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Overwatch‘s newest hero is confirmed to be Sigma, an “eccentric astrophysicist” who appears to have discovered some dangerous secrets about gravity.
Talon, the criminal organization of the Overwatch universe, is also controlling his will and giving him a lot of stylish armor. No details have been released about Sigma’s abilities, but through some analysis of his origin story, we have a couple of ideas.
A tank for Talon?
Sigma is shown in a research facility before he has an “incident” with gravity. He’s an older man with a tall, lithe frame. As his reality crumbles, he’s shown standing with other Talon operatives, such as Doomfist, Sombra, and Widowmaker. He’s also decked out in extremely heavy armor that’s somehow connected to his body. It vaguely resembles Genji’s enhanced body armor.
The presence of such heavy armor, which is also seen in the short in-game footage at the end of the origin story video, seems to hint that Sigma could be a tank hero. Additionally, of the current Overwatch heroes that are part of Talon, none of them are tanks. Doomfist, Sombra, Reaper, and Widowmaker are all damage-dealers while Moira is a healer. In theory, to balance that team, they’d need their own heavy-hitter.
Black holes and gravity
“If the unifying powers are correct, we will soon be able to harness the power of a black hole,” Sigma said at the start of his origin story. He’s later seen on a site in space splitting into two distinct “parts” after apparently experimenting with gravity.
Later on in the video, multiple objects are seen floating around Sigma. Pens, canisters, and rocks hover around him as if he has reduced the gravitational pull around himself. A key hallmark of a black hole is that items can be pulled into its expanse by gravity, never to be seen again.
“Gravity is a harness,” Sigma said. “I have harnessed the harness.” Sigma’s abilities may revolve around the use of gravity if his origin story is to be believed. Tank characters are often used to make space for their allies to work. The ability to control the gravity of enemies is something that could make Sigma a truly dangerous hero. Additionally, Sigma may be able to use the ability of a black hole to make attacks or ultimates “disappear.”
Freedom and imprisonment
Sigma’s abilities will likely revolve around dual uses of gravity. This idea is further cemented by lines in his origin video. “Freedom. Imprisonment. It’s all an illusion,” Sigma said. Freedom could refer to the use of gravity to “push” characters away. As a tank character, the ability to move characters away and make space could be incredibly beneficial.
“Imprisonment” would refer to the use of gravity to drag heroes, abilities, or ultimates together. Other tank heroes, like Zarya and Orisa, already make use of gravitational “pulls” to bring heroes together and eliminate them. If Sigma can make use of both of these abilities, he could be a devastating hero to play against. He would also counteract the very popular “bunker” composition if he could drag or push enemies out of formation easily.
The power of two
A theme of two parts, or dual identities, runs throughout Sigma’s origin story. He first splits into two “parts” during his incident with gravity. Throughout the video, he’s shown holding a golden orb in his right hand while in a calm state. Sigma is then shown with a purple orb in his left hand when he’s fighting as a part of Talon. This directly mimics Moira’s healing and damage orbs. Moira often has a hand in experimenting on Talon subjects, so Sigma’s abilities could be a result of her handiwork.
The purple orb transforms into two octagonal shapes during his origin story video. These same two shapes are seen in the in-game animation. Sigma’s powers likely revolve around two distinct abilities that can be used at will. This could be the aforementioned push and pull of gravity or the restriction and release of characters to inflict damage.
Whatever Sigma’s abilities are, they’ll likely be related to gravity and displacing enemies to benefit his team. If the origin video is any indication, his abilities will also be a little bit terrifying.
