Tracer is no longer the only canonically LGBTQ hero in Overwatch. Today, Blizzard released a new short story focusing on steely sniper grandma Ana and grumpy military dad Soldier 76. The latter, it turns out, used to be involved with a man named Vincent.
In the short story, titled “Bastet,” Ana encounters Soldier for the first time since an explosion destroyed the Swiss Overwatch headquarters, supposedly killing Soldier. He’s wounded, however, from a tussle with BFF-turned-nemesis-in-a-Halloween-costume Gabriel Reyes, a.k.a. Reaper. While nursing him back to health in her hideout, Ana notices Soldier rifling through some old photos, one of which depicts Soldier standing next to a dark-haired man, with an arm around his shoulder. This takes her by surprise.
Vincent.
“Vincent… I haven’t thought about him in years,” Ana said.
“Still keeping a candle lit for him?”
Jack shook his head. “Nothing like that.”
“You’ve never looked in on him? You must have been
curious. All the surveillance power in the world. I bet Gabe
would have put a Blackwatch agent on him if you asked,”
Ana said.
Jack glared at her.
“Okay, touchy subject.”
Jack laughed. “He got married. They’re very happy. I’m
happy for him.”
Ana was unconvinced. In the early days, Jack talked about
him often, floating a dream that the war would end quickly,
and maybe he’d have a chance to return to a normal life.
But a normal life was never the reward for people like us.
“Vincent deserved a happier life than the one I could
give him.” Jack sighed. “We both knew that I could never
put anything above my duty. Everything I fought for was to
protect people like him… That’s the sacrifice I made.”
“Relationships don’t work out so well for us, do they?”
Ana said, unconsciously running her thumb over where her
wedding ring used to be.
“At least you and Gabe managed to have families.”
The pair lapsed back into silence.
According to Overwatch lead writer Michael Chu, Soldier is gay. Tragically gay. The Overwatch community, of course, has been having a field day with this.
but think about it: tracer was the ideal eye candy cover girl whose ass was used to sell copies and soldier 76 is the big, call of duty inspired macho man for all those who weren’t into british chicks. blizzard used traditional straight bait and then made that bait gay. genius.
— new @ (@maidmeta) January 7, 2019
It's pretty interesting how Blizzard is diversifying the Overwatch cast's sexuality, but I can't say I'm a fan of the Rowling-style "actually this character was like this all along I just didn't put it anywhere you could see it" style of diversification.
— Imran Khan (@imranzomg) January 7, 2019
https://twitter.com/embed/status/1082371594939379721
Allow yourself to accept that queerness is depicted in fiction in a multitude of ways, tell your friends, spread that knowledge, and stop waiting around for “confirmation” of the “second queer character IN THE UNIVERSE” bc that’s a horrible existence
— elizabeth simins (@ElizSimins) January 7, 2019
soldier 76 more like soldier 69 haha got em
— SonicFox (@SonicFox) January 7, 2019
https://twitter.com/embed/status/1082367349607579650
Soldier 76: always a daddy never a Dad
— applecider.bsky.social // (@appleciderwitch) January 7, 2019
—NEW OVW VOICE LINE—
tracer: Gay rights!
76: (mumble) Gay rights.— narm(20/100)@otakon 💯 (@narmbo) January 7, 2019
https://twitter.com/embed/status/1082369693795655680
https://twitter.com/embed/status/1082359030180278272
https://twitter.com/embed/status/1082359597556551685
https://twitter.com/embed/status/1082359277107347456
I know a random nobody ex-boyfriend is not anyone's ideal way to reveal this but soldier 76 being gay gives me so much satisfaction because he's one of the ones that will make the straight men maddest
— solid snake minus is (@voxybunch) January 7, 2019
https://twitter.com/embed/status/1082360636502245376
good start, 2019, good start #Overwatch pic.twitter.com/Bs9fl1nWYj
— moved away (@FoCh_archive) January 7, 2019
Me @ all the #Overwatch fanboys crying that their maga american dream circle jerk, #soldier76 is for the gays now: pic.twitter.com/CjZmFXOfJJ
— Aura / Libby @ MOVED! (@Libbybleu_) January 7, 2019
i would like to thank blizzard for my life, thank you #soldier76 #overwatch pic.twitter.com/QXfa6GVG66
— 🌸『 ᗰᗩKKOᕼ 』🌸 (@__MAKKOH__) January 7, 2019
https://twitter.com/embed/status/1082395525691756544
in a move to put more diversity in overwatch, blizzard’s jeff kaplan has announced that soldier 76 is a bottom
— john (@daedalCacoethes) January 7, 2019
https://www.tumblr.com/hunty-wunty/181814284046/
https://www.tumblr.com/gunpowderandspark/181815700359/
https://www.tumblr.com/march-moon/181814617343/
https://www.tumblr.com/stah-l/181815080106/
https://www.tumblr.com/queen-schadenfreude/181813993203/
https://www.tumblr.com/sunnytilmae/181815499545/
https://www.tumblr.com/parksnark/181813758937/
https://www.tumblr.com/rinnannon/181813167930/
Now that the two “faces” of the game are canonically queer, it’s only a matter of time until Blizzard makes official what fans already know to be true: that everybody else is gay, too.
