(In)Complete list of Potential Heroes - Year 7 Edition

[DarthTx-1348]

So I have various hot takes on this discussion (personally think it’s okay and even preferable for admins like Sanjay, Nguyen, or the suspiciously absent here Max to remain NPCs - not everyone has to be a combatant to be plot relevant and interesting, and Faisil I’d count as just shy of Emre on the mountain out of a molehill sort of concept), but I get those are highly subjective.

Instead, I think there are some hints worth mentioning that you overlooked - interaction referenced characters. A trio of characters have been brought up by new Overwatch 2 interactions, in a way that seems like purposeful seeding of the idea of those characters for future content. That might not be characters, but they’re pretty interesting:
-Burnes, an ex-overwatch spy who quit to become a gambler at Monte Carlo full time. Brought up by Sojourn and Soldier on Circuit Royale. Could just be a contact that will pop up in PvE, but a spy turned gambler certainly is colorful enough for the cast, and Sojourn and Soldier talk about her with enough familiarity to make her seem important rather than incidental.
-Hypatia, a previously established lunar colony ape referred to as “one of the usual troublemakers”, is mentioned by name in a Winston-Wrecking Ball interaction. Winston wistfully wishes to reconnect (morally dubious love interest maybe?), while Hammond clearly has a much lower opinion. This purposeful name drop seems important for seeding for her eventual return, and even if as a villain she may be important enough to warrant being a full character like Ramattra.
-Stone Anthony, an underworld figure with a history with deadlock characters and also some kind of ties to Junkrat. He’s not the most impressive figure (it’s established that Cass owes him money but Anthony is too afraid he’d get shot if he comes to collect, and Junkrat mentions on eliminating Cass he was doing it for Tony), but his mentions are persistent enough to indicate he’s being purposefully established.

As a side note, another character gets dropped by name in a D.Va-Tracer interaction on Busan: Overlord, one of the MEKA pilots above. This singling out in canon material seems significant, and even more interestingly D.Va calls him the best pilot she knows. That’s a pretty wild claim given Casino’s background as a racing pilot and King is the one set up as D.Va’s rival, making this emphasis all the more interesting. Combined with his visually distinct design and role as support as opposed to the tank role that seems inevitable the other three NPC Mekas, it could mean something.

Just some minor thoughts. Jurgen-Fyrhie aka new Chu also mentioned there’s voicelines hinting at a character on midtown, though from what I’ve seen no one has dug up anything there as of yet.

[Taigavia-1513]

Appreciate the detailed post. To reply with my thoughts:

@DarthTx-1348

admins like Sanjay, Nguyen, or the suspiciously absent here Max to remain NPCs

I agree that not every character needs to be a hero. The list here is just characters who have potential. Max is absent because, despite being a major character, he has proven that he has no combat potential. Sanjay is an unknown that they can use if they want another Hard Light hero (he has bombed the Calado building, for example, but wasn’t shown on screen doing it.) As for Nguyen, that is not one I think is at all likely, but is one of my personal most wanted heroes. He has potential for a few reasons.

• 1 - Proven combatant in the short story

• 2 - Unique design. Despite seeming generic in the grand scheme, a simple pistol is a missing weapon archetype that is usually in every game by default, and his design is one that has led to popular characters in other series.

• 3 - Baptiste’s updated bio specifically calls him a “Talon soldier” rather than just an Analyst doing field duty like the short story initially implied. Personally, I believe this increased his odds. But I am biased.

@DarthTx-1348

Faisil I’d count as just shy of Emre on the mountain out of a molehill sort of concept

The main point of Hamid Faisal is that the way he was teased is very common with how many heroes have been teased in the past. Becoming a major component of a map that is left just vague enough to leave you guessing while still giving enough for you to hone in on the name. Sombra, Hammond, and Kiriko were all given a similar introduction, and that’s excluding the upcoming Collective hero.

@DarthTx-1348

-Burnes, an ex-overwatch spy who quit to become a gambler at Monte Carlo full time. Brought up by Sojourn and Soldier on Circuit Royale. Could just be a contact that will pop up in PvE, but a spy turned gambler certainly is colorful enough for the cast, and Sojourn and Soldier talk about her with enough familiarity to make her seem important rather than incidental.

When it comes to a name drop in game, I like to wait for a couple more mentions first. Ironically, the way that he was mentioned with familiarity here, Dr. Faisal was also mentioned in Bastet by Ana to Soldier. But in the case of Burnes, it sounds like just one of many Overwatch agents, and one that retired. In the same vein, Mirembe was featured in New Blood after being in both Recall and Legacy, but I excluded her as well as just another Overwatch agent.

@DarthTx-1348

Hypatia

If any ape was to become a hero, it would be Simon, the ringleader. But at the time, it looks like we will not be getting any. I might reintroduce Simon to the list once Blizzard reintroduces the character or the moon as something that exists, they typically reintroduce a character to remind people they exist before the hero becomes a thing. In OW2 terms, that’s usually done at least a season in advance.

@DarthTx-1348

-Stone Anthony, an underworld figure with a history with deadlock characters and also some kind of ties to Junkrat. He’s not the most impressive figure (it’s established that Cass owes him money but Anthony is too afraid he’d get shot if he comes to collect, and Junkrat mentions on eliminating Cass he was doing it for Tony), but his mentions are persistent enough to indicate he’s being purposefully established.

This is an interesting case. It would also be a first, if a hero is being introduced in an interaction like this. The fact that Junkrat also, inexplicably, knows Stone Anthony is a weird one. It definitely feels like something to consider adding to the list, I think I will throw it in the Honorable Mentions section.

@DarthTx-1348

Overlord, one of the MEKA pilots above. This singling out in canon material seems significant, and even more interestingly D.Va calls him the best pilot she knows. That’s a pretty wild claim given Casino’s background as a racing pilot and King is the one set up as D.Va’s rival, making this emphasis all the more interesting

I do have Overlord - and all of MEKA - on the list. The way I interpreted it is that the line is trying to give information about Overlord who is the member we know the least about. D.Mon/King are former gamers, and Casino is a former F1 Racer. Overlord could have a pilot background. It could also just be referring to him being the one who flies a real plane-like mech in Mastermind, which is VTOL. Nonetheless, I agree that he is the most likely member of the MEKA squad.

@DarthTx-1348

Just some minor thoughts. Jurgen-Fyrhie aka new Chu also mentioned there’s voicelines hinting at a character on midtown, though from what I’ve seen no one has dug up anything there as of yet.

I heard people spreading this around, so I went to look at the interview and I think its a miscommunication. They said that Esperanca is teasing a future hero (the Collective hero) and that there are also clues on Midtown. But I think people mistook this to mean there are clues for another new hero on Midtown. I think they just meant in general, since voice lines on the map refer to possible story beats as well as the Pan-Atlantic Arcology (which is also speculated to be tied to the Collective.) I think if there is any hero teaser at all rather than just general story and content teasers, its just teasing the same hero.