Credit: Inside the MagicThe creator of Deadpool has announced his official departure from Marvel.
Wade Wilson, AKA Deadpool (or the “merc with a mouth”), is one of Marvel’s most iconic characters. Created in 1990, Deadpool first made his debut in The New Mutants, but went on to reach a wider audience after actor Ryan Reynolds started portraying the antihero.
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While Reynolds is the man most closely associated with Deadpool today, the character wouldn’t be possible without his creator, Rob Liefield. The 56-year-old artist and co-founder Image Comics is credited with writing and illustrating over 1,000 pages of Deadpool comics over the past 34 years – but has now announced his retirement from Marvel Comics.
“I am retiring from Deadpool,” Liefield wrote on Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter) on Monday (February 5). “It’s official. Yup, after 33 years of not only introducing Deadpool but chronicling many of his most popular adventures it’s time for the Deadpool Daddy to say farewell.”
I am retiring from Deadpool. It’s official. Yup, after 33 years of not only introducing Deadpool but chronicling many of his most popular adventures it’s time for the Deadpool Daddy to say farewell. One of the fun parts about getting older is you can retire from things, so here I… pic.twitter.com/Kq4XAjslNT
— robliefeld (@robertliefeld) February 5, 2024
Aside from Deadpool, Liefiled also created characters such as Cable, Domino, and Stryfe. He added that he often wonders what life would’ve been like “if young Rob hadn’t taken up the challenge of transforming a title that was headed towards cancellation is one of the better alternate universe tales. It certainly transformed my young career, creating opportunities and record breaking sales for New Mutants & X-Force.”
Liefield explained that he wanted to step back from Deadpool with his hand-eye coordination still in its prime, in order to go out on a high. “I’ll be 57 at the end of this and my eyes are still functioning, the work continues to be strong,” he wrote. “I want to go out with the best effort I can muster. The hand-eye coordination won’t be there forever.”
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Liefield expanded on his decision to quit. “About 10 years ago, I really felt like I was in a groove, and in my mind, I was going to do this ’til I was 70,” Liefeld said. “But the eyes and the hands, and the aches and the pains — they have a different timetable, I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older. The last year’s worth of work was the hardest to produce.
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“I can’t continue to grind like this, so why not make the last grind something memorable? It’s just a function of, the eyes and the hands have to cooperate with your ambitions, and I can sense that this is getting harder and harder. Why not just put my own guardrails up and deliver it on my terms?”
Before leaving Marvel Studios, Liefield plans to wrap up work on one final Deadpool project. He hopes this will hit shelves in the summer to capitalize on the inevitable hype around Deadpool 3 (2024), which will premiere on July 26. Liefield remains tight-lipped about the plot of his final Deadpool story, but did tell The Hollywood Reporter, “This would be an expensive story to adapt, is all I’ll tell you.”
Related: Marvel Director Says ‘Deadpool 3’ Will Save the MCU
During his time at Marvel, Liefield has also actively supported Ryan Reynolds’ cinematic take on the character, visiting the set of Deadpool 3 – which will see Hugh Jackman reprise the role of Wolverine – before it paused for the SAG-AFTRA strike.
“I saw some crazy shit, and none of that has made its way out,” he said. “I was really excited by what I was seeing. Fans want Deadpool 3 to represent a turning point for Marvel. I’m really hoping that this takes Marvel into new heights and puts them on a new direction. I’m as excited as everybody else.”
Are you as excited for Deadpool 3 as Rob Liefield? Let us know in the comments!