Marvel is seeking to withdraw from the current legal dispute involving Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, which centers around the Nicepool character featured in Deadpool & Wolverine.
Marvel Entertainment, LLC filed a letter on Friday, April 25, addressed to Judge Lewis J. Liman in the Southern District of New York.
In the letter, Marvel requested that the court cancel the subpoena issued to Marvel by Justin Baldoni’s Wayfarer Parties and asked for a protective order to stop any party or third party involved in the case from revealing Marvel’s confidential documents.
Advertisement Alternatively, Marvel requests that the Court stay the return date of the Subpoena and related document requests until after the Court decides the pending motion to dismiss of Counterclaim Defendant Ryan Reynolds.
the request added, as seen in court documents
The letter and follow-up request relate to 41-year-old Baldoni’s effort to obtain communications regarding Reynolds’ Nicepool character from earlier this year, aiming to demonstrate that it was used to “bully” him, as the It Ends with Us director and actor continues to fight allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation made by his co-star, Blake Lively.
On January 7, Baldoni’s attorneys sent a litigation hold letter to Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger, asking them to preserve documents that mention Baldoni for possible use in court.
Any and all documents relating to the development of the Nicepool character and communications relating to the development, writing and filming of storylines and scenes featuring Nicepool.
As outlined in the letter, they are seeking
To back Baldoni’s claims, his legal team is requesting documents “relating to or reflecting a deliberate attempt to mock, harass, ridicule, intimidate or bully” the Jane the Virgin star “through the character of Nicepool,” among other topics.
Responding to Marvel’s letter filed Friday requesting to be removed from the legal proceedings, Baldoni’s lawyers submitted their own letter to Judge Liman on Monday, April 28, challenging Marvel’s “motion to quash the Wayfarer Parties’ Subpoena and for a protective order.”
In the letter obtained by PEOPLE, Baldoni’s attorneys argued that Marvel “did not meet and confer with us ‘in a good faith effort to resolve this dispute,’ ” referencing a statement made in Marvel’s own letter.
On April 2, 2025, Marvel sent the Wayfarer Parties a letter containing its objections to the Subpoena, which are the same objections set forth in its recent letter-motion On April 7, 2025, my office met and conferred with Marvel’s counsel via telephone about the objections, and although we attempted in good faith to address Marvel’s purported concerns about confidentiality and relevancy, Marvel’s counsel interrupted us, refusing to engage in that discussion. Instead, Marvel’s counsel interjected and stated he merely wanted to know what documents the Wayfarer Parties ‘really’ needed, regardless of the Subpoena’s demand for all documents concerning: (a) the creation, development, modification or portrayal of Ryan Reynolds’ ‘Nicepool’ character from Deadpool & Wolverine; and (b) Justin Baldoni.
Baldoni’s attorneys alleged, then they claimed
Nicepool is a supporting character portrayed by Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, 48, in Deadpool & Wolverine, the 2024 blockbuster film that Reynolds also co-wrote. In the movie, Nicepool, sporting a man bun, refers to himself as a “feminist” and describes the character Ladypool — played by Lively, 37 — as “gorgeous,” adding, “She just had a baby too and you can’t even tell.”
Lively originally filed her lawsuit against Baldoni in December 2024, accusing him of sexual harassment and orchestrating a retaliatory smear campaign. The suit also named Wayfarer Studios, Baldoni’s production company, among other parties.
Baldoni denied the accusations and filed a countersuit against Lively, Reynolds, their publicist Leslie Sloane, and her firm Vision PR, Inc., seeking $400 million in damages for defamation, civil extortion, and additional claims.
While the legal dispute continues, Baldoni has been spending time in Hawaii, focusing on his family and keeping a low profile.
Lively, on the other hand, made a public appearance at the premiere of her film Another Simple Favor in New York City on Sunday, April 27. Just three days earlier, she was honored at the TIME100 Gala as one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people for 2025, where she delivered a speech that subtly referenced her ongoing legal case with Baldoni.
The trial for Lively v. Wayfarer Studios et al. is scheduled to begin in March 2026.
Source: PEOPLE