Rob Liefeld has a bone to pick with Marvel. The superhero writer\u00a0burst into the comic book scene in the ’80s,\u00a0eventually helping to\u00a0usher\u00a0in a new era for the industry. The prolific artist was part of the first wave of “super star” comic creators in the ’90s. These people were celebrities, both within superhero fandoms\u00a0and mainstream media. His impact in the industry has been significant, with arguably\u00a0his biggest achievement being\u00a0co-creating\u00a0everyone’s favorite talkative assassin, Deadpool.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Over the past few years, the character has become one of Marvel’s most important pieces of IP. He’s\u00a0headlined\u00a0three blockbusters, the latest of which, 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine, made over $1 billion worldwide, and is expected to continue being part of the MCU. Despite this, Liefeld does not have the best relationship with the House of Ideas. Case in point, the comic creator recently\u00a0took to X<\/a> to slam\u00a0Marvel, stating:\u00a0<\/p>\n “Honestly, surprised I survived all the bad decisions I was subjected to at Marvel. An entire division that doesn’t understand marketing and selling comics. Watching them stumble in 2025 is hard to watch. When\u00a0is rock bottom?”<\/p>\n
Honestly, surprised I survived all the bad decisions I was subjected to at Marvel. An entire division that doesn\u2019t understand marketing and selling comics. Watching them stumble in 2025 is hard to watch. When is rock bottom?<\/p>\n
For context, shortly before posting that tweet, Liefeld\u00a0also shared\u00a0the following message on his account: “Comic books are doing great. 2025 was a BOOM year for me. Publishing is on fire. Youngblood did 50x the numbers that I was doing at Marvel. Be bold. Your breakout is likely right around the corner.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Comic books are doing great. 2025 was a BOOM year for me. Publishing is on fire. Youngblood did 50x the numbers that I was doing at Marvel. Be bold. Your breakout is likely right around the corner.<\/p>\n
Still, despite his grievances with the company, Liefeld also praised Marvel and DC’s recent crossover issue, ‘Batman\/Deadpool,’ stating<\/a>: “I loved it! So much fun! I’ve grabbed ‘Batman\/Deadpool’ so many times and revisited it often the last 2 days.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Liefeld has been vocal about his dislike of\u00a0Marvel in the past. In 2025, he criticized\u00a0three prominent\u00a0figures\u00a0at the company\u2014Marvel Entertainment CEO Dan Buckley, Senior VP of Sales & Marketing David Gabriel,\u00a0and Senior VP\u00a0of Business Affairs &\u00a0Talent Management David Bogart (via Screen Rant<\/a>)\u2014calling them “spent and tired”:\u00a0<\/p>\n “The guys at the top of the executive suite in publishing have to go\u2014Buckley, Bogart, Gabriel. These guys have no new moves, they are spent and tired, and it shows. Star over. My career has been across 7 EIC’s. Seen it done way better by brighter and more focused minds.”<\/p>\n
The guys at the top of the executive suite in publishing have to go – Buckley, Bogart, Gabriel. These guys have no new moves, they are spent and tired and it shows. Start over. My career has been across 7 EIC\u2019s. Seen it done way better by brighter and more focused minds.<\/p>\n
In 2025, Liefeld also slammed\u00a0Marvel for what he perceived to be unfair treatment of him and his family\u00a0at\u00a0the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere, which led him to cut ties with Marvel Entertainment. In the episode “Marvel: Access Denied!”<\/a> of his podcast,\u00a0Robservations, the comic creator stated that, prior to the movie’s premiere, he had cautioned his family about his strained relationship with the company:\u00a0<\/p>\n “[As] we were down and about ready to go\u00a0over for the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere, my daughter just said, ‘Dad, I’m so proud of you.’ […] We took some photos and we jumped in the car, but I cautioned everybody.\u00a0I said, ‘Hey, guys, as\u00a0you know, […] the Marvel and Disney love is not really there this time. So, let’s just stay within ourselves, let’s not go out of our way, let’s just be our own kind of unit, and stay [together].”\u00a0<\/p>\n He continued: “[I] didn’t want to put anybody [in his family] in an embarrassing situation, given that I felt like we were kind of… we felt persona non grata, okay?\u00a0Yes. The guy who gave you Deadpool felt persona non grata going to the Deadpool premiere.”<\/p>\n The creator also\u00a0claimed\u00a0he\u00a0was\u00a0not invited to the movie’s afterparty. Ultimately, regarding such\u00a0alleged treatment, he stated:\u00a0“I got the message. The message was sent: ‘You cannot attend the celebration of this film in New York City.’ It was\u00a0meant to embarrass, diminish, defeat… mostly, I think, embarrass me, and that’s not how it works. That just gives me more fuel.”<\/p>\n Following that, Liefeld decided to cut ties with Marvel:\u00a0“I wasn’t\u00a0going to let this rain on my parade, but I most certainly made that decision, at that point in time, that I can no longer work for Marvel Comics in any capacity. ‘Cause at some point, you go, ‘I’ve received the message, and the message is clear.'”\u00a0<\/p>\n Deadpool & Wolverine is streaming on Disney+.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\n\u2014 robliefeld (@robertliefeld) November 20, 2025<\/a>
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\n\u2014 robliefeld (@robertliefeld) November 20, 2025<\/a>
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\n\u2014 robliefeld (@robertliefeld) April 21, 2025<\/a>
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