That idea that you can’t please one hundred percent of people one hundred percent of the time has been made painfully evident when it comes to comic book movies. If it’s not Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola leading the charge against such movies, or Ridley Scott making ignorant, backhanded comments that might include such a subject, then it’s Paul Verhoeven making his own complaint that the movies don’t have enough sex, of all things. Seriously, first, the movies aren’t impressive enough since they’re not considered ‘high art’ but now they don’t have enough booty calls being made during, before, or after the action. Calling the movies of today ‘sexless’ though, which is echoed by Steven Soderbergh apparently, makes one wonder if either director ever really watches the movies they’re criticizing. It’s true, comic book movies don’t have full-frontal shots of men and women in their birthday suits, but there’s a pretty good reason for this, especially when it comes to the MCU, which is owned by Disney. These movies are geared for children, even when they get violent and even when the content becomes kind of intense for younger viewers. But sexless? It really feels that Verhoeven might have been directed to the wrong set of movies.
Granted, there are no co-ed shower scenes as one might see in Starship Troopers, but the implication is usually there that something might be going on behind the scenes. Plus, has Verhoeven ever heard the arguments that are created over the sexualization of various characters? Even if there aren’t obvious signs or insinuation that certain characters are getting busy now and then, there’s no real need to make it obvious that there is a sexual aspect to comic book movies, Bond movies, and any other movies that Verhoeven might be willing to criticize. The idea that there’s a need to make a movie into a softcore porn feature is kind of flawed since focusing so much on the sexual aspect can be overdone without fail, and the point of the movies he’s criticizing isn’t that sex is the driving force of the story.
To be fair, every story has a focal point and several elements that grab the attention of the audience and keep them watching. Verhoeven puts more emphasis on the sexual aspect of his movies at times since, in all honesty, sexual tension and the need to be sexual beings can indeed and does build a movie in a big way. But where he’s missing the point by criticizing these movies is that they’re not meant to be overly sexual no matter how they’re created. Also, has he seen the latest Suicide Squad movie? Did he watch the Ayer version of Suicide Squad? The sexuality there is kind of obvious. But still, it’s not full frontal nudity, so perhaps it doesn’t count in his estimation. It’s fair to think that a lot of adults might agree that there could be a more sexual aspect needed in the comic book movies since if anyone has read one story or another they would see that some characters are highly sexual and don’t hide the fact. Heck, in the Ultimates comics there’s a rather steamy set of panels that show Tony Stark and Black Widow going at it, while there’s a moment in the story that tells of a time when Wolverine managed to get intimate with the mother of Wanda and Pietro Maximoff.
Then there’s the fact that She-Hulk has been fairly promiscuous throughout their own stories, and the idea that Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson were constantly getting busy whenever they had the time. The comics are certainly filled with sexual moments, but the movies are being created for kids and families, and while things are changing, it’s still fair to state that it’s not going to happen that the MCU is going to let the clothes fly and focus on the sexual scenes instead of the action and intrigue. Another comic book movie that does come to mind though is Deadpool, in which Wade and Vanessa were seen to celebrate several days with sexual scenes that were a bit risky but still fun since they leaned into the comedic value of the movie.
Paul Verhoeven does have a point, kind of, in stating that these movies don’t have a strong sexual nature to them, and might need more to be effective. But where his argument breaks down and has to be guided to the side of the road is that the MCU can tell interesting and compelling stories without having to feature a striptease or a B-level actress gyrating and flopping like a dying fish in a pool to get a reaction from the fans. While he has every right to his opinion, the MCU, DC, and many other movies have enough implied sexual tension to be fun, without having to wonder if parents are going to need to shield their children’s eyes at any given moment.
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