“Ryan Reynolds Criticizes Justin Baldoni for Getting Upset Over Movie Character”

Baldoni alleged that the couple engaged in civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy. He also contended that Reynolds ridiculed him through a character named “Nicepool” in the film “Deadpool & Wolverine.”

The legal dispute between Justin Baldoni and the Hollywood couple ensued following a complaint filed by Blake Lively, where she accused her co-star in “It Ends With Us” of sexual harassment.

In a new legal filing by Reynolds, he asked that a judge let him out of Baldoni and Lively’s bitter legal battle.

As per documents obtained from TMZ, Reynolds is of the opinion that Baldoni’s lawsuit against him was driven by the latter’s oversensitivity towards a character in a movie.

This comment is in reference to the “Deadpool & Wolverine” character known as “Nicepool,” whom Baldoni claims was an intentional reference to him, down to the character’s man-bun hairstyle.

Reynolds further states that his calling Baldoni a “predator” is an opinion protected by law, doubling down on the allegation that the director sexually harassed Lively.

“Mr. Reynolds has a First Amendment right to hold Mr. Baldoni— or any man who Mr. Reynolds believes sexually harassed his wife—in ‘deep disdain,'” the documents read. “The Court should dismiss the defamation claim as to Mr. Reynolds with prejudice because the Predator Statements are expressions of opinion that deserve ‘absolute protection’ by law.”

Back in January, Baldoni had accused Reynolds of defamation, claiming that the actor called him a “sexual predator” in a bid to get his agency, WME, to drop him.

However, Reynolds’s lawyers argued that the term was not defamatory and that the actor had a right to such an opinion.

In a statement to Page Six, the Marvel star’s lawyers said, “But here is the problem, that is not defamation unless they can show that Mr. Reynolds did not believe that statement to be true.”

“The complaint doesn’t allege that, and just the opposite, the allegations in the complaint suggest that Mr. Reynolds genuinely believes Mr. Baldoni is a predator,” they continued. “Mr. Reynolds’ wife has accused Mr. Baldoni — privately and in multiple complaints — of sexual harassment and retaliation, and as pointed out by Mr. Reynolds’ motion, Mr. Baldoni has also openly spoken about his past of mistreating women and pushing the boundaries of consent.

The lawyers claimed that Reynolds, thanks to the U.S. Constitution, has a “right to express his opinion of Mr. Baldoni.”

They also pointed out that Baldoni has used several “names” on Reynolds and Lively, like calling them “bullies,” and that the director should find their argument for dismissal “comforting.”

Baldoni alleged in his lawsuit that Reynolds used his creative control in the popular Marvel movie to denigrate him due to his feud with his wife.

In “Deadpool & Wolverine,” released in July 2024, Reynolds plays the Nicepool character, an alternate version of Deadpool.

In the film, Nicepool used lines such as “Where in God’s name is the intimacy coordinator?!” and complimenting Ladypool, played by Lively, for “snapping back” into shape after giving birth.

In another instance, when Deadpool pointed out Nicepool’s misogyny, he replied, “It’s okay, I identify as a feminist.”

The lines have seemingly led fans to believe that the Nicepool character was a jab at Baldoni, especially as the remarks used by the character closely resemble Lively’s allegations in her sexual harassment lawsuit against him.

The bitter legal war between Lively and Baldoni allegedly caused the actress and her husband, Reynolds, to suffer “severe anguish.”

According to TMZ, a source revealed that Lively is “emotionally zapped” due to the ongoing lawsuits with Baldoni and that the case has taken a “deep emotional toll” on her and Reynolds.

The news outlet also reported that the “Gossip Girl” star remains confident that she’ll emerge victorious and is striving “to get this all buttoned up,” as she believes the whole case is a “sideshow” concocted by Baldoni and his legal team.

As Lively and Baldoni await their trial in 2026, the possibility of a settlement between the former co-stars has been deemed unlikely by Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman.

During an appearance on the podcast “The Town,” the host, Matthew Belloni, suggested that Baldoni might be willing to settle due to the “potential for the circus and the damage to both sides” of a trial.

In response, Freedman brushed off the “circus” narrative, explaining that the allegations had deeply damaged Baldoni.

“The reality is this is not a circus when you go through an experience like this,” Freedman said, per Us Weekly. “I’ve represented a lot of people in the worst moments of their career, the worst moments of their life. Justin has been destroyed by this.”