Soldier: 76 from Overwatch is not as new as one might think. Its concept has existed for almost 20 years.
The first images of Soldier: 76 date back to 1998
Most characters from the hero shooter Overwatch were designed specifically for the game, especially characters like the “Moon Gorilla” Winston or the strange Widowmaker. A rather inconspicuous character is Soldier: 76.
As Kotaku now reports, the soldier has actually existed for quite some time, at least in the mind of Chris Metzen, who is responsible for many ideas in Blizzard games. Although Soldier: 76 made his first official appearance only in July 2004 in a comic collection, “Digital Webbing Presents #16,” there were already drawings of him dating back to 1998.
The comic version was also significantly darker: the original “S:76” belonged to a super soldier program and was enhanced by a microchip in the brain. This allowed for short-term boosts in performance, temporarily increasing aggression and endurance. However, the comic hero was a bit cliché as he lost his memory after a long mission and now has to navigate an America ravaged by war and racism.
Nevertheless, there have been (thankfully) some adaptations that Soldier: 76 has undergone over the decades, making his Overwatch design significantly different. The color scheme and the “enhancement” through technology are still present. In the shooter, he can activate an aimbot as his ultimate ability.
In an interview with Gamespot, Blizzard tells the story a bit differently. Soldier: 76 emerged practically overnight after a playtest when they wanted to create a hero for players coming from Call of Duty.
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