Overwatch: A Story Guide to Reaper
Reaper, real name Gabriel Reyes, is one of the central characters to the events that take place within the Overwatch universe.
Before the omnic crisis, Reyes joined the US military. He fit right in, and soon earned a senior officer position, veteran status, and the respect of his subordinated and colleagues.
Due to this, Reyes earned himself a spot in the government’s classified soldier enhancement program. He was dubbed “soldier: 24,” and alongside Overwatch commander Jack Morrison “soldier: 76,” he received superhuman strength, agility, and speed.
During the omnic crisis, Morrison and Reyes fought off the impending invasion as part of the United States military. As a result of their skill, they caught the eye of the United Nations, who were recruiting potential candidates for their Overwatch strike force.
During the war, Reyes and Morrison became great friends and joined Overwatch together. Reyes was given initial command of the group for the remained of the omnic crisis.
After the war, the top brass saw fit to hand the official title of the first commander to Morrison, believing him to be a more conventional, less rouge-like military leader. Reyes had no problem with this, preferring not to hold such a critical role, but Morrison disagreed with the decision.
Reyes was then given command of Overwatch’s Blackwatch unit. Under his command, the group flourished, and he recruited McCree, Genji, Moira, and many others to its ranks. It was during this time that Moira carried out an experiment on him, which resulted in the key characteristics displayed by Reaper today.
As time progressed, Reyes' actions with Blackwatch became more and more questionable, pushing the boundaries of what could be considered ethical. Tensions grew between himself and Morrison, even though Morrison was always quick to jump to his defense.
After Talon emerged on his radar, Reyes and McCree were present in Rome, working on a plan to bring in Bartalotti. After exiting the facility, it blew up as a result of a Talon bomb. The blast killed 14 Blackwatch agents and left McCree, and Reyes shook up.
At Overwatch HQ, Reyes and Morrison came to blows about how to respond. Reyes wanted to launch a Blackwatch operation against Bartalotti, to apprehend him and interrogate him. Morrison warned that this would infringe on Italy’s sovereignty and would have drastic consequences for the organization. Ultimately, he left the decision with Reyes, who went ahead with it.
During the operation, Reyes executed Bartalotti. This resulted in the existence of Blackwatch being made public and led to the series of events that eventually resulted in the downfall of Overwatch.
Back at HQ, Reyes was grilled by several high-ranking Overwatch officials, including Morrison. Reyes was unapologetic but recounted the mission, nonetheless.
After the downfall of the organization, Reyes led a rebellion against Morrison’s leadership. The result was a duel in which both men were presumed dead. However, they both survived.
Reyes reemerged as Reaper and began systematically hunting down and killing any remaining Overwatch agents.
He began working with Talon, and earned a spot on their ruling council, spearheading many of their terrorist assaults on the new Overwatch.