Why is Justin Baldoni seeking Marvel's 'Deadpool & Wolverine' documents for his lawsuit? Drama explained

Justin Baldoni, director and co-star of It Ends With Us, is embroiled in a high-profile legal battle with actress Blake Lively. She has allegedly accused him of s*xual harassment and fat-shaming during the production of their film.

According to TMZ, the conflict has escalated as the 41-year-old actor has alleged that Lively’s husband and actor Ryan Reynolds used his film Deadpool & Wolverine, released in July 2024, to mock him. He has claimed that the character of “Nicepool,” an alternate version of “Deadpool” in the film, is the parody of Baldoni himself.

The character of Nicepool sports a bun, a hairstyle Baldoni was known for, and makes references to intimacy coordinators. According to the film, he inappropriately comments on Ladypool’s character, which is voiced by Lively and later calls himself a feminist. This is reportedly seen as a direct jab to Baldoni who has been vocal about his feminism.

He had earlier warned Disney and Marvel to hold on to all the documents, “relating to the development of the 'Nicepool' character" in Deadpool & Wolverine.” Now, according to the new legal documents obtained by TMZ, Baldoni has firmly demanded that Marvel hand over all the documents after it filed a motion to quash his subpoena. Here is what we know.

What do we know about Marvel quashing Justin Baldoni’s subpoena?

Justin Baldoni has dragged Marvel into the legal battle as his legal team issued a subpoena to Marvel Studios demanding all documents related to "Nicepool" in Deadpool & Wolverine.

According to a formal letter from Marvel Studios, it filed a motion to quash the subpoena on April 25, 2025. It argued that the jokes and characters in Deadpool & Wolverine are not relevant to Justin Baldoni’s legal disputes with Lively and Reynolds.

The letter requests of the judge to

"issue a protective order prohibiting the disclosure of Marvel’s confidential documents by any party or nonparty in this action. 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 letter was shared on X by comedian Zack Peter on April 26, 2025. He tweeted:

"Marvel asks the judge to leave them out of the Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni legal drama, after Freedman sends them a subpoena! Let the games begin."

According to a report in CBR, Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, has sent several subpoenas to Marvel Studios over the film. He argued that Nicepool’s character has been introduced to mock Justin Baldoni in the film. He further added that if Lively’s allegations would have been true, they would have acted through official channels instead of mocking his client in a superhero movie.

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A recent update in TMZ suggested that Baldoni has now asserted that he has received the documents from Marvel, as he believes that they hold some evidence in there which he could use to prove the malice started by Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively. This unusual legal move has pulled Marvel and Disney into a heated Hollywood feud, with both sides digging in for a protracted legal battle.

The case, which started at the beginning of the year, has drawn some high-profile celebrities aside from Baldoni, Lively and Reynolds; Taylor Swift and Hugh Jackman have also been reportedly linked to the case, as per a report in CBR.

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