One of the game's most popular characters, Soldier: 76 has been revealed to be gay - and reactns are mixed.
Contents:
- OUR THOUGHTS ON OVERWATCH'S TRACER BEG GAY
- 27 OTHER OVERWATCH HERO THAT ARE ALSO GAY
- Y, 'OVERWATCH' MAKG BOTH SOLDIER: 76 AND TRACER GAY IS A BIG DEAL
- BLIZZARD CONFIRMS TRACER IS GAY NEW OVERWATCH HOLIDAY COMIC
- NEW OVERWATCH LORE CONFIRMS SOLDIER 76 IS GAY, AND CHOSE HIS MISSN OVER HIS RELATNSHIP
- GENJICOULD GENJI BE GAY? IS HIS RELATNSHIP WH ZENYATTA MORE THAN “JT IENDS”?IN THE REFLECTNS IC, HE’S SHOWN WH A PIECE OF PAPER AND QUILL HAND. MERCY IS SHOWN READG A LETTER. THIS DO NOT DITE HETEROSEXUAL ACTIVY, AS WE ALL KNOW THAT GENJI IS JT SPAMMG “I NEED HEALG.”HOWEVER, GENJI CREDS HIS RELATNSHIP WH ZENYATTA FOR HELPG HIM E TO TERMS WH HIS NEW CYB FORM AND SPENDS MUCH OF HIS TIME WH THE OMNIC. SO… MAYBE.VERDICT: POSSIBLE.MCCREEFANS LIKE TO PAIR MCCREE WH HANZO, PRUMABLY BEE THEY’RE TWO CHARACTERS WHOSE FAC WE N ACTUALLY SEE. AND I MEAN, THEY REALLY LIKE TO PAIR MCCREE WH HANZO. HAVE THE TWO EVER SPOKEN TO EACH OTHER? .. THAT EVER STOPPED ANYBODY?PL, HIS WBOY THG ULD BE A BROKEBACK MOUNTA REFERENCE OR ULD JT BE A YMCA-STYLE LOVE OF STUM. HE’S LLED OUT FOR HIS ATTIRE PLENTY OF TIM, YET PERSISTS. LOVE OF DRAMA AND THEATRE? EXCED BY THE HYPERMASCULE ATHETIC? HMM…ANYWAY, IF MCCREE IS GOG TO BE GAY FOR ANYONE, ’S FELY REAPER. REAPER TOOK MCCREE UNR HIS WG WHEN MCCREE WAS AN IMPRSNABLE TEENAGER AND REAPER WAS HIS PRIME AS THE LEAR OF BLACKWATCH. OF URSE REAPER WASN’T TERTED, BEE HE WAS A GROWN-ASS MAN, BUT WHAT LQUENT-ASS TEEN WOULDN’T P THEIR GAY LTLE HOP ON SUCH A POWERFUL, DANGERO FIGURE?VERDICT: POSSIBLE, AND PRETTY ENTERTAG.BUT THERE’S ANOTHER REASON REAPER HAD NO TERT. AND THAT’S BEE…REAPERIF REAPER IS GAY FOR ANYONE, HE’S GAY FOR SOLDIER 76.COME ON! THEY HAVE ALL: THE PLITED HISTORY, THE IENDSHIP-TO-ENEMI TROPE, THE BETRAYAL, THE DRAMA, THE PATHOS, THE OBSSN WH EACH OTHER. THE ONLY THG THAT ULD MAKE THEIR BACKSTORY MORE LIC IS IF THEY WERE NOT MERELY BT IENDS AND CLOSE LLEAGU, BUT LOVERS.LOVE TURNED BY TIME, BTERNS AND TALON BRAWASHG TO HATE AND MISUNRSTANDG? A DARK-SKNED LATO UNAD NANOBOT ABOMATN MAN WHO LOV SPANKG THE MONKEY GORILLA, CHRISTIAN BALE’S BATMAN VOICE AND THE LAKERS? THK OF THE REPRENTATNAL TRIUMPH!VERDICT: HIGHLY POSSIBLE. BLIZZARD PLS.SOLDIER 76THE ONLY PERSON ON THE PLA THAT SOLDIER 76 SHOULD BE GAY FOR IS REAPER. HE AND REAPER ARE MIRRORS, SO HE’S GOG TO BE JT AS GAY FOR REAPER AS REAPER IS FOR HIM.THK ABOUT : SOLDIER 76 IS A NSISTENT FELLA. HE DON’T WANT NEWFANGLED ENTANGLEMENTS WHEN HE HAS SO MANY PLITED OLD ON. WHO IS GOG TO WANT HIS MTY OLD SELF? SOMEONE EQUALLY OLD AND MTY. SOMEONE WH WHOM HE’S GOT HISTORY. SOMEONE HE KNOWS... SOMEONE LIKE REAPER.VERDICT: BLIZZARD PLS! IT MAK SO MUCH NARRATIVE SENSE!PHARAHLBIAN PHARAH WOULD BE A TRIUMPH FOR VERTIL LBIAN REPRENTATN. AS A FLYG LBIAN, SHE IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL LBIAN TYP ATTAABLE. BOOSTED AND PROTECTED BY MERCY’S POWER AND GENI, LBIAN PHARAH IS PURE AND GOOD.EVEN IF PHAMERCY IS NEVER NON THE ICS, ’S NON OVERWATCH GAMEPLAY MECHANICS ANYWAY, SO WHY NOT BBER-STAMP ?VERDICT: WOULD BE NICE.MERCYONLY WH PHARAH.VERDICT: NO PHARAH NO CRY.SOMBRASHE N LERALLY RETRACT HER NAILS. WHAT KD OF CREDIBLE LBIAN ABILY….VERDICT: DO FOR THE KIDS.BASTNDO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP? DO WAR MACH DREAM OF LOVE ON BEDS OF ROS? IF ANY WAR MACHE DO, ’S BASTN. FD BASTN SOME OLD PIECE OF POST-WAR SCRAP METAL TO LOVE AND RAISE GANYME WH.VERDICT: ROBOTS N LOVE TOO.ZENYATTAZENYATTA IS A MONK. HIS WHOLE SCHTICK IS TRANQUILY, THE EMBRACE OF THE IRIS, BLAH BLAH. WHAT DO GENR MEAN THE IRIS? IT SHOULD MEAN NOTHG TO ZENYATTA. ZEN SHOULD LOVE PEOPLE FOR WHO THEY ARE, NOT WHAT SHAPE THEIR BODY IS. AND WE ALREADY KNOW THAT HE DO: HE WAS THE ONE WHO HELPED GENJI E TO PTHS WH HIS NEW CYB FORM.ZENYATTA LOV ALL.VERDICT: OMNIC LOVE RIGHTS NOW!HANZOHANZO KILLED HIS OWN BROTHER AND LEFT HIM FOR AD. HE DON’T SERVE LOVE OM ANYONE.VERDICT: DIE ALONE.JUNKRATIF JUNKRAT ISN’T EVENTUALLY REVEALED TO BE BIG GAY HOOTS WH ROADHOG, I’LL BE GOBSMACKED. THEY SEEM TO HAVE SO MUCH FUN EACH OTHER’S PANY. PL, JUNKRAT HIRED ROADHOG TO BE HIS BODYGUARD WATCH HIS ASS. SURE, JUNKRAT TEAS MEI, BUT THAT’S BEE JUNKRAT IS PULSIVELY ANNOYG AND N’T HELP . HE ALREADY HAS A STRONG RELATNSHIP WH ROADHOG. TAKG TO THE NEXT STEP FEELS NATURAL.I DON’T KNOW IF JUNKRAT IS GAY, BUT I FEEL MY HEART THAT HE LOV ROADHOG ALMOST AS MUCH AS ROADHOG LOV BAN. DON’T THAT UNT?VERDICT: 10/10 BAN CHEEBURGERS.ROADHOGWHY NOT?I MEAN, I JT N’T THK OF ONE SGLE GOOD REASON WHY NOT. GIVE ME THE FAT GAY SHARK-PIG MAN REPRENTATN. WHY NOT?VERDICT: 10/10 PIG PLHI.MEISATAN DO WHAT SATAN WANTS. GIVE MEI A GIRLIEND SO SHE N TELL THE HATERS TO STAY OSTY.VERDICT: DO MONS HAVE GENR?TORBJORNLET THE STRAIGHTS KEEP HIM AND HIS 87 KIDS.VERDICT: THE GAYS DON’T WANT HIM.WIDOWMAKERWIDOWMAKER NEEDS TO NOT BE BRAWASHED BEFORE WE START TALKG ABOUT HER SEXUAL PREFERENCE AND ROMANTIC ATTRACTNS. SORRY, TRACER/WIDOWMAKER FANS. ISN’T SHE STILL GRIEVG HER AD HBAND ANYWAY?VERDICT: LOSE THE PURPLE A TY LBIAN GREML SOLDIER/STREAMER BABY. SHE LOV CSHG N00BS MORE THAN SHE LOV ANYONE ON THE PLA, BUT WHO’S TO SAY THE GIRL THAT CHANG HER LIFE MIGHT NOT BE CLOSE AT HAND? GO AHEAD AND MAKE GAY.VERDICT: 5/5 MOUNTA DEWS.REHARDTA LEGENDARY OLD GAY WARRR. WHAT ABOUT THAT OLD KNIGHT-COMMANR OF HIS OM THE WAR WHOSE ARMOR IS ONE OF REHARDT’S LEGENDARY SKS? THAT WOULD BE A PRETTY TOUCHG BACKSTORY.VERDICT: 87/87 OF TORBJORN’S KIDS.WSTONWSTON IS A GORILLA AND HAS ENOUGH TO BE GETTG ON WH.VERDICT: ISN’T BEG A GORILLA HARD ENOUGH?ZARYAZARYA IS FELY A LBIAN. SHE JT HASN’T BEEN ANNOUNCED YET, BUT I KNOW, AND ZARYA KNOWS, AND ALL OF THE LBIANS KNOW. SHE IS A POWERFUL SIBERIAN BEAR… LET HER BENCH PRS SOME LOVELY LADY.VERDICT: GOG TO HAPPEN.ANAOLR WOMEN, EVEN ON WHO’VE HAD CHILDREN AND RELATNSHIPS WH MEN, N INTIFY AS LBIAN JT AS MUCH AS ANYONE ELSE. OR AS BISEXUAL, OR AS ANYTHG OTHER THAN STRAIGHT. GIVE THE VAGARI OF THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE, BLIZZARD! SHOW THE WAY!VERDICT: IF SHE’S NOT AN OLDI THREOME WH REAPER AND SOLDIER, THEN GIVE HER A NICE OLD LADY LOVER. SHE’S SMOPOLAN, BETIFUL, WHY NOT?LUCTHIS GAY IS GONNA DO GREAT! “BEYONCE WH A GUN” SHOULD FELY BE GAY. IT’S ONLY JTICE.VERDICT: BLAST LADY GAGA OUT OF ALL YOUR DREADLOCKS, GIRL! THAT’S RIGHT, HIS DREADS HAVE SPEAKERS THE ENDS…SYMMETRA
OUR THOUGHTS ON OVERWATCH'S TRACER BEG GAY
* is tracer gay *
Wh the release of Overwatch’s holiday ic, gamers saw the game’s first openly gay character: Tracer.
Heather: I thk they’ve been tellg about gay characters sce Grayson: They’ve hted at this specific reveal for months. I mean, I uld be super crass and poke at the panel layout: we cut to Tracer talkg to someone out of ame and then a whole ame of ‘look, ’s another woman’ as a fe narrative beat, and then we build to a kiss and cut away aga, closg out the brief arc as a story about Tracer beg gay.
27 OTHER OVERWATCH HERO THAT ARE ALSO GAY
Wh the release of Overwatch’s holiday ic, gamers saw the game’s first openly gay character: Tracer. Many of here at Kotaku, an Overwatch fanse, took time to s down and reflect on how Blizzard has treated the topic of diversy our favore team based shooter. * is tracer gay *
There’s a fely a ‘surprise, gay! But I do agree that there’s an element of, “surprise, gay! I was super aaid that the “surprise, gay!
Y, 'OVERWATCH' MAKG BOTH SOLDIER: 76 AND TRACER GAY IS A BIG DEAL
We've piled a list of the other characters the game that we believe might jt be... gay. Or bi. Or what-have-you. * is tracer gay *
For me, I’m happy to give props to velopers who thk about how I’ll feel as a female I almost ma a GIF today of scrollg down the Tumblr tag for Tracer—100% of is “Tracer is gay and she saved my crops and cleared my sk.
BLIZZARD CONFIRMS TRACER IS GAY NEW OVERWATCH HOLIDAY COMIC
Yterday was an tertg day for Overwatch, as dropped to a newly released lore story that foced on Ana, was revealed that Soldier: 76, Jack Morrison, is gay. * is tracer gay *
But I also regnize that one gay character is more or ls the bare mimum.
Tracer is gay and that is wonrful.
NEW OVERWATCH LORE CONFIRMS SOLDIER 76 IS GAY, AND CHOSE HIS MISSN OVER HIS RELATNSHIP
Here’s a du that’s fely gay, and embedd gay culture, but his problems don’t revolve around beg gay and datg.
Soldier 76 (Gay). Overwatch 2’s rint veteran is gay, though not many people know .
Soldier 76 was nfirmed to be gay a few years after the game’s release, and while he isn’t as well regnized as Tracer, many fans were pleased at the announcement.
GENJICOULD GENJI BE GAY? IS HIS RELATNSHIP WH ZENYATTA MORE THAN “JT IENDS”?IN THE REFLECTNS IC, HE’S SHOWN WH A PIECE OF PAPER AND QUILL HAND. MERCY IS SHOWN READG A LETTER. THIS DO NOT DITE HETEROSEXUAL ACTIVY, AS WE ALL KNOW THAT GENJI IS JT SPAMMG “I NEED HEALG.”HOWEVER, GENJI CREDS HIS RELATNSHIP WH ZENYATTA FOR HELPG HIM E TO TERMS WH HIS NEW CYB FORM AND SPENDS MUCH OF HIS TIME WH THE OMNIC. SO… MAYBE.VERDICT: POSSIBLE.MCCREEFANS LIKE TO PAIR MCCREE WH HANZO, PRUMABLY BEE THEY’RE TWO CHARACTERS WHOSE FAC WE N ACTUALLY SEE. AND I MEAN, THEY REALLY LIKE TO PAIR MCCREE WH HANZO. HAVE THE TWO EVER SPOKEN TO EACH OTHER? .. THAT EVER STOPPED ANYBODY?PL, HIS WBOY THG ULD BE A BROKEBACK MOUNTA REFERENCE OR ULD JT BE A YMCA-STYLE LOVE OF STUM. HE’S LLED OUT FOR HIS ATTIRE PLENTY OF TIM, YET PERSISTS. LOVE OF DRAMA AND THEATRE? EXCED BY THE HYPERMASCULE ATHETIC? HMM…ANYWAY, IF MCCREE IS GOG TO BE GAY FOR ANYONE, ’S FELY REAPER. REAPER TOOK MCCREE UNR HIS WG WHEN MCCREE WAS AN IMPRSNABLE TEENAGER AND REAPER WAS HIS PRIME AS THE LEAR OF BLACKWATCH. OF URSE REAPER WASN’T TERTED, BEE HE WAS A GROWN-ASS MAN, BUT WHAT LQUENT-ASS TEEN WOULDN’T P THEIR GAY LTLE HOP ON SUCH A POWERFUL, DANGERO FIGURE?VERDICT: POSSIBLE, AND PRETTY ENTERTAG.BUT THERE’S ANOTHER REASON REAPER HAD NO TERT. AND THAT’S BEE…REAPERIF REAPER IS GAY FOR ANYONE, HE’S GAY FOR SOLDIER 76.COME ON! THEY HAVE ALL: THE PLITED HISTORY, THE IENDSHIP-TO-ENEMI TROPE, THE BETRAYAL, THE DRAMA, THE PATHOS, THE OBSSN WH EACH OTHER. THE ONLY THG THAT ULD MAKE THEIR BACKSTORY MORE LIC IS IF THEY WERE NOT MERELY BT IENDS AND CLOSE LLEAGU, BUT LOVERS.LOVE TURNED BY TIME, BTERNS AND TALON BRAWASHG TO HATE AND MISUNRSTANDG? A DARK-SKNED LATO UNAD NANOBOT ABOMATN MAN WHO LOV SPANKG THE MONKEY GORILLA, CHRISTIAN BALE’S BATMAN VOICE AND THE LAKERS? THK OF THE REPRENTATNAL TRIUMPH!VERDICT: HIGHLY POSSIBLE. BLIZZARD PLS.SOLDIER 76THE ONLY PERSON ON THE PLA THAT SOLDIER 76 SHOULD BE GAY FOR IS REAPER. HE AND REAPER ARE MIRRORS, SO HE’S GOG TO BE JT AS GAY FOR REAPER AS REAPER IS FOR HIM.THK ABOUT : SOLDIER 76 IS A NSISTENT FELLA. HE DON’T WANT NEWFANGLED ENTANGLEMENTS WHEN HE HAS SO MANY PLITED OLD ON. WHO IS GOG TO WANT HIS MTY OLD SELF? SOMEONE EQUALLY OLD AND MTY. SOMEONE WH WHOM HE’S GOT HISTORY. SOMEONE HE KNOWS... SOMEONE LIKE REAPER.VERDICT: BLIZZARD PLS! IT MAK SO MUCH NARRATIVE SENSE!PHARAHLBIAN PHARAH WOULD BE A TRIUMPH FOR VERTIL LBIAN REPRENTATN. AS A FLYG LBIAN, SHE IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL LBIAN TYP ATTAABLE. BOOSTED AND PROTECTED BY MERCY’S POWER AND GENI, LBIAN PHARAH IS PURE AND GOOD.EVEN IF PHAMERCY IS NEVER NON THE ICS, ’S NON OVERWATCH GAMEPLAY MECHANICS ANYWAY, SO WHY NOT BBER-STAMP ?VERDICT: WOULD BE NICE.MERCYONLY WH PHARAH.VERDICT: NO PHARAH NO CRY.SOMBRASHE N LERALLY RETRACT HER NAILS. WHAT KD OF CREDIBLE LBIAN ABILY….VERDICT: DO FOR THE KIDS.BASTNDO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP? DO WAR MACH DREAM OF LOVE ON BEDS OF ROS? IF ANY WAR MACHE DO, ’S BASTN. FD BASTN SOME OLD PIECE OF POST-WAR SCRAP METAL TO LOVE AND RAISE GANYME WH.VERDICT: ROBOTS N LOVE TOO.ZENYATTAZENYATTA IS A MONK. HIS WHOLE SCHTICK IS TRANQUILY, THE EMBRACE OF THE IRIS, BLAH BLAH. WHAT DO GENR MEAN THE IRIS? IT SHOULD MEAN NOTHG TO ZENYATTA. ZEN SHOULD LOVE PEOPLE FOR WHO THEY ARE, NOT WHAT SHAPE THEIR BODY IS. AND WE ALREADY KNOW THAT HE DO: HE WAS THE ONE WHO HELPED GENJI E TO PTHS WH HIS NEW CYB FORM.ZENYATTA LOV ALL.VERDICT: OMNIC LOVE RIGHTS NOW!HANZOHANZO KILLED HIS OWN BROTHER AND LEFT HIM FOR AD. HE DON’T SERVE LOVE OM ANYONE.VERDICT: DIE ALONE.JUNKRATIF JUNKRAT ISN’T EVENTUALLY REVEALED TO BE BIG GAY HOOTS WH ROADHOG, I’LL BE GOBSMACKED. THEY SEEM TO HAVE SO MUCH FUN EACH OTHER’S PANY. PL, JUNKRAT HIRED ROADHOG TO BE HIS BODYGUARD WATCH HIS ASS. SURE, JUNKRAT TEAS MEI, BUT THAT’S BEE JUNKRAT IS PULSIVELY ANNOYG AND N’T HELP . HE ALREADY HAS A STRONG RELATNSHIP WH ROADHOG. TAKG TO THE NEXT STEP FEELS NATURAL.I DON’T KNOW IF JUNKRAT IS GAY, BUT I FEEL MY HEART THAT HE LOV ROADHOG ALMOST AS MUCH AS ROADHOG LOV BAN. DON’T THAT UNT?VERDICT: 10/10 BAN CHEEBURGERS.ROADHOGWHY NOT?I MEAN, I JT N’T THK OF ONE SGLE GOOD REASON WHY NOT. GIVE ME THE FAT GAY SHARK-PIG MAN REPRENTATN. WHY NOT?VERDICT: 10/10 PIG PLHI.MEISATAN DO WHAT SATAN WANTS. GIVE MEI A GIRLIEND SO SHE N TELL THE HATERS TO STAY OSTY.VERDICT: DO MONS HAVE GENR?TORBJORNLET THE STRAIGHTS KEEP HIM AND HIS 87 KIDS.VERDICT: THE GAYS DON’T WANT HIM.WIDOWMAKERWIDOWMAKER NEEDS TO NOT BE BRAWASHED BEFORE WE START TALKG ABOUT HER SEXUAL PREFERENCE AND ROMANTIC ATTRACTNS. SORRY, TRACER/WIDOWMAKER FANS. ISN’T SHE STILL GRIEVG HER AD HBAND ANYWAY?VERDICT: LOSE THE PURPLE A TY LBIAN GREML SOLDIER/STREAMER BABY. SHE LOV CSHG N00BS MORE THAN SHE LOV ANYONE ON THE PLA, BUT WHO’S TO SAY THE GIRL THAT CHANG HER LIFE MIGHT NOT BE CLOSE AT HAND? GO AHEAD AND MAKE GAY.VERDICT: 5/5 MOUNTA DEWS.REHARDTA LEGENDARY OLD GAY WARRR. WHAT ABOUT THAT OLD KNIGHT-COMMANR OF HIS OM THE WAR WHOSE ARMOR IS ONE OF REHARDT’S LEGENDARY SKS? THAT WOULD BE A PRETTY TOUCHG BACKSTORY.VERDICT: 87/87 OF TORBJORN’S KIDS.WSTONWSTON IS A GORILLA AND HAS ENOUGH TO BE GETTG ON WH.VERDICT: ISN’T BEG A GORILLA HARD ENOUGH?ZARYAZARYA IS FELY A LBIAN. SHE JT HASN’T BEEN ANNOUNCED YET, BUT I KNOW, AND ZARYA KNOWS, AND ALL OF THE LBIANS KNOW. SHE IS A POWERFUL SIBERIAN BEAR… LET HER BENCH PRS SOME LOVELY LADY.VERDICT: GOG TO HAPPEN.ANAOLR WOMEN, EVEN ON WHO’VE HAD CHILDREN AND RELATNSHIPS WH MEN, N INTIFY AS LBIAN JT AS MUCH AS ANYONE ELSE. OR AS BISEXUAL, OR AS ANYTHG OTHER THAN STRAIGHT. GIVE THE VAGARI OF THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE, BLIZZARD! SHOW THE WAY!VERDICT: IF SHE’S NOT AN OLDI THREOME WH REAPER AND SOLDIER, THEN GIVE HER A NICE OLD LADY LOVER. SHE’S SMOPOLAN, BETIFUL, WHY NOT?LUCTHIS GAY IS GONNA DO GREAT! “BEYONCE WH A GUN” SHOULD FELY BE GAY. IT’S ONLY JTICE.VERDICT: BLAST LADY GAGA OUT OF ALL YOUR DREADLOCKS, GIRL! THAT’S RIGHT, HIS DREADS HAVE SPEAKERS THE ENDS…SYMMETRA
Many people exprsed their support for Tracer beg gay as was a good step for reprentatn vio gam. Others reacted negatively believg that was all part of the "gay agenda". Some said that Tracer beg gay was specifilly signed for the "male gaze" and suggted makg characters to make straight mal unfortable.
Badass Gay. GAY. In the latt data drop, we got nfirmatn of somethg that many fans long knew their hearts — Soldier: 76, real name John Francis “Jack” Morrison, is gay.
We’ve known for a while that Tracer is gay, too, and a happy relatnship. If characters like this are meangful and important to the LGBT muny, and reprentatn matters (which very much do), then surely another two years we’re gog to fd out that another character is gay. We had a look over the other characters on the Overwatch roster, tirelsly pored through their backstori, pared not, looked for hts, and piled a list of the other characters the game that we believe might jt be… gay.