History YMMV / OverwatchStoryAndLore

* MemeticTroll:
** D.Va, due to being a pro gamer, is sometimes seen by fans as trolling and berating her opponents much the same way real-life players of online multiplayer games do, especially when she's drawn by fans in her [[BrattyHalfPint "Gremlin"]] form.
** Tracer also lends herself to this due to her harassment-oriented style of play, her accent (it isn't unheard of for some of the less-serious fan works to portray her as a babbling maniac who speaks entirely in impenetrable English lingo) and her near-constant [[TheHyena giggling]]. It helps that her canon personality isn't too different, since she's a bit of a joker who loves messing with her opponents.

* CreepyAwesome: Soldier: 76 is an rare heroic example. His ruthlessness, as well as his marksmanship skills, make him not only an formidable fighter, but the well-balanced character for players to enjoy.
** Likewise, most, if not all, members of Talon are this.

* RoboShip: Bastion and Orisa are both quite [[CuteMachines endearing]] in their own ways, so some fans have naturally been supportive of pairing them together.

* AuthorsSavingThrow:
** At launch, many people complained about the presentation of Pharah's background (lack of Egyptian voice lines, [[WhatTheHellIsThatAccent sketchy accent]], doesn't dress appropriately to her culture). Many of these were averted for the release of her mother Ana as Ana is voiced by a native Egyptian with many Arabic voice lines (and not just any Arabic, but Egyptian Arabic). Pharah's background was also justified by revealing how she grew up and traveled with the diverse Overwatch members. Her Anniversary costume also gave her a more appropriate cultural outfit as well as Jeff Kaplan stating that it's suppose to also show she is half Egyptian.
*** Another issue with Pharah's cultural portrayal was her "Thunderbird" and "Raindancer" skins, which were criticized as offensive appropriation of Native American culture when placed on an Egyptian character. The devs eventually clarified in an artbook that her unseen father is Native American, and the skins are therefore celebrating the other half of her heritage.
** Similarly to Pharah, some Swedish fans disliked Torbjörn's [[WhatTheHellIsThatAccent goofy accent]] and generally found him more representative of [[VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft Azeroth]] than any part of Swedish culture. These fans warmed up quickly to Brigitte, who, like Ana, has plenty of lines in her native tongue, courtesy of a Swedish voice actress.
** One of the complaints about Reaper was that despite his status as being one of the most dangerous people in the world, [[TheWorfEffect he failed at everything]]. Clearly Blizzard heard these complaints, as they finally gave Reaper a success by having him break Doomfist out of prison, which made Talon even more dangerous. They also retroactively confirmed that Reaper managed to extract some data of the agents' whereabouts in the failed Gibraltar raid, so it wasn't a complete loss. It was also shown that he's fully aware of Sombra's dealings with Volskaya, but let it happen because he's part of a faction that sees Katya as an unknowing ally.
** A common complaint about the story of ''Overwatch'' was that it was taking [[ArcFatigue forever]] to get to the current story about the return of the titular organization. After over a year of virtually no info, Blizzard released the ''Rise and Shine'' short starring Mei. The ending, where she gets the recall signal from Winston and sets out to rejoin Overwatch, was definitely a move to advance the story forward. The ''Honor and Glory'' short also finds a balance between explaining past events while also moving the plot forward by interspersing Reinhardt's history with the present day, ending with Reinhardt explicitly accepting the call, and it was welcomed with open arms. While there's still a lot more to go, both of these shorts released in 2017 were very clearly setting up the hyped return of the heroes at long last.
** A lot of fans felt that Hammond's backstory felt incredibly silly and nonsensical even for the world of ''Overwatch'', to the point of breaking WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief. One of the biggest complaints was about Hammond's pod "hitching" a ride with Winston's shuttle via a thin cable without Winston noticing. The Echo patch in 2020 then added a voiceline between Wrecking Ball and Winston which provides further explanation: Winston ''did'' notice that his shuttle had extra drag and was confused about it, but by the time he'd lifted off, it was too late to do anything about it.
** For more than a year, the very last hero that sported voiceline interactions with other characters was Ashe (and even then, ''only'' with [=Cassidy=]). This became a major point of contention with fans and was typically pointed out as proof that Blizzard had gotten "lazy" since development of the sequel began. The patch that introduced Echo also brought along a number of new voice interactions, especially for Baptiste, who otherwise had ''no'' connections or history with anyone else before confirming that he was an acquaintance of Mercy's.

* BadassDecay: Some feel Sombra has been hit with a big case of this after her introduction. To wit: she was introduced in her ARG and ''Infiltration'' as a smooth, delightfully trollish ManipulativeBastard who managed to kick ass and make complete fools of her fellow Talon agents with them none the wiser, winning over the hearts of many fans. Come ''Masquerade'' and ''Searching'', where it turns out she's not as clever as she or her fans thought, as Reaper is completely aware of Sombra doing things in secret, and was easily found and [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomped]] by Zarya, as well as having her real name figured out -- so much for erasing all traces of her past. It's gotten to the point where she's seen more as a SmugSnake[=/=]ButtMonkey than the MagnificentBastard she was clearly portrayed as in her introduction. Her being seen (at the time) as something of a low-tier TierInducedScrappy in some circles hasn't helped matters.

* HarsherInHindsight:
** Zarya's backstory describes her as having had a promising future as a competitive weightlifter, and had the opportunity to join the Russian Olympics weightlifting team had she not chosen to defend her home from the Omnics. Blizzard's celebration of the 2016 Olympics even adds an Olympic-themed skin for Zarya. However, this all came amid news that many Russian Olympic teams, including the weightlifting team, had been banned from the competition due to evidence of doping among many of the athletes.
** The reveal of Katya Volskaya's secret brings to mind [[spoiler: the frequent misinformation commonly employed by leaders during the days of the Soviet Union and New Russia]].
** Both Zarya and Torbjörn's [[FantasticRacism anti-Omnic traits]] came off as a little over the top with how dead-set their hatred and distrust of anything Omnic is, even to the peaceful monk Zenyatta. But with ''The Last Bastion'' short, we get to see a small portion of what the [[NightmareFuel Omnic Crisis actually consisted of,]] and the word "crisis" ''really'' doesn't begin to cover just how ''horrible and devastating'' it was. Suddenly, their staunch anti-Omnic rhetoric doesn't seem so hard to understand.
** Sombra is a villainous character of hispanic descent who is characterized as a former gang member who has now become a professional thief and hacker with enough skill to cause trouble for large entities. Mere days after she was announced in early November 2016, Donald Trump was elected President of the United States amid swirling and persistent controversies that accused his campaign of fear-mongering by painting Mexican immigrants as criminals and gangsters and cooperating with foreign powers who influenced the election's outcome through the use of hacked materials.
** ''Alive'' is about the assassination of a peace advocate in England. Just a few months following its release, Jo Cox -- known for being a vocal supporter of unity and peaceful resolution to tensions in the Middle East -- was [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Jo_Cox murdered]] by a far-right extremist in Birstall, making her the first Member of Parliament to be assassinated in over [[UsefulNotes/TheTroubles a quarter of a century.]]
** ''Uprising'' reveals that the assassination's aftermath isn't the first time Tracer has seen her home in flames, as her first mission as a field agent involved resolving a crisis in King's Row by rescuing hostages being held by omnic terrorists. Among the hostages is mentioned to be none other than Mondatta himself, meaning that her ''very first'' mission entailed her helping to save him and possibly getting to personally know him, all in the process of protecting her home. With all that in mind, her grief at the end of ''Alive'' now comes across as far more personal.
** Remember that amazing cinematic trailer where Tracer and Winston stopped Reaper and Widowmaker from stealing Doomfist's gauntlet? Their heroic efforts are rendered meaningless in Orisa's origin story since Doomfist himself attacked Numbani, and took back his gauntlet.
*** When you consider that Doomfist was able to retrieve his gauntlet and rejoin the conflict before any additional agents were confirmed to answer the recall, Tracer's comment about the world needing more heroes feels less like a pithy way to close the action and more like a sobering assessment of the world's current state.
** Winston's comment at the end of ''Reflections'' that he has a good feeling about the coming year now feels a bit presumptuous given the much more grim and melancholy tone the lore took in 2017, which involved Talon regaining one of its leaders, growing even stronger and undoing much of the heroes' progress while Overwatch's return [[ArcFatigue kept its usual pace.]]
** ''Retribution'' reveals that Gabriel Reyes had very strong camaraderie with Gérard Lacroix, and he took his injuries at Talon's hands from the bombing of Blackwatch HQ very personally. Nowadays, as Reaper, he willingly works with the people who tried and eventually ''succeeded'' in killing him, often right alongside the man's wife who was tragically twisted into doing the deed, and he doesn't even seem to care. Either his experiences have left him [[DespairEventHorizon far beyond the point of caring about anything anymore]], or he has [[FallenHero fallen even further than initially thought.]]
** D.Va is a fountain of memes regarding gamer culture, to the point the devs have nodded before to the 'Mountain Dew and Doritos' stereotype (from both properties' penchant for marketing toward gamers). Come ''Shooting Star'', we see that D.Va and her assistant almost purely subsist on chips, soda, and ramen...because she is obsessively tinkering and repairing her MEKA out of fear of another attack, and the pressure of being the only MEKA pilot healthy enough to respond.

* HilariousInHindsight:
** One of Reaper's voice lines ("Doomfist should do his own dirty work.") is now this in light of Orisa's origin story, where Doomfist takes back his own gauntlet.
** The video "WebAnimation/SoThisIsBasically [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IydZOlx2yrc Overwatch]]" made by [[https://www.youtube.com/user/JelloApocalypse JelloApocalypse]] joked that Overwatch's cast lacked diversity because there were no "girl robots." The joke doesn't work as well now that Orisa (an Omnic confirmed to be female) has joined the already diverse cast.
** One has to wonder if ''Blizzard'' named Tracer's girlfriend Emily knowing full well that Tracer was commonly shipped with Widowmaker, aka Amélie Lacroix.[[note]]Pronounced very similarly, for those unfamiliar with French.[[/note]]
** The ''Honor and Glory'' short draws some very obvious parallels between young Crusaders-era Reinhardt and the title character of ''{{Film/Thor}}''. It just so happened to be released the same day as ''Film/ThorRagnarok'', which showed him more grown up, honorable, and [[spoiler: missing an eye]].
** At the start of a match, D.Va will sometimes complain at Sombra for giving gamers a bad name, which makes Sombra reply she isn't that kind of hacker. Come Blizzard World, we see a high score table featuring legitimate scores earning no more than triple-digit scores, and "[=SMB=]" at the top with 9999 points.
** The "Dad: 76" and "Mama Mercy" memes -- in which Soldier: 76 and Mercy behave in a [[TeamDad parental]] [[TeamMom manner]] toward the younger heroes, especially [[TheBabyOfTheBunch D.Va]] -- now seem pretty on point since ''Uprising'' and the corresponding event have them both canonically expressing concern for the well-being of another nineteen-year-old girl (in this case, a younger Tracer).
** MEKA is stated to have been built by the government of South Korea, suggesting that Korea is still divided in two by ''Overwatch'''s time frame of the mid-2070s- which is thirty ''after'' the date that [[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/15/korean-peninsula-will-be-united-by-2045-says-seoul-amid-japan-row the two Korean governments hope to be able to reunify into a single state]], following new discussions between them several years after ''Overwatch'' was released.

* DracoInLeatherPants: The game's [[AWorldHalfFull generally]] optimistic lore seems to run on the concept that evil exists through [[RousseauWasRight cultivation]]. The villainous characters are evil not by their own natures, but by being shaped into villainy by their experiences and the circumstances surrounding them. However, this doesn't make their actions any more acceptable or their intent any more noble, and some fans get so wrapped up in the idea of them being victims that they lose sight of how many innocent people can claim to be ''their'' victims.
** Talon in particular gets a lot of slack thrown their way. If you had to go by fan works alone, you would be forgiven for thinking they're just a bunch of mischievous, misunderstood troublemakers who are plum swell once you get to know them instead of ''gleefully murderous, warmongering terrorists.'' The addition of Baptiste and his short story "What You Left Behind" seems to lessen some of this sentiment because Baptiste's experience with Talon shows them to be murderous and inconsiderate of civilians. Sigma's origin story has also lessen this sentiment as well since it's very clear that Sigma has absolutely no clue that he's being used by Talon and they have little regards of him as anything other than a tool for their goals.
*** Some find Reaper justified in his behavior due to the [[DudeWheresMyRespect neglect and lack of recognition]] he had to endure as the head of Blackwatch and that it isn't "his fault" he became what he is now. Despite this, he still willingly chose to betray Overwatch, he still joined up with Talon and is carrying out an extermination campaign against former agents, many of whom had no involvement with what enabled his grievances, and he still seems to be [[AxCrazy enjoying himself]].
*** Widowmaker admittedly did not become who she is today by her own choice. Once, she was just an ordinary woman, and the grief she expresses for her husband appears to be genuine. Be that as it may, it doesn't change how she is ''currently'' a cold, scornful and sadistic mass murderer[[note]]Granted, for [[NightmareFetishist some fans]] that's part of her appeal[[/note]] who remains unapologetic for her crimes and, for all of her conditioning, is demonstrably lucid enough from moment to moment to choose to treat others in ways that often [[EvilIsPetty serve no purpose]] other than to be [[KickTheDog cruel for its own sake]]. While the circumstances surrounding her are indeed tragic, some fans have a habit of fixating on them while downplaying her own willfully bad behavior and the string of tragedies she's inflicted on characters just as innocent as her pre-conditioned self, often with a smile. And, as usual, you've also got the standard crowd who are willing to give her a free pass just because she's attractive and shows more skin than the other girls.
*** Sombra's history as an orphan who was raised by gang members in war-torn Mexico and is currently investigating a vast global conspiracy has gotten her some sympathizers who view her as someone who's had to claw her way up from nothing and is the only person doing anything about the "big picture" problems in the world. Yet this interpretation hinges upon both [[UnreliableNarrator her]] being honest about herself and acting outside of her self-interest when she has proven herself with her very first appearance of being readily capable of dishonesty for her own personal gain. And even if she is on the level, she has plainly demonstrated that she has no issue with lying, stealing, threatening innocents and in general treating people like tools to get what she wants.
*** Doomfist's [[AffablyEvil surprisingly eloquent]] demeanor and [[HeroKiller lethal efficiency]] have earned him the admiration of some fans who are alarmingly quick to overlook how his [[WarriorPoet philosophizing]] masks a vicious, uncaring desire to plunge an already exhausted and war-ravaged world into a constant state of meaningless carnage and suffering due to his twisted perception that [[WarIsGlorious humanity is strengthened through conflict]] and [[SocialDarwinist only the strong should survive]], which effectively means his goal is to use war as a tool to ''cull the human race'', with only people [[BloodKnight like himself]] likely to actually benefit from such a plan.
*** Moira gets some sympathizers who view her as an outcast who was maligned by her peers for her unorthodox goals and was left with no recourse other than to accept help from an unlikely, questionable source to pursue her lofty goals for the world. All this disregards how her ambitions amount to imposing her own twisted vision onto humanity without its consent under pretenses that are [[HollywoodEvolution quite dubious]] for a legitimate scientist, or that -- for all her talk about having the best for humanity in mind -- she was perfectly willing to follow and enable her company on its path to becoming the world's most notorious terrorist organization as long as the cash kept flowing for her demented research.
** Symmetra tends to get hit with this trope within the fandom, where she's usually portrayed as unambiguously heroic. While her backstory is extremely sympathetic, and she truly does want to improve peoples' lives, her fans tend to forget that she's at best an AntiVillain who's currently working for Vishkar Corp. Not only does she actively antagonize people who oppose Vishkar (like Lúcio), she's terribly elitist and condescending towards poor people (despite coming from a lower class background herself) whilst rationalizing Vishkar's actions and doing their dirty work under the naive assumption that it was ForTheGreaterGood. Being confirmed by WordOfGod to be autistic also let fans to have the tendency to excuse her elitist attitude.
** Of course Junkrat and Roadhog are [[LaughablyEvil funny]] (and [[UglyCute half-naked]]!), and they may be a product of the harsh conditions of their homeland if you're willing to be charitable enough. They're still wanted criminals who are unambiguously presented as a pair of thieves and killers. Even after ''Wasted Land'' provided Roadhog with a SympatheticPOV that explored [[WarIsHell his]] [[CrapsackWorld reasons]] for harboring such antipathy for the world, it should not be ignored that his response is to perpetuate the chaos and make things ''worse'' instead of doing anything to help.
** Vishkar in general gets this treatment from some, especially those who take their whole [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans "for a better world"]] schtick at face value. Comments are not unheard of that say the inhabitants of Rio's favelas should be grateful for the shiny new home the company provided for them, despite how the reason they needed that new home in the first place is because [[spoiler: Vishkar flagrantly ignored their stance on the issue and ''firebombed'' the neighborhood.]] Vishkar may have a lot of spiffy tech, and they may [[WellIntentionedExtremist genuinely want]] the world to be more secure, but that doesn't mean for a second that they value the lives of the people they "help" as much as their own goals.
*** Additionally, those who defend Vishkar also tend to cite the real life conditions of Brazilian favelas (which are notorious for criminal activity and gang violence which is also widespread within the nation, there's [[PlaceWorseThanDeath a reason]] that the phrase [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/youre-going-to-brazil "You're going to Brazil!"]] is considered a 'scare off' meme that rose in the middle of 2020.) as a [[VillainHasAPoint justification]] for their decision to choose that location as the site for their next project beyond the profit opportunities. Lúcio claims that his favela was peaceful until Vishkar arrived on the scene, but we only have his word and a few small scenes of some admittedly decent people to reinforce that, which puts the whole issue into a nebulous area of using reality to judge fiction which is itself light on details.
** Torbjörn and Zarya are ''not'' bad people, but some fans interpret their [[FantasticRacism hostility toward omnics]] as either perfectly acceptable or as some amusing little quirk when the story clearly intends to present it as a flaw they each need to overcome. To be fair, they have made progress: Zarya cooperates with an omnic in ''Searching'', while Torbjörn not only does the same with Bastion in ''Binary'', but also eventually received a friendly in-game interaction with it.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Non-playable characters that appear in shorts and comics, hell even ''concepts'', have a tendency to become this due to them still standing out as a CastOfSnowflakes.
** Ganymede, the bird that follows Bastion around everywhere, is unexpectedly popular, mostly due to being [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter very cute]] or being a factor of Bastion being a MemeticPsychopath thanks to how people find it hard to face it (see below). Its appearance and role in ''The Last Bastion'' only served to further skyrocket its popularity.
** Emily from "Reflections" is gaining a fanbase due to being Tracer's girlfriend.
** Efi Oladele, the preteen robotics genius who created Orisa, became this as soon as she showed up and stayed popular even after being revealed to not be the 24th playable hero.
** Gérard Lacroix is quite popular with fans due to being a core part his wife Amélie's, or rather, Widowmaker's [[TearJerker tragic]] [[DeathByOriginStory origin story]], appearing in a spray that shows a pre-brainwashed/pre-transformed Amélie back when she was a civilian, and bringing out the human side in the otherwise sadistic Widowmaker. Many fancomics were made featuring him when he was alive or a WhatIf if he survived, giving him a suave personality. In fact, there are quite a few who hope that he has [[ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated survived somehow]] and will be PromotedToPlayable in the future.
** The Queen of Junkertown. Even when she had never been directly featured on screen and her only appearance was as a voice in the ''Junkertown'' map reveal, her [[LargeHam gloriously hammy]] and charismatic voice acting had already managed to capture the hearts and imagination of many players. ''Then'' [[http://imgur.com/tGyZ4Xh a poster featuring her]] was discovered in the ''Junkertown'' map, and her popularity became even greater. Some are even hoping that she [[PromotedToPlayable becomes a playable Hero]] somewhere down the line, especially since her [[WeaponOfChoice axe and spear]] are both found next to her throne at the end of the Junkertown map.
** Pachimari the Tamanegi-Teko! The adorable onion-octopus… ''thing'' who appears to be the SeriesMascot for an in-story MerchandiseDriven franchise. The weird little thing has achieved enough popularity with the community to warrant ''real'' merchandise thanks to its tongue-in-cheek design as a parody of cutesy Japanese mascot series and the humorous reoccurring gag of [[RealMenWearPink Roadhog's]] infatuation with it.
** The initially-nameless female Blackwatch pilot from ''Retribution'' ([[https://twitter.com/westofhouse/status/985314753189826560 later revealed to be named Fio]]) quickly gained fans for her DeadpanSnarker tendencies.
** The four MEKA pilots aside from D.Va seen in ''Shooting Star'', despite only being shown and mentioned for a few seconds, garnered a massive amount of interest once they were revealed, with fans instantly jumping to theorize their personalities and character dynamics simply from their names, appearances, and unique mech designs.
** The Deadlock gang's unnamed omnic sniper in the "Reunion" short quickly became popular thanks to their [[InTheHood badass]] design and for (much like B.O.B. himself) being another criminal-aligned omnic, something the fanbase loves. Some people even hope that they're PromotedToPlayable.

* SpiritualAdaptation: ''The Last Bastion'' follows an amnesiac KillerRobot struggling with its identity as it explores a beautiful forested area and interacts with the wildlife, so it's probably the closest we'll ever get to seeing a fully CGI remake of ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant''. Alternatively, it's a greener version of the first act of ''WesternAnimation/WallE''.

* RonTheDeathEater:
** Certain characters tend to get demonized in fandom of certain characters or pairing. Prominent examples include: Genji in Hanzo/[=Cassidy=] (to create even more angst for Hanzo) and Pharah/Mercy (which became more prevalent after [[ShipToShipCombat Genji/Mercy]] [[ShipTease was teased around White Day]]) -- if the author hates Mercy being paired with male characters, then every male character Mercy is usually paired with can get this treatment in Pharah/Mercy fics -- and Soldier 76 or Ana (and even the entire former Overwatch organization itself) with fans that Leather Pants Reaper.
** In a non-shipping example, Torbjörn tends to get heavily demonized for his [[CassandraTruth caution and distrust towards Omnics]] in fics that DracoInLeatherPants the Omnics. Though this [[CharacterDevelopment mostly went away]] once "Binary" was unveiled.
** Hanzo sometimes gets treated as a unsympathetic asshole who's only caught up on Genji's supposed death [[ItsAllAboutMe just so he can mope around and feel bad for himself.]] People usually play up his angst almost to Reaper levels of edge to show how much of a pathetic loser he's become now.
** Mei is a friendly and cheerful scientist who has dedicated her life to fighting climate change, dislikes bullies and has only the utmost respect and awe for her friends. So naturally the community likes to interpret her as a cold-blooded [[CuteButPsycho psycho]] who would like nothing more than to drive an icicle into your skull and [[AndIMustScream slowly freeze you to death]] while she looks on with glee. But this is mostly [[MemeticPsychopath in jest]] due to some odd quirks in gameplay than a legitimate interpretation.
** Also mostly in jest, following ''Reflections'' Tracer sometimes gets characterized as a temperamental "social justice warrior" who hides behind her sexuality to justify some obnoxiously confrontational and self-righteous behavior. By contrast, the only display she's made of her orientation in canon is sharing a kiss with her girlfriend in private, and she's shown no inclination to bring it up unprompted among company.
** Even when you take out factors like [[DieForOurShip Genji and shipping]], Mercy also often gets demonized into some sort of inhuman MadScientist type healer where she has disregards of moral when it comes to doctor-based researches as well as some nasty experiments she conducted, including how she operated on Genji. Her ChildProdigy status, the way that she's stayed young-looking despite her age, and how Blizzard giving her evil-ish alternate skins like the Devil or Witch Mercy didn't help, when in canon she's probably the most [[NiceGuy altruistic, pacifistic and generally kindhearted character in the game.]] It also doesn't help that Mercy's gameplay heavily draws inspiration from [[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 The Medic]], who actually ''is'' that kind of amoral MadScientist 'doctor', giving some 'fans' reasons enough to run with the theory. This situation is shaken up a bit with the introduction of Moira, who ''is'' an amoral MadScientist closer to The Medic. So, Mercy either gets to continue to be portrayed as evil just like before, for laughs, or the mantle gets properly passed to Moira, which would no longer be the trope.
** Just like how she can get hit with DracoInLeatherPants, Symmetra can get hit with this trope as well, when people forget or dismiss her [[NobleTopEnforcer inherently]] [[AntiVillain good intentions]] and her doubts towards the company after "A Better World". She's generalized into someone just as elitist and delusional as her [[CorruptCorporateExecutive corrupt co-workers from]] [[MegaCorp Vishkar]] ([[GameplayAndStorySegregation seeing that she doesn't show her doubts and continued to look for places for Vishkar to work on at her in-game quotes]]) to further glorify Lúcio's quest for freedom. There are also a handful of 'fans' that also made Symmetra highly antagonistic and repulsed towards any Overwatch members simply because they're now illegal and therefore an enemy of order or a terrorist group that has to be apprehended for simply existing, despite Symmetra herself being able to engage a semi-decent rivalry with Torbjörn, an ex-Overwatch member, thus her opinion on them are at least higher than to Lúcio, and has a quip on beating the more obvious villains also on Overwatch's radar (Talon or Junkers).
** Vishkar Corporation itself. While there's no denying that it's shady at best, [[RuleOfPerception at least so far,]] its evilness is often overblown by fans to StupidEvil levels that they disregard that its portfolio [[NeverLiveItDown doesn't only consist of Rio, where it oppressed the people there with slave labor while spouting hypocritical remarks]]. Vishkar is also responsible for the gorgeous, highly advanced city of Utopaea, and their other successes have yet to be revealed. None of these matter to fans who think that anyone working for this organization have got to be {{Card Carrying Villain}}s.
** Speaking of corporations, Volskaya Industries leader Katya Volskaya often get this treatment after the unveiling of Sombra and the animated short ''Infiltration''. When it was revealed that Katya has a secret deal with Omnics to help stave off the Omnic invasion in Russia while promoting [[FantasticRacism Omnic racism]], people like to overblow it, thinking that Katya is a corrupt person only out to fill her own pocket, and [[UnwittingPawn she was just using Zarya]] [[ManipulativeBastard for her own nefarious ends]]. What's given so far is that we don't know the nature of the Omnics helping her as there were peaceful Omnics even during the crisis and [[NecessarilyEvil if it wasn't for Katya's underhanded deal and racism propaganda, Russia would have been wasted by the Omnics during the crisis and calling the Overwatch for help would decrease its overall effort to end the crisis]], thus her calling Zarya looks more like a genuine call for help from a blackmailed person.
*** Has intensified a bit in both directions since the release of the ''Searching'' comic revealed that [[spoiler: Katya sees her actions as necessary for the survival of Russia, and ''did'' lie to Zarya about the nature of why Sombra was perceived as a threat.]]
** Granted, we don't actually know for sure what the guy [[PosthumousCharacter was like]], but one interpretation that's been making the rounds posits that Widowmaker's former husband Gérard was an abuser. The grief she has [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes openly expressed]] for him suggests he probably wasn't, though this is less of a theory and more of an excuse thrown around by shippers to [[DieForOurShip justify]] having her shack up with whoever they want.
** In general, any character who has enmity with anyone listed under DracoInLeatherPants can expect to get this treatment as a corollary. Soldier: 76 catches flak for being "responsible" for Reaper's current condition by being a glory hog who neglected his teammate, even though Jack was just doing his job and Gabriel took no initiative to talk with him about his issues, choosing instead to bottle it up until it all came out violently. Likewise, those who idealize Widowmaker can similarly dismiss Tracer and Ana for being unduly hostile with her, despite them not being privy to the information surrounding her origins, and thus only "guilty" of being less-than-courteous with someone they think is a traitor and ''know'' is an assassin who targets innocents and has personally introduced substantial pain and grief into both of their lives.
** In some Reaper-centric works, [[NiceGuy Winston]] gets this treatment by making him not fully getting over what happened in 'Recall'. [[SarcasmMode As if still being wary of a man who supposedly tried to find the locations of all of Overwatch member to kill them is something to just shrug about.]]
* RootingForTheEmpire: [[NebulousEvilOrganisation Talon]] may be a remorseless group of terrorists and murderers, but it still has its fans and supporters due to each of its playable representatives running the gamut of [[EvilIsCool impressive]] and [[EvilIsSexy alluring]] in various spectrums while being afforded a degree of [[CryForTheDevil sympathy]] through their backstories and circumstances. Of note, for all of Widowmaker's fans who want her to get a [[HeelFaceTurn redemption arc]], another subset cite this trope as a reason for her to remain evil, finding her more appealing and interesting as a villain.

* {{Narm}}:
** In the otherwise subdued and mysterious "Masquerade" comic, there's a frame of Sombra watching over Talon breaking into a Venice stronghold, ominously saying "Apagandos las luces"... while rather inexplicably wearing ''[[https://comic.playoverwatch.com/issues/overwatch/13/en-us/pages/8/8-6.jpg this.]]''
** ''Storm Rising'' ends with a DramaticUnmask as the person Doomfist was talking to lowers their hood... [[spoiler:[[StrangerBehindTheMask and we have no]] [[WhatCliffhanger idea who it is]].]]
** Sigma is a sinister-looking Tank within the ranks of the nefarious Talon, complete with very high tech PoweredArmor and massive ShouldersOfDoom. Taken together with his [[BaldOfEvil bald head]] and EvilEyebrows, he looks appropriately omnious and imposing...until you see [[https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/T7Zguj7tbZ8lOb4f4cjlECIHwV8=/1400x1400/filters:format(png)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/18329371/OVR_H31_Web_SigmaHeroShot_JPA_003b.png his feet]]. As powerful, unhinged and disturbing as Sigma is, it's hard to fear a man that ''Junkrat'' [[SeadogPegLeg could probably defeat with]] a [[AgonyOfTheFeet foot stomp]].

* FanPreferredCouple:
** Tracer/Widowmaker ("Widowtracer") set sail not long after the first trailer debuted, and despite their [[FoeYayShipping mutual animosity.]] Blizzard themselves fueled the fire by giving Tracer a prominent role in Widow's story cinematic ''Alive'', and then proceeded to [[ShipSinking smother]] it in ''Reflections'' by both giving Tracer a canonical relationship with a civilian named Emily and by making it clear Widowmaker is still far from over her husband Gérard. Nevertheless, some fans persevere and the ship sails on, [[OneTrueThreesome with]] or [[DieForOurShip without]] Emily.
** [=Cassidy=]/Hanzo got popular in circles of {{Bara}} fans, with various artists of the genre on Tumblr and Twitter started making fanart of them. It has since gained some of an LGBTFanbase.
** Mei/Zarya also started to get a following, primarily spurred on by the fact that neither of them have the same body type as the rest of the female cast and have an interaction where [[SchmuckBait Zarya almost succeeds at tricking Mei into giving Zarya her coat.]]
** Pharah/Mercy ([[PortmanteauCoupleName "Pharmercy"]], [[{{Pun}} "Pharmacy" or "Phara-Medic"]]) is a popular ship among some of the LGBTFanbase owing to the fact that they are the only two characters that can remain air mobile and hence synergize very well. Blizzard added more fuel to the fire when one of their weekly brawls (before they were removed) only featured these two together. Even their [[https://youtu.be/miF9e7L2Dyk?t=3m41s voice actresses]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inU-KnbA8Jg get in on it]].
** Genji/Mercy ([[PortmanteauCoupleName "Gency"]], [[{{Pun}} "Emergency"/"Emergenji"]]) is popular, as well as teased by their interactions in-game and other media. For example, Mercy will lament she was too late to save a dead allied Genji, and he will also cry out "Angela!" should he witness her elimination. Blizzard added more tease in "Reflections", as Genji is shown to be writing a letter to Mercy for Christmas, which she seems very happy to receive, and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTRLtD_ZqoQ the two are discovered]] to have Valentine's Day/[[UsefulNotes/JapaneseHolidays White Day]] lines where they get each other chocolates. Their voice actors [[https://www.instagram.com/p/Ba9VW8bBXO8/?taken-by=gakuspace also like]] to have fun [[https://www.instagram.com/p/BZSAxJwBWXe/?taken-by=gakuspace with it.]] Given more fuel when Mercy's initiating half of the aforementioned "chocolates" voice lines were [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX-sL_PSI1E re-released for Valentine's Day 2018]], and Genji's on White Day 2018.
** Junkrat/Mei, but usually only in one way: Junkrat is often portrayed as an HopelessSuitor desperately trying to [[DefrostingIceQueen defrost the (semi-literal) Ice Queen]] [[RejectionAffection again and again]], only for a [[AbhorrentAdmirer disgusted]] Mei to reject him with various degrees of violence. However, some fans unironically ship them together instead and Blizzard gave them [[ShipTease more fuels]] in the Lunar Year 2017 event by [[HiddenDepths adding a voiceline for Junkrat saying "Wishing You Prosperity" in Mandarin Chinese properly ("Gong Xi Fa Cai").]]
** Soldier: 76/D.Va, but in a familial way: When interpreting Soldier: 76 as "Dad: 76", D.Va is generally one of the most popular characters depicted as his daughter, especially when she's in Gremlin D.Va mode.
** Ana/Reinhardt ([[PortmanteauCoupleName AnaHardt]], alternatively [[MemeticMutation Grandma and Grandpa]]). It started from one of their pre-game interactions, which has a flirty tone to it that fans found adorable:
--->'''Ana''': Reinhardt, I must say you're looking quite well. This life must agree with you.\\
'''Reinhardt''': And you are looking as lovely as ever.
** Ana/Soldier: 76, due to how [[PlatonicLifePartners close]] they've been for three decades, still fighting alongside and caring about each other through thick and thin. It helps that he has no less than ''five'' different interactions with her, and is the only character besides her daughter where his interactions are 100% positive. For a time, people liked to think that ''Jack'' was [[http://66.media.tumblr.com/b83f6f13476bada829590beb53315955/tumblr_o2i7yiwZNg1syvlnco1_r1_1280.png Pharah's father]]. When that got {{jossed}}, especially later on when it was revealed that Soldier: 76 is gay, a lot of people still view him as being her HonoraryUncle, since he's shown to have a soft spot for her.
** Lúcio/D.Va. The two are big fans of each other in-game, which leads a lot of fans to pair the two together platonically and romantically, including Jonny Cruz himself.
** [[TeacherStudentRomance Genji/Zenyatta]] is another one, and usually depicted as ''exceptionally'' fluffy. The student/teacher angle helps.
** Roadhog/Junkrat's rough partnership, coupled with Roadhog's status as Junkrat's bodyguard, has resulted in a [[OutlawCouple strong following.]] Come the Halloween event, one of the main screens featured Junkrat's Halloween counterpart hugging Roadhog's Halloween counterpart around the belly, smiling adoringly up at him.
** While many [[AbandonShipping jumped ships]] upon the reveal of the later's age, D.va/Sombra (or Som.va) still remains notably popular in the fandom.
** Sombra/Symmetra has gained some traction due to how often the voice actresses hang out with each other.
** Brigitte/D.Va (or [=MEKAnic=]) became a popular ship, despite the characters not really having much interaction, and just being based on the fact that the two are close in age, Brigitte is a mechanic while D.Va pilots a MEKA, and Brigitte loves cats while D.Va has a cat skin.
** Tracer/D.Va has also garnered a commendable amount of fan art, despite them [[ShipsThatPassInTheNight not having yet canonically met one another]] nor having any unique in-game interactions. Being two of the youngest female characters and sharing [[GenkiGirl enthusiastically]] [[{{Moe}} upbeat]] personalities definitely helps to bridge the gap.
** Hanzo/Symmetra (Symmanzo) has gotten several pairing together despite [[ShipsThatPassInTheNight their stories not intertwining with each other yet]], not surprising since both of them has a discontent against their former groups (Shimada clan and Vishkar), but unable to get out of their old lifestyle, preferring a life of order and discipline and having a rival that can be considered 'very white morality' (Genji and Lúcio) to their [[AntiVillain 'grey morality']]. This culminates in a new interaction in 2018 where Hanzo comments that Symmetra is a kindred spirit.
** Despite her [[ShipsThatPassInTheNight literally never having been seen with him before]] (or at all), [=Cassidy=]/[[RoboShip Echo]] instantly exploded in popularity after the release of the "Reunion" short, where he faces down the Deadlock gang to get her back, then [[ShipTease takes her hand and talks to her in an uncharacteristically gentlemanly tone.]]
** Not surprisingly, shipping B.O.B. with the various other [[RoboShip omnic]] members of the cast instantly became popular, from the somewhat-understandable like shipping him with Orisa and Bastion to the [[CrackShip less plausible]] like doing it with [[BigGuyLittleGuy Zenyatta]] and [[CargoShip D.Va's mech.]]

* {{Fanon}}:
** Many fan works depict Roadhog as a CloudcuckoolandersMinder for Junkrat, treating his employer like a hyperactive kid in need of babysitting. This is even acknowledged in-game where before a match Roadhog often tells Junkrat to, "not make a mess this time" and Junkrat assures him that he'll be on his best behavior.
** Roadhog himself is officially stated to be from Australia, but many fans believes it makes more sense to view him as a New Zealander, likely of Māori descent. His real first name, "Mako," is Māori for "shark," and his "Toa" and "Islander" skins that bring to mind traditional Pacific Islanders. He also has a DummiedOut voice line of "If I wanted to go to the wop-wops, I could have stayed at home," "wop-wops" being decidedly Kiwi slang for the boondocks, the middle of nowhere, etc.
** Fanon dictates that Jack Morrison/Soldier: 76 was apparently very {{Adorkable}} before the fall of Overwatch, often with depictions [[http://67.media.tumblr.com/005985ff2b23470e97443a8de122a2ee/tumblr_o8a147sygz1s40xqgo1_1280.png like]] [[https://razylabbit.tumblr.com/post/144554437321/john-morrisonsoldier-76-dorky-smile-more this]].
** It's popular to interpret many of the characters as amputees whose tech armor serves as ArtificialLimbs (for example, Hanzo and Lúcio's legs, [=Cassidy=]'s arm, or ''all'' of Pharah's limbs). Likely to stress that the human heroes are similar to the Omnics.
** See those two dots in the forehead area of Reaper's mask? Some people theorize that those are ''bolts'' hammered in so the mask will stick.
** Many fans believe Pharah is a Copt who's probably also fluent in the Coptic language. She's extremely patriotic, her alias sounds similar to the Pharaonism movement which valued and emphasized pre-Islamic Egyptian culture -- an important aspect of Coptic identity. There also many who believe Pharah's father was Canadian First Nations -- specifically an indigenous man of the Pacific Northwest Coast, because of her "Thunderbird" and "Raindancer" skins. The "Reflections" comic confirms this by showing her dining with her father in Canada.
** Fans have decided that Pharah's father ''must'' have been an Overwatch member and, furthermore, had to be one of her four fellow founding members. The two candidates most picked are Jack, for his status as TheHero, the fact that he'll compliment Pharah in-game despite being cold to almost everyone else and for having a close relationship with Ana as shown in their comic ''Old Soldiers'', and Reinhardt -- as he and Ana have a dialogue prompt which is very flirty and thus adds fuel to the shipping fire. Further, he also seemed to have [[DaddysGirl Pharah's attention more than any other person on the team]]. These theories have quieted down somewhat after the appearance of [[https://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/overwatch/images/8/8c/Spray_Ana_Newborn.png/revision/latest?cb=20170417201045 Ana's new spray]] in the ''Uprising'' event, which depicts a previously unknown man who appears to be Pharah's father.
** Several fan interpretations of Reaper play up his Hispanic heritage, which isn't really addressed in-game, other than a pair of cosmetic Day of the Dead/Mariachi themed-skins.
*** It is also common to attribute a Hispanic heritage to [=Cassidy=], often mixed into a perceived father-son relationship between Reyes and [=Cassidy=].
** Despite Bastion being [[https://twitter.com/westofhouse/status/829568181320642561?lang=en officially referred to by devs as genderless]] and referred to as "it", there's an increasingly popular interpretation that Bastion has female programming. Despite having no real physical TertiarySexualCharacteristics, fans like to compare its [[CuteMachines curious, wide-eyed mannerisms]] and [[FriendToAllLivingThings friendliness towards nature]] (complete with little bird companion) to a typical Franchise/DisneyPrincess that also just so happens to be a robot that turns into a gatling gun turret [[DarkerAndEdgier with nasty PTSD.]] This may also be due to the fact that those speaking languages with feminine/masculine nouns such as Sombra in Spanish or Ana in Arabic refer to it with feminine nouns (though admittedly, is mostly attributed to those languages not having gender-neutral nouns and and 'bastion' is considered a 'feminine' noun for both of them).
** Mei's snowsuit conceals her actual body shape, so fanart often portrays her as buxom and curvy, ranging from just [[ImpossibleHourglassFigure hourglass-shaped]] to outright BigBeautifulWoman. ''Rise and Shine'' finally put it to rest by showing that she is thick, but not out of shape.
** Fandom really likes the idea that Pharah is a biker when she's not flying, presumably as a reference to ''Film/TopGun''. The trend seems to have started with [[http://monorirogue.deviantart.com/art/Casual-Pharah-611484348 a certain piece of fanart]]. This was [[AscendedFanon made canon in 2020, with the "Aviator" Pharah skin added during the Archives event, which looks almost exactly like that fanart]].
** Thanks to her unique "Graffiti" skin and the omnipresent graffiti in her home stage of King's Row (even if most of it isn't exactly what you'd call [[FantasticRacism "creative"]]), some fans have latched onto the idea that Tracer has an artistic side and has done some (presumably more fair-minded) work as a graffiti/spray brush painter.
*** Since she was also apparently a [[AcePilot pilot of such caliber]] to warrant Overwatch's attention at ''[[ImprobableAge nineteen]]'', fans have generally held the assumption that she was raised in a [[MilitaryBrat military family]] (most likely the [[UsefulNotes/BritsWithBattleships Royal Air Force]]) to explain how she earned her wings so young.
** Since [=Cassidy=] is shown to still have his biological arm during ''Uprising'', two years before Overwatch was shut down, fans often speculate when and how he lost his left arm. The most common idea is that he lost his arm with the destruction of the Overwatch HQ in Switzerland.
** It's very popular for fans to depict Genji as AnythingThatMoves even in non-shipping works or works that don't focus on him. This is because he was described as a playboy before his cyborg transformation, and most of his most significant relationships, interactions and {{Fan Preferred Couple}}s are with Zenyatta, [=Cassidy=] and Mercy (an Omnic, a man and a woman).
** Moira, as a result of several inexplicably blatant [[ShoutOut references to classic anime and general anime memes]] in her design, is often depicted by fans as being [[OccidentalOtaku a weeaboo]] to some degree.
** Ashe is widely assumed and interpreted by fans to be albino due to her red eyes, pale skintone and white hair.
** It's widely assumed that Zenyatta was one of (or at least close to) the leaders of the [[ReligiousRobot Shambali.]] His closeness with Mondatta, the fact that "Tekhartha" is a title not his name, and his white sash appearing to look like the same material to Mondatta's robes can all lead to that conclusion.
** Ever since the game launched, due to the high quality of her skins, it's been interpreted that Mercy is something of a cosplay/dress-up enthusiast.
** The only fact about the Shimada brothers' dragon-like powers is that only a Shimada can control the dragons, leaving it up to the imagination on any finer detail. The most prevalent theory is that the dragons are a kind of supernatural BondCreature, each one individually choosing and merging with a Shimada. Sometimes they're shown to manifest outside of combat, and sometimes they're shown to be able to influence Genji or Hanzo's emotions or instincts.

* ParanoiaFuel: [[ParanoiaFuel/{{Overwatch}} Has its own page.]]

* OneSceneWonder:
** The boys from the cinematic trailer. Timmy for being [[AudienceSurrogate a fan of Overwatch and its heroes who spends the whole short geeking out]], and Brian for [[spoiler:actually being helpful in the fight by ''stealing the Doomfist and knocking Widowmaker clear across the room with it'']].
** The wounded omnic from ''Hero'' only shows up for a few seconds, says nothing, and is inconsequential to the rest of the short, but his short amount of screen time is so pitiable that he may wind up staying with you long after it’s over.
** Something similar could be said for the "mixed" couple in ''Alive''. Especially when they also showed up in the theatrical teaser [[spoiler:being defended by Reinhardt during the riots following Mondatta’s assassination, with the omnic of the pair in much worse condition]].
** Mondatta himself as well. His only role in the story is to be killed in order to further worsen human/omnic relations, but his compassion, dedication and the tragic nature of his death combined with being more or less ''robot Gandhi'' has endeared him to the fanbase.
** The Shimada Clan thug with the pompadour hairdo who gets his phone shot out of his hand by Hanzo and runs headlong into a bell in ''Dragons''. He got another appearance as one of the ramen bar patrons in the ''Searching'' comic, and he even made it into one of the officially licensed LEGO sets!
** Balderich Von Alder, the late leader of the Crusaders (Reinhardt’s order), whose corpse is on display in Eichenwalde, but who shows up alive and in fully-rendered glory to do what he does best during [[spoiler:the flashback sequence to the Omnic Crisis]] in ''The Last Bastion''. He also makes an appearance as one of Reinhardt's legendary skins and plays a major role in ''Honor and Glory''.
** Okoro, Pharah’s omnic companion during "Mission Statement" who [[spoiler:blows his own [[CranialProcessingUnit head]] off when he [[HeroicSacrifice realizes the Anubis AI is starting to infect him]]]].
** Emily appears in ''Reflections'' for only a handful of panels, many of which she spends silent, and has about three lines, but she still managed to send shockwaves through the community and leave quite an impression purely due to being Tracer's girlfriend. Similar situation happens to Vincent, Soldier 76's ex-boyfriend.
** All of the playable character cameos in "Reflections" can be counted as this, but four instances stand out:
*** Reinhardt and Brigitte spent Christmas with Torbjörn and his family, not only confirming that the latter has a wife but also a massive number of children (excepting Brigitte, the young kids around him are actually his grandchildren).
*** Hanzo appearing with a new haircut and piercings has led to fans clamoring for that to be his new skin.
*** [[TearJerker Widowmaker silently standing in front of her husband's grave]] as the snow falls.
*** Genji writing a letter to Mercy while in Nepal with Zenyatta, and Mercy receiving it in the Middle East with a [[ShipTease gentle smile on her face.]]
** Blackwatch Genji from the ''Uprising'' comic stole the spotlight with four onscreen panels and two words of dialogue, due to his appearance being both memorable and [[NightmareFuel highly creepy]].
** Antonio Giordani only gets one scene in ''Retribution'' (at the end of which [[spoiler: Reyes [[KickTheSonOfABitch blows him away at point-blank range]]]]) but was highly memorable for his [[SharpDressedMan style]] and [[SmugSnake personality]] despite his limited screentime, and many fans are eager to learn more about him.
** Echo appeared for about thirty seconds at the end of "Reunion", but the fans already ''adore'' her and are clamoring for more. The fact that Jeff's all but confirmed she'll eventually be PromotedToPlayable has been met with widespread approval.

** Likewise, while some see Emily’s whole existence as an [[ShipSinking impediment]] to any ships involving Tracer, others see her as a golden opportunity to indulge in this trope instead by shipping Tracer/Emily/X as a [[TakeAThirdOption workaround]] to any [[ShipToShipCombat conflicts.]] Some even go as far to interpret Emily as a bisexual (as Tracer herself is confirmed to exclusively be a lesbian) in order to justify bringing in one of the male characters.

* MemeticLoser:
** Reaper is often the target of jokes and silly drawings and is often pictured as an overgrown EmoTeen, mostly because his design and voice-lines are ridiculously edgy, especially considering he's in his mid-fifties (which has even been commented on by other characters in-universe). The fact that he's failed almost every mission that he was sent on in the animated shorts and comic also doesn't help, though it should be noted that in several of them, he was unknowingly sabotaged [[spoiler:such as with Sombra being a double-crosser]], and he has nevertheless repeatedly proven himself a superior combatant to most on-screen opponents he's faced, with Ana and an enraged Winston being the only ones who've defeated him.
** The AlternateCharacterInterpretation of D.Va, the obsessive gamer, as a bratty, Cheeto-guzzling shut-in has proven enormously popular, to the point where Blizzard even released an emote for her that referenced it.

* MemeticMutation: To such an extent that [[Memes/{{Overwatch}} it has its own page]].

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: The Uprising event and accompanying comic brought to the minds of some the actions of the Islamic State in the middle east, particularly Tracer's line in the comic about how Null Sector was destroying thousands of years worth of history in the ancient city of London, similar to how IS is known for destroying ancient historical sites and artifacts.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The score from ''Dragons'' is incredibly epic and lends size and weight to the conflict and reconciliation between the brothers.
** Although we only hear a [[LongSongShortScene few seconds]] of it in the short, ''Reunion'' has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdtx1nF-Ki0 "Pale Rider"]] by The Heavy Horses playing in the diner, a song that's totally badass and fits [=Cassidy=]'s personality almost perfectly.

* BaseBreakingCharacter[=/=]BrokenBase: The community can at times feel less like a contiguous mass and more like a patchwork nightmare of isolated encampments, such that it now [[BrokenBase/{{Overwatch}} warrants its own page]].

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation:
** The fandom decided that Soldier: 76 was the grumpy TeamDad (alternatively, the BumblingDad struggling to connect with his "kids") and ran with the interpretation to the point that there's almost more fan content showing him as such than his canon personality. [[AscendedFanon Blizzard slowly incorporated certain aspects of this into his personality]]. Mercy is also often depicted as a TeamMom, being protective of, embarrassing, and showing concern for her "children", and getting exasperated when they fail to protect her or heed her advice.
** Almost immediately upon her announcement, Ana become characterized as the [[CoolOldLady Team Grandma]] (though still the mother of Pharah, who has no children of her own). Long beforehand, when the situation required, Reinhardt is the one characterized as [[CoolOldGuy the Team Grandpa.]]
** Roadhog and Junkrat’s relationship. Do they have a full-on VillainousFriendship, do they despise each other and only tolerate the [[TeethClenchedTeamwork the other because of their usefulness]], or do they show contempt outside but [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther deep down inside they really care about each other?]] Additionally, some interpret Roadhog body guarding Junkrat as not doing it for the money Junkrat promised him, but out of guilt for creating the radioactive wasteland Junkrat had to grow up in. While the two (or at least, Junkrat, as he has the vast majority of the dialogue) are reasonably friendly with each other in comics, ingame they're far more hard to read, with lines ranging from caustic (one rarely triggered line has Roadhog threatening to leave him) to mutually amicable (they apparently tell each other jokes). Whether this shows outright dislike or is just them being VitriolicBestBuds is up for debate.
** On the topic of Junkrat: Is he nothing but an AxCrazy jackass who does what he does and is a criminal for giggles, or is he a victim of circumstance having grown up in a wasteland with little means of surviving? Ingame dialogue with other characters suggests it's a bit of both, as he certainly does like destruction, but he's in no way malicious towards the other Overwatch agents themselves; in fact most of of his dialogue comes off as lighthearted teasing despite some characters (such as Mei) clearly not standing him.
** The fandom has decided that D.Va must be a Dorito-munching, Mountain Dew-chugging, gaming [[SuperDeformed gremlin]] during her off time. Blizzard seems to agree, at least on the "Doritos and Mountain Dew" part, as they've added an emote where she's munching on chips called "D.Vas", drinking soda, and gaming. Another popular interpretation is that she's a YaoiFangirl. It's also possible that she's still just a normal kid who got conscripted into the Second Omnic Crisis, and like many real-life competitive gamers, Hana Song could be a completely different person than D.Va -- [[StepfordSmiler suffering greatly]] after being conscripted into a horrible war. On a similar note, Sombra has been interpreted as an [[EvilCounterpart unfriendly rival]] to Gremlin D.Va despite the former telling the latter that she's not a ''gaming'' hacker.
** Mercy is often depicted as disappointed with teammates for repeatedly failing despite her best efforts, [[OnlySaneMan usually the only one who actually focuses on in-game objectives]]. Alternately, she's a sadistic MadDoctor a la [[VideoGame/TeamFortress2 the Medic]] who waits for her whole team to die so she can pull off mad 5-man rezzes. This mainly exists because having the team Mercy hide and wait for the team to wipe was the very reason why Blizzard reworked her kit so she is now forced to play an active role in the middle of the fight. Amusingly, this version of Mercy is who you're most likely to encounter in-game. Mercy Mains have no time for your shit.
*** Also concerning Mercy, there's the matter of just how much in the right she was for testifying against Overwatch at the time of its collapse. Is she a wholeheartedly good person who saw an organization that had fallen from grace and just took the initiative to ensure proper justice was done? Or is she a self-righteous ideologue who felt a few bad apples were worth selling out an organization that had otherwise accomplished much good, just because it wasn’t the "right" kind of good? Or maybe she's a bit of both: a good person who always genuinely tries to do the right thing but who has deeply held and stringent convictions about just what the right thing is.
** Speaking of Mercy, a lot of fanmade stories, art and comics depicting Overwatch in its heydays have a young Fareeha Amari crushing on the older Angela Ziegler. Mercy usually appear far older than she should be, since she's just 5 years older than Pharah, but it's still adorable, regardless of what you ship.
** Hanzo's stance when it comes to Genji and his family. Sure, he regrets what he did and has abandoned his Yakuza family, allowing Genji to shut it down. However, he's nasty towards Genji and has quotes which imply that he still longs for his old family inheritance (even if he has [[EveryoneHasStandards clear limits on what he'd do to restore it]]). Likewise, in Hanamura stage, he flips-flops between claiming that the Shimada clan master has returned home or declaring that it's his home no longer. A possible explanation for the flip-flop may be that he felt guilt over Genji's death, but didn't approve of the reborn Genji shutting down his family business. Regardless of how unsavory their methods are, striking against one's own family is a big no-no for the honor-bound Hanzo, which (if true) would correspond with real-life Japanese values.
** Despite Genji [[TheCasanova being a popular playboy]] before his "death," some fanart tends to characterize him as [[CasanovaWannabe dorky and incompetent in the ways of love]]. This is at least partially out of Genji players being some of the biggest examples of [[LeeroyJenkins rushing blindly into combat and having no idea what they're doing.]] Although this portrayal has been significantly reduced by his [[OneSceneWonder appearance]] as a member of Blackwatch in ''Uprising''.
** Some people are saying that Mei, one of the most {{Moe}} characters in the game, is secretly a psychopath who takes joy in freezing her enemies to death (as evidenced by the SlasherSmile she gives before shooting an icicle at your head), with a few going so far as to emulate her with [[Manga/JojosBizarreAdventure Phantom Blood!Dio Brando]]. Given her [[ColdSleepColdFuture backstory]], that cryostasis probably didn't do wonders to her mental health... though this has died down after the release of ''Rise and Shine''.
** There's various interpretations of Jack Morrison's personality before he became Soldier: 76. Is he actually a poor commander, but charismatic enough to become a MagneticHero and TheFace? If so, Reyes' resentment makes sense. Alternatively, was he actually just a good commander who failed when the internal problems of the organization, coupled with the public protests, broke him? An [[https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/blog/19809396/ in-universe article]] seemingly supports this sentiment.
** Gabriel Reyes' jealousy and AttentionWhore attitude that led to the fall of Overwatch: Was it merely just because [[EvilIsPetty he's deep down very petty]] or was it quite justified, in the way that he risked his life the most during the Omnic Crisis as the field commander and felt that his "reward" of being stuck with the DirtyBusiness part of the group was the government playing favorites just because he didn't have the best personality, therefore inadequate to his accomplishment? The latter would make him look like someone who's concerned with the welfare of "workers" like him, but constantly gets ignored, making him feel like he's just a disposable pawn to the higher ups for all he's done for them.
*** There's also a lot to base off of given his actions both an operative and a leader. His attempted coup at the Swiss base ended with his own near-death, and even [=Cassidy=] has nothing good to say about his leadership of Blackwatch. His poor leadership of Blackwatch can also be interpreted in two equally-unflattering ways: Was he really that incompetent in leading, or was he just ObfuscatingStupidity, [[EvilRunningGood purposely sabotaging missions and making suboptimal decisions]] purely [[EvilIsPetty out of spite]] for how he feels he was treated? The latter is even {{implied|trope}}, as Reyes is the one who "leaked" reports of Blackwatch's DirtyBusiness.
*** This extends further to his present-day, post-transformation actions at Talon. Given his [[NeverLiveItDown infamously]] [[TheWorfEffect hit-or-miss track record]] in the face of his more successful cohorts, is it possible that he still carries this self-sabotaging grudge? Building off of that, there's also the theory that his current state causes him constant pain so that it's possible he's deliberately sabotaging himself in a vain attempt to die.
*** Kaplan confirmed that Reyes' motives were not out of jealousy towards Jack's promotion, and if anything, that Reyes was content with his demotion to leader of Blackwatch. According to Kaplan, part of what started the trouble was that Jack was defending Reyes's increasingly worsening actions ''too often.''
*** After lore developments hinting at more affable sides of Reyes's personality, a subset of fans believe that rather than having betrayed Overwatch out of jealousy, Reaper is actually playing the role of a double agent and is planning to destroy Talon from within, interpreting his jealousy and current abrasiveness as being an act put on for potentially unfriendly eyes--which also raises questions such as how willing/complicit he is in committing the atrocities Talon orders him to, and to what role his emotions about Overwatch play a role in his decisions (after all, the best lies are those with a core of truth).
** How much of Widowmaker's brainwashing should be blamed for her actions? There are some who believe that Widowmaker doesn't have a free will, and thus shouldn't be blamed for the numerous atrocities she's committed. However, Widowmaker has certainly shown to have embraced her sadistic side, having clearly shown to ''enjoy'' the act of killing. Though numbed of human emotion, there's no indication that Widowmaker's completely free of will, just that the will of the original Amélie Lacroix is broken. Also, in the event that she broke free from Talon's brainwashing, it's speculated as to what would happen next -- would she still be a villain, would she become an anti-hero seeking out both revenge and redemption for what Talon made her do, or would she completely revert back to the innocent Amélie and would likely cross the DespairEventHorizon as she realizes the horrible things she did as Widowmaker that she would never have even dreamed of doing as herself?
** Reinhardt's age puts him as being a kid in the year 2016. Thus, fans have taken to the idea that Reinhardt, even in his elder years, can appreciate some good old fashioned memes.
** For someone who projects an image of being so lively and spirited, Tracer has been shown to behave more sedately and thoughtfully under calmer circumstances, and ''Uprising'' does a good job of establishing how seriously she takes her duties and commitment to helping others. So just how much of her blithe, happy-go-lucky demeanor comes naturally to her? Is she a genuinely cheerful person who just knows when to be serious? A professional who nevertheless enjoys what she does and plays herself up for fun? Or could it just be her way of [[SadClown coping]] with all the trauma she's endured? Between the Slipstream accident, the whole ordeal with the assassination, and the multiple times she's seen her home in chaos, it stands to reason that she would occasionally have to make her own happiness to stay motivated.
** A minor running joke in the community interprets Ganymede as Bastion’s puppet master, secretly controlling him to KillAllHumans. This has died down since the release of ''The Last Bastion'', which portrayed Ganymede very differently.
** How loyal is Symmetra to Vishkar and their ideals? Her in-game interactions with Lúcio mainly consist of berating him, his crime of stealing Vishkar's technology, and his idea of freedom as anarchy while proudly proclaiming that Dorado would be a good place for Vishkar's development, suggesting that she's still loyal with their ideals. But in her comic "A Better World", which took place before Lúcio's storyline, she's shown to be unwilling to cross the line of killing for Vishkar unless necessary and is shocked and heartbroken after [[spoiler:the Corado HQ bombing killed and injured many of the favela's people]]. The readers are left ambiguous as to how loyal she is to the company after this event. Her official profile took the middle road on both of these characterizations. Her stance against Lúcio can be interpreted similarly; is she against him because of misguided loyalty toward Vishkar, or simply because she thinks he's too naive and that Lúcio is creating more problems than he solves.
** Fans have decided that there ''must'' have been a LoveTriangle between Ana, Jack, and Gabriel during their days at Overwatch. Furthermore, many fans have interpreted that either of the two men ''must'' have been Pharah's father, due to the identity of him being left intentionally vague. A fan theory is that Jack did indeed have Pharah (or Fareeha, as she was known at the time) with Ana, but it was kept secret for her protection. Additionally, this contributed to Gabriel's jealousy towards Jack[[note]]a contributing factor to the theory being in the comic ''Old Soldiers'', where he was disappointed to see Ana take Jack's side many years later, as she apparently always did[[/note]] and ultimately led to him betraying Overwatch shortly after her supposed "death". Some choose to TakeAThirdOption and say ''Reinhardt'' was the father, due to them being shipped following an in-game interaction. Alternatively, some would like to think that Ana had Pharah with an unimportant person to avoid drama, which was eventually confirmed in 2017 that Pharah's father is a First Nations citizen of Canada.
** Sombra certainly likes to act the part of a cunning master of stealth and manipulation, but a handful of details call that aspect of her into question. Consider how in ''Searching'' the thought apparently never occurred to the master hacker that Volskaya Industries just ''might'' have security cameras that she could wander in front of, or that the stealth expert's response to seeing outsiders intruding on her hideout is to immediately give away her position by being a smart aleck, and she quickly winds up on the losing end of what she herself allowed to become a standup fight. You would think someone of her caliber would be above such bush league mistakes, but also consider she got her start ([[UnreliableNarrator maybe]]) as a snitch for a local street gang, and her reaction to stumbling onto something much worse was to drop everything and join an international terrorist group, one which -- according to ''Masquerade'' -- has not allowed her side dealings with Volskaya to go unnoticed despite her efforts to keep them covert. Sombra is definitely resourceful, but she [[SmallNameBigEgo may not be quite the untouchable mastermind she clearly thinks she is]]. She could just as easily be an opportunistic, self-glorifying punk, albeit a talented one, whose go-to solution to her problems has always been to run away and hide behind something nastier, apparently confident that whatever is chasing her will just ignore the tracks she leaves behind. There is also the grand question of the Eye. It hasn't been relevant since Sombra's reveal, so many consider this a sign that she's actually chasing ghosts, and more akin to a conspiracy theorist than a supergenius.
** Is Moira even that good of a scientist? She certainly has the credentials, but her work also got her ostracized from the academic community. And before you go blaming the politics of "big academia" on her lack of recognition, keep in mind that much of her views and ambitions with the study of evolution ''directly violate'' the laws of biology[[note]]Evolution's purpose is to help a species adapt to the conditions currently surrounding it. Evolved species are not inherently "superior" to what came before them, and there are no [[EvolutionaryLevels "steps"]] to aspire to, as the entire process is one of adapting to natural external factors, not those which are forcibly imposed[[/note]], and the only place that would have her was the wetwork division of a law-enforcement institution, one whose company she had no problem keeping long after it had become a league of terrorists. Moira may be brilliant, but she also may be an unhinged crackpot who either doesn't understand or is willing to disregard the basic principles of her own field for the sake of her pride, all while endangering the humanity she claims she wants to help by empowering her vicious associates.
** On a more humorous note, many fans like to picture Team Talon (Reaper, Widowmaker, Sombra, Doomfist, Moira and Sigma, with some Baptiste throwing in for good measure) as being some kind of wacky friendship where they hang out together and go on friend dates or being heartbroken when Baptiste betrayed them (despite "What You Left Behind" explicitly states that Talon absolutely hates Baptiste for his betrayal and is hunting him down). This was only furthered when lead writer Michael Chu [[https://www.gamespot.com/articles/overwatchs-sombra-started-out-op-heres-how-the-dev/1100-6445159/ clarified]] that Sombra considers Reaper and Widowmaker her friends, although their relationship has complications. Some people like to take it further, depicting Reaper as a father figure to Sombra.
** Fans have decided that Dae Hyun is [[ChildhoodFriendRomance secretly in love]] with Hana Song (D.Va), as they've been best friends since childhood and he's one of the few (if not the only) persons on Earth who cares for the ''true'' Hana Song and not the "D.Va" persona. Given D.Va's flippant attitude toward him in "Shooting Star", it's commonly believed that Dae Hyun has been "[[JustFriends friend-zoned]]".
** Doomfist and Moira both have attacks that carry some similarities to Anime/OnePunchMan and Franchise/DragonBall, so a lot of interpretations have them be complete weeabos. It's pretty much Fanon that Moira is a Anime/{{Naruto}} fan (though her ultimate is a lot closer to Kamehameha).
** Sombra is shown in her backstory trailer to be chasing down a massive, international conspiracy with ties to Talon, Overwatch, Vishkar and a dozen others. While it is certainly possible that the conspiracy is real, another interpretation of her character is that she is simply a conspiracy theorist chasing ghosts and seeing leads where there are none.

* WhatAnIdiot:
** After helping secure Overwatch's downfall, Talon was free to influence the world with no one to stop them. However, they just ''had'' to KickTheDog by sending out Reaper and his {{Mooks}} to extract data to track down and kill inactive agents, even though most of them were involved with their own problems. But that plan was foiled by Winston. They obviously hadn't counted on Reaper losing, nor were they aware Winston was struggling with whether or not to illegally start a recall. Talon's attack on Watchpoint: Gibraltar, however, [[TheDogBitesBack was the final straw]], and Winston immediately recalled all former Overwatch agents. In other words, their attempt to kill all Overwatch agents ForTheEvulz ended up being the catalyst for the revival of their biggest opposition.
** For someone who’s supposed to be a master of stealth of manipulation, Sombra apparently didn’t have enough sense to figure out that just ''maybe'' you shouldn't openly frequent places of business in the town where you grew up when you're trying to keep a low profile, which is exactly what leads to her cover being blown in ''Searching''.
** Angered by Antonio's gloating about being [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections untouchable]] in ''Retribution'', Reyes decides to kill him instead of capturing him. He ''could'' just [[NeckSnap snap his neck]], or ask Moira (who is shown able to kill three men standing next to each other one-by-one without any of them noticing) or Genji (who has a sword) to do it instead. As a bonus, neither of the two has any issue with doing it. Instead, he makes a scene by shooting him point-blank with one of his incredibly loud shotguns, defenestrating him in the process. Now Blackwatch has a whole army on their back, they have to fight through the city to reach the extraction point, and their existence is exposed to the public, putting the entirety of Overwatch's reputation in jeopardy and signalling the start of its downfall.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids [=/=] WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: ''Overwatch'' is commonly considered a (relatively) family-friendly game due to the Pixaresque art style, T-rating, characters who are essentially {{superhero}}es, and [[AWorldHalfFull generally hopeful tone and message]]. However, its backstory is filled to the brim with such [[SarcasmMode kid-friendly themes]] like:

* FourLinesAllWaiting: Given how slow the story has been and the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters shear amount of characters there are]] along with many being separated from each other, it's not surprising. The many plots are but not limited to:

** Speaking of corporations, Volskaya Industries leader Katya Volskaya often get this treatment after the unveiling of Sombra and the animated short ''Infiltration''. When it was revealed that Katya has a secret deal with Omnics to help stave off the Omnic invasion in Russia while promoting [[FantasticRacism Omnic racism]], people like to overblow it, thinking that Katya is a corrupt person only out to fill her own pocket, and [[UnwittingPawn she was just using Zarya]] [[ManipulativeBastard for her own nefarious ends]]. What's given so far is that we don't know the nature of the Omnics helping her as there were peaceful Omnics even during the crisis and [[NecessaryEvil if it wasn't for Katya's underhanded deal and racism propaganda, Russia would have been wasted by the Omnics during the crisis and calling the Overwatch for help would decrease its overall effort to end the crisis]], thus her calling Zarya looks more like a genuine call for help from a blackmailed person.

*** There's also a lot to base off of given his actions both an operative and a leader. His attempted coup at the Swiss base ended with his own near-death, and even [=McCree=] has nothing good to say about his leadership of Blackwatch. His poor leadership of Blackwatch can also be interpreted in two equally-unflattering ways: Was he really that incompetent in leading, or was he just ObfuscatingStupidity, [[EvilRunningGood purposely sabotaging missions and making suboptimal decisions]] purely [[EvilIsPetty out of spite]] for how he feels he was treated? The latter is even {{implied|trope}}, as Reyes is the one who "leaked" reports of Blackwatch's DirtyBusiness.

** [=McCree=] was part of an outlaw gang in his childhood, and later became a ChildSoldier being a member of Overwatch, and more secretly, the top secret [[NoSuchAgency Blackwatch]] covert ops organization when he was in his teens. Despite the horrifying implications of having a troubled childhood that may or may not have been caused by the Omnic Crisis, [=McCree=]'s shown no signs of any angst about the past at all.

** For more than a year, the very last hero that sported voiceline interactions with other characters was Ashe (and even then, ''only'' with [=McCree=]). This became a major point of contention with fans and was typically pointed out as proof that Blizzard had gotten "lazy" since development of the sequel began. The patch that introduced Echo also brought along a number of new voice interactions, especially for Baptiste, who otherwise had ''no'' connections or history with anyone else before confirming that he was an acquaintance of Mercy's.

** Although we only hear a [[LongSongShortScene few seconds]] of it in the short, ''Reunion'' has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdtx1nF-Ki0 "Pale Rider"]] by The Heavy Horses playing in the diner, a song that's totally badass and fits [=McCree=]'s personality almost perfectly.

** A few of the characters are infamous in the fandom for their love of their weapons. Most notable examples are Torbjörn/his turrets (which, considering the fawning admiration he often expresses when he constructs one or the genuine alarm he exhibits when one is under attack, is dangerously close to being canon), [=McCree=]/cowboy hat and Symmetra/Shield Generator (due to how absurdly powerful it is compare to her Teleporter).

** [=McCree=] and Hanzo are heavily shipped despite both their vastly different backgrounds and personalities, as well as the fact that nothing in the source materials indicate ''any'' type of relationship between the two whatsoever, and they may not canonically even know the other exists. Despite this, they're arguably one of the most shipped pairings over on Archive. Later, some minor dialogue exchanges between them seemingly as response to this ([=McCree=] complimenting Hanzo's bowmanship, the two arguing over their preference in drinks, and their in-character dialogue during the Halloween brawl). Also, in a podcast [=McCree's=] voice actor Creator/MatthewMercer commented that he thinks that the [[http://www.waifusofoverwatch.com/episode-5-its-high-noon-with-matt-mercer/ pair is adorable and basically shared a headcanon of them having a ramshackled apartment with them arguing over the decor]].
** Hanzo/Symmetra also started to gain a good dose of following even if they have never met each other and their stories do not intersect in any way. This is due to their backgrounds as being dutiful associates to questionable/evil groups (Shimada clan and Vishkar Corporation) due to their upbringing and having their more idealistic foils (Genji and Lúcio) being on the heroic side. Hanzo is often made a BigBrotherMentor to Symmetra in any event where she breaks away from Vishkar since Hanzo has already done so with the Shimada clan, teaching her to pursue [[TheAtoner the path of redemption]] even if their past sins will never go away. [[ShipMates This can go hand-in-hand]] with the [=McCree=] pair as it is not necessarily romantic and [=McCree=] also has a history with questionable groups (Deadlock and Blackwatch).

* EstrogenBrigade: Female fans that still weren't convinced to play the game due to the diversity of the cast and large amount of female heroes are quickly won over when they see the sheer amount of attractive guys the game has to offer. This is most prominent with [=McCree=], Hanzo, Lucio, and Baptiste but also pops up with Soldier: 76, Reaper, Genji, Reinhardt (when they are in their younger, more attractive skins) and [[UglyCute Junkrat]].

** The identity of Pharah's father has been subjected to a number of speculation and fics. The most commonly speculated to be her father include Jack Morrison/Soldier: 76 (due to their history together, and the fact that Soldier will specifically compliment Pharah, saying that Ana would've been proud of her like he personally knows her despite the fact that they're technically on opposing sides in the story), Gabriel Reyes/Reaper (due to hints that Reaper and Ana [[WeUsedToBeFriends used to be friends]] and he expresses disappointment that Ana took Jack's side), and Reinhardt (due to a pre-game interaction that has created much fuel for shipping). Adding ''even more'' fuel to this, an added line between Pharah and [=McCree=] indicates that she [[{{Fangirl}} idolizes]] both Jack and Reyes, seemingly unaware that they're still alive and are now known as Soldier: 76 and Reaper -- furthering the fan-interpreted LoveTriangle between Ana, Jack, and Reyes. Alternatively, some would prefer the idea that it was neither of them and just a random person who isn't connected to Overwatch, wanting to avoid drama and to strengthen the relationship between the mother and daughter. The final theory was later confirmed with [[https://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/overwatch/images/8/8c/Spray_Ana_Newborn.png/revision/latest?cb=20170417201045 Ana's spray]] from ''Uprising''--the first mention of Pharah's father, Sam. Also Jack was later revealed to be gay and Reaper was revealed to have a family of his own, completely squashing any idea of a past or future relationship between these characters.

** It's popular to interpret many of the characters as amputees whose tech armor serves as ArtificialLimbs (for example, Hanzo and Lúcio's legs, [=McCree=]'s arm, or ''all'' of Pharah's limbs). Likely to stress that the human heroes are similar to the Omnics.

*** It is also common to attribute a Hispanic heritage to [=McCree=], often mixed into a perceived father-son relationship between Reyes and [=McCree=].

** Since [=McCree=] is shown to still have his biological arm during ''Uprising'', two years before Overwatch was shut down, fans often speculate when and how he lost his left arm. The most common idea is that he lost his arm with the destruction of the Overwatch HQ in Switzerland.
** It's very popular for fans to depict Genji as AnythingThatMoves even in non-shipping works or works that don't focus on him. This is because he was described as a playboy before his cyborg transformation, and most of his most significant relationships, interactions and {{Fan Preferred Couple}}s are with Zenyatta, [=McCree=] and Mercy (an Omnic, a man and a woman).

** [=McCree=]/Hanzo a.k.a. [=McHanzo=] got popular in circles of {{Bara}} fans, with various artists of the genre on Tumblr and Twitter started making fanart of them. It has since gained some of an LGBTFanbase.

** Despite her [[ShipsThatPassInTheNight literally never having been seen with him before]] (or at all), [=McCree=]/[[RoboShip Echo]] instantly exploded in popularity after the release of the "Reunion" short, where he faces down the Deadlock gang to get her back, then [[ShipTease takes her hand and talks to her in an uncharacteristically gentlemanly tone.]]

** [=McCree=] and Ashe are all but directly stated to be exes, so it's not surprising that many fans have taken it for granted the possibility that they're [[DatingCatwoman still together]] the instant "Reunion" was released.

** Mercy stands out more than anyone else, for being shipped with Junkrat, Roadhog ([[OneTrueThreesome or both]]), Genji, Hanzo, Soldier: 76, [=McCree=], Widowmaker, Pharah, Zarya, Torbjörn (rare) prior to "Reflections", Reaper, and Moira. It's saying something about how popular she is that two of her major ships (with Genji and Pharah) are among the most popular in the community
** Ana. Being the only character with a known child[[note]] Sans Torbjörn who was revealed to have several children and an attractive wife in the "Reflections" comic[[/note]], everyone speculates as to who Pharah's father was. The dialogue she has with most of her old teammates is full of ShipTease, with all of them upset that they didn't know she was still alive, her complimenting Reinhardt and Soldier: 76 on how good they look, and Reinhardt and [=McCree=] flat out flirting with her. The comic ''Old Soldiers'' adds even more fuel to the fire because it shows Jack and Ana's close friendship while Reaper accuses her of always siding with Jack. This has fanned flames of a possible LoveTriangle or LoveDodecahedron; after all, if fans can't decide which of the original team she slept with to conceive Pharah, then the next best thing is to assume she slept with them ''all''. She's also shipped with [=McCree=] (due to some mild flirting on his part), Mercy (especially if there's a jealous Pharah involved), and Widowmaker (for the FoeYay). Also, she's currently the ''only'' person consistently shipped with Torbjörn.

** Genji seems to be the male version of Mercy. He is frequently paired with [[ShipTease Mercy]], [[MentorShip Zenyatta]], [[BashBrothers McCree]], his own brother [[IncestYayShipping Hanzo]] and, less prominently, Reaper, Soldier: 76, Reinhardt, Lúcio, D.Va, Symmetra, Sombra and Tracer (before her reveal as a lesbian), as well as any of the combinations. The fact that he was canonically a playboy before his involvement with Overwatch doesn't help.
** [=McCree=] is been paired with quite the number of characters due to a large number of fans think he is attractive and his unique cowboy aesthetic. He's frequently paired with [[FanPreferredCouple Hanzo]], Symmetra, Lucio ([[CrackShip all of whom he never met or interact with]]), his former superiors Reaper, Soldier: 76 and Ana, his former Overwatch fellow teammates Genji, Mercy and Mei, his former Deadlock gang member [[LikeAnOldMarriedCouple Ashe]] and Echo.

** Hanzo and [=McCree=] got hugely popular in the {{Bara}} community, due to, in no small part, getting tons of fanart from various bara artists, including some already popular. Though those two are the most popular, Reinhardt, Soldier: 76, Reaper and Genji also got popular in those circles in varying degrees. Like what happened with Tracer, those fans practically exploded with joy when it was revealed that Soldier: 76 is a gay man.

** [=McCree=] has attained this status to some due to how devastating he is in gameplay and the fact that, unlike everyone else, he doesn't need fancy gadgets and superhero-esque abilities to kick ass -- [[BadassNormal the only thing he needs is his Peacekeeper]]. Plus, using ''[[LimitBreak Deadeye]]'', he can fire more bullets than his [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon six-shooter should be able to hold at once.]]

** [=McCree=] is very popular back home with American gamers, in no small part to the fact that he's a [[AmericansAreCowboys cowboy in the future]].

** Most of the in-costume child versions of the heroes in the "Trick or Treat" sprays qualify. Examples include [[http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/overwatch/images/7/77/Genji_Spray_-_Trick_Or_Treat.png/revision/latest?cb=20161014112009 kid Genji waving two wooden swords with his candy bag over his shoulder]], young Lúcio [[http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/overwatch/images/f/f0/Lucio_Spray_-_Trick_Or_Treat.png/revision/latest?cb=20161014112125 rollerskating around with a bag of candy and oversized goggles]], and child [=McCree=] [[https://hydra-media.cursecdn.com/overwatch.gamepedia.com/d/d1/Spray_McCree_Trick_or_Treat.png?version=7c907887b9daec3984f22ecbc7668828 stealing someone's bowl of candy]].

** Shipping [=McCree=] [[{{Robosexual}} with Echo]] immediately became popular after their notably warm and friendly interactions in "Reunion".

** Certain characters tend to get demonized in fandom of certain characters or pairing. Prominent examples include: Genji in Hanzo/[=McCree=] (to create even more angst for Hanzo) and Pharah/Mercy (which became more prevalent after [[ShipToShipCombat Genji/Mercy]] [[ShipTease was teased around White Day]]) -- if the author hates Mercy being paired with male characters, then every male character Mercy is usually paired with can get this treatment in Pharah/Mercy fics -- and Soldier 76 or Ana (and even the entire former Overwatch organization itself) with fans that Leather Pants Reaper.

** Gency/Emergenji/Emergency shippers frequently pair up with [=McHanzo=] shippers, especially in light of the revelation in ''Uprising'' that both Genji and [=McCree=] were in Blackwatch together at the same time.

** Mercy, as mentioned in LauncherOfAThousandShips, gets paired with nearly everyone and that leads to bickering. In particular, the LGBTFanbase who ship the "[[PortmanteauCoupleName Phar-Mercy]]" pair can be staunchly against her being paired with any male character such as [=McCree=]/Mercy, [[RescueRomance Genji/Mercy]], [[AngelDevilShipping Reaper/Mercy]], [[MayDecemberRomance Soldier: 76/Mercy]], and many more. They weren't happy when several very ShipTease-heavy lines for Genji/Mercy were released.

** People who ship [[RelationshipUpgrade McCree/Genji]] ([=McGenji=]) tend to pick fights with [[ShipsThatPassInTheNight McCree/Hanzo]] ([=McHanzo=]) shippers, and vice versa. Wars break out at the mere mention of one of these ships in the presence of the wrong people, usually revolving around [=McHanzo=] getting hate relating to [[ItsPopularNowItSucks being acknowledged by the creators of the game]], and treating the ship as canon despite its CrackPairing status; [=McGenji=] shippers in turn tends to argue that [=McHanzo=] is invalid because they have no canon interactions, and oftentimes give Hanzo the DieForOurShip treatment. Both groups, unfortunately, also suffer from subsets that give their ships racial stereotypes. A rare example in this particular fandom where [[NoYay it can't be fixed]] by shipping [[IncestYay the three together]].

** [=McHanzo=] is the quintessential one - quite popular due to pairing off the two [[BaraGenre manly men]] of similar age. It's not at all deterred by the fact both characters most likely never met one another, and have only a tenuous connection via Genji.

** Roadhog is underutilized with interactions. He mainly speaks to Junkrat and only spoke once to [=McCree=]. Roadhog is among the heroes who have suffered the most from the crisis due to losing his home, irradiating the outback and being forced to lose his humanity in favor of survival in the Junkers cutthroat society.

** Drug and alcohol use[[note]]Roadhog is a habitual user of gas, while Hanzo [[DrowningMySorrows drowns his sorrows]] with sake and [=McCree=] [[SmokingIsCool smokes]].[[/note]]

** Even though the Vishkar Corporation has demonstrated its willingness to endanger civilians and disregard civil liberties in pursuit of their goals, their [[HardLight impressive technology]] and [[WellIntentionedExtremist well-intentioned goals]] have garnered them supporters who argue that, ethics aside, they actually have the right idea. After all, underhanded their means might be, their public works projects ''do'' work as advertised, the rest of the world isn't doing any better, [[NobleTopEnforcer Symmetra herself]] acknowledges the threat Talon presents and the need to stop them, and unlike Overwatch, which remains in ruins, Vishkar actually has the resources, manpower and influence to make a difference ''now''. For all their faults ([[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans which no one is arguing are not numerous]]), some just see Vishkar as the most viable option for introducing any lasting good and prosperity into the world.

** One of Hal-Fred Glitchbot's randomly-played lines has him remark that Jesse [=McCree=] is "a terrible name for a cowboy". Come 2021, [[{{Tuckerization}} the Blizzard employee that McCree was named after]] got fired after allegations of sexual harassment, and Blizzard renamed him to Cole Cassidy in agreement.

** One of Hal-Fred Glitchbot's randomly-played lines has him remark that Jesse [=McCree=] is "a terrible name for a cowboy". Come 2021, the Blizzard employee that [=McCree=] was named after got fired after allegations of sexual harassment, with Blizzard declaring that they will [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents rename the character accordingly]].

** One of Hal-Fred Glitchbot's randomly-played lines has him remark that Jesse [=McCree=] is "a terrible name for a cowboy". Come 2021, the Blizzard employee he was named after got fired after allegations of sexual harassment, with Blizzard declaring that they will [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents rename the character accordingly]].

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: Ana advising Reinhardt to not "charge in this time" in Uprising? Funny. Knowing that one time he did charge in recklessly [[spoiler:caused the death of his mentor, the one who was initally asked to join Overwatch, and that he probably carries severe SurvivorGuilt over that]]? Not so funny.