Summary
- Overwatch 2 has revealed Hazard, a new tank, and a comic narrated by his voice actor details his backstory.
- The comic reveals the Phreaks group and key members like Revel, Suzannah, Jackdaw, and Touch-Up.
- Despite mixed design feedback, Hazard's backstory has intrigued players.
Overwatch 2 just revealed “Tear It Down,” a comic detailing the backstory for Hazard, the new tank coming to the game in Season 14. Narrated by the hero’s voice actor, “Tear It Down” shows how the revolutionary fell in with the Phreaks, and shows the downtrodden side of the Overwatch 2 world.
Recently, Overwatch 2 revealed Hazard, the larger-than-life leader of the Phreaks, a group of anti-establishment rebels who look like they came straight out of Cyberpunk 2077. The accompanying cinematic revealed how the Phreaks wrecked the Oasis research facility and stole the Vanadium isotope cache held in the center of the map’s spawn room, teasing some of the tank’s abilities in the process.
Now, Blizzard has shared a new comic detailing the Overwatch 2 hero’s backstory. “Tear It Down,” narrated by Hazard voice actor Conor McLeod, shows how the hero was left behind by the system. He grew up in a small home that struggled in the aftermath of the Omnic Crisis in Overwatch. After enlisting in the military, he was grievously wounded when an Overwatch plane crashed on him, eventually leading him to seek out a shady group called the Phreaks. He quickly bonded with the rebels, spurring them to action against the establishment that abused them. The comic ends with the Phreaks planning to steal the Vanadium from Oasis – right where the Hazard reveal trailer picks up.
Overwatch 2 Hazard Backstory Comic – "Tear It Down"
The comic also reveals a bit more about the Phreaks, including their names. In addition to Suzannah and Boomslang, the omnic and human who back up Hazard during the “Hazardous Tactics” Overwatch 2 cinematic, it also reveals an R-7000 Ravager omnic named Revel, Jackdaw – the gang's getaway driver – and Touch-Up, the hacker responsible for giving the hero his cybernetic implants.
Members of the Phreaks in Overwatch 2
- Boomslang – the human woman “Hazardous Tactics”
- Hazard – the 42nd hero of Overwatch 2
- Jackdaw – an excitable human who likes cars
- Revel – a Ravager-class omnic like Ramattra
- Susannah – the heavyset omnic from “Hazardous Tactics”
- Touch-Up – a mysterious cyberneticist and hacker
McLeod is a newcomer to voice acting; of his five previous credits on IMDB, only one is not live-action. His most recent appearance was as a Geode Dwarf in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, but McLeod’s true claim to fame is on the stage, where he appeared in War in America, Lysistrata, and several other plays in Scotland and England.
While reception to Hazard’s design has been mixed, many players were sold by his backstory, especially because of McLeod’s acting and the way it tied into existing Overwatch lore. However, fans were most excited to learn more about the Phreaks, the designs of which players have fallen in love with. Only time will tell if these characters get more time to shine in the future, or if they will stay in the waiting room alongside the other members of MEKA Squad and the Yokai of Overwatch 2.
Overwatch 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 77 /100 Critics Rec: 65%
WHERE TO PLAY
Overwatch 2 is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based action game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl. Power up your railgun and disrupt the battlefield as Sojourn, or yield your axe and command attention as Junker Queen. Battle to take control of a robot and move it toward the enemy base in the new Push Mode. Bring the fight to new destinations across the globe in iconic locations like New York, Rome, Monte Carlo and Rio. Daily challenges and frequent updates mean there is always something new to play.
