Why Deadpool Creator Will Never Work with Marvel Again

It’s kind of ironic that according to Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld, Kevin Feige, head of Marvel, “does not treat comic book creators well” given that Marvel’s bread and butter are making movies from comic book characters. But this is what Liefeld claims and after three critically and commercially successful Deadpool movies, the creator vowed to never work with Marvel again.  

In an episode of his Robservations podcast and an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Liefeld enumerated his grievances with the studio, particularly during the New York premiere of Deadpool & Wolverine. He said that he and his family were not invited to the afterparty, something that he was accustomed to, and Feige snubbed him on the red carpet even if they were within inches of one another.  

Variety reported his reps tried to get him and his family into the party but were not permitted by the studio’s publicity team. “Disney is the deciding factor here. To have them say, ‘You and your family are not welcome here. We tolerated you for the screening.’ At that point, I knew in my heart I couldn’t go forward.”  

He felt not being invited to the afterparty was meant to “embarrass, diminish, defeat” him. He also claimed that his photos with creatives on the Deadpool & Wolverine team were deleted, per his publicist.  

Before the showing of Deadpool & Wolverine Liefeld also sent an email to Marvel requesting special credits similar to the opening credits of 1978’s Superman, access to movie premieres, and other promotional opportunities. Not only did he not receive a response, but he also claimed the studio yelled at his reps “We are NOT Fox!”  

20th Century Fox produced and distributed Deadpool and Deadpool 2 which the Deadpool creator also pointed out that during that time he “caused zero drama” and he was “happy to be there” since he was involved in the test screenings of the movies, and they had him along the ride.  

However, it seems that Liefeld is not without fault. The Deadpool creator is actually known in the comic book industry for his questionable business practices, particularly for not giving credit to his collaborators (so it is ironic that this is also one of the things he called out Marvel for).   

He was credited as the sole creator of Youngblood even if Hank Kanalz developed it with him. In a post written by Peter David, a comic book writer most notably known for his work on The Incredible Hulk, “I also pointed out that Rob [Liefeld] historically is not big on giving writers credit for anything unless it’s negative, as witnessed by his firing of friend Hank Kanalz after Youngblood #1, stating that it had been Kanalz’s dialogue which ruined the comic.”  

He also refused to share credits with writer Fabian Nicieza for Deadpool. In an interview with the New York Times in 2016, Liefeld said he did “all the heavy lifting” in writing and drawing the issue, diminishing Nicieza’s contribution in writing the script.   

A report from Popverse mentions Marvel Comics creators visiting the set of Fantastic Four: First Steps and meeting Vanessa Kirby, who plays Sue Storm, while THR reports that during the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con, Feige and Marvel editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski welcomed Ryan Meinerding, concept artist and character designer, and Adi Granov, comic book artist, into the MCU family. Both Feige and Cebulski also credited Granov for his illustration of Invincible Iron Man No. 76's cover, which seems to contradict Liefeld's claims that Feige does not treat comic book creators well.