Overwatch 2 has one of the most diverse, beloved casts of characters in any video game franchise, but that doesn't mean they're all good people. Despite being called heroes, some members of Overwatch 2's roster are anything but, with a few even belonging to a terrorist faction known as Talon. Though Overwatch 2's cartoon-y visual style and lighthearted approach to violence make it a fairly family-friendly game, its lore can get a little dark, and that's especially true for the character of Reaper.
Officially named Gabriel Reyes in the lore, Overwatch 2's Reaper is known to many fans as simply that one edgy hero dressed in a trench coat with a skull mask, dual-wielding two devastating shotguns. But under the surface, there's a lot more to Reaper's character than some fans might think, and Overwatch 2's upcoming PvE mode has the perfect opportunity to make fans aware of just how dangerous Reaper actually is.
Overwatch's Reaper Is a Real Threat
A former police officer, Gabriel Reyes signed up for the US military's Soldier Enhancement Program alongside Jack Morrison, who would later become known as Soldier 76. During the Omnic Crisis, Reyes, along with Morrison, were recruited for the new experimental special ops team Overwatch, which was designed to bring together the best soldiers from across the world. Though Reyes was first given the role of Overwatch's Strike Commander, that position was quickly stripped away and given to Morrison, who was seen as a more natural leader.
Gabriel Reyes soon became the leader of Overwatch's Blackwatch task force, and began recruiting a few shadier individuals, one of which being the scientist Moira O'Deorain. At his request, Moira performed experiments on Reyes, eventually causing his cells to be stuck in a constant state of flux, giving him supernatural abilities but causing him constant pain.
As the threat of the Omnics faded, a new threat emerged. Named Talon, this terrorist organization sought to make the world stronger through continued conflict. Eventually, Reyes and the rest of Blackwatch arrested Talon's leader Doomfist, but upon the two meeting, Reyes discovered he had a lot in common with the criminal. Realizing that he had failed to bring about any real order or peace to the world, Reyes decided to rebel against Morrison and the rest of Overwatch, taking a few of the team's members with him. After a firefight with Morrison, Overwatch's headquarters exploded, with Reyes and Morrison believed to have died in the blast. In actuality, Reyes survived the blast, and became the vicious mercenary Reaper, who sought revenge on Overwatch.
After a year of slowly eliminating Overwatch agents one-by-one, Reaper decided to join Talon, believing that Doomfist's vision for a new world order aligned with his. A trained special ops agent with supernatural abilities on the hunt for vengeance and a new world order, Reaper is one of the most dangerous characters in all of Overwatch 2.
Overwatch 2's PvE Needs to Make Reaper Feel Menacing
Unfortunately, Reaper hasn't really been portrayed as much of a threat in Overwatch's various forms of media. Reaper hasn't received his own animated short yet, but he has appeared in the Winston-led "Recall" animated short where he's attempting to hack Athena. While his presence is certainly sufficiently spooky, he isn't really shown to be much of a threat, with Winston being able to defeat him by simply knocking him back with a concussive blast, and shooting him with his Tesla Cannon.
For the most part, it's been the same case in the Overwatch comics as well, with Reaper often being a background villain that gets defeated all too quickly. Even in the comics where Reaper is the central character, he's portrayed as a little too melodramatic, undermining just how threatening he really is. Overwatch 2's upcoming PvE mode needs to show how much of a threat Reaper truly is, and how much of a danger he is to Overwatch specifically, knowing all of its agents personally. Reaper is canonically a violent, skilled terrorist, and that should be much more of a focus in Overwatch 2's PvE mode.
Overwatch 2 is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.