Moon Knight, this alternate-universe antihero steals the show in the trailer's final moments.
Blade shows off his incredible swordsmanship in battle with the zombie version of Hannah John-Kamen's Ghost, who quickly phases around him as they fight with swords. Blade eventually stabs her before slicing her up into multiple pieces.
Another epic shot in this trailer comes courtesy of Spider-Man, who was previously seen in the zombie-centric Season 1 episode of What If...?. Here, he shoots his webs at the zombie army and rips off a few of their heads at once, making for a thrilling action-centric image.
Fans also saw a new poster for Marvel Zombies, which features heroes like Okoye, the Scarlet Witch, and Hawkeye in zombie form above the show's title card.
Marvel Zombies is the MCU's next streaming project set to be released on Disney+ and the newest R-rated effort for the franchise. The show will feature a unique team of MCU heroes fighting back against a zombie infestation on Earth, which was brought on by a Quantum Realm-based virus introduced in Season 1 of What If...?. All four episodes of Marvel Zombies will debut on Disney+ on Wednesday, September 24. Ahead are the MCU's other R-rated projects that have already been released:
Marvel Studios' 3 Other R-Rated Projects Released
Echo
The MCU's trend of R-rated releases kicked off in January 2024 with Echo, all five episodes debuting on both Hulu and Disney+. Featuring Alaqua Cox's Maya Lopez and Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin after their role in Hawkeye, the show featured Maya going back to her roots and rediscovering her purpose before learning about the powers she had hidden inside.
While Echo is not heavy on TV-MA-rated language, it features some of the bloodiest and goriest action fans have seen on any Disney+ show to date. Allowing Maya Lopez and Wilson Fisk to explore dark themes and engage in brutal action sequences, the show brought much of what is expected from an R-rated superhero project.
Deadpool & Wolverine
Marvel Studios opened the door to R-rated movies in the MCU with Deadpool & Wolverine in July 2024, and it quickly became the biggest R-rated movie of all time. Starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, the story focused on Wade Wilson's journey through the timeline to find a new Wolverine to save his universe, all while the two made their way through the Void and encountered wild friends and foes from across the mulitverse.
Living up to the standard set in the first two Deadpool films, this movie delivered on R-rated action, language, and emotion from start to finish behind Reynolds' efforts to continue delivering the same Deadpool fans knew and loved. With 118 F-bombs, heads exploding, and countless bloody moments, the MCU proved it could succeed in theaters with a more mature story.
Daredevil: Born Again
Continuing after Echo's release, Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio returned to the small screen for Daredevil: Born Again, which canonized everything from Netflix's Defenders Saga. Picking up a few years after the Netflix shows, Matt Murdock has to deal with a new reality in New York City after Wilson Fisk becomes the mayor, leading to utter chaos and mayhem as he reluctantly puts the Daredevil suit back on.
Complete with multiple F-bombs and some of the most brutal sequences in MCU history, Born Again easily lives up to its R-rated billing. Considering fans saw Kingpin crush a man's skull with his bare hands in the final episode, the expectation is that this series will continue bringing the intensity with each new episode once Season 2 debuts in 2026.
Richard Nebens joined The Direct in March 2020, now serving as the site's Senior Writer and also working as an assistant editor and content creator. He started his journalism career as a hobby in 2019 and is passionate about sharing news and stories from the entertainment industry, especially comic book movies, comedy, and sci-fi. Richard looks to expand his knowledge about movies and TV every day, and he is eager to stay locked into the latest releases and breaking news at every opportunity.
