There's much to appreciate about the brilliant and furious gorilla scientist known as Winston. Of course, he's known as being a mobile and versatile dive tank, and, despite his early inception, is still a common go-to for players. He's particularly valued for his survivability with his Incredible Hulk-esque Primal Range Ultimate. Players that aren't too practiced mechanically also favor the lunar ape, as his potent Tesla Cannon hits foes in a wide area with streams of electricity. Though, Winston's impact extends beyond the gameplay itself, expanding into Overwatch lore.
As a refugee of a lunar colony overrun by apes. Winston's story is intriguing, and it's one that plays a vital role in OW's history. One only need flip on the game to recognize his significance, as you're greeted with the ape-man's broadcasted message calling the former agents of Overwatch to action.
So let's go ape as we take a look at 10 things about Winston you didn't know.
10 Origin Story Is A Blend Of Superman And Planet Of The Apes
Winston's origin story is an interesting one, to say the least. He resided on Horizon Lunar Colony and began as an apprentice under the wing of Dr. Harold Winston. It was from this man which he gathered his vast scientific knowledge and intellect. The curious ape yearned for a life beyond this isolated colony as he looked down at the Earth. His wish would come true, though not quite in the manner he wanted.
Things took a turn for the worse as a band of other genetically engineered apes led an uprising over their human companions, taking over the colony for themselves. This led the good-hearted Winston to flee in a self-crafted rocket ship, which he used to fly towards Watchpoint: Gibraltar; and the rest is history. The story itself is clearly inspired by Planet Of The Apes, though also has shades of Superman's origin story as well.
9 Fans Wanted Him Renamed As A Famous Gorilla
Following an unfortunate incident in which a real ape at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden was shot to protect a toddler, nearly 13,000 Overwatch fans petitioned Blizzard to change Winston's name to Harambe in honor of the famed gorilla.
Of course, this was likely meant to be tongue-in-cheek, rather than a legitimate call to action. Either way, this request fell on deaf ears, and Winston has continued to carry the legacy of another deceased figure instead - though a fictional one - Dr. Harold Winston. But while the loved ape of the Cincinnati Zoo may not be enshrined into Overwatch lore, he won't be forgotten...
8 He Saved Tracer And Gave Her Time-Bending Abilities
The events and origin story of Winston has its ties with a number of other Overwatch figures; especially when it comes to the similarly iconic Hero, Tracer. Like Winston, Tracer's powers are largely the result of experimentation gone haywire - which happened to be harnessed in part by the gorilla scientist himself.
Yes, it was Winston who saved Tracer's life and kept her from vanishing into a void of space and time. He achieved this by crafting her what is called a Chronal Accelerator, keeping the time-warping Tracer's presence stable and bound to the present. This has also further enhanced her time-bending abilities, making her a swift and evasive force to be reckoned with.
7 His Ultimate Is A Reference To A Popular Fighting Game
Fans of 90's fighters might find the name of Winston's beast-mode Ultimate rather familiar. This is because it's likely a direct reference to the '94 arcade fighter by Atari, Primal Rage. It might seem like a longshot of a connection to make, until you look deeper into some of the names of the fighters.
Not only are there 2 monstrous gorilla fighters reminiscent of Winston; one of them just happens to be named Blizzard. The game also features a fire breathing T-Rex named Diablo. And on top of this, there's a subtler connection with one of the fighters' names - Talon - which is the name of the rogue organization led by Reaper. It would seem that Blizzard certainly has some love for this game.
6 A Hearthstone And Warcraft II Fan
There are various subtle nods to older video games sprinkled within Overwatch environments and cutscenes, mainly focusing on, not surprisingly, Blizzard-made titles. Winston is apparently a fan of at least a couple of the more popular ones. Both Hearthstone and Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness can be briefly seen displayed amongst the ape's clutter of computer screens during the animated short, Recall.
Hey, even a genius scientist needs to unwind with some fun leisure activities every now and again, right? Fighting as a leading figure of Overwatch while conducting experiments has to be a stressful life...
5 His Dance Is Inspired By A Fictional Hitman
Out of the variety of diverse and amusing Hero dance moves in Overwatch, the light-hearted Winston, not surprisingly, probably possesses one of the silliest. You may recognize Winston's charmingly goofy boogie dance from the Tarantino film Pulp Fiction, in which a similarly stocky, but far more sinister Vincent Vega gets down with gangster Marsellus' wife, Mia.
Unfortunately, the ape never wins a trophy for those sick dance moves as Vega and Mia do. Though one would figure such an achievement would be beneath the Overwatch fighter and scientist, anyway.
4 His Voice Actor Is An Anime Regular
One of Winston's most distinguishable and enduring qualities lies in his terrific voice work. It should come as no surprise, then, that his voice actor, Crispin Freeman, is no stranger to bringing characters to life with his voiceover performances.
The versatility and emotion he brings to his vocal performances have allowed him to flourish as a popular voice actor behind a number of prominent characters in anime and video games. These include the .hack character Balmung, Tales of Symphonia's Regal Bryant, Itachi Uchiha from Naruto, and various World of Warcraft characters.
3 A Love-Hate Relationship With Reaper
The relationship between Winston and Reaper is a complex and mostly conflicted one. Not only does Reaper counter the ape in Overwatch's combat, but the two largely oppose eachother in terms of the lore, as well. This is revealed when both Heroes are being played on the same team. A back-and-forth will sometimes ensue, which Reaper comments that the beastly ape "has to hide away so he doesn't scare the children," to which Winston remarks that he doesn't even think children are afraid of him.
They've clashed in the past too, as Reaper was a part of Blackwatch and Talon, both of which had been opposed to the main faction of the Overwatch team. Winston's lab at Watchpoint was even invaded by Reaper and other Talon agents in order to obtain information on former Overwatch agents. Ironically though, these two Heroes compliment eachother nicely during a dive.
2 Various Lunar References
There's a prominent lunar theme when it comes to the genetically-altered ape, which comes across in his design as well as various bits of dialogue in which he references subjects related to the moon. This would seem to make sense, given his lunar origins.
Some of these references include the famous Apollo missions, which Winston says "that's one small step for me, one giant leap for Overwatch," as well as the iconic "Houston, we have a problem." His legendary deep orange skin is also likely to resemble the orange NASA astronaut jumpsuits. Even his name appears to be derived from Winston Scott - an American astronaut who was involved with the planning of an International Space Station.
1 One Of The Most Uniquely Versatile Tanks
Focusing on Winston's distinct gameplay features - the mad ape is largely considered to be one of the best tanks to solo with, along with serving as an excellent dive tank. With his vast jump ability, Winston can be a menacing presence and disruptor for an opposing team.
His bubble shield also serves as a solid, albeit brief means of protecting a clustered group of teammates from all sides. His Tesla Cannon's method of firing, which eliminates the need for precise aiming, also makes him ideal for beginners. It's these traits that make Winston not just an enduring character, but one of the most effective and unique tanks in the game.