I would like to analyze various possible factions that Overwatch could still introduce for the various new heroes in the future:
Hashimoto: This is to “complete” the conflict that is currently in the Shimada family. Seeing a possible leader of the Hashimotos could be ideal.
Lucheng Interstellar: We’ve learned through Hammond’s short story and Juno/Winston’s origins that Lucheng is running its business strangely on Earth. It might be an interesting point to have a figure who represents the reasons for so much neglect in the projects.
Anubis: We’ve always heard of omnics dedicated to living with humans (Shambali) and omnics who don’t want to join humans but have free will from Anubis (Null Sector). But we never hear enough about the omnics who idolized Anubis, and who actually try to bring it back.
Gwishin: This category of omnic is also terribly ignored. The gwishin are in all respects robots with unique characteristics, which could provide two innovative concepts for a new robotic hero.
Government / Helix Secrities: I think there is a definite need for a figure representing the Petras Act side, those who believe in peace but still don’t want Overwatch and its return. An “investigator” hero who wants to stop the new Overwatch could be an interesting development, or at least make this Petras Act that is always too ignored / transgressed more credible.
Los Muertos: In declassified it is mentioned that there was a faction that was not only fighting against the energy crisis (and thus all of Guillermo Portero’s business in Dorado), but also a desire to bring back another GOD program: Xibalba. Sombra has now “concluded” her involvement with Los Muertos after the ARG, but a representative still active in the energy struggle could give us some really cool concept art.
Talon in Italy: We always forget that Vialli died in masquerade. and he was the successor of Antonio who died in the Venice incident. A new successor to Talon’s business in Italy could be very good, probably some secrets that the Malevento map has kept hidden with a shop sign that says “I’ll be right back”.
Vishkar Corporation: Symmetra represents Vishkar with doubts, Lifeweaver uses its knowledge from Vishkar… a third party is missing in my opinion, one that represents the evil and conscious side of the company. I would honestly say that Sanjay could be a bad candidate from a combative point of view, but perhaps a new delegate who hinders Symmetra in her internal mission could be an interesting development for her and her possible interest in Lifeweaver’s proposal in the short-story.
I left out three factions, but they have relatively weak reasons to be called optimal for new heroes (but that’s just my opinion):
MEKA Team: 4 more Korean gamers using a big mech and possibly having some logic similar to DVa when they are expelled, I don’t find it such a distinctive concept. I mean visually. I think they would be great NPCs for a possible narrative mission, where we can have them as companions. But as characters to implement a story for each of them and then end up in the same background of gamers serving the COrea… it seems a bit weak to me.
Yokai: The Yokai have a very interesting stylistic presentation, especially from the point of view of the weapons. But they also have the flaw that, if proposed, they could excessively prolong the lore on Kanezaka just like the MEKA team. The official comic released in Japan (here is the link to the translation https://x.com/OmnicReporter/status/1806257979517214816/photo/1) confirms that in the end they are just some boys who live in the same city as Kiriko.
Deadlock Gang: This group has perhaps some very interesting characteristics to develop as a hero, such as the omnic sniper Bars (visible in the cinematic Reunion) or the hacker Frankie (Deadlock Rebels novel). But a more characteristic background is needed to be able to propose them.
I thought about it, but I think for now, that specific point of the lore should be amplified through a map, more specifically Atlantic Arcology, which would really be the ideal time to see it. I made a topic about it.
Yeah. I read that post and you are somewhat right. However there are two characters from the Collective within the lore already: Hector and Claudio Martins, the founders of Collective both of which could at one point be utilized.
Don’t all architechs have mechanical arms to wield hard light? And he also represents Vishkar in Talon’s council so this alone makes him a very good candidate. Also he could utilize the sonic technology in an evil way like how Vishkar used it in Rio.
i also thought about the simple exploitation of technology. but every time sanjay is mentioned, i have more or less interpreted this trait: he is a coward.
he delegates the dirty work to subordinates like symmetra or to his team to solve vishkar’s problems. we don’t see him do the most deplorable action for the company’s image (a better world), he doesn’t act in first person in dealing with the most important problems for the company (stone by stone) and his power over symmetra mainly concerns the bond of gratitude (rebuilding ruins, but also the declassified book confirms this type of approach).
I don’t see him in any way wandering around the map, jumping, physically attacking enemies, defending himself, protecting himself, dressing in armor, etc. he is basically a snob, not so different from the description of ashe’s parents in deadlock rebels. Or like Maximillien, who in Storm rising escapes and is freed only thanks to a confession about where Doomfist is (the arrest in Singapore).
the only reason that leads us to think of Sanjay as a choice for a hero villain Vishkar… is that basically we have no one else in that faction 100% immersed in talon’s plan . let’s always take as an example the idea of brigitte that was born from the first reinhardt comic, but at least there brigitte had a solid basis useful to define her as a support that acts around the team. in my opinion sanjay has defined quite clearly that he has a rather bad design basis. junkrat is also a coward and has a high rate of frivolity, but has a level of danger. mei is also mostly a non-combatant scientist, but has some courage. moira also acts mostly by exploiting others, but has a more rooted offensive formation. I see too many missing elements in Sanjay.
instead, I would opt for a path similar to the one done with mina liao and echo: liao (who for years had been imagined as a playable hero) in the end was just a scientist with poor combat skills, but we players had her personality in Echo, a battle robot with imitative technology. or Asa yamagami: from her first mention many thought that she would be the “fox woman”, but in the end it was her daughter, braver and more brazen against the Hashimoto. can Sanjay also have a new subordinate? or why not, a robot built in solid light that reflects 100% the ideals of the vishkar without any kind of scruples ? in my opinion the solution for sanjay’s lore is to “act around him” in order to narrate it without necessarily seeming out of place on the battlefield. but it’s just my opinion, obviously.
On the other hand we haven’t really been given much about his character overall yet. As a negotiator of course he intends to keep the public image of Vishkar as well as his own hands as clean as possible. And yes from what we’ve seen so far he primarily has Symmetra do all the dirty work for him.
But that said I definitely wouldn’t rule out the possibility of him taking a more direct role in the field himself when absolutely necessary. At least in the support role he could take a more passive role in battle. Mercy for example isn’t exactly combative and is just there to both keep her teammates alive and use damage boost as an indirect action against enemies themselves.
Now when it comes to his tendency to have others to do the dirty work for him I think sonic technology could contribute to that. Now the purpose of sonic tech is to use sonic waves to influence other people and while Lucio uses it to lift people up and inspire them, Sanjay could simply embody it in the evil way Vishkar used it in Rio to influence and control both allies and enemies. So this way he can take a more active role while keeping his identity as having others do his errands.
. let’s always take as an example the idea of brigitte that was born from the first reinhardt comic, but at least there brigitte had a solid basis useful to define her as a support that acts around the team. in my opinion sanjay has defined quite clearly that he has a rather bad design basis. junkrat is also a coward and has a high rate of frivolity, but has a level of danger. mei is also mostly a non-combatant scientist, but has some courage. moira also acts mostly by exploiting others, but has a more rooted offensive formation. I see too many missing elements in Sanjay. 
? in my opinion the solution for sanjay’s lore is to “act around him” in order to narrate it without necessarily seeming out of place on the battlefield. but it’s just my opinion, obviously. 