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Justin Baldoni has responded to Marvel’s recent request, which asked him to step back from the ongoing legal dispute involving Blake Lively. The heart of the issue? Rising concerns about Marvel’s portrayal of Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool character, specifically a version called Nicepool.
On Monday, Baldoni’s legal team sent a letter to the judge, addressing a “motion to quash the Wayfarer Parties’ Subpoena and for a protective order.” They argued that Marvel hadn’t tried to resolve the dispute in good faith. According to Baldoni’s lawyers, when they tried to discuss the matter over the phone, Marvel’s lawyers didn’t cooperate and even interrupted their attempts to find common ground.
The letter also pointed out that Marvel’s counsel was mainly interested in figuring out what documents Baldoni’s side “really” needed, instead of addressing the full scope of the subpoena, which demanded all documents related to both the creation and portrayal of the Nicepool character and Baldoni himself.
Marvel Studios is mentioned in the lawsuit filed by Baldoni’s team, which claims that the character of Nicepool—who sports a man bun, lacks scars, and makes quasi-feminist jokes—is a subtle way of mocking Baldoni. The lawyers allege that this portrayal is an indirect attack on the actor-filmmaker.
Earlier, Baldoni’s legal team also sent a letter to Kevin Feige and Disney, requesting that they “preserve the evidence” that might be needed for upcoming court sessions as this legal battle continues to unfold.