Deadpool Co-Creator Just 'Retired' From The Marvel Character
Rob Liefeld is stepping away from Deadpool. The writer and artist has announced that he will soon retire from creating stories featuring the Merc with a Mouth.
Liefeld became a comic book superstar working on "New Mutants," where he co-created Deadpool in 1991 along with writer Fabian Nicieza shortly after introducing Cable in the series with writer Louise Simonson. After introducing the new characters and relaunching the series as "X-Force," Liefeld was among the group of creators who left Marvel Comics in 1992 to form Image Comics, where he launched his best-selling creator-owned series, "Youngblood." Often considered one of the most polarizing creators in comics due to his art style and outspoken nature, Liefeld eventually returned to collaborating with Marvel, DC, and other publishers. Deadpool remains relevant to this day and is set to star in his third feature film, "Deadpool 3," starring Ryan Reynolds in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"I am retiring from Deadpool," Liefeld wrote on his personal X (formerly Twitter) account. "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 am. So I worked up one last crazy Deadpool yarn for the fine folks at Marvel and they responded with electric glee and I started producing it last month for release Summer 2024."
Rob Liefeld's final Deadpool story arrives soon
In recent years, Rob Liefeld has worked as both writer and artist on several Deadpool projects for Marvel, including "Deadpool: Bad Blood," "Deadpool: Badder Blood," and "Deadpool: Seven Slaughters." He's also created new characters for the publisher, such as the Deadpool Corps, Lady Deadpool, and Dogpool, the last of whom will appear in "Deadpool 3." Additionally, Liefeld has provided variant covers for numerous non-Deadpool-related series in recent years, like "Daredevil," "Bishop: War College," and "Uncanny Avengers."
Liefeld promises that he's going to go out with a bang, describing his last Deadpool story as one readers won't want to miss. He thanks his fans and says that he'll elaborate more about what's coming next for him in an episode of his podcast.
"So, I'll finish this one last Deadpool story, and trust me, it's a wild one, and call it a collaboration for the ages," Liefeld wrote on his X account about leaving the character behind. "It'll be fun! In case you are wondering, why now? That's easy, I'll be 57 at the end of this and my eyes are still functioning, the work continues to be strong, I want to go out with the best effort I can muster. The hand-eye coordination won't be there forever. I'll elaborate more on this on my next Robservations podcast and look forward to taking this journey with you, the world's greatest fans, who have always provided the best support a cartoonist could ever imagine. And that, is saying something!"
Comic pros and fans react to Rob Liefeld's Deadpool retirement
Several comic book creators replied to Rob Liefeld's Deadpool retirement announcement, offering him congratulations on his storied run with the character.
Gail Simone, who wrote Deadpool for a number of years in the early 2000s, commented, "Congratulations and well-deserved, Rob!" Mark Millar, co-creator of "Kickass" and "Kingsman," responded with, "In the words of a great Edinburgh man... Never Say Never Again. PS On behalf of Disney, thank you for saving their ass this summer too! :)" Fans are also reacting to Liefeld's post, with @MarloFranson writing, "We will miss you for all this wonderful work. It is shame but a nice time to move on. Thanks for all the Deadpool. It was nice to come back into comics in 2018 to see you still at it."
While details regarding Liefeld's last Deadpool project haven't been fully revealed, readers will get a chance to check out his final tale starring the Merc with a Mouth in the summer of 2024.