Blizzard has a unique way of introducing "Overwatch" character to the players. Whether they are in-game heroes or secondary characters, the game developer does a great job with their comics. Blizzard has released 15 comic issues so far, and each of them provided a detailed backstory of some characters from "Overwatch's" universe.
The latest comic was released a few days ago and it's called "Searching." This issue follows Russian weightlifter Zarya and her search for Sombra. While this issue gave us more details about these two in-game heroes, it also introduced a new character, Lynx Seventeen.
Even though Lynx is not in the game, this character is unique because it's the first gender-neutral character in "Overwatch."
Lynx Seventeen is gender neutral
Lynx Seventeen is an omnic hacker who helps Zarya in her quest to find Sombra. Seventeen was hired by Katya Volskaya to help Zarya find the Mexican hacker. This comic takes place after the events of "Infiltration" and Sombra's encounter with Katya.
While the comic doesn't specifically Lynx's gender, readers noticed that Zarya calls Seventeen "it." "Overwatch" lead writer Michael Chu confirmed that Lynx is Gender Neutral with a post on Twitter.
Chu stated that Lynx is indeed gender neutral and that the character should be refer to with "they" or "them." While the lineup of playable "Overwatch" heroes is very diverse, the game developer made sure that secondary characters are diverse as well.
In the "Searching" comic, Lynx Seventeen is gender neutral. Lynx would prefer you to refer to them with "they/them." https://t.co/J2p0YubZXC
— Michael Chu 😭🏝️ (@westofhouse) September 28, 2017
'Overwatch' queer characters
While Lynx Seventeen is the first gender-neutral character in "Overwatch," it is important to note that they are not the first queer character.
Blizzard showed us that Tracer is a queer character as they introduced her girlfriend Emily in "Reflections" comic.
The game developer has hinted that there are multiple queer characters in "Overwatch," and we finally got to know the other one. Chu said that the development team decides characters' genders early on, and then they add more details to make everyone's story equally good.
"We want these stories about characters' relationships—and not just romantic, but familial relationships and stuff like that—to come out in the course of stories that we feel really do them justice," he said.
Lynx Seventeen has been positively received by the community and it has received a massive response from fans. Many of them are excited to see a non-binary character in the game, which makes the first-person shooter even more inclusive than before.
