Overwatch organization: Full history of the Overwatch group & its members

Overwatch’s lore is a complex one with dozens of characters, branching storylines with twists and betrayals, and dozens of factions. So here is everything you need to know about the game’s titular faction. 

Season 10 has arrived, and it brought with it Mirrorwatch, a hypothetical in-game event that reimagines an alternate universe where Talon agents were part of Overwatch, and vice versa. 

But as you hop into Mirrorwatch’s event, you may be wondering who exactly is Overwatch, the namesake of the game, and what’s the story behind it all?

So here is everything you need to know about Overwatch’s lore. 

Exactly who and what is Overwatch?

Overwatch was an international task force created by the United Nations during the Ominic Crisis as an elite strike unit to deal with the crisis. 

But as the Omnic Crisis ended, Overwatch became an international organization, akin to the United Nations, that had a far reach in global influence to maintain world peace. Overwatch expanded from fighting wars, funding research into science with bases like Watchpoint Gibraltar and Ecopoint: Antarctica established as research bases. 

However, once Blackwatch, a top-secret division inside Overwatch used to pull off assassinations, kidnappings, and torture, was discovered, Overwatch was made to disband as governments pressured to UN to abolish it. After its disbanding, the Petras Act made any Overwatch activity illegal. 

Many years after Overwatch’s disbanding, Overwatch was recalled in the midst of Null Sector’s invasion. It was Winston who made the recall, with agents across the world receiving the message. Many of the in-game heroes we play were Overwatch agents. 

Tracer was the first to immediately answer the recall, with Mei shortly after. Others would go on to reconvene in Paris, with Echo, Genji, Mercy, Brigette, and Reinhardt rejoining there.

Who is part of Overwatch? 

Since Overwatch is a massive organization in the game’s universe, there’s a dizzying amount of characters, both playable and not, that have either been with Overwatch or have left it. 

There are dozens more characters from the comics, books, and cinematics that were part of Overwatch as well. 

So to keep this as succinct as possible, we will list out all the playable heroes in the game who were part of Overwatch, their position in the group, and their current status.

Overwatch members

• Winston (Current Overwatch leader)
• Pharah
• Baptiste
• Cassidy (Ex-Blackwatch member)
• Sojourn (Current second-in-command and ex-Overwatch commander)
• Brigette
• Tracer
• Lucio
• Genji (Ex-Blackwatch member)
• D.Va
• Reinhardt (Founding member, ex-lieutenant)
• Zarya
• Mei
• Mercy (Head of medical research)
• Echo
• Bastion
• Soldier: 76 (Founding member, Overwatch’s first commander)
• Reaper (Founding member, ex-strike commander, ex-Blackwatch commander)
• Ana (Founding member, ex-second-in-command)
• Torbjorn (Founding member, ex-chief engineer)
• Moira (Ex-Blackwatch member)
• Cassidy (Ex-Blackwatch member)

In the list, Soldier: 76, Ana, and Torbjorn had either declined Winston’s recall or had not confirmed to rejoin Overwatch. Moira and Reaper most likely didn’t receive the recall as they parted the organization on bad terms, and have since become important figures in Talon. 

What is Overwatch doing now? 

As of writing, Overwatch has just held back Null Sector’s global invasion in Overwatch: Invasion after Winston’s recall. 

When Winston recalled Overwatch, the first member to immediately respond was Tracer. Many of the members would eventually reunite in Paris where Null Sector was attacking. All the members would go on to reconvene at WatchpointL Gibraltar as Overwatch’s base.

The team would go on to travel to different cities to fend off Null Sector’s invasion. First in Rio de Janeiro, where Lucio would be recruited into Overwatch. The team then traveled to Toronto where Sojourn reunited and took her role as second-in-command.

Then Reinhardt and Brigette would travel to Gothenburg to research how to remove Null Sector’s Subjugators head clamps from Omnics with the help of Torbjorn. There, they recruit Bastion, with Torbjorn fully declining Winston’s recall. 

As of now, Overwatch is back in action after Winston’s recall, however, they are technically doing it under illegal pretenses