The Overwatch universe is truly massive, with the game’s huge hero roster hailing from different locations that span the entire globe. While the game’s diverse hero lineup is a major strength, Blizzard’s plans to introduce even more characters in Overwatch 2 could create some problems. Not only will more heroes be harder for the studio to manage, as the extra abilities will make the game tougher to balance, but more roster additions could hurt the characters that already exist in the game.
Despite being part of the Overwatch roster since launch, heroes such as Zenyatta and Reaper are still in need of more lore, with the former barely getting any attention from Blizzard in recent years. Beyond that, the Overwatch fanbase is quick to point out the many heroes lacking love in the skin department, something that is likely to continue with all the support the new heroes will get. While the meta changes and new stories that will come with extra heroes is a major plus, the 30+ character roster is at risk of becoming overpopulated — something that could cause Blizzard to kill off some of the game’s biggest faces in Overwatch 2.
A Tough Pill To Swallow
Fans have pondered the question of whether Blizzard should kill off Overwatch characters for years, though as the game has gone on, it has become increasingly hard to do so. Not only have players gotten incredibly attached to Overwatch’s heroes, making replicas of weapons and concepts for outfits, but real money and large amounts of time have been spent on racking up special cosmetics for the characters. Beyond that, each Overwatch hero has a unique play style, meaning that that dead heroes would be sorely missed by the community.
At the same time, the attachment players have with their favorite Overwatch heroes could make killing them off even more impactful. As of now, the Overwatch narrative is beginning to feel like the Marvel Cinematic Universe did prior to Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. While it is exciting to see the universe expand with new heroes and new stories, it has started to feel like there are no stakes in the major events of the Overwatch universe. With the characters always expected to survive, Blizzard can (and should) subvert expectations by killing off certain heroes.
Who Should Be Killed Off?
If Blizzard wants to start killing off heroes in cinematics and Overwatch 2 story missions, the deaths do not have to have an impact on gameplay. After all, actual Overwatch matches are non-canon, making it completely fine for players to use canonically dead characters in-game. That said, removing the heroes from the lineup after their deaths would be even more memorable, with the best way to do this being through a passing of the torch. Passing on their skins and abilities to their partners or adversaries, the deaths could lead to interesting mergers and reworks of heroes. If Overwatch’s story team were to take interest in such an idea, a few candidates immediately emerge as those most likely to bite the bullet.
Reinhardt: The most obvious choice due to his many years in service, the 61-year-old Reinhardt cannot fight forever. A peaceful death from old age could see Overwatch trainee Brigitte doing exactly what she was taught to do, proudly filling the German Knight’s role. The squire could become a unique hybrid between tank and healer, combining her current skills with Reinhardt’s kit.
McCree: Perhaps the most shocking due to the character’s immense popularity and fairly young age, McCree’s death could be used as a major source of character development for Ashe. With the McCree’s tragic passing giving her the motivation to move on from a life of crime, Ashe could leave the Deadlock Gang and join the Overwatch team in honor of her former partner in crime — bringing McCree’s Peacekeeper revolver along as a secondary weapon.
Soldier 76: One of the most heroes basic in terms of his kit, Soldier 76 has seen his weapon outclassed by support character Baptiste on numerous occasions. On top of this, he has been on course for an intense fight with Reaper for years, something that Blizzard should finally show fans. Offering flashbacks to their original battle during the fall of Overwatch, a lengthy animated short dedicated to the final showdown between Reaper and Soldier 76 could see the villain getting a rare and heartbreaking win — providing an end to the tale of Jack Morrison.
Widowmaker: This one is more of a technicality, as it would only see the Widowmaker persona killed off. Ana can secure a much-needed personal win in a rematch with Widowmaker, putting Talon’s sniper to sleep and bringing her back to the Overwatch base at Watchpoint: Gibraltar. Mercy could then reverse the brainwashing and damage done to Amelie Lacroix, bringing her back to the side of the heroes — and giving the sniper a new purpose of taking down Talon to avenge her husband.
Making any of the above changes would be risky, but all could rekindle interest in the Overwatch storyline. Evolving newer characters like Brigitte and Ashe while providing much-needed closure for Soldier 76 and Widowmaker, Blizzard taking a thoughtful approach to hero deaths could allow the upcoming Overwatch 2 to be all that can be.
Overwatch 2 is in development for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.