A few years ago, Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld ran into Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige at San Diego Comic-Con, where he got a tantalizing tidbit about the then-mysterious Deadpool 3.

Feige told Liefeld that his desk was currently covered with the writer-artist’s work, specifically the Deadpool Corps – a team of wacky alternate reality versions of Deadpool, including the canine Dogpool and the female Ladypool. That was Liefeld’s first inkling that such characters could pop up in what is now known as Deadpool & Wolverine, which features a breakout character played by Peggy, a Pug-Chinese Crested mix who previously won Britian’s Ugliest Dog Contest.

“You can’t resist the lure of Dogpool,” Liefeld recalls thinking after that chat with Feige. “I feel like Dogpool is the next level after Groot and Rocket Raccoon. And I even said, ‘The merchandising on this alone is worth doing it for.’”

He got another clue a year ago about Deadpool & Wolverine, when Marvel’s business affairs unit called him to let him know of an easter egg referencing him. In one scene, there’s an orthopedic store called Liefeld’s Just Feet — a nod to an Internet joke that mocks the way Liefeld draws feet.

“I was laughing hysterically when the Marvel business affairs people called me,” says Liefeld. “They were laughing too.”

The joke follows Domino (Zazie Beetz) making a reference to Liefeld’s feet drawing abilities in Deadpool 2 (2018), and the creator himself sitting at a bar in the 2016 movie that kicked things off.

He recently traveled to New York to watch the new film at its premiere, taking in some sights and lodging down at the Langham New York Fifth Avenue Hotel. For Liefeld, Deadpool & Wolverine is a high point for the character, and comes at a noteworthy time for his decades-long relationship with Wade Wilson. The movie coincides with his retirement from writing and drawing Deadpool with one final book, Deadpool Team-Up, which starts rolling out next month.

“I have nothing more to say with the character,” says Liefeld. “This last adventure that I’m doing with him is so out of left field. It’s the farthest thing from me trying to be cool. It’s the farthest thing from me trying to make him pop. It’s just a weirdo story and I feel like it’s the right kind of vibe.”