Rob Liefeld, the co-creator of Marvel’s Merc with a Mouth, is retiring from comic book writing. The 56-year-old author announced his retirement from comic books in a post on social media while revealing that a final Deadpool chapter would be released this summer.
Liefeld has written over 1000 pages of comics, with some of his most notable works being the Deadpool Corps and Deadpool: Bad Blood. The creator is also known for being one of the founders of Image Comics, with its most popular publications being Kick-Ass, The Walking Dead, Spawn, and Invincible. So why is Liefeld stepping down 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,” said Liefeld in a post on X. “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!”
The announcement comes just a few months before the release of Marvel Studios’ Deadpool 3. The film reunites Ryan Reynold’s Deadpool with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine while serving as a final chapter in the Fox-owned X-Men franchise before the MCU’s eventual reboot. Liefeld’s final Deadpool comic will be similarly ambitious, although details are being kept under wraps.
“This would be an expensive story to adapt, is all I’ll tell you,” said Liefeld to The Hollywood Reporter. The new story is being teased as one of Liefeld’s greatest works in the field. “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. It’ll be fun!” wrote Liefeld in a post on X.
As for whether fans should expect a cameo from him in Deadpool 3, Liefeld shot the idea down. Nonetheless, the writer is still excited to watch the film with fans, sharing his enthusiasm for the character and his future at Marvel.
"I’m a little sad, but I’m happy that all the Deadpool work that is out there will be strong," he said. "I’ll continue to enjoy the character, but I feel like I’ll have told all of the Deadpool that I need to share."
Deadpool 3 releases on July 26, 2024.
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