Are mainstream audiences ready for an R-rated superhero movie about a disfigured mercenary with a thirst for violence and a flair for the profane? We’ll find out on February 12, when Marvel’s “merc with a mouth” makes his long-awaited standalone debut in Deadpool. In development for years, the eighth installment in Fox’s X-Men film franchise will give star Ryan Reynolds an opportunity to finally do right by a character many fans felt got short shrift during his supporting appearance in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. If it works, it should go a long way toward proving once and for all that the boundaries of the superhero genre are elastic enough to fit films of all shapes, sizes, and ratings.