Wrecking Ball is here as Overwatch’s Hero 28 and the champion of Junkertown

Overwatch is a very, very weird world. Horizon Lunar Colony may have been violently overthrown by angry apes, but the spirit of curiosity and scientific discovery led to an unexpected treasure: Hammond, the incredibly intelligent (and prone to escape) hamster. Hammond wasn’t too interested in the power struggles of Horizon that led to the mass murder of scientists; he just wanted to explore. So, he escaped Horizon and then upgraded his escape pod to be an incredibly deadly weapon of war.

Wait, what?

It’s pretty clear from Wrecking Ball’s origin animation that Hammond is not what we expected.

Hammond’s escape pod landed in Junkertown, where he fought in the mech battle arenas... while keeping his whole ‘hamster’ identity a secret. Probably for the best, as Junkertown is an extremely lawless and dangerous place. After earning his spot as champion of the fighting pits and even standing side by side with the Queen of Junkertown, he’s leaving Australia to explore the world.

We can expect Wrecking Ball to have interactions with Horizon and Junkertown, as well as Winston and the Junkers. We also get our clearest looks yet at the Queen of Junkertown, suggesting that she may be on the horizon as one of the next hero releases.

Wrecking Ball is a total curveball as a hero release, but he fits in with a similar niche as Bastion and Mei: simple, idealistic heroes with base instincts to explore and adventure. In a setting with mounting tension around Talon, geopolitical issues, and Moira running around raising questions of scientific ethics, Wrecking Ball is a breath of fresh air and the perfect palette cleanser before the narrative continues forward.