Deadpool Creator Rob Liefeld Bids Farewell to Marvel’s Merc-with-a-Mouth and Launches his new Last Blood Comic Book

The retirement confirmation follows the release of Liefeld's Deadpool: Badder Blood in the latter half of 2023, a project he referred to as "the last dance" during its development. Despite this farewell, Deadpool's legacy continues to thrive, with a third movie slated for release in 2024, featuring the highly anticipated return of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine alongside Ryan Reynolds.

Liefeld promised to delve deeper into his decision to retire from Deadpool in the recent episode of his comic book podcast, Robservations, offering fans insight into this significant transition in his career. Whether fans will still have the opportunity to secure a Deadpool commission at Liefeld's future convention appearances remains a question to be answered.

Deadpool, initially introduced as a villain in New Mutants, quickly rose to prominence. The self-proclaimed 'Merc-with-a-Mouth' became a fixture in the X-Force launch and the broader X-Men family of titles. X-Force #1 achieved unprecedented success, selling over 5 million copies upon publication and maintaining strong resale value, distinguishing it from other 90's hits.

While he has announced his retirement to working on Deadpool for Marvel, Liefeld has also introduced a new creator-owned comic titled Last Blood, available for purchase on Whatnot. The secrecy surrounding Last Blood helped drive interest, and the first issue of the comic sold out within minutes of its release, fetching sky-high prices, particularly for the exclusive variant covers.

This harkens back to one of the biggest events in the comic industry wherein Rob Liefeld, together with other Marvel's top-tier superstars, founded Image Comics. Liefeld's Youngblood was on the forefront, along with Todd McFarlane's Spawn and Jim Lee's Wild C.A.T.s.

The Last Blood comic's unique direct-to-consumer model has already garnered attention from publishers, but Liefeld is determined to maintain a balance, exploring a retail program that allows comic book stores to participate while preserving the distinctive appeal of Last Blood.

Regardless, while Liefeld is bidding Deadpool farewell, the veteran comic book superstar is proceeding forward to the next chapter of his creator-owned journey. Marvel Studios is targeting Deadpool 3 for release on July 26, 2024. But will it be Ryan Reynolds' final appearance of the character just as the X-Men franchise becomes part of the MCU?