Why fans believe Ryan Reynolds took shady revenge on Justin Baldoni in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The drama surrounding 'It Ends With Us' continues as Marvel fans speculate that Ryan Reynolds' film 'Deadpool & Wolverine' contains jabs at Justin Baldoni, whom Reynolds' wife Blake Lively recently sued for sexual harassment.

Reynolds and Lively have become prominent figures in Baldoni's lawsuit against The New York Times, which has taken a dramatic turn in a Hollywood drama involving big names and even bigger claims.

Did Ryan Reynolds throw shade at Justin Baldoni in 'Deadpool & Wolverine'?

Ryan Reynolds may or may not have yelled at and "berated" Justin Baldoni but the new question is: did he exact perpetual cinematic retribution on the 'It Ends With Us' director?

Baldoni claimed Reynolds chastized him in a "traumatic" meeting just before filming for 'It Ends With Us' began alleging that Baldoni "fat-shamed" Lively after she gave birth to her fourth child.

But Baldoni refuted the allegation as "categorically false". He clarified he had to carry her during one of the sequences and had to ensure he could safely perform the lift without injury due to a back issue.

Baldoni filed a libel suit against the New York Times for its coverage of the alleged smear campaign mentioned in Lively's initial lawsuit, claiming that it relied on "cherry-picked" communications—text exchanges allegedly between Baldoni and his publicists, cited in her documents.

Now, several social media users are speculating that Reynolds' film 'Deadpool & Wolverine', which includes a cameo by the 'Gossip Girl' alum, includes jabs at her 'It Ends With Us' director and co-star Baldoni, per E! News.

'Deadpool & Wolverine', which Reynolds also co-produced and co-wrote, was shot around the same time as 'It Ends With Us'.

Reynolds' character Deadpool/Wade Wilson and Hugh Jackman's Wolverine/Logan meet a Deadpool "variant", or alternate universe counterpart, named "Nicepool"—who has a man bun, a hairstyle that Baldoni wore for years until 2023.

Nicepool is courteous, but in many ways much more annoying. He spouts meaningless proverbs about love and peace, wears a man bun, and adheres to New Age ideas. However, he is ultimately conceited, selfish, and worthless.

Nicepool, while talking about Ladypool's (Lively) post-baby body in the movie, said, "Oh my goodness, wait til you’ve seen Ladypool. She is gorgeous. She just had a baby too and [you] can’t even tell."

Deadpool (Reynolds' character) tells Nicepool, "I don’t think you’re supposed to say that."

Nicepool puts one hand on his chest and says, "That’s OK. I identify as a feminist."

Following Lively's legal lawsuit, viewers began to question whether this was a parody of Baldoni, who is known for his loud support of women but is accused of acting like a big snap when the cameras are not rolling.

Baldoni stated that he was "trying to be a feminist, amplifying the voices of women around the world" in his 2017 TED presentation, "Why I'm done trying to be 'man enough'."

Is it possible that Reynolds changed the character to mock Baldoni?

Director Shawn Levy did, however, mention in his commentary on the Blu-Ray that Lively provided him and Reynolds with notes on the movie before their last few days of reshoots, per Perez Hilton.

The SAG strike in the 2023 summer put a stop to both 'Deadpool' and 'It Ends With Us' concurrent filming. Reynolds probably contributed to the rewriting of a scene for Lively's film during that period.

Celebrities' opinions regarding Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni controversy

Following Blake Lively's accusation of harassment against Justin Baldoni, author Colleen Hoover, who wrote the book that the movie is based on, shared a note to the actress.

Colleen posted on her Instagram Stories on December 21: "@blakelively, you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met. Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt."

Actress Robyn Lively, Lively's sister, also weighed in. "I urge everyone to read The NY Times article in its entirety," Robyn stated on Instagram on December 23, referring to the NYT article on Lively's complaint that was submitted to the California Civil Rights Department.

Supporting the former 'Gossip Girl', comedian Amy Schumer wrote on her Instagram Story on December 22: "I believe Blake."

In a combined Instagram post on December 22, Lively's best friends and co-stars from 'Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants' wrote that they "stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation."

Reynolds' regular partner Shawn Levy posted on his Instagram Stories the New York Times article on the smear campaign along with the caption, "Proud to call @blakelively a friend."