An Overwatch 2 fan recently revealed that they have created a working replica of the armor worn by Balderich von Adler, the mentor of Overwatch 2 character Reinhardt. Balderich von Adler exists as a background character in the Overwatch franchise's story.
In the lore of the Overwatch series, Balderich von Adler was the late leader of a group of elite soldiers called the Crusaders, equipped with massive suits of medieval-style armor, rocket-powered hammers, and energy shields. Reinhardt was initially a member of this group during the Omnic Crisis - a conflict between humans and robots called Omnics who had become sentient - with Adler serving as his mentor until the latter's death in battle.
The armor replica's creator, Fireshow77, revealed it in a video on Reddit where they tested the movement of the armor's legs. The video shows that the armor is evidently capable of moving, with the creator walking back and forth while wearing it. In the video, the re-created armor is shown to consist of a life-sized replica of the greaves, boots, and chest piece of Balderich von Adler's armor, though the arm pieces and aforementioned helmet of the armor are not seen.
The post revealing the working armor replica is just the latest update. In their previous posts, they showed off their recreation of the helmet for the armor and tested its LED features. Fireshow77 is still in the process of working on it, with further updates to come in the future. They have also answered questions from commenters regarding the armor and how they made it practical to wear.
That Fireshow77 put so much effort and detail into it seems to indicate not only how passionate said creator is about their work but also - to an extent - the Overwatch franchise's capability for inspiring fans to create art based on the series. This is not an isolated case; in fact, the Overwatch fanbase is evidently home to quite an enthusiastic and dedicated costume-making community.
Overwatch 2 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
