Maybe Ryan Reynolds yelled at and “berated” Justin Baldoni, maybe he didn’t. The hot new question is… did he get immortal cinematic revenge on the It Ends With Us director?
As part of his libel lawsuit responding The New York Times‘ coverage of Blake Lively‘s accusations, Baldoni offered his own version of the fat shaming accusations. He claimed he only asked his trainer — who also worked with Blake — her weight to see if he could safely lift her for a scene. The trainer told Blake, who told Ryan — leading to what Justin called an “aggressive” confrontation at the power couple’s NYC penthouse apartment. Insiders close to Ryan have denied any sort of incident between them.
But a new fan theory has folks wondering if Ryan chose a different response.
Related: Blake Lively ‘Refused To Meet’ With Intimacy Coordinator, Claims Justin Baldoni!
In Deadpool & Wolverine, Marvel‘s Merc with a Mouth meets versions of himself from alternate universes — including Ladypool, Kidpool, Dogpool. One memorable alternate Deadpool is called “Nicepool.” And some fans think he’s secretly Ryan’s way of making fun of Justin!
Nicepool is polite, sure, but even more obnoxious in a lot of ways. He has a man bun, he’s into New Age beliefs, he spouts empty aphorisms about peace and love. But ultimately he’s vain and self-centered and completely useless. After Blake’s legal complaint, some viewers started to wonder if this was a caricature of Justin — who is very vocally supportive of women but when the cameras are off, allegedly acted like a huge jerk.
Maybe the biggest clue? At one point, talking about Ladypool (played in a cameo by Blake), Nicepool says:
“Wait ’til you see Ladypool, she is gorgeous! She just had a baby and you can’t even tell.”
Clearly a reference to Blake, who had just had a baby and DOES play the character under that mask. Deadpool, who usually crosses every line with his own quips, even tells him to back off:
“I don’t think you’re supposed to make comments like that.”
Nicepool says:
“It’s okay, I identify as a feminist.”
See what we mean? Here’s a TikTok explaining the whole theory…
@theresehlee Is Nicepool a stand-in for Justin Baldoni? #deadpoolwolverine #ryanreynolds #blakelively #justinbaldoni #itendswithus @Mel Hamlett @Expatriarch
So is it possible Ryan tweaked the character to make fun of Justin? Well, director Shawn Levy did say in the director’s commentary on the Blu-Ray that Blake gave him and Ryan notes on the film before they did their final few days of reshoots. He specifically addressed a different scene, but… it’s certainly possible there was also additional “Nicepool” material written later on. It Ends With Us and Deadpool were filming at the same time — and both were halted by the SAG strike in Summer 2023. It was likely during that time that Ryan helped rewrite a scene for Blake’s movie. It certainly seems possible Blake’s experiences on her own set might have given Ryan fuel for one of his Deadpool punching bags.
And if this was revenge, it’s a bloody one! [SPOILER ALERT] Nicepool meets a particularly gruesome end, and it’s revealed at the last minute that unlike Deadpool he doesn’t heal. Hmm…
So what do YOU think of this theory, Perezcious cinephiles??
[Image via MEGA/WENN/Disney+.]
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