The latest Overwatch character revealed is Soldier: 76

Overwatch Soldier: 76

Soldier: 76. Is he a hero, fighting for justice and order in a world gone wrong? Or is he a reckless vigilante, endangering the lives of innocents in a selfish quest for revenge? And the greatest question of all: Is he wearing that mask because he's the kind of hypochondriac who's more worried about catching a cold than a bullet?

The answers, and the identity of the masked man, are revealed in the origin story video playing above and the lengthy bio Blizzard posted yesterday. Soldier: 76 is Jack Morrison, the first official Commander of Overwatch, whose skillful stewardship helped bring about a golden age for humanity. But his promotion over fellow Overwatch officer Gabriel Reyes led to a rift between the two that never healed, and two decades later, Camelot, again, crumbled beneath the weight of ambition and envy.

It's a pretty good yarn, especially for a guy in a team-based online shooter, which generally speaking isn't a genre that's overly conducive to intricate plots and deep characterization. But Blizzard didn't get to where it is today by half-assing things, and while I do maintain a certain affection for the era when Diablo was just a jerk in the basement, this kind of fiction is a lot of fun for fans. And if you just want to shoot people in the face, that's cool too.

Speaking of which, Soldier: 76 packs an experimental pulse rifle that also fires high-powered Helix rockets—as befits his Soldierly status—and wears a pair of Super-Goggles (actually a "Tactical Visor") reminiscent of something Elton John might have rocked back in the 70s, or perhaps Commander Shepard at some future date.

Find out more about Soldier: 76 at Battle.net, and don't miss the gameplay trailer and screens below. Overwatch is set to go into beta this fall.

Overwatch Soldier: 76

Overwatch Soldier: 76

Overwatch Soldier: 76

Overwatch Soldier: 76

Overwatch Soldier: 76

Overwatch Soldier: 76

Overwatch Soldier: 76

Overwatch Soldier: 76

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.