Rob Liefeld blames Ryan Reynolds' Green Lantern on the ingredients, not the cook

Of all the superhero casting blunders that Hollywood's churned out over the years, Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern has become a bit of a legend, and not in a good way. Now, we've got another whack at that particular piñata, with none other than Rob Liefeld—the bloke who co-created Deadpool—airing out exactly why he reckons Reynolds was never right for the Emerald Crusader.

Liefeld's Take, Complete with Casserole Metaphor

Liefeld waded into this debate after a fan on X (formerly Twitter) lobbed him a bit of Green Lantern gossip, pointing out that Reynolds himself hasn't exactly been shy about his issues with the film's direction. The fan remarked that Reynolds might've given Hal Jordan another shot 'if it was made the way Hal is portrayed in the comics.' In reply, Liefeld didn't hold back—his take is pretty straightforward.

Here's Liefeld's response, which he fired back right there on X after someone suggested Reynolds would return under the right creative circumstances:

It is my humble opinion that Ryan was not the optimal fit for this role. I find his comedic instincts lend to characters such as Deadpool for the best audience interactions and response.

He wasn't done either. Liefeld paid a bit of respect to the film's director, Martin Campbell (yes, the same chap responsible for two of the better Bond flicks), but then lobbed in a rather culinary comparison:

The director of GL gave us two of the very best Bond movies ever, each quite different in their approach. He is gifted. Sometimes the ingredients don’t make the best casserole. That was certainly the case in GL. I wouldn’t mind seeing RR return to the character someday, regardless.

Liefeld vs Marvel: More Than Just Banter

If you think Liefeld is just out here for a gossip, well, his recent history with Marvel is worth clocking. In 2025, after he and his family didn't score an invite to the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere (held July 2024, by the way), Liefeld announced on his Robservations podcast that the snub was the last straw with Marvel. He described the experience as an obvious attempt at embarrassment, saying it wasn't just a slight, but felt designed to 'diminish' and 'defeat' him.

To have them say, ‘You and your family are not welcome here. We tolerated you for the screening.’ At that point, I knew in my heart I couldn’t go forward.

Liefeld made it clear that he'd cut ties entirely, locking his final Marvel work as the Deadpool Team Up series.

• Rob Liefeld and his family were deliberately left out of the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere event in July 2024—a move he saw as a public slight from Disney/Marvel.