My Husband, Brett Douglas McDowell, is a Former Double/Stand-In on Deadpool 2—This Is What Happened.

This statement is based solely on my personal experiences, observations, and interpretations. I share this information to explain how certain events have affected my life and work. I do not intend to assert or imply any definitive legal or factual conclusions, nor am I alleging that any specific individual or entity engaged in unlawful or actionable conduct. Any parallels, references, or comparisons I draw are my own subjective opinions and should not be construed as statements of fact or verifiable claims about others.

My husband and I started speaking out about this publicly since 2021.

I am a recognized figure in Montreal’s indie game community. In 2017, I experienced an incident at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco that significantly impacted my career. In my personal experience, I believe I was drugged while at the Snowcastle Games booth promoting Earthlock. I am not accusing anyone specifically, but this has been my genuine belief based on how I felt at the time. Following this event, I was not invited to contribute to new projects, including Snowcastle Games where they had previously indicated in writing that I would be the music director on Earthlock 2 and 3. To my understanding, this commitment was not upheld, and I was ultimately excluded from future projects. I suspect my exclusion may be related to me reporting what I believed to be a drugging incident. In response to challenges from this incident, my husband, @brettdmcdowell and I founded Studio Ishiwata to rebuild my career and create new opportunities. It appears that on Earthlock 2, my role as composer has been assigned to a male composer.

Before our game’s crowdfunding campaign and trailer reveal, my mother in-law came across the show Mythic Quest and suggested that my husband watch it because something was weird. It was a series about video game development created by Rob McElhenney and produced by Ubisoft. The show featured a character whose name, appearance, social media themes, and scene location seemed strikingly similar to my own experience at GDC. Rob McElhenney is also a business associate and friend of Ryan Reynolds. He was cast in Deadpool & Wolverine.

In the same scene, set at a convention with a character named Aiko, also pronounced as Eiko in the scene, a character wearing an ankle monitor is introduced. Other characters express discomfort, indicating they don’t want to know what he did. In the same scene, a character said, “We can make her (Aiko) do whatever we want.” This immediately reminded me of how someone might behave when drugged—as this is often, to my understanding, the motive for drugging someone— and I personally felt the scene might be referencing or trivializing my experience at GDC, where I believe I was drugged.

I also recently became aware of public allegations against Diddy, who was represented by WME, the same agency where Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds are or have been represented. Diddy even made a guest appearance on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia with Rob McElhenney, demonstrating their professional connection. These allegations are not mine and I have no firsthand knowledge of them; I reference them here only to illustrate that multiple public figures at WME have faced serious accusations, whether founded or not.

I noticed several parallels in Mythic Quest—from the artwork to specific design features—that appeared similar to some of our publicly shared concepts at Studio Ishiwata.

In addition to the Aiko character, I noticed that the show’s female protagonist appeared to resemble me at GDC, I wonder if they drew upon public photos from that time. Similarly, another supporting character’s storyline and appearance reminded me of personal aspects of my husband, Brett. Rob McElhenney, one of the creators, visited Ubisoft Montreal during the show's development to gain insights into game development, which influenced the show's authenticity. At the time, we were active in this game development scene, with connections at Ubisoft and attended Ubisoft events in Montreal.

In one episode, Rob McElhenney’s character sends a character resembling Brett to 'the basement,' seemingly out of jealousy or feeling threatened. This detail stood out to us because it mirrors a public claim made by Justin Baldoni, who stated in a voicemail that Blake Lively sent him to the basement during a movie premiere. We found this to be one of several striking parallels between our experiences and the issues Baldoni described in his public statements.

Ryan Reynolds’ Free Guy also reflects elements of our story. The movie’s plot revolves around two game developers—one male, one female—whose intellectual property is stolen. The main characters bear a strong likeness to Brett and myself during our time in Montreal. Ryan Reynolds has publicly mentioned about the movie that  ‘it’s a true story which I think makes it all the more powerful’ on August 13, 2021, adding to the parallels. Before Ryan Reynolds’ Instagram descriptions were removed, it said ‘Is based on a true story. I think. In theatres now! #Freeguy”. At this time, it has been removed. Please refer to the link provided below. I changed Brett’s appearance to align more with gamers so he wouldn’t intimidate JRPG fans.

The protagonist of Mythic Quest and the antagonist of Free Guy appear to be inspired by Jason VandenBerghe (also known as 'The Dark Lorde'), a well-known industry figure in Montreal and the subject of the documentary Playing Hard. Jason was present at the GDC incident and is known for his distinctive persona in the gaming industry. Additionally, he posted a Moana meme featuring Maui on social media that seemed to seek praise from Rob McElhenney, reflecting a level of familiarity between the two. This, combined with Jason’s public presence, unique persona, and observed interactions with McElhenney, leads us to believe that both characters may have been influenced by him.

There appears to be a consistent pattern in Ryan Reynolds’ work, it seems like elements from his projects are inspired by real-life events and relationships. From mentions of Hugh Jackman’s real-life experiences in the movie Deadpool to Justin Baldoni’s public accusation that Nicepool from Deadpool & Wolverine was based on him, there’s a pattern of blending fiction with reality. It seems reasonable to conclude that Free Guy and Mythic Quest may also draw from the reality of our own experiences given the striking parallels.

What’s frustrating is that no effort was made to acknowledge or support us during such a challenging time, despite apparent connections and our contact with Leslie Sloane. Leslie Sloane is also involved in the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni dispute. We have been corresponding with Disney and yet it seems like no genuine effort was made to initiate an investigation into these matters. We have spoken with Disney lawyers.

It appeared to me that several organizations—whose policies, in my view, should motivate them to address concerns like mine—may have prioritized maintaining relationships with high-profile individuals, such as Ryan Reynolds, rather than fully addressing my case in the manner I had hoped. This situation reminds me of Justin Baldoni’s allegation in his lawsuit, in which he claims Ryan Reynolds approached Baldoni’s agents at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere and demanded that the agent drop him. In my opinion, this underscores the significant influence and power figures like Ryan Reynolds can wield within the industry.

Since the release of Free Guy, Brett and I have experienced ongoing incidents that, to me, have felt deeply unsettling. These experiences continue to this day.

Note: The statements here reflect my personal perspective, based on the information and observations available to me. They are not intended as legal conclusions or formal accusations.

We suspect that Ryan Reynolds could be engaging in actions that, in our view, feel reminiscent of the alleged media harassment and bullying reported by Justin Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, regarding the character Nicepool from Deadpool & Wolverine. If what Justin Baldoni says is true, a reasonable person might wonder whether Reynolds would be willing to do the same to us for speaking out.

For example, Reynolds invested in a studio on McDowell Gate in Markham, Ontario—a name that mirrors my husband’s surname and also parallels the gaming industry’s ‘#gamergate.’ Based on publicly available data, there are roughly 200,000 named streets in Canada. From my own research, only about five of them are named ‘McDowell.’ Given how unusual that is, I find it hard to see this as merely a coincidence.

We also noticed that the new Dogpool design strongly resembled Brett’s service animal. This was particularly upsetting to us, and we suspect it was not a coincidence. We’re additionally concerned that this may have been an act of retaliation for speaking out, further intensifying our distress.

This statement is not a formal complaint; it is an account of our experiences and beliefs. From our standpoint, the evidence is clear and strongly supports the parallels we’ve observed. Should it become necessary to clarify these concerns further, we are fully prepared to present our documentation in any legal or investigatory setting. For instance, we have a series of dated videos and emails that, in our opinion, directly link these events to the incidents we’ve described. We consider these materials highly conclusive, and they reflect the basis of our ongoing concerns.

We felt deeply targeted and distressed by the personal connections and parallels we’ve observed. The lack of acknowledgment or support during these challenging times has only intensified these feelings, leaving us struggling to move forward. For the first time in my life, this trauma has led to a creative block, deeply affecting my well-being and ability to compose music—a passion I have pursued since I was six years old.

@justinbaldoni public allegations and experiences seem to parallel our own.

1. Both myself, Brett and Justin Baldoni are BIPOC creators.

2. According to Baldoni’s court filings and statements through his lawyer, both Mythic Quest and It Ends With Us were intended to be marketed for activism - woman’s rights in games, domestic violence awareness. While we cannot confirm anyone's motives, we observed actions that align with patterns described in similar situations, such as those raised by Baldoni in his public statements.

3. Both Mythic Quest and It Ends With Us showrunners contradicts this activism through their alleged abuse towards myself and towards Baldoni.

4. I noticed several parallels in Mythic Quest—from the artwork to specific design features—that appeared similar to some of our publicly shared concepts at Studio Ishiwata and in Justin Baldoni’s legal filing, he claimed "Not only had Lively stolen the film, but she also robbed Baldoni and his team of any genuine opportunity to celebrate their hard work."

5. Both producers mentioned from Mythic Quest and It Ends With Us have strong ties with Ryan Reynolds and is a part of Deadpool & Wolverine’s cast (McElhenny was cut from the final version).

6. From our perspective, Ryan Reynolds may have trivialized or made light of several serious matters in Free Guy and Deadpool & Wolverine—including my alleged drugging and its impact on my livelihood and career as a composer and game developer.

7. Justin Baldoni’s harassment allegation involving Blake Lively, and potential intellectual property issues. We believe our likeness and creative work were used in ways that minimized or co-opted these incidents. Notably, Free Guy was released after the concerns we raised regarding Mythic Quest, and Deadpool & Wolverine was released following issues related to It Ends With Us, highlighting a pattern of parallels between our real-life experiences and these films.

8. Shawn Levy, who is originally from Montreal, directed both Free Guy and Deadpool & Wolverine. My husband Brett and I also lived in Montreal, which is notable given the city’s influence on Mythic Quest—for instance, Rob McElhenney visited Ubisoft Montreal for research. We find these overlapping Montreal connections striking in light of the parallels we’ve observed.

9. Both Free Guy and Deadpool & Wolverine are Maximum Effort productions distributed by Disney.

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Our game, Valiant Mirror, came to a full stop after the discovery of Mythic Quest in 2021 and we have been holding back on releasing the trailer which was planned to be dropped in 2021. These experiences have deeply impacted our ability to move forward with the project. However, we hope to be back in development of our game once this situation is resolved.

This statement is backed up by extensive documentation and evidence which is included in several human rights cases and official complaints.

The following links provide detailed video evidence. I have also included images and short clips as examples. These examples, while not exhaustive, highlight key comparisons. The tall image contains additional evidence not included in the video links—please zoom in for details.

Dropbox Detailed Video Evidence Links:Link to 'Is based on a true story'.:I have done my best to portray my own understanding of events. Any parallels or similarities to real situations or people should be considered my personal interpretations and not established facts. If you would like further context, please see the supporting documents provided.

My final thought: Sometimes if you treat a famous celebrity like an ordinary person, ripple effects can happen in the most unexpected way.

“You must never run from anything immortal, it attracts their attention." - The Last Unicorn