Along with bringing in over $1.3 billion in box office revenue, “Deadpool & Wolverine“ also brought a bunch of Deadpool variants from across the multiverse. Enter “Nicepool.” Imagine Deadpool but nicer, and maybe even a bit passive aggressive in that niceness. If you watched the movie and thought maybe Nicepool was a bit “off” in terms of his character, there may be a reason for that. Actor/director Justin Baldoni wants all the documents around the character, because he sure seems positive it was based on him.
If you’ve been keeping up with movies and popular culture, you may have heard about the drama between Baldoni and Blake Lively. The two starred together in the film “It Ends With Us,” which Baldoni also directed. Lively has made allegations that Baldoni contributed to a hostile work environment and engaged in sexually harassing behavior, and filed a lawsuit against him in December of 2024. This was all laid out in a New York Times article. Baldoni filed suit against the New York Times, essentially alleging the publication is “undermining his character,” and Lively’s actions are part of a smear campaign.
Also part of that smear campaign, allegedly, is the character of Nicepool. Lively is married to Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds, who also co-wrote and produced “Deadpool & Wolverine.” Baldoni’s lawyer submitted paperwork to Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige and Disney CEO Bob Iger regarding “anticipated claims” against Reynolds and others. The suit requests “any and all documents relating to the development of the ‘Nicepool’ character” be retained, and shared with him. This is in addition to “communications relating to the development, writing, and filming of storylines and scenes featuring ‘Nicepool.’” Not to mention “all documents relating to or reflecting a deliberate attempt to mock, harass, ridicule, intimidate, or bully Baldoni through the character of ‘Nicepool.’”
Parody is a protected form of speech and it’s not the first time that a character has been created in a movie specifically to mock someone. Director Roland Emmerich specifically put characters in his “Godzilla” movie called Mayor Ebert and his advisor Gene to poke fun at how Siskel & Ebert routinely trashed his movies. What was Roger Ebert‘s response? He was actually surprised (and possibly disappointed) that his character wasn’t squished by Godzilla.
Disney nor Reynolds have responded to the allegations. We’ll update on the Nicepool saga as more information becomes available.
UPDATE
This morning, Baldoni filed a new lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds, and their publicists. He is seeking $400 million, accusing the couple of civil extortion, defamation and invasion of privacy. The 179-page complaint was filed in the Southern District of New York.
“At bottom, this is not a case about celebrities sniping at each other in the press,” the lawsuit states. “This is a case about two of the most powerful stars in the world deploying their enormous power to steal an entire film right out of the hands of its director and production studio… When Plaintiffs have their day in court, the jury will recognize that even the most powerful celebrity cannot bend the truth to her will.”
