Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni took their fight from the court of public opinion to actual court – and now, it appears, to the Marvel multiverse. LFG.
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00:00Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni took their fight from the court of public opinion to
00:05actual court, and now it appears to the Marvel Multiverse LFG.
00:10While Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds, has seemed to mostly just take the role of quietly
00:14supportive husband throughout the open conflict, a few observers, including Baldoni's attorney,
00:19have gone back to find what they see as shots at Baldoni in Deadpool and Wolverine.
00:24That mega-successful Marvel flick, which Reynolds starred in and co-wrote, came out back in
00:28July 2024 — well before much of the bad blood over Baldoni and Lively's movie, It
00:33Ends With Us, which was released the following month, came to light.
00:37Specifically, the issue is with the character Nicepool, an alternate-universe Deadpool who
00:42Reynolds himself plays.
00:44One ex-account noted that the character, quote, sports a hippie-style man bun and long hair
00:48similar to Justin Baldoni's signature look.
00:51That account also singles out a particular line of dialogue about another alternate Deadpool,
00:56Ladypool, who is voiced by Lively.
00:58She just had a baby, too, and can't even tell.
01:02I don't think you're supposed to say that.
01:03That's okay.
01:04I identify as a feminist.
01:07Lively's initial complaint against Baldoni alleged that he fat-shamed her after she gave
01:11birth, but also called her sexy and made inappropriate remarks about her body.
01:15The ex-account that pointed out the similarity also noted that Baldoni has a public persona
01:20as a feminist and activist.
01:22Baldoni's attorney, Brian Friedman, went on Megyn Kelly's SiriusXM show on January
01:277, 2025.
01:28He said he would sue Lively and Reynolds into oblivion, then made clear that he believes
01:33the character was a pointed take on Baldoni.
01:35That if your wife is sexually harassed, you don't make fun of Justin Baldoni.
01:45Another line from the film that some are taking as a shot at Lively's It Ends With Us co-star
01:49and director is this one from the Deadpool and Wolverine gag reel.
01:53My calling is to one day host a podcast that monetizes the women's movement.
01:59Baldoni does indeed co-host a podcast called Man Enough.
02:02Its description on its website reads, in part,
02:04"...the Man Enough podcast explores what it means to be a man today and how rigid gender
02:08roles have affected all people."
02:10Users on X have also made note that, spoiler alert, Nicepool dies in Deadpool and Wolverine
02:15when Deadpool uses him as a human shield.
02:18Deadpool is shown shooting him multiple times in a scene set with a flower shop in the background,
02:23which is also a key setting in It Ends With Us.
02:25So how exactly did we get here?
02:27Lively filed the aforementioned complaint with the California Civil Rights Department
02:31about Baldoni's company, Wayfarer Studio, in December 2024.
02:36Not only did she allege harassment and an unsafe work environment, she also presented
02:40text messages she claimed were evidence of a public smear campaign against her.
02:45She followed that up a week later with a lawsuit in federal court in New York.
02:49After The New York Times published a detailed report about Lively's allegations, Baldoni
02:53sued the newspaper for $250 million, alleging that their story was based on Lively's, quote,
02:59"...self-serving narrative," Variety reported.
03:02Clearly, based on what Baldoni's attorney had to say, more lawsuits are to come, including
03:06one against Reynolds.
03:08At this rate, Deadpool 4 is going to have to be a full-on courtroom drama to send up
03:12everything that appears to be coming in the months ahead.