Is Nicepool About Justin Baldoni? Here's What We Know
Justin Baldoni's lawyer has spoken out about the character Nicepool, who many people believe is a dig at the "It Ends with Us" director.
Nicepool is an interesting character, to say the least.
He stands out from the rest of the Multiverse Deadpools. The variant from the Deadpool & Wolverine isn’t snappy and sarcastic – as his name suggests, he’s incredibly nice, a self-described “male feminist” who, unlike Deadpool, does not regenerate. He's also got long, luscious hair. Nicepool also discussed his podcast idea that monetizes the women’s movement in a deleted scene. And in case you didn’t know, It Ends with Us director Justin Baldoni has a podcast titled “Man Enough,” where he talks about toxic masculinity and rigid gender roles.
Baldoni also used to have long hair. You get where this is going – the internet is wondering whether or not the character is a dig at the IEWU star. The speculation sounds wild, but the more we look into it, the more we realize there may be something to this theory.
Nicepool Theories
In Deadpool & Wolverine, Reynolds plays Nicepool, a seemingly “more agreeable” variant of Deadpool. But don’t let the name fool you. Nicepool’s “agreeableness” reads more like insincerity (or ignorance of his hurtful behavior) – especially with lines like, “It’s OK, I identify as a feminist,” right after making a pointed comment about Ladypool’s (played by Blake Lively) post-baby body. Deadpool himself claps back, telling him he shouldn’t be commenting on a woman’s body like that.
Many fans on X believe Nicepool’s mannerisms and look are direct nods to Baldoni, who’s currently in the middle of a messy legal feud with his co-star (and Reynolds’ wife) Blake Lively. The drama stems from allegations of sexual harassment that Lively has lodged against Baldoni during the production of It Ends With Us. Baldoni denies the claims and has counter-sued Lively, her publicist, and The New York Times, calling the allegations a “smear campaign.”
If Nicepool’s digs weren’t obvious enough, fans have pointed to a deleted scene where the character says, “I’d be fighting alongside you, but my calling is to one day start a podcast that monetizes the women’s movement.” Again, Baldoni co-hosts The Man Enough Podcast, a show about masculinity, and is now facing its shake-up after co-host Liz Plank stepped down amid the ongoing allegations.
The Flower Shop and More Clues
Then there’s the climactic battle scene in Deadpool & Wolverine, where Ladypool kills Nicepool in front of… a flower shop. Yes, a flower shop – a key setting in It Ends With Us. Colonel Kurtz tweeted: “OH MY GOD WTF Nice Pool gets killed by Lady Pool in front of a freaking FLOWER SHOP???? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Wow the animus that Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds had for Justin Baldoni is really astounding.”
Someone else chimed in the comments, “I was skeptical about Nice Pool being Justin Baldoni but then the scene where he talks about the feminist podcast I was like it’s too many coincidences not to be. They really didn’t want to let it go.”
Baldoni’s Legal Team Responds
Justin Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, is not backing down. On The Megyn Kelly Show, he said, “There’s no question it relates to Justin. If someone is seriously sexually harassed you don’t make fun of it, it’s a serious issue.” He also accused Reynolds of “aggressively berating” Baldoni during a January 2024 meeting about It Ends With Us, demanding an apology for Lively. According to Baldoni, the whole encounter was “traumatic.”
Meanwhile, Lively’s lawyers have maintained that her claims are “serious” and backed by “concrete facts.” In their words, “This is not a ‘feud’ arising from ‘creative differences’ or a ‘he said/she said’ situation.”
Here’s the question on everyone’s mind: If Nicepool really is based on Baldoni, what did Baldoni do that rubbed Reynolds the wrong way? Was it the alleged harassment of Lively? As others have wondered, if Reynolds can mock it in a blockbuster film, how serious could it have been?
That’s not to dismiss Lively’s allegations – which are, by her account, incredibly concerning – but it’s worth asking whether Reynolds’ portrayal of Nicepool was meant to satirize Baldoni’s alleged behavior or to trivialize it. Her complaints should not be ignored, and disliking someone is not a good enough reason to victim-blame. Either way, Reynolds has yet to comment, and until he does, we’re left piecing this puzzle together with X threads and deleted scenes.
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