R-Rated Comic Book Superpowers That We'll Never Get To See On Screen

By their very nature, comic books are home to some strange and bizarre characters. For every high-profile hero like Spider-Man and Batman, there are more obscure heroes that have weird powers or abilities. In fact, even some of the more established heroes and villains have sometimes had powers that would likely never make it onto screens. Often this is because they are R-Rated in some way.

That could mean a number of different things when it comes to why they are inappropriate for children. There are powers that include graphic violence, drug use, offensive language, and even sexual activity such as nudity. Whatever the case, there are numerous comic books that contain abilities that are in some way R-Rated. Obviously, this is a problem when comics are generally aimed towards teenagers or children, with screen adaptations targeting wide audiences that include families and viewers of all ages.

Despite the fact that there are some R-Rated comic adaptations, including "Deadpool" and "The Boys," even they would probably try to avoid these controversial powers. They are simply so offensive, unusual, or horrifying to really be shown outside of the realms of comic book pages.

Maggott is a mutant from the "X-Men" series that first appeared in the 1997 comic, "Uncanny X-Men #345." Hailing from South Africa, he briefly joined the X-Men team but has not been a regular character since his introduction. As a child, he was unable to digest food properly and ran away from his poverty-stricken home to give his family a better chance of survival. It was at this point that he encountered Magneto. The villain revealed Maggott's mutant power, unleashing two sentient slugs from his digestive system.

Named Eany and Meany by Maggott, these two slugs eat out of his torso and consume whatever is in front of them before returning to their host. This can include organic materials and solid objects, with the slugs then transferring the power gained from this back to Maggott, allowing him to grow in strength, size, and stamina. Not only are the creatures themselves pretty horrific but the way they have to essentially dig out of his stomach every time they are released is too graphic to be shown on screen.

Also known as Paige Guthrie, Husk is a Marvel Comics character that is usually seen in "X-Men" comics. The superhero made her first appearance in "Rom Annual #3" way back in 1984 and has been part of the Generation X and X-Men teams throughout her career. Originally from Kentucky, Husk grew up as part of a coal mining family and is the younger sister of the mutant known as Cannonball. She first discovered her mutant powers shortly after the death of her father, who died while she was still a child.

Husk's main mutant power is that she is a metamorph. By shedding the outer layer of her skin, she can reveal a brand new layer of skin underneath that can take a different shape and be made of any material that she has previously studied. That effectively means Husk can appear to be composed of anything from adamantium to glass, taking on the physical characteristics of the material. However, this particular power may never be seen on screen as it not only means that she discards her entire skin like a snake, an image that isn't exactly family-friendly, but also leaves her nude as her clothes are also shed in the process.

Starfox is a superhero in Marvel Comics hailing from the moon Titan. The brother of the villainous Thanos, Starfox — or Eros when not in his superhero form — fights against the Mad Titan and has even fought as part of the Avengers in the comics. Like the other Eternals, he has a variety of powers that range from superior strength and durability to a vastly increased lifespan due to slow aging. He can also fly at high speeds and control the emotions of those around him using his psionic powers.

Part of these psionic powers is the ability to stimulate the pleasure centers of those around him. Those within a short distance of Starfox will feel these effects automatically and the power can be so strong that it leaves those affected completely sedated. In other words, it can render people helpless by causing them to orgasm as their pleasure center is overwhelmed. Starfox has appeared in the MCU, played by Harry Styles in the mid-credits scene for the film, "Eternals," although this particular power was not used and it is unlikely to ever appear on screen.

A DC Comics character that first appeared in 2006 as part of the comic, "52 #9," Everyman is an example of a shape-shifting villain that can transform into a variety of different forms. An ally of Lex Luthor, he has fought against the Teen Titans and the Justice League, going so far as to almost kill both Green Arrow and Black Canary.

His real name may give some clue to his sinister nature, with Everyman actually being called Hannibal Bates in reference to Hannibal Lecter and Norman Bates. To transform into living beings he has to consume some part of their body, forcing him to become a cannibal to shape-shift into another human form. Everyman usually only requires a tiny amount of body matter but will still ravage bodies as he enjoys the process of eating his victims. Everyman does appear in "The Flash" as part of the Arrowverse continuity but his powers are changed so that he can assume the form of anyone he touches, getting rid of the somewhat sadistic method he uses to shape-shift in the comics.

Jerome Beechman is actually a supervillain called Mandrill. Making his debut in Marvel Comics in the 1973 comic, "Shanna, The She-Devil #4," he went on to form the Black Spectre group with a collection of his followers and also joined an offshoot of the Brotherhood of Mutants under the banner of Mutant Force at the behest of Magneto.

As is common with comic book characters, Mandrill actually has a range of powers. He possesses superhuman strength, endurance, and durability as well is a gifted strategist. However, his most notable ability is a mutant power to control females with his powerful pheromones. This mind control makes women completely submissive and allows Mandrill to hold them in his sway to do whatever he wishes. Combined with the villain's view that he is superior to females and deserves to have control over them, it is a highly problematic power that television and movie executives would almost certainly want to avoid.

Dogwelder is another member of Section Eight, the bizarre and questionable superhero team that appears in several issues of the DC Comics story, "Hitman." Based in Gotham City, the group is led by Sixpack and is also made up of other controversial characters such as the perverted Bueno Excellente, a hapless hero known as Friendly Fire who is only capable of shooting his own team, and a stereotypically French man named Jean de Baton-Baton. He was eventually killed along with the vast majority of Section Eight in their fight against the inter-dimensional Many-Angled Ones.

As his name might suggest, Dogwelder is best known for his power, which has become known as dogwelding. The hero would trap stray dogs in the back streets of Gotham before killing them and forcibly welding them to the faces of his enemies. James Gunn considered the character for inclusion in 2021's "The Suicide Squad" but felt that the power was too grisly and graphic to appear in a film.

The Punisher, who also goes by his birth name Frank Castle, is a Marvel Comics character that many people are aware of. Initially introduced as a villain who fought against Spider-Man, Punisher has established himself as one of the most popular antiheroes who isn't afraid to use more violent methods, including murder and torture, to get results. Following his debut in 1974, he has appeared in hundreds of comics and made several on-screen appearances in the likes of the animated "Spider-Man" series and Marvel's "The Punisher" and "Daredevil."

Most of the time, Punisher doesn't have any particular superpowers. He instead relies on his military training, martial arts skills, and physical prowess to overcome enemies. However, in some recent issues, Frank Castle has been endowed with mystical powers after becoming the Fist of the Beast in an attempt to resurrect his dead wife. He has been shown capable of ripping men in half with his sheer strength and killing people in more elaborate and horrifying ways than ever before.

Published by Image Comics, "Sex Criminals" is a comic book series that made its debut in 2013 and ran until 2020. It follows a pair of strangers who end up having sex after meeting at a party and suddenly find that they can freeze time when climaxing together. Suzie is a librarian and Jon agrees to use their newly discovered sex-powered time-freezing ability to rob a bank in the hopes of getting the money needed to stop Suzie's library from being shut down.

As you may have guessed, "Sex Criminals" features a lot of sex, nudity, and R-rated discussions about the sexual histories of the main characters. This makes it unlikely to ever be adapted for the screen except for an R-rated television series or movie. The fact that Suzie and Jon can only freeze time by having sex complicates matters even more. For many, this is a shame because the series had been highly rated by reviewers and praised for the way it deals with sex in a positive manner.