The Overwatch 2 PvE campaign is set to bring the franchise’s narrative forward, and Mercy is confirmed to have at least some role in the story. This is because fans have seen a snippet of a scene where she is standing alongside Genji, fueling theories about their flirting evolving into a romance. Whether Moira will have a similarly large role in the plot is still unclear, though with Talon helping support Ramattra’s uprising, it seems likely for her to get involved at some point.
Mercy and Moira being two hugely different Overwatch 2 heroes should not come as a surprise to anyone, as even looking at their character designs should make their differences clear. The angelic Mercy has a kindhearted nature to match her appearance, while Moira’s cruelty matches her corrupt arm and intimidating gaze. The differences between the characters do not stop at their looks and dialogue, either, as their approaches to science are fundamentally different - something Blizzard should focus on if the two cross paths in the PvE mode for Overwatch 2.
Mercy and Moira’s Differing Views on Science Have Made Them Enemies
Mercy’s goal of helping others was shaped by her parents, who died during the Omnic Crisis when an airstrike hit the hospital they were volunteering at. She quickly went on to become a medical prodigy after this tragic event, and Jack Morrison was impressed with her studies regarding nanobiotic healing. Though she wanted to focus on applying her work to helping civilians like her parents strived to do, she did ultimately join Overwatch. This saw her creating her Valkyrie suit and becoming a combat medic, but she would often argue with Morrison and other Overwatch higher ups about the group’s militaristic focus. She also warned the group about Blackwatch and its own lead scientist: Moira.
While Mercy maintained the idea that all healing should be ethical - even being critical of Ana when seeing that her rifle used Mercy’s technology to harm others - Moira cared little about ethics. Her goal was to help humanity evolve, no matter the cost. While her research initially proved promising, as it could theoretically cure diseases, other scientists were unable to replicate her results. This, combined with the actual experiments being unethical, saw her discredited and essentially blacklisted by groups like Overwatch and doctors like Mercy. As one would expect, this caused Moira to hate Mercy and the organization she was part of.
Moira’s experimentation on Reaper and Widowmaker has essentially proven both sides correct. Though both have superhuman abilities, the two characters are suffering constantly, with Widowmaker unable to feel emotions and fully remember who she used to be while Reaper is in constant pain. Moira’s own arm has also become more and more corrupt, and as the years pass, she could become entirely transformed by her experiments.
Moira’s controversial if not outright evil work has led Mercy to openly call her out in Overwatch 2 matches, with pre-game dialogue seeing the two butt heads. They also have special voice lines for when they kill each other, reminding players how much hate is shared between them. Though having the two be openly antagonistic toward each other during gameplay is a fine touch, as it results in a memorable character dynamic that is different from the many other relationships in the game, Overwatch 2 has a chance to take things a step further with its PvE campaign.
Overwatch 2’s PvE mode will seemingly be comprised of missions where groups of four heroes fight against hordes of Omnics and potentially Talon agents. However, players are hoping that there will be occasional boss fights with named characters, with Ramattra and Doomfist being the most obvious possibilities. In a mission that features Mercy, having a Moira boss fight could be a lot of fun, as the two could shout insults at each other during the encounter. Alternatively, a mission from Talon’s perspective could show Moira getting the upper hand over Mercy. Regardless of who wins the fight, it is about time that these two characters’ war of words becomes something more, as there is a lot of bad blood between them.
Overwatch 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.