As we head into a new year and Overwatch‘s first anniversary approaches, talk surrounding the game’s next hero is heating up.
Blizzard does a fine job of teasing the Overwatch community with subtle character references and hidden story elements, such as the pain we had to go through while waiting for Sombra.
It was months after the initial hint before we even got an official glance at the character, and then another long wait before she joined the game roster.
Chatter has now shifted (back) to Doomfist, a mysterious character that has popped in and out of Overwatch lore for well over a year, dating back to the game’s first cinematic trailer in late 2014.
There’s been a number of different hints and references to “Doomfist”, although no one knows exactly what it all means, or whether it will in fact be the next character that joins the Overwatch roster.
It’s all incredibly intriguing, and considering the weight of the tale and the constant referencing of Doomfist in trailers and the broader Overwatch lore, it seems certain that at some point we’ll be playing as Doomfist.
So what do we know about Doomfist? Let’s take a look at the facts so far.
Doomfist rumours have lingered for two years
Most Overwatch fans first heard of Doomfist in this cinematic trailer, released at the end of 2014.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqnKB22pOC0[/youtube]
Since that trailer, the community has questioned Blizzard’s reluctance to talk about a character — or ideal/persona/identity — that appeared to be such an important story component, so early in the game’s existence.
It’s easy to understand, then, the community’s obsession with Doomfist, and why the mysterious character persists as a point of a discussion among Overwatch fans.
Who is Doomfist?
The information we have regarding this is somewhat scattered.
In the cinematic trailer above, we learn that the Gauntlet was owned by Doomfist, who was a former member of Overwatch.
The three different Doomfists
We also know that “Doomfist” is a moniker, and that at one point, it was part of Overwatch, but that it was also potentially a villain of Overwatch.
The Saviour: We know this to have been a past Overwatch member who wore and possessed the power of Doomfist. This Doomfist was part of the Omnic War, and almost single-handedly destroyed the Omnics, hence the title of “The Saviour”.
The Scourge: What we can gather from the name and cinematic trailer is that The Scourage was an enemy of Overwatch. They were either once The Saviour, who defected and turned evil, or they destroyed The Saviour and took control of the Doomfist and the moniker.
In the cinematic trailer, we hear that Winston destroyed The Scourge, and that the Doomfist gauntlet was put on display in Numbani in a museum. The Gauntlet is also the payload on the Numbani map.
The Successor: Going by the name, we can assume that this is to be a replacement for the original “Saviour”, although it could be much more complicated than that. The poster above is a silhouette, suggesting a successor has yet to be chosen. The question remains as to whether the successor will be an addition to the Overwatch team, or a villain.
Interesting fan theories
There are a lot of fan theories floating about regarding Doomfist.
Terry Crews
The most prominent theory is that actor Terry Crews will be voicing the character. Some eagle-eyed fans have noticed that one of the characters shown in Overwatch trailers and other marketing material matches the silhouette on the Doomfist poster. Crews tweeted that he was at Blizzard HQ, and that he would love to voice Doomfist.
Terry Crews on campus ?? pic.twitter.com/6mlWLFdyw0
— Terran Gregory (@TerranGregory) December 15, 2016
In the Sombra origin trailer, we see the Doomfist icon linking the icon for Omnics and the Talon organisation, of which Reaper, Widowmaker and Sombra are part of.
This could suggest that Doomfist was merely a bridge or mediator while playing the role of Scourge, and that perhaps he acted as somewhat of a mercenary with no specific ties, but with an obvious interest in taking down Overwatch.
It could also suggest that Doomfist is in some way an Omnic, considering the link to the Omnics as seen in the trailer, and that “Saviour” is actually a villain. Crews may have inadvertently — or purposefully — hinted at this.
Other interesting Doomfist tidbits
There’s plenty more to Doomfist that points to the moniker potentially being the next Overwatch playable hero.
Interestingly, the character was never meant to be such an important component of Overwatch lore, and Blizzard had originally intended for it to merely be subtly mentioned as a throw-away reference.
However, once Doomfist made its way into the deeper lore and references in Numbani, it was decided to add the character to the generational characters list, pushing it closer to official playable character status.
If Doomfist were to make it into Overwatch, it would act as one version of multiple characters within the same universe, and the character will be aware of the history and other monikers attached to the Doomfist name.
Finally, a crafty Overwatch fan dug into sound files in the game’s PTR and found a Reaper sound file referencing Doomfist, saying, “Doomfist should do his own dirty work“.
This is an interesting find, because it plays into the conspiracy theory noted in Sombra’s trailer: that the new Doomfist is a mercenary of sorts, or long wolf, with no specific ties to any one enemy organisation.
That’s all we have on Doomfist for now, and it’s hard not to get a little bit excited about the prospect of the character joining the Overwatch hero roster.
What are your thoughts? What do you make of the information and rumours circulating? Sound off in the comments below!
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