10 Ways MCU Movies Were Almost WAY Darker

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has transformed the landscape of today's cinema, and despite dealing with killer robots, murderous brainwashed super soldiers, and the genocide of half of the universe's population, it has managed to stay within the realms of a PG13 rating. There is surely nothing else to be expected from a Disney-owned franchise.

This however, in the opinion of some, has come at a detriment to the MCU. Ensuring the movies are still able to appeal to families and children, while maximising potential viewing audiences, does put a certain limit on the storytelling possibilities.

While Marvel have to be very careful what their characters say and do, DC and Warner Bros were able to enjoy massive success at the other end of the spectrum with the R-Rated Joker.

Though known as the family friendly franchise, there have been numerous times when Marvel Studios have flirted with the idea of making some of their movies far darker. Whether it was a single scene or an entire movie, the Marvel Cinematic Universe could have been a lot darker, and not always for the better.

After years of fans wanting to see the Sorcerer Supreme make his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, Benedict Cumberbatch finally brought the character to life in 2016. Though Doctor Strange wasn't necessarily a bad movie, it certainly wasn't as brilliant as perhaps it could have been.

There were several reasons the MCU's 14th outing didn't quite reach expectations, but one of the biggest was the underwhelming villain. Not only was Kaecilius ultimately revealed to be nothing more than a pawn, his idol Dormammu felt under-developed and under-used.

Rather than the ruler of the Dark Dimension, Marvel Studios almost moved forward with a different villain for the 2016 movie, Nightmare. Ironically, with the Dream Dimension, the character would have brought more darkness and pain to the MCU than that of Dormammu's Dark Dimension.

Rumour has it that Nightmare may be coming to the MCU for the sequel in 2022, potentially to be played by Eva Green. With the Multiverse of Madness set to have a greater horror aspect than ever before in the franchise, it may be a good thing that Kevin Feige and co. held off on Nightmare, but it's hard to imagine that the villain would not have improved the Sorcerer Supreme's debut appearance.