In The '80s, Marvel Made A Kids Cartoon Based On A Movie That Was Nearly Rated X

While we currently know Marvel as a multimedia juggernaut (and the action-oriented branch of the Disney family tree), before the 2000s, the company spent a lot of time learning how to make shows. This included helping other companies with their properties, including "RoboCop." Because someone thought an ultra-violent, R-rated movie about identity, corporate greed, and rampant consumerism (that was almost ruined by Oreos) would make a great kids show.

The "RoboCop" animated series (not to be confused with another cartoon, "RoboCop: Alpha Commando") was a short-lived cartoon that aired in 1988. The show used several characters from the original movie, many of whom went in their own narrative directions. While the cartoon was significantly toned down from film, the animated "RoboCop" show occasionally tackled mature subjects such as prejudice and racism.

Production of the show was split between Marvel and Orion Pictures. The "RoboCop" cartoon only lasted 12 episodes, but was originally supposed to feature 13. It's long been recounted online that funding of this lost episode was siphoned off to produce what Marvel Productions CEO Margaret Loesch thought would be the next big cartoon: X-Men, specifically the pilot episode "Pryde of the X-Men." However, it's unclear where this bit of trivia originated, as no source is cited in any posts recounting the story. While this particular animated incarnation of the team was never greenlit, it paved the way for the '90s X-Men cartoon most know and love, which in turn gave audiences the recent revival "X-Men '97" on Disney+.

"RoboCop" (1987) is famous (bordering on infamous) for its countless grisly moments. Heck, they're part of its charm. However, the most formative scenes in the film almost gave the original "RoboCop" an X rating.

Two scenes in particular proved problematic, and had to be cut so the movie could receive an R. During an interview with Esquire, director Paul Verhoeven said the MPAA rejected the film eight times. One of the sticking points was the scene where ED-209 malfunctions and guns down a businessman. Originally, it was much more gruesome to the point of intentional parody. Verhoeven wanted audiences to "laugh it off," but the final result removed this tone. According to one of the movie's writers, Ed Neumeier, the scene where Alex Murphy is blown to bits one shotgun blast at a time also rubbed the MPAA the wrong way. Speaking with Vice, Neumeier stated that scene was also toned down to help acquire an R rating — an invisible wire was originally supposed to yank off Murphy's "arm" to almost comedic effect.

While the aforementioned changes might not have gelled with the original visions of Verhoeven and Neumeier, they ultimately saved the movie by giving it a more palatable MPAA rating. Then again, "RoboCop" is hardly the only sci-fi classic to have lines and moments cut from the script; Mark Hamill convinced George Lucas to cut some "Star Wars" dialogue, and the film is all the better for it. In RoboCop's case though, the unrated director's cut is now widely available on home video.