Thrall is 100% a self-insert of Chris Metzen, he has literally been voicing the character since he created him.
Nathanos Blightcaller was allegedly the self-insert of Steve Danuser.
Who else is/was allegedly a self-insert character?
Only counting important lore characters, not meme side characters that only have a line or two in a side quest or whatever but are named after a developer.
I think it’s a little overstated, honestly. Writers are going to relate to some characters more than others, and like some more easily, especially the ones they or their friends created. It’s also true that writers can’t help but put some of their own personal experiences into characters as they write them.
But “self-insert” seems a bit extreme to me, and something of a shortcut for actual criticism of a character and their writing. Thrall doesn’t have to be a 1:1 self-insert of Metzen for some of the writing choices made with him recently to be criticized.
Macree well I won’t mention how much was named after him… and how much had to be erased…
For those curious about the pepe gnome we see around the expansions. 
It’s more complicated than that. Nathanos is a minor quest giver in vanilla EPL, got turned into the main forsaken hunter trainer in Cata. To the extent that he was Danuser’s pet character this only became a thing in like BFA and debatably maybe Stormheim.
He did have one or two characters named after him (like Watcher Danuser, a minor Duskwood NPC)
Also Rhonin, for Knaak, this has been known since forever.
Thrall is usually attributed to Metzen but I’d argue Malfurion and Varian also have a bit of that.
IIRC some of the purged devs used to have those too (Afrasiabi’s was the guy alliance players turned in some of the Nefarian and Onyxia quests to in Cata)
Chen Stormstout was sort of that for the former art director also iirc (Li li was either his daughter or niece)
I don’t think Metzen has self-inserts, so much as some characters he grew to love. Thrall was the character who turned your typical evil fantasy races into a band of honorable savages seeking redemption for a past of sin and atrocity. From that perspective, Thrall was the poster child for some of Warcraft’s most enthralling and provocative story-telling. I doubt any author would feel any differently.
Varian was just Thrall but a human, so of course Metzen liked him as well.
As for Malfurion, nothing about him seems like it relates that much to Metzen on a personal level, but neither does Thrall for that matter.
Metzen has favorite characters, not self-inserts.
Maybe Golden as Calia, trying to “save” the Forsaken. She wants to be Forsaken new curvy mommy and wants them to stop being meany zombie metalheads and be more like nice rainbow Disney princesses.
One dev stated that the only reason Ysera came back in Dragonflight was because she’d lost her mother in real life and wanted closure.
tbh that’s less Merithra being a self insert and more touching on themes in the story
I would say that MoP and onward, Anduin has become an Avatar of what Christie Golden wishes any male she spawned to be.
It isn’t so much a self insert, it is more akin to some twisted giga pet she is trying to manipulate as a model for her real spawn.
Like an idealized insert of what she wants her spawn to be. A spawnsert.
I think it’s less about self insert and more that writers project all over certain pet characters.
Golden adores projecting all over ultra powerful and/or ultra benevolent blonde characters. You can see her fingerprints all over Anduin, Jaina, and Calia.
I think a few characters didn’t start out as self-inserts but were turned into such by certain devs. And, as Monitorwizard said, some of the devs and writers started projecting over their characters.
Thrall was Metzen’s pet - and imo, occasional self-insert - but this was dialed back from MoP onward. Though Metzen does maintain fondness for the character, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Knaak’s self-inserts were Rhonin and Krasus, the latter so there’d be a relationship with a Windrunner. Rhonin was the more blatant of the two. A writer/dev can have more than one self-insert. For example, Ed Greenwood, known for Forgotten Realms, has both Elminster and a mercenary captain whose name I forget. I also suspect Jarod might be one given his sudden connection to Shandris.
Nathanos didn’t start as Danuser’s self-insert, but he sometimes did later as an “outlet” for Danuser’s “fondness” toward Sylvanas.
Other than that, I know Afrasiabi was projecting all over Garrosh in Cata, and I strongly suspect all over Illidan in Legion.
Not confirmed.
Yes.
Rhonin was Knaak and Golden now has Calia to further ruin the Horde.
Maybe, but Calia was first seen in Day of the Dragon, a novel written by Knaak. So you have the same situation as Danuser and Nathanos. An already existing character that someone on the writing team projected themselves onto.
I’ve seen people say Anduin is Goldens self insert too.
Jarod & Shandris was a thing even in the War of the Ancients trilogy, written by Knaak.
Although it was one-sided for the most part, that being Shandris.
Makes me wonder if Golden had any involvement with Starcraft 2, given that Valerian is basically space Anduin. And the connection goes beyond having the same voice actor.
Thrall is Metzen’s but actually Thrall is the most toned down self insert out there.
Thinking of Knaak’s Rhonin who is possibly the biggest douchebag character I’ve ever seen and that includes character that were specifically written in as douchebags, of course they are more powerful than God and so on. Or Golden’s Jaina who seems to be able to take on the Horde solo and win.
Speaking of Golden, Anduin is her pet, but if you read her past works you’d know she has a fascination with blonde boys. Anyway, Manduin the adult is her version of the perfect guy, that’s why he cries a lot I guess.
Baine has also been one of her projects, I think she admitted it on social media that she’s gonna use him to fight toxic masculinity or something, what’s up with the hate on male gamers these days? Anyway, I think the best thing for WoW right now is to get rid of Golden and her desciples in the Story Team and hire some actual fantasy writers and some war novel writers cause nobody in the WoW team past or present can write a war. Also might wanna actually hire writers based on their work and experience not based on DEI.
the narrative emotional equivalent of munchausen by proxy
That’s my point. Jarod might’ve been another one for Knaak in addition to Rhonin - Veersea and Rhonin becoming a couple while Shandris is crazy thirsty for Jarod. I cited Greenwood as an example of an author having more than one self-insert in a story.
My bad. It is just you mentioned the Jarod & Shandris thing after talking about Greenwood. So it implies you were referring to Greenwood when mentioning it. Since the subject changed to him from Knaak.
No sweat; I see why you were confused. I should’ve structured that sentence better.
Knaak, imo, has at least 2 self-inserts. Rhonin and Jarod. Not sure about Krasus, because he’s Alexstraza’s partner, and yet Alexstraza is also a character Knaak created. Apart from that, I’d count him too.
there is a fairly large contingent of male gamers that are stupid, hateful, racist, misogynist, entitled, and whiny. and it’s their own fault that people don’t like them anymore and have decided to stop putting up with their nonsense. when they stop being those things, people will start to like them again.
OHHHHHH you’re one of THOSE.
nevermind, proceed.