Way back in 2019, Blizzard confirmed that Soldier: 76, Overwatch’s grumpy grandpa, is a member of the queer community. The titular organization’s ex-commander, whose real name is Jack Morrison, is gay and was involved with a man named Vincent many years before the events of the game. This was revealed in a short story called “Bastet,” which focused on him and Ana, who were close comrades during the group’s heyday. In the story, Morrison reflects on his old flame, and it sounds like the two split because Soldier was so dedicated to the group’s cause that it put a strain on their relationship. But the game itself hasn’t really acknowledged Soldier’s long-lost love outside of a spray of the two giving each other the Christian Side Hug. That’s finally changed in Overwatch 2’s 16th season.
Blizzard periodically adds new pre-match interactions between its heroes with the start of a new season and in the big mid-season patch, often spotlighting a handful of characters with each new wave, rather than adding something for all 40+ heroes at once. And with season 16, which started late last month, Soldier: 76 is one of the characters to benefit. The latest wave includes a conversation with Baptiste, who playfully asks if anyone has ever “captured the heart” of the grizzled vigilante. Soldier doesn’t mention Vincent by name, but does say there was someone, and laments that he hasn’t seen him “in a long time.”
Baptiste apologizes for bringing up bad memories, but Soldier says that “these days, that’s all [he’s] got.” Shot me right through the heart, Blizzard. Thanks for that.
It’s been so long since we first learned that Vincent existed, some folks in the comments of videos featuring the conversation are assuming it’s about Reaper, with whom fans have shipped Soldier: 76 for almost a decade. For several years, Overwatch 2’s handling of queer themes existed in a weird place of plausible deniability. It came up in external media, but was rarely acknowledged in the game itself, to the point where you could push payloads without ever once having to consider that Tracer was a lesbian or Soldier was gay. In recent years, Blizzard has made a pretty concentrated effort to be more explicit about all the LGBTQ+ characters on its roster. 2023 was a real turning point for the game, starting with the release of Lifeweaver who was confirmed as a pansexual character at launch. In June, the game got its first Pride event, which confirmed a few more queer heroes, added Pride flag cosmetics, and updated the Midtown map to cover it in rainbows for a Pride parade. Venture, the shooter’s first non-binary hero, was announced at Blizzcon that year and released in 2024.