Deadpool Creator Cuts Ties With Marvel Citing Poor Treatment

Rob Liefeld, the creator behind Deadpool, says he’s severing ties with Marvel over how he was treated during the release of Deadpool & Wolverine. The fan-favorite creator explained his decision during the latest episode of his podcast series Robservations, and then in a follow-up interview with The Hollywood Reporter. Liefeld revealed the decision to no longer work with Marvel stems from how he and his family were treated at the New York premiere of Deadpool & Wolverine. Liefeld states he and his family did not get invited to the Deadpool & Wolverine afterparty, and Liefeld also added that he was snubbed by Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige on the red carpet.

“It was meant to embarrass, diminish, defeat me,” Liefeld said on Robservations. He also added that he posed for professional photos with the team behind Deadpool & Wolverine, but his publicist later informed him that the photos were deleted. Liefeld’s belief is the photos were only taken as a courtesy, though photos of Liefeld and his family were included in Disney’s Getty image roundup.

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The decision to no longer work with Marvel was made after the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere in July. “At some point, you go, ‘I’ve received the message, and the message is clear,’” Liefeld said. The mistreatment that Liefeld refers to is in contrast to how he was treated during Fox’s releases of Deadpool and Deadpool 2. Liefeld told THR that he was involved in test screenings for both of Deadpool‘s first two movies and also met with the Deadpool 2 marketing team. “They had me along for the ride, and I caused zero drama. I was happy to be there,” he said.

Liefeld also stated his opinion on Kevin Feige during his podcast, stating, “Kevin Feige does not treat comic book creators well. That is my personal experience.” He later elaborated to THR, telling the outlet, “Do I think he can improve his relationship with comic creators? Yes.”