Why Rob Liefeld Refuses To Work With Marvel Ever Again

Rob Liefeld is famous for co-creating Deadpool with artist Fabian Nieceza, but now the longtime Marvel Comics creator says that he's cutting ties with the company. Liefeld's worked with Marvel for over 30 years, and he's helped create some of the company's most popular characters, like the Merc with a Mouth and his sometimes companion Cable. Liefeld announced his retirement from the Deadpool character back in February 2024, but his departure from Marvel as a whole is sure to incite a big shakeup at the company. 

Liefeld shared his decision and the reasoning behind it on an episode of his podcast "Robservations," saying that he reached his breaking point with Marvel during the premiere for "Deadpool and Wolverine." According to Liefeld, Marvel Studios neglected him throughout the filmmaking process and disrespected him and his family at the premiere. Liefeld isn't the first creator to have issues with Marvel Studios, but his status in the comic book world gives his story some serious weight. 

On his podcast, Rob Liefeld explained that his experience at the "Deadpool and Wolverine" premiere pushed him to decide to part ways with Marvel. Liefeld said that he expected to attend the afterparty, but didn't learn that he wasn't invited to the event until he and his family were already at the premiere. Liefeld also took issue with Marvel Studios chief creative officer Kevin Feige specifically, saying that Feige refused to acknowledge him on the red carpet. Liefeld felt Feige was purposefully ignoring him, saying, "It was meant to embarrass, diminish, defeat me."

Liefeld also acknowledged that these issues are bigger than his personal connection to Marvel. He told The Hollywood Reporter, "Do I think [Feige] can improve his relationship with comic creators? Yes." Liefeld also gave The Hollywood Reporter an email he sent to Marvel in 2024, asking for himself and Deadpool co-creator Fabian Nieceza to be credited prominently at the beginning of "Deadpool and Wolverine." In the email, Liefeld wrote, "Comic book creators cannot continue to be relegated as afterthoughts. This is easy to address. Unless I reach out to address it, it will never manifest."

Some small details in "Deadpool and Wolverine" do acknowledge Liefeld's contributions to the character, but Marvel didn't give Liefeld the credit he had wanted. Liefeld's and Nicieza's names appear in the movie's end credits, which is standard for comics creators in Marvel films.

Rob Liefeld's reputation and long history in comics is bringing a lot of attention to his story. He's raising serious questions about Marvel's relationship with the people responsible for giving the company its most popular properties. And he's also not the first person who's claimed that Marvel Studios doesn't treat its creatives well.

Marvel fired showrunner Beau DeMayo in March 2024, just days before his series "X-Men '97" premiered on Disney+. In September, DeMayo uploaded a video to his OnlyFans page where he claimed that Marvel discriminated against him for being Black and gay and that the company creates a hostile work environment for everyone from writers to VFX artists.

DeMayo reposted that video to his YouTube channel on February 7, 2025, a day after commenting on Liefeld's story on X (formerly Twitter) by writing, "Kevin [Feige] doesn't respect artists period. We do what they cannot and then they hate us for it." The real reason DeMayo was fired may be more complicated than what he presented in his video, but it doesn't look good for Marvel to have multiple creators coming forward to speak out against the company.