‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ character theory goes viral amid Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni feud

A theory about ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ has exploded on social media, centring on a compelling argument one of the characters is mocking Justin Baldoni.

A viral tweet has made a compelling argument one of the standout characters in Deadpool & Wolverine was inspired by Justin Baldoni.

Ryan Reynolds’ Marvel blockbuster hit cinemas in July last year, just weeks before his wife Blake Lively premiered her romantic drama It Ends With Us, which was swiftly engulfed by reports of a feud with her co-star Baldoni.

Flash forward to December and the pair both launched legal action in what is shaping up to be a looming celebrity court showdown for the ages.

As the fallout from Lively and Baldoni’s respective lawsuits continues to hit headlines, one eagle-eyed X user has revisited Deadpool & Wolverine, drawing parallels from specific claims made by Lively in court documents, and lines delivered by a new character in the film.

Reynolds, returning as Wade Wilson/Deadpool, debuted a new role in the third movie, Nicepool, a much more wholesome version of himself existing in a different universe (Marvel things, bear with us).

Sporting a man bun, much like Baldoni’s, one of Nicepool’s first lines makes reference to his fictional wife ‘Ladypool’ (who is played by Lively, more on that later).

A viral conspiracy is spreading that Deadpool & Wolverine character 'Nicepool' may have been inspired by Justin Baldoni.

Baldoni sporting a man bun.

“Oh my goodness, wait til you’ve seen Ladypool. She’s gorgeous. She just had a baby too, and I can’t even tell,” Nicepool says, to which Deadpool responds, “I don’t think you’re supposed to say that,” with Nicepool offering, “That’s OK. I identify as a feminist.”

The X user in question, @spiritualshift, whose tweet has been viewed more than five million times, argues, “This parallels Justin Baldoni’s public persona as an activist and feminist. Blake’s complaint also alleges that Justin fat-shamed her after she gave birth, called her sexy, and made inappropriate remarks about her body.”

Indeed, one of Lively’s slew of claims included that Baldoni allegedly body-shamed her on-set. This incident resulted in a fiery confrontation between Reynolds and Baldoni at the couple’s New York penthouse early last year, with Baldoni alleging Reynolds “berated” him.

Elsewhere, in outtakes for Deadpool & Wolverine, a scene shows Nicepool remarking, “My calling is to host a podcast that monetises the women’s movement.” Baldoni hosts a feminist podcast called Man Enough. 

Another scene shows Deadpool’s mind being invaded by villain Cassandra Nova (Emma Corrin), to which Deadpool quips, “Where in God’s name is the intimacy co-ordinator?”

This could be perceived as another reference to Baldoni, with Lively alleging there wasn’t an intimacy co-ordinator on-set of It Ends With Us. Baldoni disputed these claims in his lawsuit, sharing text messages which showed Lively had declined to meet with the intimacy co-ordinator.

Perhaps the most convincing point is Nicepool’s final scene toward the end of the film, in which he is shot to death by Ladypool, portrayed by Lively, as well as dozens of Deadpools, outside a flower shop – which pointedly, is a location central to the storyline of It Ends With Us.

Lively played Lady Deadpool in Deadpool & Wolverine.

Nicepool’s shooting happened outside a florist shop.

Lively issued a California Civil Rights Department complaint December 20, which was detailed in a New York Times article, before launching a lawsuit against Baldoni in New York federal court on December 31 for alleged sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and lost wages.

In addition to Baldoni, Lively is suing his publicists, Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, whom she claims orchestrated a smear campaign against her in the press.

“Ms Lively previously sent her California Civil Rights Department Complaint in response to the retaliatory campaign Wayfarer [Baldoni’s production studio] launched against her for reporting sexual harassment and workplace safety concerns,” her lawyer said in a statement.

“Unfortunately, Ms Lively’s decision to speak out has resulted in further retaliation and attacks. As alleged in Ms Lively’s federal complaint, Wayfarer and its associates have violated federal and California state law by retaliating against her for reporting sexual harassment and workplace safety concerns. Now, the defendants will answer for their conduct in federal court. Ms Lively has brought this litigation in New York, where much of the relevant activities described in the complaint took place, but we reserve the right to pursue further action in other venues and jurisdictions as appropriate under the law.”

Lively with husband Reynolds. Picture: Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Netflix

Baldoni is reportedly planning to sue Lively personally. Picture: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Hours before Lively launched her lawsuit, Baldoni and nine others who were named in the The New York Times’ article filed a $US250 million ($402 million) lawsuit against the newspaper in the Los Angeles Superior Court.

The group, which includes Baldoni, Ms Nathan, Ms Abel and Wayfarer CEO Jamey Heath, are suing the newspaper for libel and false light invasion of privacy. The 87-page complaint, obtained by Variety, also accused The New York Times of promissory fraud and breach of implied-in-fact contract.

Baldoni’s lawsuit against The New York Times offered a rebuttal, citing text messages and other evidence, to a number of the specific allegations in its 4000-word piece.

A spokesperson for The New York Times told Variety that the story was “meticulously and responsibly reported”.

While Baldoni is yet to personally sue Lively, his lawyer Bryan Freedman has claimed they plan to do so imminently.

Originally published as ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ character theory goes viral amid Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni feud