Marvel is asking a federal court to remove the company from the ongoing legal war between It Ends With Us co-stars Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively.
Baldoni is suing Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, claiming the couple tried to destroy his reputation and career while Lively has accused Baldoni, who directed their film, of sexual harassment.
As the lawsuit escalates, Baldoni believes Reynolds retaliated against him by creating a character in Deadpool & Wolverine, a spin on the Marvel antihero dubbed ‘Nicepool’, to publicly mock him.
As part of his case, Baldoni subpoenaed Marvel and Disney in January, asking them to preserve all documents related to the creation and development of Nicepool.
He also requested any internal communication about whether the character was designed to “mock, harass, ridicule, intimidate, or bully” him.
Now, Marvel is pushing back.
In a letter filed Friday with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the studio asked a judge to “quash the subpoena” and block the release of confidential documents, according to People.
Marvel also requested a protective order preventing any party from disclosing sensitive internal materials.
Baldoni’s legal team responded Monday, opposing Marvel’s attempt to exit the case.
They accused Marvel’s attorneys of refusing to properly engage in discussions about narrowing the request.
“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,” Baldoni’s lawyers wrote.
They claimed Marvel’s attorney “merely wanted to know what documents the Wayfarer Parties 'really' needed,” referring to both the Nicepool character and any records involving Baldoni himself.
Adding: “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.”
In March, Reynolds filed a motion to dismiss Baldoni’s lawsuit, arguing the claims amounted to “hurt feelings” and not legal wrongdoing.
Reynolds’ lawyers did not deny that the Nicepool character was inspired by Baldoni but dismissed the case as an example of “thin-skinned outrage.”
