
The Walt Disney Company capped off 2024 with a string of box office successes, boasting over $2 billion in domestic earnings and surpassing $5 billion worldwide. Films like Inside Out 2, Moana 2, Mufasa: The Lion King, and Deadpool & Wolverine played a pivotal role in achieving this milestone, making Disney the first studio to achieve such numbers since before the pandemic.
However, 2025 has kicked off with an unexpected controversy, as Disney CEO Bob Iger finds himself entangled in a legal dispute involving It Ends With Us (2024) star Justin Baldoni, his co-star Blake Lively, and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
The drama centers around allegations that Reynolds’ portrayal of a character in Deadpool & Wolverine was used to mock and harass Baldoni.
From the Screen to the Courtroom
On New Year’s Eve, Justin Baldoni filed a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, claiming the publication wrongfully accused him of orchestrating a smear campaign against Blake Lively. Baldoni alleged the article unfairly relied on Lively’s narrative and misrepresented text messages to paint him in a negative light.
The connection to Disney arises through Ryan Reynolds, Lively’s husband, who starred in Deadpool & Wolverine. Baldoni claims that Reynolds’ portrayal of a new character, Nicepool, in the Marvel film was a thinly veiled attack on him.
Related: Ryan Reynolds Faces Backlash for Alleged ‘Berating’ of Popular Actor During Intense Incident
According to Baldoni, Nicepool’s dialogue mocked his feminist advocacy and referenced accusations Lively made against him during filming, including claims of body-shaming.
Legal Moves Against Disney and Marvel
In an exclusive report from Variety, Baldoni’s legal team issued a “litigation hold letter” to Bob Iger and Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige.
The letter demands that Disney and Marvel preserve all documents related to the development and portrayal of Nicepool.
The litigation hold letter, sent the day the fires began, calls for Marvel and Disney to preserve “any and all documents relating to the development of the ‘Nicepool’ character” as well as “communications relating to the development, writing, and filming of storylines and scenes featuring ‘Nicepool.’” The letter also calls for the studio to retain “any and all documents relating to or reflecting a deliberate attempt to mock, harass, ridicule, intimidate, or bully Baldoni through the character of ‘Nicepool.’”
During an appearance on “The Megyn Kelly Show” on Jan. 7, Freedman referenced the Nicepool character. “There’s no question it relates to Justin. I mean, anybody that watched that hair bun,” Freedman said. He also questioned why Reynolds would use his wife’s alleged sexual harassment for comedic fodder. “If somebody is seriously sexually harassed, you don’t make fun of it. It’s a serious issue,” Freedman added.
Disney and Marvel have yet to respond publicly to the accusations or the litigation hold letter. Ryan Reynolds, credited as a co-writer of Deadpool & Wolverine, has also stayed silent amid the controversy.
The fallout has already disrupted Hollywood’s awards season, as both Reynolds and Lively announced they would skip this year’s Golden Globe Awards, avoiding questions about the unfolding legal saga.
Meanwhile, Baldoni’s legal team has hinted at further actions beyond the defamation case against The New York Times. This could potentially include lawsuits targeting Lively and Reynolds directly for their alleged roles in the harassment.
This legal drama arrives as an unwelcome distraction for Disney, which was riding high on the success of its 2024 releases. For CEO Bob Iger, navigating this controversy will likely require careful legal and public relations strategies to distance the company from the allegations.
What do you think? Was Nicepool’s creation a deliberate attack on Justin Baldoni? Should Disney or Ryan Reynolds face consequences? Share your thoughts in the comments below.