Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld is retiring from the Marvel character (but how long will it last?)

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Artist/writer Rob Liefeld has created numerous characters for Marvel, DC, Hasbro, and others and for himself over the past three decades. But far and above anything else in his ouvre is the creation of Deadpool for Marvel Comics. Since the character's debut in 1990's New Mutants #98, the Merc with a Mouth has blazed a trail across comics, movies, action figures and more - and has a third blockbuster movie this year framed as Marvel Studios' big movie of the year.

But here, in the lofty peak that Deadpool has achieved, Liefeld is calling it quits.

"I am retiring from Deadpool. It’s official," Liefeld writes on social media. "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."

Liefeld is currently creating "one last crazy Deadpool yarn" in development with Marvel that he expects to debut this summer.

"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," says Liefeld. It’ll be fun!"

Liefeld has a history of publicly quitting major things in the past, including quitting DC in 2012, Twitter in 2019, and Marvel in 2019. In all three cases, he ended up returning to each - some within a year.

As for the reason why Liefeld is retiring from Deadpool now, on the cusp of Deadpool's formal debut in the MCU, the artist/writer says that he feels that, age 57, he foresees a future where he can't draw or see as well as he does now.

"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," Liefeld says. "The hand-eye coordination won’t be there forever."

This comes after Liefeld said in 2023 that unlike with the first two Deadpool movies, Marvel isn't letting him read the Deadpool 3 script - and that Marvel/Disney called him to specifically tell him not to disclose anything about the upcoming movie.

"I can't say anything about this movie as I promised Marvel and Disney," Liefeld tells us. "I got the call, so here I am saying nothing. I will say nothing. He tried, but I cannot say anything. There's nothing to be said."

Liefeld's "last Deadpool yarn" is one of several projects he has in development with Marvel for 2024.

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