Overwatch 2 recently announced the Junker Queen would be one of three new characters with the game’s launch. Now, Overwatch 2 has shared an in-depth look at the rough-and-tumble tank–including an animated short detailing her origin story and rise to power.
The Junker Queen is a character who has existed in the periphery of Overwatch lore for some time. After several hints, leaks, and the eventual reveal, the Junker Queen is finally ready to take center stage.
The cinematic, titled “The Wastelander,” shows off the story of Odessa “Dez” Stone. Banished to the wastes by the despotic Junker King Mason Howl at a child, Stone lost her mother, father, and younger siblings to the harsh badlands of Australia in the Overwatch universe. 13 years later, Stone returned to Junkertown to participate in the Reckoning–a free-for-all grudge match to determine the new ruler of Junkertown. With an impressive display of moxie, charisma, and combat prowess, Stone dethrones Howl and becomes the Junker Queen.
“The Wastelander” is the first Overwatch animated short in nearly three years–the last one being “Zero Hour,” which was released alongside Overwatch 2’s announcement in November 2019. Overwatch fans have had to endure a long drought of content due to both the Coronavirus pandemic and Blizzard’s harassment controversies from 2021, but it seems their wait is almost over.
Fan reception to “The Wastelander” is overwhelmingly positive. Overwatch 2 was able to capture the essence and personality of the character in a fantastic fashion, and delivered on the cinematic with the same quality as previous character shorts for its predecessor. Blizzard also seamlessly introduced the character’s gameplay mechanics into the cinematic–the Junker Queen wields her shotgun, knife, axe, and magnetic gauntlet in creative ways throughout the short, all of which are featured in her kit in Overwatch 2. Players also got a kick out of the Junkrat and Roadhog cameo as members of the crowd.
With Overwatch 2 introducing more characters in the future, as well as PvE content, many players also wonder if Meri or Geiger–the two other Reckoning combatants–will appear as playable characters in the future, or if Howl himself will somehow make a return. There is precious little information about what the Overwatch 2 PvE content will look like when it is added to the game in 2023, but players can probably expect to hear more about it once the game enters early access later this year.
Overwatch 2 launches in early access for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X on October 4.
