Disney Marvel’s first R-rated superhero movie, Deadpool & Wolverine was a big gamble by a company that has branded itself as reliably family friendly. Yet the movie’s phenomenal box office success, raking in over $1 billion at the worldwide box office, especially after a slew of less than well-received Marvel shows on Disney+ and Disney film releases (aside from Inside Out 2), has all but guaranteed that Disney will lean even further into the “merc with a mouth.” The movie’s success and Disney’s commitment to featuring the character at some of its resorts, however, is making some parents uncomfortable.

Disney’s California Adventure Park shows a 10-minute “Story Time with Deadpool,” which features a cast member dressed as Deadpool reading a standup comedy style fairytale to resort goers. Wolverine, too, makes an appearance, but despite the show being billed as “family friendly” on releases and the Disney parks app, some parents are less than thrilled with some of the jokes that have made an appearance on the show. One video posted to X shows the character making a joke about Tony Stark’s (Iron Man’s alter ego) app choices on his phone. “What do we have here?” Deadpool asks while going through Stark’s phone. “We’ve got the Disney Parks app. We’ve got Instagram, TikTok, Tinder, Grindr. Wow, Mr Stark, I love your new profile picture.” The Tinder app is used for hooking up with other individuals in a nearby area. Grindr has a similar use but for gay hook ups. In another video, Deadpool makes a joke about Wolverine being the “bottom” in their relationship, a joke about the sexual positions of gay men. Yet another video includes a gay sexual joke about Deadpool wanting to “pound” another Marvel character, Star Lord (played by Chris Pratt in The Guardians of the Galaxy franchise).

Parents and other resort goers were quick to criticize such adult jokes in a Disney Park at all, where many families are expecting experiences to be age appropriate. One critic on X lamented how Disney appeared to be rebranding itself. “It’s not the conversation with Walt that’s the problem. It’s conversation with your kids. Disney went from being the most trusted family brand to sex obsessed perverts in the blink of eye,” lamented the user. Peggy Sapp, president of the National Family Partnership, criticized how the characters’ inclusion in the resorts would promote the movie to younger audiences, leaving them open to the movie’s heavy focus on drug use. Although the jokes in the park do not include references to drugs, the movie makes frequent references to them. “We are all ultimately accountable for our behaviors, producers, directors and all in the movie industry can not pretend they are just portraying society norms, they must help make societal norms healthy. Remember when all movie stars smoked in the movies? How did that ultimately work out? Drugs are no laughing matter, just read Matthew Perry’s book to understand the slippery slope.” The show is slated for a limited time at the California Adventure Park, though an end date has not been announced.