nicepool meeting deadpool
(Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Justin Baldoni somehow thinks Ryan Reynolds based a character on him despite when ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ was in production

Nothing says “I make everything about myself” more than this. Justin Baldoni is now claiming that Nicepool, a character played by Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool & Wolverine, was based on him. If true, that means that all of the writers of Deadpool & Wolverine had to add it in…

Recommended Videos

The latest move from Baldoni’s team is his attorney Bryan Freedman saying that Nicepool was inspired by Baldoni. You know, the character who is off-handedly sexist and famously sucks in the film. Freedman’s case is that because the character has a man-bun and he makes a comment about Ladypool’s body. That, according to Freedman, is a knock on Baldoni.

“What I make of that, is that if your wife is sexually harassed, you don’t make fun of Justin Baldoni,” said Freedman on The Megyn Kelly Show. “There’s no question it relates to Justin. I mean, anybody that watched that hair bun — if somebody is seriously sexually harassed, you don’t make fun of it. It’s a serious issue.”

To be clear, Deadpool & Wolverine had been in production (filming wise) since October of 2022. It wrapped in January of 2024 and Blake Lively had an all-hands on meeting about Baldoni and his actions in early January of 2024. Lively did have her lawyer, in November of 2023, provide Wayfarer Studios a list of 17 provisions that she wanted adhered to before she’d return filming.

So Baldoni’s claim is that well into a year of filming Deadpool & Wolverine, they changed Nicepool to reflect him? He was not attached to It Ends With Us until January of 2023, months after filming began on Deadpool & Wolverine. But regardless of my disbelief that an entire film’s character would be changed to take a dig at Baldoni, I wouldn’t openly admit to the fact that “Nicepool” reflects me as a person.

Nicepools finish last

Whether Freedman was meaning to or not, he kind of confirmed that Lively, at the time of filming, had these issues with Baldoni. Filming wrapped on Deadpool & Wolverine prior to most of the filming on It Ends With Us due to the WGA and SAG strikes. So again, it does seem wild to me that Baldoni and his lawyer think that this must effort went into changing Nicepool to be based on Baldoni. But it isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Even if that is the case and Ryan Reynolds and company wanted to take a jab at him, why admit that? The entire thing about Nicepool is that he is literally the definition of a fedora wearing “nice guys finish last” type. The joke is that he thinks he can say anything about women because he’s a “feminist” and get away with it. If that was what someone thought of me, I would take that thought to my grave.

Part of why I do believe that Baldoni’s lawyer is saying this is because many online have made the connection between Nicepool and the stories about Baldoni’s alleged behavior. But if you really want to respond to every single internet theory or attack, you’re wasting your time. Maybe you are Nicepool after all.


The Mary Sue is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Rachel Leishman
Rachel Leishman
Assistant Editor
Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She's been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff's biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she's your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell's dog, Brisket. Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.