Overwatch 2 boasts one of the most diverse casts of characters in all of mainstream gaming, and as an actively inclusive developer, Blizzard has numerous members of the LGBTQ+ community on the game’s roster of heroes.
While there’s often been speculation about the sexuality of various heroes, the sequel didn’t immediately disclose any hero sexuality. Instead, Blizzard waited to do so through supplementary media like comics and digital shorts.
Tracer was the first hero to be unveiled as a lesbian in the 2016 digital comic book Reflections, and Blizzard did so in a very nonchalant fashion. In the story, Tracer spends her time seeing others with their families during the holidays while desperately trying to get home to spend time with her female partner, Emily.
Blizzard then revealed Soldier: 76 is gay in 2019 during a short story in which Ana and Soldier spend time discussing a former lover of his named Vincent.
Until this year, those were the only two confirmed LGBTQ+ members on the Overwatch roster. However, with Blizzard releasing heroes on a more regular basis since the move to OW2, the diversity has also been ramped up, and in April, the developer released the franchise’s first openly pansexual hero—Lifeweaver.
Blizzard intentionally made Lifeweaver’s sexuality a key part of his character after speaking with members of the LGBTQ+ community, and on the cusp of Pride Month, Blizzard revealed two more heroes’ sexualities.
All confirmed LGBTQ+ Overwatch 2 heroes
Though Pharah is one of the heroes that was a part of the game’s original cast in 2016, her sexuality remained unspoken about in lore until Blizzard released the new digital short story “As You Are” at the end of May.
In the short, both Pharah and Baptiste reveal their sexualities as lesbian and bisexual respectively. The news about Baptiste wasn’t a shock to most fans. Following Lifeweaver’s release, pre-match dialogue between Baptiste and Lifeweaver included the newer support openly flirting with Baptiste. In the conversation, Baptiste seems to be receptive to his advances, which involved flirtatiously asking the Haitian mercenary out to dinner.
Here are all confirmed LGBTQ+ heroes in Overwatch 2 in order of when their sexuality was publicly disclosed:
- Tracer
- Soldier: 76
- Lifeweaver
- Pharah
- Baptiste