How did Nicepool die in Deadpool & Wolverine? Internet thinks character's manner of death proves Ryan Reynolds was trolling Justin Baldoni

Amid the lawsuit controversy between Ryan Reynolds' wife Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, surrounding their film, It Ends With Us, internet users have come up with a new theory. Netizens speculate that the manner of death of Nicepool— a character played by Reynolds in Deadpool & Wolverine, was an attempt by the Green Lantern actor at trolling Baldoni.

Since Nicepool doesn't have regenerative or healing features like other variants of the Marvel Comics mercenary, Nicepool dies when Ladypool shoots at him and Deadpool uses him as a human shield in a fight between Deadpool & Wolverine and the Deadpool Corps trying to kill them.

What has made the scene controversial is that Blake Lively plays Ladypool in the film, and the scene takes place outside a flower shop seemingly referencing Lively's character "Lily Bloom," who is a florist in It Ends With Us.

Netizens attached screenshots and videos of Nicepool's death scene to affirm their theory, given Ryan Reynolds is credited as a co-writer of the movie.

"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," an X user tweeted.

"Now the Nicepool death scene makes perfect sense. They're so petty modeling Nicepool looking like Justin Baldoni in manbun and the Ladypool looking like Blake Lively killing him in front of the flower shop in reference to #ItEndsWithUs" another X user commented.

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Netizens speculate Ryan Reynolds took a dig at Justin Baldoni in other Nicepool scenes: Details explored

In addition to speculating that Nicepool's death was a reference to Justin Baldoni and It Ends With Us, internet users also attached videos of a scene wherein Nicepool comments on Lively's character Ladypool.

In the scene, Nicepool says Ladypool just had a baby and proceeds to showcase a bump. At that point, the main Deadpool tells Nicepool he's probably not supposed to talk about Ladypool like that, to which Nicepool says "It's okay, I identify as a feminist".

The particular Nicepool scene is speculated to be a reference to Blake Lively's claims in her lawsuit against Justin Baldoni. Lively claimed that she underwent s*xual harassment, citing Baldoni would enter her trailer without consent while she was breastfeeding her newborn baby or was in a state of undress, as reported by People on December 21, 2024.

Per the report, Ryan Reynolds' wife also claimed that Justin Baldoni criticized her weight and reportedly called Lively's trainer less than four months after she gave birth to her fourth baby. As per Lively's claims, Baldoni went behind her back and implied to her trainer that he wanted her to lose weight in two weeks.

Additionally, on January 6, 2025, TikTok user @americastia, shared what is supposedly a deleted scene from Deadpool & Wolverine. In the deleted scene, Nicepool's character says:

"I'd be fighting alongside you, but my calling is to one day start a podcast that monetizes the women's movement."

The TikTok user mentioned that Ryan Reynolds wasn't subtle in his reference to Justin Baldoni's The Man Enough podcast, which he co-hosts with his producing partner, Jamey Heath.

Justin Baldoni's podcast revolves around "what it means to be a man today and how rigid gender roles have affected all people." The podcast also claims to create a safe environment for perspectives of privilege, mental health, masculinity in relationships, body image, and the like.

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While Ryan Reynolds hasn't commented on the speculations of Nicepool being a dig at Justin Baldoni, the latter's attorney Bryan Freedman addressed the scenes during an interview with Megyn Kelly on January 7, 2025.

Freedman addressed Reynolds and said if his wife was s*xually harassed, he should've taken the situation seriously instead of making fun of Justin Baldoni. He added that Reynolds could have filed HR complaints and followed a legal process, instead of mocking Baldoni and turning it into a joke.