Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld has cut ties with Marvel after expressing disappointment with his alleged treatment at the premiere of the latest film.
The artist and writer is the brains behind the foul-mouthed anti-hero, and has a working relationship with the comic book publishers lasting more than 30 years.
But he felt sidelined at the New York premiere of Deadpool & Wolverine, the first Deadpool film to be released since Disney acquired Fox, and has opened up about his perceived experience.
According to Liefeld, he felt ignored by Disney bosses, including Marvel Studios head Kevin Fiege, at the July 2024 event and was upset to discover he and his family had not been invited to the premiere afterparty.
Speaking on his podcast Robservations, Liefeld claimed: “It was meant to embarrass, diminish, defeat me.
“At some point, you go, ‘I’ve received the message, and the message is clear.’”
Liefeld, who receives large revenue streams for the character he created in 1991, revealed that, one month before the film’s release, he requested more involvement with the marketing and promotion.
He also wanted a special credit different to the standard one given to comic book creators at the end of the film – noting that his request stemmed from Marvel’s decision to give Roy Thomas a Wolverine co-creator status alongside Len Wein and John Romita, Sr.
He wrote in the email: “Marvel’s treatment of creators has never been their strength. Without the worlds, the characters and the concepts that we create – and in this specific case, the world of Deadpool – there are no films to shoot. No blockbusters to distribute. … I am not the easy button at Staples. I am the human imagination behind it all.”
Liefeld claimed that his response did not get received in the way he was after, tweeting: “My reps were screamed at today ‘We are NOT Fox!’ Tell me about it. Also hung up on.”
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When the status of a third Deadpool film was unclear, the comic book creator, who became one of Marvel’s most lucrative publishers in the 1990s, previously expressed the belief that Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds “should be steering the ship and just completely handed the reins” to the franchise.
The Independent has contacted Disney for comment.
