Marvel Rivals Deadpool Guide: How to Play, Abilities, Counters, and More

The Marvel Rivals meta has been thrown into complete disarray due to the arrival of Wade Wilson, more commonly known as Deadpool. The Merc with a Mouth has been among the most requested characters since the game’s release, and his debut kicks off Season 6 in grand fashion. As excited as you might be to play the character, you’ll likely find him to be very complex initially. But worry not, as we’ll walk you through the basics and give you some handy tips in this Marvel Rivals Deadpool guide.

Marvel Rivals Deadpool Kit and Abilities

As you might’ve heard, Deadpool is Marvel Rivals’ first triple-role character. You’ll find him in the character select section of all classes, equipped with a quip imploring you to pick him. That little detail in itself is the embodiment of his role, as the devs have fully leaned into Deadpool’s fourth-wall-breaking traits.

Nevertheless, no matter which version of Wade Wilson you pick, his basic kit remains the same. He’ll be equipped with dual Katanas and twin Desert Eagles that you can switch between freely. Across all roles, he’ll also retain his double jump and passive healing abilities.

What changes depending on your chosen role is the secondary, or right-mouse click, attack, and the designated E skill. The effects he generates will also differ (healing allies as a Strategist, disrupting enemies as a Vanguard, etc.). As for his Ult, Deadpool will start by taunting his enemies, and further effects are dependent on opponents missing their attacks. This is the case across all three roles.

The final thing to touch on is his very unique (and very meta) leveling system. Deadpool will gain XP during matches by dealing damage. Once his XP bar is full, you’ll be able to sort through a comic-book menu and one of your existing abilities to upgrade. Naturally, the effects of these upgrades are dependent on your selected role, but they all look to bolster their respective role’s playstyle.

With that basic overview out of the way, here’s a look at Deadpool’s kit across all three classes:

Vanguard Deadpool Ability Kit

Ability Name	Ability Type	Description
Dual Desert Eagles	Left Click (Primary Attack)	Shoot enemies with Dual Desert Eagles
Kick@$$ Katana (When switched to Katana)	Left Click (Primary Attack)	Slash forward with Dual Katanas
The Big Test (Dual Katanas)	Q (Ultimate)	Initiate a challenge for yourself while gaining minor Speed Boost and Healing Over Time. Also recharge Hazardous Hijinks attempts, while granting Bonus Health to self and surrounding allies. Hit enough enemies with the indicated abilities in time for greatly enhanced Speed, Healing, and refresh Healing Factor cooldowns.
The Ban Hammer (Dual Desert Eagles)	Q (Ultimate)	Select an enemy to taunt, while gaining Bonus Health and Healing Over Time. During the effect, they suffer continuous damage, and if they miss with an ability, they suffer extra damage and Deadpool gains more Bonus Health.
Slice and Dice/Lock and Load	Shift	Switch weapons
Deadpool In Your Area – Vanguard	E	Taunt and deal continuous damage to nearby enemies, disrupting their vision while gaining Attack Speed.
Upgrade!	F	Deal damage to accumulate XP. When maxed, choose an ability to upgrade. Landing final hits and taking a selfie grants bonus XP. Deapool is Invincible while taking photos.
Bunny Hop	Space (Movement)	Perform a double jump. Using Bunny Hop over others’ heads or near vertical walls during the Big Test refreshes the cooldown. Stomping enemies grants Bonus Health and deals damage.
Magical Unicorn Shield (Dual Desert Eagles)	Right Click (Secondary Attack)	Throw a plush toy forward; upon landing, it generates a spherical shield that blocks enemy attacks.
Hazardous Hijinks (Dual Katanas)	Right Click (Secondary Attack)	Dash forward and slash, striking enemies in your path. Each hit refreshes the cooldown and launches you in your chosen direction, up to 2 times within a short period.
Healing Factor	Passive	Continuously heal while out of combat. When taking heavy damage, briefly become invincible and rapidly heal.
Maximum Flair	Passive	Increase your Style Rating by landing abilities. Ultimate can be unleashed after reaching “S” rating.
Comical Chaos	Team-Up	Deadpool hands Jeff the Land Shark a plushie with attitude. Jeff can spit it ahead where it’ll continuously taunt nearby enemies and Block Vision, while allies in range enjoy a plush-powered healing party!

Duelist Deadpool Ability Kit

Ability Name	Ability Type	Description
Dual Desert Eagles	Left Click (Primary Attack)	Shoot enemies with Dual Desert Eagles
Kick@$$ Katana (When switched to Katana)	Left Click (Primary Attack)	Slash forward with Dual Katanas
Skill Issue (Dual Desert Eagles)	Q (Ultimate)	Select an enemy to taunt. They take damage whenever they miss an ability during the effect.
Pop Quiz! (Dual Katanas)	Q (Ultimate)	Initiate a challenge for yourself while gaining minor Speed Boost and Healing Over Time. Hit enough enemies with the indicated abilities in time for greatly enhanced Speed and Healing.
Slice and Dice/Lock and Load	Shift	Switch Weapons
Deadpool In Your Area – Duelist	E	Taunt and deal continuous damage to nearby enemies, disrupting their vision while gaining Damage Reduction.
Upgrade!	F	Deal damage to accumulate XP. When maxed, choose an ability to upgrade. Landing final hits and taking a selfie grants bonus XP. Deapool is Invincible while taking photos.
Bunny Hop	Space (Movement)	Perform a double jump. Using Bunny Hop over others’ heads or near vertical walls refreshes the cooldown. Stomping enemies grants Bonus Health and deals damage.
Headshot! (Dual Desert Eagles)	Right Click (Secondary Attack)	Remove your Avatar and throw it, damaging enemies along the path and nearby; after a short time, it returns to you.
Hazardous Hijinks (Dual Katanas)	Right Click (Secondary Attack)	Dash forward and slash, striking enemies in your path. Each hit refreshes the cooldown and launches you in your chosen direction, up to 2 times within a short period.
Healing Factor	Passive	Continuously heal while out of combat. When taking heavy damage, briefly become invincible and rapidly heal.
Maximum Flair	Passive	Increase your Style Rating by landing abilities. Ultimate can be unleashed after reaching “S” rating.
Comical Chaos	Team-Up	Deadpool hands Jeff the Land Shark a plushie with attitude. Jeff can spit it ahead where it’ll continuously taunt nearby enemies and Block Vision, while allies in range enjoy a plush-powered healing party!

Strategist Deadpool Ability Kit

Ability Name	Ability Type	Description
Dual Desert Eagles – Vanguard	Left Click (Primary Attack)	Shoot forward with dual Desert Eagles to heal allies or deal damage to enemies.
Kick@$$ Katana (When switched to Katana)	Left Click (Primary Attack)	Slash forward with dual Katanas. Hits on enemies also heal nearby allies.
Pwnage Pound (Dual Desert Eagles)	Q (Ultimate)	Select an enemy to Taunt. If they miss with an ability during the effect, they suffer extra damage, and nearby allies gain Healing Over Time. Whenever an enemy takes damage from this ability, Deadpool and allies within range gain additional healing.
Final Exam (Dual Katanas)	Q (Ultimate)	Initiate a Challenge for yourself while gaining Healing Over Time for you and your allies. Hit enough enemies with the indicated abilities in time for greatly enhanced Healing.
Slice and Dice/Lock and Load	Shift	Switch Weapons
Deadpool In Your Area –Strategist	E	Taunt and deal continuous damage to nearby enemies, disrupting their vision while healing allies in range.
Upgrade!	F	Deal damage to accumulate XP. When maxed, choose an ability to upgrade. Landing final hits and taking a selfie grants bonus XP. Deapool is Invincible while taking photos.
Healing Hop	Space (Movement)	Perform a double jump. Using Healing Hop over others’ heads or off walls refreshes the cooldown. Stomping enemies deals damage, while bouncing on allies provides healing.
Bouncing Bobblehead (Dual Desert Eagles)	Right Click (Secondary Attack)	Remove your Avatar and throw it, damaging enemies along the path and nearby while also healing allies; after a short time, it returns to you.
Healing Hijinks (Dual Katanas)	Right Click (Secondary Attack)	Dash forward and slash, striking enemies in your path while healing allies in range.
Healing Factor	Passive	Continuously heal while out of combat. When taking heavy damage, briefly become invincible and rapidly heal.
Maximum Flair	Passive	Increase your Style Rating by landing abilities. Ultimate Ability can be unleashed after reaching an “S” rating.
Comical Chaos	Team-Up	Deadpool hands Jeff the Land Shark a plushie with attitude. Jeff can spit it ahead where it’ll continuously Taunt nearby enemies and Block Vision, while allies in range enjoy a plush-powered healing party!

How to Play Deadpool in Marvel Rivals: Best Meta Gameplay Explained

As you saw above, Marvel Rivals’ Deadpool has a lot of abilities. The sheer volume and all their effects might seem intimidating at first, but remember, he’s just a video game character. In practice, you won’t have to juggle dozens of abilities and manage cooldowns because, at his core, Deadpool is an aggressive Duelist.

From charging up your Ult to gaining upgrade points, dishing out damage, and executing combos is a must. In fact, you shouldn’t think of Wade Wilson as a full-fledged Support or Tank in the first place, and instead as a hybrid-hero with a few extra bells and whistles. So, your priority should be to practice his bread-and-butter combos as well as his Bunny Hop cooldowns.

The basic nature of Ultimate is also the same across all roles. It basically lets you target an enemy who unintentionally boosts effects such as damage taken and allies healed by missing their abilities. We highly recommend using the Katana Ults for both Tank and DPS Deadpools, as you’ll receive extra speed in the former and extra damage in the latter. The Desert Eagle Ult is ideal while playing Support Deadpool, as its bonuses are concentrated on healing allies, and the pistol’s range is great for sticking close to your team.

Another thing to note is that Deadpool grows in matches as opposed to starting off with a bang. You’ll need to rack up damage and upgrade his abilities (no matter the role) before he can single-handedly decide matches. On the team composition front, he nestles seamlessly into triple-Support or triple-Tank lineups as the flexible hybrid character. And lastly, remember that you can switch between roles in the spawn area.

Without further ado, here are some details and tips for all of Deadpool’s roles:

Vanguard Deadpool: Tank Gameplay Tips

Vanguard Deadpool, or ‘Tankpool,’ gets two abilities to complement his playstyle. While wielding the Dual Desert Eagles, the secondary attack (Right Click) is the Magical Unicorn Shield, which is a spherical barrier with around 400 hitpoints worth of protection when upgraded. This ability is great for protecting your allies, of course, but also for isolating enemy tanks. The key is to toss the Unicorn Shield just behind the enemy’s frontline, preventing their attacks from breaching through the barrier while you pepper their Vanguards.

After switching to the Katanas, your secondary attack turns into a furious forward slash, which can be chained up to two times in quick succession. Make sure to combine this with your ‘E’ key ability, which basically causes continuous damage to enemies caught in its radius while also hindering their vision – they literally won’t see you coming.

Another trick to keep in mind for both Tankpool and DPSpool is tied to the Bunny Hop. In truth, this is a relatively ineffective movement ability that won’t get you far enough away from dangerous attacks. But what increases its utility is the fact that it’ll reset and cooldown if you successfully hop on an enemy’s head. So, practice your precision with these jumps and then combine them with the Katana Right Click for a truly devastating combo.

As mentioned earlier, you’ll want to prioritize the Katana Ult as a Vanguard, primarily because it’ll boost Deadpool’s attack speed and healing over time. If you chain together the indicated abilities successfully, Wade will whip up a lethal storm with his Katanas that is so visually disorienting that your enemies might give up.

Duelist Deadpool: DPS Gameplay Tips

Duelist Deadpool, or ‘DPSpool’, can dish out the most damage using his dual pistols and Katanas by default. So, it’ll take fewer slashes and body shots to kill enemies while playing this role than the others.

As for unique abilities, his secondary attack with the Desert Eagles equipped sees him steal the character avatar (located in the bottom-left corner of the screen) and fling it in the opponent’s direction. It resets after a few seconds, so think of it like a boomerang. While the ability’s damage output isn’t anything to marvel at, it’s great for ranking up your Ult rating, so make sure to stay accurate.

The Katana secondary attack is similar to the Vanguard version, except here it takes the form of a directional dash that can be chained up to two times. Naturally, this opens up a brutal combo, but you can also use it to weave in and out of combat if you find yourself outnumbered.

Generally, Katana left, and right clicks will be DPSpool’s bread-and-butter, and you’ll want to combine them with the Duelist version of the ‘E’ key ability. In this role, the ability doesn’t just deal damage, but it’ll also give you damage reduction, increasing Deadpool’s survivability in intense combat scenarios.

Strategist Deadpool: Healer Gameplay Tips

Unlike many of Marvel Rivals’ other Support characters, Deadpool isn’t exactly a healer. While almost everything ‘Healpool’ does will heal allies in some way, he’ll need to actively engage in combat for the best results. This is because both his Desert Eagle and Katana primary attacks will heal allies on impact, and so will Bunny Hopping on their heads. There are some important details to note, however.

For starters, firing at allies with the Desert Eagles heals them on impact, but doing so with Katanas will not. The swords actually emit a green wave of healing when you damage enemies. So, you’ll need to alternate between the two weapons depending on how far your allies are.

The most optimal way that I’ve found for healing is to hit the ‘E’ key when allies are in my vicinity and then bounce from one head to another. It’ll take practice, but it sure is fun to master. You can also just slash furiously with the Katana’s secondary attack, dashing from place to another, and stack the AoE ability on top when your team is in close proximity.

Moving on to the secondary attacks, and they’re actually the same as DPSpool in function. The main difference is that the avatar boomerang can now heal teammates, and so can the Katana dash.

Lastly, both Ults (Desert Eagles and Katanas) produce a wide healing radius for allies while damaging enemies caught within it. The healing rates increase as more and more enemies take damage from the AoE.

All Marvel Rivals Deadpool Ability Upgrades: How to Farm XP Fast

Marvel Rivals’ Deadpool gets a mini-upgrade system, which he cheekily refers to as a “game within a game.” These upgrades are pretty straightforward and function similarly across all roles, except for their added effects.

To unlock upgrades, you’ll need to fill up the bar situated just below the character’s health by gathering XP. You can earn XP points by damaging enemies, which is why Deadpool is inherently a Duelist, no matter which role it says on the character screen. To farm XP quickly, you’ll need to maximise your damage output, which means getting up close and personal with enemies and using the bread-and-butter combos. You can also earn bonus XP by landing the final hit on enemies and then hitting the ‘F’ key when prompted to click a selfie with your latest victims.

Vanguard Upgrades

Upgrade Name	Description
Dual Desert Eagles – Vanguard Upgrade	Shoot enemies with dual Desert Eagles. After enough shots, unleash a powerful, explosive Boom Emoji for extra damage.
Kick@$$ Katana – Vanguard Upgrade	Slash forward with dual katanas. Stabs can deal critical hits. After a Bunny Bounce, your next attack is guaranteed to be stabs.
Magical Unicorn Shield – Upgrade	Throw a golden plush toy forward; upon landing, it generates a large spherical shield that blocks enemy attacks.
Hazardous Hijinks – Upgrade	Dash forward and slash, striking enemies in your path. Each hit refreshes the cooldown and launches you in your chosen direction, up to 2 times within a short period.
Deadpool In Your Area – Vanguard Upgrade	Taunt and deal continuous damage to nearby enemies, disrupting their vision while dual katanas and dual pistols gain increased Attack Speed. Allies within range also gain Damage Reduction. If enemies don’t escape in time, the bottom of their screen gets further blocked.
The Ban Hammer – Upgrade	Select an enemy to taunt, while gaining Bonus Health and Healing Over Time. During the effect, they suffer continuous damage, and if they miss with an ability, they suffer extra damage and Deadpool gains more Bonus Health.
The Big Test – Upgrade	Initiate a challenge for yourself, gaining minor Speed Boost and Healing Over Time. Also recharge Hazardous Hijinks – Vanguard attempts, while granting Bonus Health to self and surrounding allies. Hit enough enemies with the indicated abilities in time to refresh Healing Factor cooldown and gain greatly enhanced Speed and Healing. For some time after, dealing damage grants Bonus Health to self and nearby allies.

Duelist Upgrades

Upgrade Name	Description
Dual Desert Eagles – Duelist Upgrade	Shoot enemies with dual Desert Eagles. After enough shots, unleash a powerful, explosive Boom Emoji for extra damage.
Kick@$$ Katana – Duelist Upgrade	Slash forward with dual katanas. Stabs can deal critical hits. After a Bunny Hop, your next attack is guaranteed to be stabs.
Headshot! – Duelist Upgrade	Remove your Avatar and throw it, damaging enemies along the path and nearby; after a short time, it returns to you. Catch it for up to two more throws. On the third toss, it explodes at the end to deal area damage.
Hazardous Hijinks – Duelist Upgrade	Dash forward and slash, striking enemies in your path. Each hit refreshes the cooldown and launches you in your chosen direction.
Deadpool in Your Area – Duelist Upgrade	Taunt and deal continuous damage to nearby enemies, disrupting their vision while gaining Damage Reduction. If enemies don’t escape in time, the bottom of their screen gets further blocked.
Skill Issue – Upgrade	Select an enemy to taunt, dealing continuous damage. If they miss with an ability during the effect, they suffer extra damage and vulnerability.
Pop Quiz! – Upgrade	Initiate a challenge for yourself while gaining minor Speed Boost, Healing Over Time, and Damage Boost. Hit enough enemies with the indicated abilities in time for greatly enhanced Speed, Healing, Damage, and refresh all cooldowns except Healing Factor.

Strategist Upgrades

Upgrade Name	Description
Dual Desert Eagles – Strategist Upgrade	Shoot forward with dual Desert Eagles. After enough shots, unleash a powerful, explosive Boom Emoji that damages enemies and heals allies.
Kick@$$ Katana – Strategist Upgrade	Slash forward with dual katanas. Stabs can deal critical hits. After a Healing Hop, your next attack is guaranteed to be stabs.
Bouncing Bobblehead – Strategist Upgrade	Remove your Avatar and throw it, damaging enemies along the path and nearby while also healing allies; after a short time, it returns to you. Catch it for up to two more throws. On the third toss, it explodes at the end to deal area damage.
Healing Hijinks – Strategist Upgrade	Dash forward and slash, striking enemies in your path while healing allies in range. Each hit refreshes the cooldown and launches you in your chosen direction, up to 2 times within a short period.
Deadpool in Your Area – Strategist Upgrade	Taunt and deal continuous damage to nearby enemies, disrupting their vision while providing nearby allies with healing and a Damage Boost. If enemies don’t escape in time, the bottom of their screen gets further blocked.
Pwnage Pound – Upgrade	Select an enemy to Taunt and deal continuous damage. If they miss with an ability during the effect, they suffer extra damage and nearby allies gain Healing Over Time. Whenever an enemy takes damage from this ability, Deadpool and allies within range gain additional healing.
Final Exam – Upgrade	Initiate a challenge for yourself while gaining Healing Over Time for you and nearby allies. Hit enough enemies with the indicated abilities in time for greatly enhanced Healing, Bonus Health, and refresh the cooldown of Healing Factor.

Best Counters for Deadpool in Marvel Rivals

Deadpool is easily one of the most versatile characters in Marvel Rivals, while also possessing some devastating close-range power. However, his mobility is extremely limited, making it easy to pepper the Merc with a Mouth from afar. Given that, here are the best counters for the triple-role hero:

Character	Counter
Groot	Groot can block Deadpool’s offensive efforts and take advantage of his poor mobility.
The Punisher	Punisher’s ranged capabilities can deny Deadpool the opportunity to get in close.
Hawkeye	With long-range burst damage and a stun trap, the marksman can catch Deadpool off guard and deny him any room to get in close.
Iron Man	Flight-based Heroes are always excellent counters to close-range brawlers. It’s a similar case with Iron Man and Deadpool, as the Duelist can pepper her up from range.

Is Deadpool Meta in Marvel Rivals?

“Hello Rivals, Deadpool here. This ‘Marvel Rivals expert’ is going to try to explain if I’m a meta in the game or some s**t like that. Look how he even calls me by my actual name, ‘Marvel Jesus, lol.’ But if you’ve played me in Season 6 till now, you know me better than him. I mean, who could be a better f***ing hero in the game than me?! Right?”

It’s early days, but “Marvel Jesus” is already looking like the Marvel Rivals meta. Given all the fourth-wall-breaking interactions and constant quips, at times it can feel like Deadpool is the game’s main character. In technical terms, the Merc will almost certainly make those triple-Support lineups even more annoying. And the fact that you can only ban one of his roles only makes things more infuriating.

And that wraps up our Marvel Rivals Deadpool guide. How are you finding the new character? Let us know in the comments!