Justin Baldoni Asks Marvel About Ryan Reynolds’s Nicepool

Justin Baldoni’s legal team seems to be wondering if Ryan Reynolds’s role as Nicepool in Deadpool & Wolverine could be tied to character assassination … and not just in the sense that Nicepool is fatally shot in the movie. Per Variety, Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman has asked Marvel president Kevin Feige and Disney CEO Bob Iger to preserve any documents “relating to or reflecting a deliberate attempt to mock, harass, ridicule, intimidate, or bully Baldoni through the character of ‘Nicepool.’” Freedman reportedly made the request on January 7 in a litigation hold letter, indicating that Baldoni’s legal team is looking for evidence that could be potentially used in court. The letter also asked the studios to keep any documents related to the development of Nicepool, and any communications about the “writing and filming of storylines and scenes” featuring the character. Below, a few things that might be nice to know about this Nicepool situation.

Despite his name, nope. Deadpool & Wolverine includes multiple alternate versions of Deadpool, and Nicepool’s the annoying one with a man bun. He compliments Ladypool (voiced by Blake Lively, who is married to Reynolds) for “snapping back” into shape after having a baby and says things like, “Where in God’s name is the intimacy coordinator?!” When Deadpool tries to critique his misogynistic comments, Nicepool says, “It’s okay, I identify as a feminist.” (Lively has suggested on Instagram that Deadpool & Wolverine reflects her feelings “about Nice men who use feminism as a tool.”) Ultimately, Nicepool gets killed off before the end of the movie; Deadpool uses his body as a human shield while Ladypool shoots him repeatedly.

Well, it’s all still conjecture at this point, but there’s a theory circulating online that Nicepool is meant to be a mocking caricature of Baldoni. Some people believe that Nicepool’s comments about Ladypool’s postpartum body are not a coincidence, given that Lively alleged in her sexual-harassment lawsuit against Baldoni that he found “back-channel ways of criticizing her body and weight” on the It Ends With Us set after she had recently given birth. (Baldoni has claimed that he asked a trainer about her weight because he has back issues and had to lift her in a scene.)

Other comparisons focus on the fact Baldoni has long publicly spoken about being a feminist. In purported footage of a deleted Deadpool & Wolverine scene, Nicepool appears to declare that his “calling is to one day start a podcast that monetizes the women’s movement.” Some have interpreted this as a shady reference to Baldoni’s The Man Enough podcast, which “explores what it means to be a man today and how rigid gender roles have affected all people,” according to a site description. (Baldoni’s co-host Liz Plank stepped down from the podcast in light of the allegations against him.)

Also, Baldoni wore his hair up for years, which his own lawyer has highlighted as a connection. “There’s no question it relates to Justin. I mean, anybody that watched that hair bun,” Freedman told Megyn Kelly when asked about Nicepool on a January 7 appearance on her show.

Freedman suggested in his appearance on The Megyn Kelly Show that Nicepool being used as comedic fodder casts doubt on the validity of claims in Lively’s lawsuit against Baldoni. “If somebody is seriously sexually harassed, you don’t make fun of it,” the lawyer said. “It’s a serious issue.”

As a refresher, Lively has sued Baldoni for sexual harassment and an alleged smear campaign. He has not yet filed a countersuit against her, but he has sued the New York Times over its coverage of her complaint. While the Times has defended its reporting, Freedman alleged in a statement that the outlet “cowered to the wants and whims” of Lively and Reynolds, “two powerful ‘untouchable’ Hollywood elites.” The lawyer told Kelly that he plans to sue Reynolds and Lively “into oblivion.”

Baldoni’s lawsuit suggested that Lively’s husband was involved in the It Ends With Us fallout, alleging that Reynolds once aggressively berated him in a “traumatic” meeting at his and Lively’s New York apartment. The complaint also alleged that Reynolds went up to his William Morris Endeavor agent at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere and “demanded that the agent ‘drop’ Baldoni.” (WME did drop Baldoni, but has denied that Lively or Reynolds pressured the agency into the decision.)