Summary
Overwatch 2just 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 theOverwatch 2world.
Recently,Overwatch 2revealed Hazard, the larger-than-life leader of the Phreaks, a group of anti-establishment rebels who look like they came straight out ofCyberpunk 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 theOverwatch 2hero’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 theaftermath of the Omnic Crisis inOverwatch. 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 2cinematic, 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
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 aGeode Dwarf inThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, but McLeod’s true claim to fame is on the stage, where he appeared inWar 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 existingOverwatchlore. 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 andthe Yokai ofOverwatch 2.
Overwatch 2
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.
