One of the ways Blizzard has fleshed out Overwatch‘s roster of characters has been through a series of excellent animated shorts that add depth to each of the featured heroes, like this one featuring Mei. On the first day of BlizzCon 2017, Blizzard premiered “Honor and Glory,” a new short focusing on Reinhardt Wilhelm and his tragic backstory. The short begins almost immediately after Winston sent out the call to reunite the surviving members of Overwatch, before diving into a very painful episode from Reinhardt’s past.
As you can see in the video, the younger Reinhardt was a much more arrogant and cocky hero while he was a member of the Crusaders under the command of Balderich von Adler. The bulk of the short takes place immediately before and during the battle of Eichenwalde, which left Reinhardt as the only surviving member of the Crusaders.
There’s some very powerful storytelling within this short, as Reinhardt’s face and body language capture his evolution into a more somber and reflective man. The words “live with honor, die with glory” no longer have the same meaning for Reinhardt when he has to say farewell to his friend and mentor. Even the minor touches like Reinhardt rolling his eyes at Balderich’s words about their obligation as heroes speaks volumes about who he was and who he had to become in the face of tragedy.
This is a truly impressive piece of supplementary content that rivals even the best animated movies in theaters. The team behind these Overwatch animated shorts have produced some phenomenal stories, and we can’t wait to see which character will star in the next one.
What did you think about “Honor and Glory?” Let’s discuss in the comment section below!
Images: Blizzard
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