Overwatch 2’s new hero is a robot revolutionary — can Blizzard pull it off?

New Overwatch 2Hero Ramattra has a terrifying Nemesis form and is an aggressive tank. He’s the leader of Null Sector, a former Shambali monk, and an antagonist to the newly reformed Overwatch organization. He further expands Omnic Lore, which is one of Overwatch’s central pillars. This lore began as an implicit metaphor of discrimination, civil rights, and each new story adds confusion to things.

Ramattra, a complex character, can be portrayed well. It could bring needed nuance and insight to the ongoing omnic struggle. If the story doesn’t land, it cheapens the entire world.

Overwatch presents a near-future tale with an alternate history in which humanity has used the power of artificial intelligence, genetic manipulation, and strong mechanical constructs. Omnica was a corporation that built large, AI-controlled factories for mass production of robots. Omnica went down for corporate fraud, but the factories remained dormant until the “god program” AIs (powerful AIs able to corrupt lesser ones) within awoke, went rogue, and kickstarted a war with humanity. In response, these god AIs made Omnics mindless killing machines and created the Overwatch organisation.

Overwatch 2 - Ramattra, a humanoid omnic with heavy cords running out the back of his head like hair, cradles another dead human omnic in his arms as humans yell and jeer at the scene.

Image: Blizzard Entertainment

Nearly every plot line in the major series is covered. OverwatchThe Omnic Crisis, which is also known as this great war’s aftermath, refers to it. In places such as Australia, England and Russia, Omnics can be discriminated against. Blizzard has attempted to make Overwatch a multi-cultural utopia, as the people in the game show. All over the globe are represented by these heroes. Two of the game’s most popular and visible heroes, Tracer and Soldier: 76, are both gay. Symmetra has autism. These heroes are welcomed by their people, no matter who they are, but omnics don’t receive that warm welcome in the Overwatch universe. Omnic rights are a controversial civic issue in the game’s world.

The discrimination omnics face isn’t particularly subtle — King’s Row is festooned with graffiti that says “Machines have NO rights.” Can you guess what the morally correct side of this conflict is? Ramattra is a character in this situation. He’s the Magneto to Zenyatta’s Professor X, an extremist who believes violence is the path forward for his people. He is an interesting addition to the canon, because he defies the binary of good omnic versus “mindless murder machine.” He’s an omnic who is an antagonist while also maintaining his own free will.

Overwatch - White graffiti reading “Machines have NO rights!” on a stone wall in King’s Row

Image: Blizzard Entertainment

It is now a question of whether Blizzard can tell such a story with all the nuance. The omnic debate in the Overwatch universe mirrors real-world arguments and sentiments, but it’s an awkward comparison. In real life, oppressed people can’t turn into battle tanks. Blizzard was also criticised for portraying marginalized characters. Black writers particularly have been critical of the representation of Black women. Overwatch and how Blizzard has struggled to add Black women characters to the game’s roster. At the same time, Blizzard is still facing gender-discrimination lawsuits and allegations. Are Blizzard and this game the ones that need to address the issue of massive civil rights movements and uprisings of oppressed classes?

Blizzard portrays Overwatch’s cast as having MixtOpinions on Omnics Junker Queen wears her omnic-faced trophies as evidence of her beliefs. The comic You are looking forZarya is comically depicted as an anti-omnic. She turns down free samples with a harsh “Not from you, robot.” Later, she tells a hacker that “I would rather die than understand a robot.”

There are times when Blizzard is able to tell a story about omnics that works — The Last BastionIt is beautiful cinematic which portrays Bastion in his innocence, finding his place within a healing universe.

Overwatch lore fails to understand the omnic rights issues with even a little nuance. Zarya is averse to Omnics, but she does meet one kind hacker who forces her to reconsider her views. It is morally justified for a character to murder omnics. This can be done by setting up feral AI to control such omnics. It allows Blizzard to both have sympathetic omnics serving as the lore’s punching bag AndWithout raising moral concerns, have your hero kill off dozens omnics during a filmtic.

Ramattra’s lore will be rolled out through hundreds of voice interactions with his fellow heroes, especially his counterpart Zenyatta. But his story is far more ambitious than nearly everyone else in the cast, and it’s playing with heavy concepts with deep roots in real world history. It’s a risky gambit, and if it doesn’t succeed, it’ll be another mark chalked up against Blizzard’s once shining utopia.

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