Deadpool is joining Marvel Rivals later this week, and he can pretty much do anything he wants

Arc Raiders and Battlefield 6 might be the online shooters of the moment, but that doesn't mean other recent hits like Marvel Rivals have gone under. In fact, NetEase's take on the property remains a strong alternative to Overwatch 2 which has received tonnes of love since its late 2024 debut. Now, Deadpool is almost here, and his gameplay trailer packs a punch.

The 'Merc with a Mouth' was finally confirmed during last month's Game Awards, after plenty of leaks and datamines. Marvel Rivals has been expanding at a much better pace than the aforementioned Blizzard-developed hero shooter ever did, typically dropping two heroes (or villains) per season into the roster, alongside new maps and modes. Traditionally, each hero has a single strict role (tank, DPS, or healer) as per the subgenre's conventions. However, Deadpool, much like in the comics and movies, writes his own rules… literally. You can check out Deadpool's trailer below.

Video games including Wade Wilson have acknowledged his fourth-wall-breaking abilities through dialogue and maybe a handful of zanier comic book moments. Gameplay-wise, he has always been represented as a goofy mercenary (who won't shut up) with access to lots of blades and guns. I mean, on a basic level, that's who he is. The Marvel Rivals team has taken the character's kit to the next level though.

My first impression is Wade could be a nightmare to properly balance after he arrives on 16th February. He can effortlessly swap between the Vanguard (tank), Duelist (DPS), and Strategist (healer) roles, and each kit comes with plenty of abilities that dish out incredible amounts of damage and notable buffs for his allies.

When NetEase first teased he'd be a flexible character, I certainly wasn't expecting him to whip out a comic book in the middle of a match and choose who he wants to be inside the game. That's the most Deadpool thing ever though.

Other highlights in the trailer include Deadpool taking selfies, his enemies being beaten up by comic book drawings on their screens, and a stylish MVP screen which also breaks the traditional boundaries of the game. I think it's safe to say this is the best adaptation of the character we've seen in a video game so far, and the fact it's all part of a fast-paced online shooter only makes it even more impressive.

Season 6 of Marvel Rivals (dubbed 'Night at the Museum') also kicks off this Friday, 16th January, and on top of Deadpool's arrival, players are hoping for matchmaking improvements and more quality of life fixes and tweaks. While the hero shooter remains healthy and is carried by cross-play across all platforms, its player numbers on Steam have steadily gone down due to a bigger focus on skins and seasonal content over keeping the game tidy and welcoming.

Back in February, it was announced Marvel Rivals had amassed over 40 million players since its launch. Despite this success, NetEase laid off an unspecified number of the Marvel Rivals development team last year.

Following this, the Marvel Rivals publisher said the layoffs were a "difficult decision" made to "optimise development efficiency" for the game.