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Photo montage of Justin Baldoni and Nicepool
Photo by Arnold Turner/Getty Images for Wayfarer Studios/Image via Marvel

‘Says a lot more about him’: Uh, did Justin Baldoni just admit his guilt by asking Disney to preserve ‘Deadpool’ Nicepool documents?

No one was making this connection until Baldoni and his lawyer brought it to our attention.

Justin Baldoni‘s attempt to prove Ryan Reynolds was bullying him with the Nicepool character in Deadpool & Wolverine might be an accidental admission of guilt.

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The actor and director’s legal team demanded that Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige and Disney CEO Bob Iger hold on to any documents that might prove Ryan Reynolds used him as inspiration for the satirical Deadpool & Wolverine character. Variety reported Tuesday that both men received a litigation hold letter from attorney Bryan Freedman on Jan. 7 asking “the studio to preserve all relevant documents and data with regards to Baldoni.”

Related: Justin Baldoni refuses to let go of comparing himself to Nicepool on The Mary Sue

If Justin Baldoni identifies with Nicepool, well… That’s on him?

Nicepool
Image via Marvel Studios

Baldoni is apparently convinced Ryan Reynolds created the Deadpool variant known as Nicepool to mock him, even though there’s nothing in the film that directly references the It Ends With Us star.

Those who flocked to theaters in July of last year to see Deadpool and Wolverine’s grand introductions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the Shawn Levy-directed action blockbuster will recall that Nicepool was one of the stand-out Deadpool variants introduced. A proud man-bun-wearer, this Deadpool is purposefully over the top and obnoxiously positive, though his mask does slip from time to time.

In Nicepool’s first scene, he comments on Ladypool’s post-pregnancy body, saying you couldn’t even tell she had had a baby. When Deadpool tells him he’s not “supposed to say that” he replies with “That’s okay, I identify as a feminist.” Of course, in the lawsuit that Reynolds’ wife Blake Lively filed against Baldoni in December, among the allegations that the latter maintains are completely false is one about him pressuring his co-star to lose weight after having her fourth baby. Lively and Reynolds’s son Olin was born months before shooting for It Ends With Us began in May 2023.

The lawsuit has also threatened to shatter, or has in fact shattered, Baldoni’s image as an ally for women’s issues. Shortly after the news of Lively’s claims came out, the Vital Voices Global Partnership stripped the 40-year-old of his Voices of Solidarity Award, which celebrated his “courage and compassion in advocating on behalf of women and girls.”

Besides a similar hairstyle, however, there’s no direct reference to Baldoni in the character of Nicepool, so it might actually be detrimental for the actor to strive to convince anyone that Reynolds based the character on him. As one netizen put it, “Nicepool was a stereotypical creepy faux feminist sex pest so if Justin Baldoni wants to think that’s inspired by him then that says a lot more about him than it does anyone else.”

“Out of everything he’s done and said, ironically this might be the most damning thing because what do you mean you saw a fake ass performative feminist and thought ‘wait that is so me,’” another pointed out.

Some have theorized that having Ladypool, played by Blake Lively, violently shoot Nicepool’s head off in front of a flower shop was a nod to It Ends With Us as in that film, Lively’s character Lily Bloom starts a flower business.

Baldoni and Freedman are preparing a countersuit against Lively. In a Jan. 7 appearance on The Megyn Kelly Show, the lawyer said Lively was “no victim,” that she was in control and “took over” the film’s final cut. The two insist that it was Lively who orchestrated a PR takedown of Baldoni and not the other way around.


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Author
Image of Francisca Tinoco
Francisca Tinoco
Francisca is a pop culture enthusiast and film expert. Her Bachelor's Degree in Communication Sciences from Nova University in Portugal and Master's Degree in Film Studies from Oxford Brookes University in the UK have allowed her to combine her love for writing with her love for the movies. She has been a freelance writer and content creator for five years, working in both the English and Portuguese languages for various platforms, including WGTC.