Due to the The King's Man featured new characters in a new setting, and it struggled at times to rein in its far-reaching plot. There were still some great action scenes and Vaughn's trademark sense of humor, but overall the movie fell flat in comparison to its predecessors. To avoid a similar fate, The King's Man 2 will have to learn from these mistakes, although the backdrop of World War II could provide even more problems it will need to solve.

10 The King's Man 2 Must Tread Lightly With Harsh Historical Subjects

Due to the delicate nature of its setting, The King's Man 2 could tank at the box office. Adolf Hitler does represent the kind of unambiguous evil that everyone can unite against, but portraying him on screen still comes with a degree of risk. The context of his historical atrocities could be too big for a tongue-in-cheek action comedy, and Matthew Vaughn will have to measure any attempt at satire very precisely. Kingsman: The Secret Service featured Samuel L. Jackson as the ideal villain: a humorous egomaniac who wasn't too serious. The King's Man 2 does not have the same luxury.

9 The King's Man 2 Needs To Bring Back The Originality Of The Action Sequences

Kingsman: The Secret Service stood out from the crowd because of its heart-racing action sequences. The punchy direction and highly stylized fights had an unapologetic originality. The church fight exemplifies this, but the movie incorporated some even wilder concepts. There's also a high-speed car chase in reverse gear and a scene where the Kingsman recruits skydive without enough parachutes. The Russian ballet-inspired fight with Rasputin is a highlight of The King's Man, but the movie doesn't have anywhere near as many groundbreaking action scenes as its predecessors. The period setting's lack of technology could be partly to blame, but many of the fights just feel more generic.

8 The King's Man Must Find A Powerhouse Successor To Ralph Fiennes

Given the gap in time between the two World Wars, Ralph Fiennes' character Orlando Oxford will probably have aged too much to be a viable action hero for the sequel. The franchise will have to find a new face, and this must be someone capable of taking over from Fiennes and Colin Firth. Those are some big shoes to fill, and The King's Man 2 could be doomed before it even begins if the franchise makes the wrong casting choice. Given the fact that Matthew Vaughn wants to make a 1960s Kingsman movie, the next star could appear in both the 1940s and the 1960s in the Kingsman universe.

7 The King's Man 2 Shouldn't Rewrite History Too Much

The King's Man paid great attention to detail with its use of real-life history, making references to the Zimmerman telegram, Erik Jan Hanussen, and Rasputin's assassination. But while it did incorporate many of these historic moments and figures, it unfortunately did not prioritize accuracy. There's a place for such historical revisionism, like in Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds, but The King's Man's historical inaccuracies would not go over well with a World War II setting. Fudging the truth about Hitler's rise to power could equate to disinformation. It's a worrying sign that the end credits implies that Hitler could claim control thanks to a shady international conspiracy.

6 Flesh Out The World Of Kingsman

One positive from The King's Man was how it provided a detailed backstory for the organization that Harry and Eggsy would eventually , decades later. Kingsman: The Golden Circle also developed the world of the franchise by introducing Statesman, an American equivalent of Kingsman. If the Kingsman franchise evolves into a cinematic universe, then The King's Man 2 could help fill in some details about the world of global espionage. Britain worked closely with the USA during World War II, so the franchise could show Statesman in its infancy, or visit the Soviet Union, another Allied power. This would nicely lay the groundwork for a 1960s Cold War sequel.

5 The King's Man 2 Must Find The Heart Of The Franchise

Mark Millar's original graphic novel was a heartfelt origin story about a wayward young man becoming a secret agent. It was Harry Potter and James Bond rolled into one. Only Kingsman: The Secret Service followed Millar's story closey, before the other movies in the franchise took off in a different direction. Harry and Eggsy may not be around in The King's Man 2, but the movie desperately needs a way to recapture the strong emotional through line of the graphic novel. The freewheeling plot of The King's Man traversed too much time and got tangled up in global politics too frequently to develop Orlando Oxford's relationship with his son.

4 The King's Man 2 Should Focus On Espionage

The King's Man is half of a war movie and half of an action-adventure spliced together, but it's surprisingly light on espionage. The Kingsman franchise began life as a loving James Bond pastiche, but there isn't as much actual spy work in The King's Man as Eggsy gets to indulge in. World War II featured some of the most innovative spy craft in history, so The King's Man 2 has the opportunity to return the franchise to its roots with some cunning gadgets and stylish sleuthing. The war can keep churning in the background, but Kingsman should be the focus.

3 The King's Man 2 Needs To Build Up The Roles Of Its Female Characters

For the most part, the Kingsman franchise treats its female characters as secondary to the main plot. Gemma Arterton had some good moments in The King's Man, but she remained on the sidelines for the most important action sequences. Also, Kingsman: The Golden Circle killed off Roxy too soon. However, The King's Man 2's setting gives it a rare opportunity to address this gender imbalance. World War II was a pivotal moment for women in Britain, as they had to enter the workforce when their husbands went off to fight. The King's Man 2 could reflect the social shifts of the era by finally giving a female character the spotlight.

2 The King's Man 2 Needs To Strike A Consistent Tone

The war scenes in The King's Man stuck out like a sore thumb. They weren't bad, but they felt like they had been ripped out of another movie altogether. The Kingsman franchise started off so strongly because it had a cheeky sense of humor, even at the tensest of times. Perhaps the heavy subject of World War I didn't create the most fertile ground for comedy, but the movie didn't need to include scenes in the trenches. World War II is an even more volatile subject, and director Matthew Vaughn may have to stay away from the battlefield entirely.

1 The King's Man 2 Shouldn't Set Up Another Sequel

The post-credits scene of The King's Man which introduced Adolf Hitler sent the franchise on a one-way journey to World War II. Matthew Vaughn may have wanted this all along, but it couldn't have hurt to leave the options open while gauging audience reaction. Kingsman painted itself into a corner. Ralph Fiennes can't continue, the 1920s and most of the 1930s must be skipped completely, and there's no room to explore other historical events. Matthew Vaughn wants to race ahead into a 1960s story, bringing the Sean Connery pastiche full circle, but he would be wise to hit the brakes momentarily for The King's Man 2: The Traitor King.