Don’t call Blake Lively a nepo wife. It turns out she had her Deadpool and Wolverine cameo in the bag years before she’d even heard of the character.
Lively, 36, explained that she learned Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld was a big Gossip Girl fan and based the physical appearance of Marvel Comics character Lady Deadpool on Serena van der Woodsen, the character Lively played on the CW drama from 2007 to 2012.
“In 2010 I was on Gossip Girl and about to film my first superhero movie, The Green Lantern with my kind Canadian costar @vancityreynolds,” Lively recalled in a Friday, July 26, Instagram post. “He told me, our other costar, another superhero newby @taikawaititi and all of us about @deadpoolmovie for the first time. It was a ‘meta’ superhero. Most of us didn’t know what exactly meta meant back then. Except Taika bc he’s always been more brilliant than the rest of us mortals. We understood in theory, but how it would come together for an audience was murky, for everyone but him. It wasn’t a real dream. The movie was never gonna happen.”
She continued, “Just before all this in 2010, @robliefeld drew an unmasked Lady Deadpool for the first time, go to the next slide for his words. @deadpoolmovie wasn’t real. And Rob had no idea I was working with @vancityreynolds.”
Lively and Ryan Reynolds went on to marry in 2012, and the first Deadpool hit theaters in 2016. Still, it wasn’t until 2022 that Lively learned of her connection to Lady Deadpool.
“12 years later I read Rob’s post,” Lively concluded. “A year after that, @deadpoolmovie 3 was filmed. And today it’s in theaters.”
Liefeld confirmed his inspiration in March 2022 while celebrating International Women’s Day.
“My most bad-ass contribution to Girl Power in comics, LADY DEADPOOL!” Liefeld explained alongside images from his Marvel Comics via Instagram. “First introduced 13 years back, we unmasked her in 2010, with her unblemished visage. Based entirely on @blakelively as Joy and I were crazy Uber Gossip Girl fans (who wasn’t right?), never missing an episode.”
“Yup, I pleaded a strong case that Wanda Wilson was a stunning blonde, no scars and Marvel thought that was a cool idea. Invoked Blake on GG and they gave me the thumbs up,” he continued. “Serena Van Der Woodsen forever! Upon meeting Blake on the set of Deadpool I was tongue tied in the most embarrassing fashion. Years later at the Golden Globes I again bothered to the point I think I was speaking in tongues. If ever we are blessed with Lady Deadpool on screen I’m pretty certain Ms. Lively will have some say in the casting.”
Lively commented in 2022, “This is how I find out?!?!!😱😱🤩😍🤩😱😱💀.”
Liefeld responded, “I could never quite spit it out! So there you go! ⚔️.”
Deadpool and Wolverine marks the first time Lady Deadpool has graced the big screen. Though not unmasked in the Marvel Studios film, Lively is clearly heard delivering a few lines and is officially credited as Ladypool.
The film was a family affair for the Lively-Reynolds clan. Kidpool is played by daughter Inez, 9, and Babypool is portrayed by son Olin, who was born in early 2023.
However, the movie isn’t exactly kid-friendly. Ryan’s first fourth-wall breaking reference to Lively in the film is when he quips, “There are 206 bones in my body — 207 if I’m watching Gossip Girl.”
Deadpool and Wolverine is in theaters now.
