The “Merc with a Mouth” is primed and ready to yap, yap, yap in Marvel Rivals, and we’ve got the video to prove it.
Deadpool doesn’t join the hero shooter game until the new season launches in the early hours tomorrow, but data miners cracked the game open to reveal a slew of one-liners, quips, memes, in-jokes, fourth-wall breaks, and interactions with the rest of the roster.
Voiced in the game by Alejandro Saab (Rafa in Borderlands 4 and countless anime roles like Tsukauchi in My Hero Academia), the fun that was had in the recording booth is palpable in just about every single thing Deadpool has to say. And, true to form, he has A LOT to say at just about every turn.
Canonically, Deadpool is quite literally going in and out of sanity because of a disease destroying his brain and his implanted mutant power constantly regenerating him at a rapid rate, and the product is a certified whacko who breaks the fourth wall in every media he’s portrayed in. This creates for some very fun moments, and Marvel Rivals continues that trend.
For example, when asked by Phoenix/Jean Grey where her husband Cyclops is, Deadpool replies that he “isn’t even playable yet,” causing Jean’s confusion, to which he says that “the leakers online are gonna lose their minds.” And yeah, they kind of did.
In another sexually charged interaction with Wolverine, Deadpool says “it’s kinda like you’re inside me” now that he has his healing factor, to which Wolverine offers “a lot more” of himself by stabbing him with his Adamantium claws.
Internet culture and childish memes? He’s got those, too. A voice line discovered by streamer Necros has Deadpool reacting to game announcer Galacta calling out a five kill streak, and Deadpool quips: “Five? What’s next, 6, 7? Ah, f*ck me!”
The list of voicelines, interactions, and general banter is quite long, but you can listen to them all yourself in a couple of videos uploaded by a YouTuber named dripping while waiting for season six to kick off at about 3am CT on Jan. 16.
NetEase Games has genuinely done a great job with the Marvel IP on Rivals. The comics publisher has given the devs almost-free rein to work on their own iterations of the characters, but they all feel very faithful to their origins. And as such, Deadpool is loud, boisterous, annoying, and most importantly, fun.
The last couple of heroes especially, Gambit and Rogue, are incredibly fun and well-designed (albeit a bit too strong, but that’s what upcoming nerfs are for). But they may have peaked with the new mouthy guy. Deadpool is the game’s first “3-in-1” hero, meaning he can play as a Vanguard, Duelist, or Strategist at the outset of each game. Choosing him in either role gives him role-specific abilities, and early returns are that he’s a joy to play with his variety.
The online reaction to the litany of memes and silly references has been positive thus far, but I do worry if it will become a little too damn annoying after some time. But then again, that’s exactly how the character is portrayed, so kudos for accuracy, I guess.
