Who will be Overwatch’s next hero?

The world always needs more heroes—and Overwatch gets one once every three months or so. There’s a lot going on in the Overwatch world at any given time, with lots of loose threads that need to get tied up. Some of those threads could lead to new heroes. But heroes can out come of nowhere, like Overwatch’s 29th hero, Ashe, did at BlizzCon 2018. Blizzard introduced an entirely new character to the game world during McCree’s Reunion short. But during that event, another character was revealed: Echo. Overwatch game director clarified that she is a potential future hero, but not hero 30. “We want her to be a hero,” Kaplan said while broadcasting on Twitch with Overwatch streamer FRAN during BlizzCon. “Echo is not hero 30.” Then who is?

Queen of Junkertown

Move over, Doomfist. There’s a new fan-favorite Overwatch character in town. She was just a disembodied voice speaking over an intercom in Overwatch’s Junkertown map. She’s an omnic-hater with a strict decree, as evidenced by lore hints on the map. Related: Some Overwatch fans are convinced the Junkertown Queen is the next hero Some fans think Junkertown Queen is the hero Blizzard is teasing with some old clues. There are a few posters that point to Junkertown—one that’s a silhouette of the Queen, and another that shows a mech fighter called the Wrecking Ball. The second teaser was a ball, well, wrecking through the city, which adds to speculation that she’s tied to the hero clues. Is there a possibility that Hammond and the Junkertown Queen are a combination hero? Do they work together? Or are we following the wrong clues?

Maximilien

Maximilien is an omnic that wears a suit and (presumably) fake hair. He’s also a major Talon leader that rules the group alongside Overwatch bad guys like Reaper, Moira, and Doomfist. We first saw the scary omnic in Overwatch’s Doomfist comic, Masquerade. He’s a big deal in Talon, and has a little mention in the Overwatch Retribution event—he was one of the Talon members that took over when Reyes (not yet known as Reaper) killed Talon’s leader, Antonio.

Emre Sarioglu

Blizzard mentioned an Overwatch private first class named Emre Sarioglu in one of the teasers that led up to Brigitte’s release. Sarioglu was part of the strike team deployed to Turkey during Operation: White Dome, the mission that severely injured Torbjörn. When Blizzard tweeted the teaser on Feb. 22, Overwatch fans were certain Sarioglu was the next hero. Why mention him if not? Well, we still don’t know. Blizzard hasn’t mentioned Sarioglu since.

Liao

Liao’s a mystery in the Overwatch universe. He was a founding member of the organization, alongside Jack Morrison (Soldier: 76), Ana Amari, Reinhardt Wilhelm, Gabriel Reyes (Reaper), and Torbjörn Lindholm. Many once believed Liao was the left-most person in the image below, but Blizzard confirmed during a San Diego Comic-Con panel in 2016 that it’s not him. Who it is remains a mystery, however.