Reaper

Reaper is a Damage hero in Overwatch.

Overview
Hellfire Shotguns, the ghostly ability to become immune to damage, and the power to step between shadows make Reaper one of the deadliest beings on Earth.

Strategy
Strength

Reaper is a short-ranged flanker and one of the deadliest heroes in the game up close, with even Tanks like Reinhardt and Roadhog melting under the power of his Hellfire Shotguns. Wraith Form is one of the greatest invulnerability tools in the game; Reaper can use it to escape or chase his enemies thanks to his increased speed and immediate reload. Shadow Step is another flanking ability; provided enough time to set it up, he can use it to move to any location within his line-of-sight. When the main fight begins, Death Blossom can turn the tide of battle when using it in the middle of the fight. Its high constant damage can tear most heroes to shreds if they are not prepared. Reaper's relative simplicity makes him a good hero for new players, while still remaining deadly in experienced hands.

Weakness

Reaper lacks in-combat mobility, as his Wraith Form is mainly used to save his life and escape from near-death situations, and Shadow Step is very loud and makes Reaper unable to move for a while, so he becomes easy prey if spotted. Reaper works best in close-combat and is nearly useless in fighting at mid- to- long range due to quick damage falloff and the large spread of his weapon. Death Blossom is easy to shut down by stunning Reaper or blocking it with a friendly barrier. Reaper is most effective in a team composition or a map that keeps the fight in close-quarters.

Weapons & Abilities

 * The Reaping (Passive): Reaper's sustain ability. As Reaper damages his foes, he receives a portion of the damage he deals back as Health.
 * This provides Reaper with a steady stream of healing, so long as he's in combat. This can help him to survive for long periods of time in areas without many Health Packs.
 * This can provide Reaper with valuable in-combat healing. If up against multiple opponents, aim to damage the targets with the highest Health to maintain your own Health.


 * Hellfire Shotguns: Reaper's primary weapon. The primary fire will cause Reaper to alternate shooting his two shotguns, with no secondary fire mode. These shotguns have a wide spread and deal high damage at short range, but have high damage falloff past that range.
 * Hellfire Shotguns deal extremely high damage at short range, allowing Reaper to quickly kill targets that he gets the jump on, especially Tanks with large hitboxes which allows most of the pellets to connect.
 * As the shotguns have high damage falloff and a wide spread, aim to get up close to your enemies so that you can deal the most damage possible.


 * Wraith Form: When activated, Reaper assumes a gaseous purple form for a short period of time. While in this form, he is invincible and untargetable by any enemy weapons or abilities and ignores enemy collision. He also moves faster for the duration. However, he cannot attack or use any abilities during this time.
 * This is Reaper's main method of escape. If you suddenly find yourself surrounded by enemies, activate Wraith Form and make a break for the safest location you can find. Offensively, it can also be used to chase down enemies due to the speed increase.
 * When timed properly, Reaper can avoid potentially deadly attacks with this ability, such as Roadhog's Chain Hook, Reinhardt's Charge, or McCree's Flashbang. Try to anticipate your enemy's attacks and use Wraith Form before they hit.
 * Using Wraith Form will remove Zenyatta's Orb Of Discord as well as Tracer's Pulse Bomb. It will also remove the effect of Ana's Biotic Grenade and Widowmaker's Venom Mine.
 * Try luring the enemy to waste some strong attack by staying close to them and using Wraith Form to avoid it, such as Roadhog's Hook or McCree's Flashbang. Once they lose it, cancel Wraith Form early and attack them at point-blank range before their cooldown timer expires. Remember that your shotguns will be fully reloaded upon using this ability.


 * Shadow Step: When activated, Reaper will switch to a targeting mode, allowing him to select a point within his line of sight to Shadow Step to. Once he finds a suitable point, he can press the primary fire button to teleport to the target location after a short delay.
 * This is Reaper's main method of flanking. Use Shadow Step to get to higher ground or behind enemy lines without having to travel there directly.
 * Note that Reaper is immobile and cannot use weapons or abilities while using Shadow Step. He is also completely vulnerable to attack at the target location while the teleportation completes. Try to only Shadow Step from and to a safe position, as you otherwise make an easy target, especially for snipers such as Widowmaker, Hanzo, and Ana.
 * Shadow Step's voice line is loud enough that Reaper can be heard from a considerable distance away. Be careful when using it as a flank method, and make sure that the enemy won't hear his approach.


 * Death Blossom (Ultimate): Reaper's Ultimate ability. When activated, Reaper begins to fire his shotguns in a large area-of-effect (AoE) around himself, dealing massive damage to all nearby enemies that are within his line of sight for a short period of time. His movement speed is slowed for the duration, and he cannot use normal attacks or abilities. This is a channeled ability, and stuns will immediately end Death Blossom's effect.
 * Death Blossom is of the deadliest Ultimates in the game against a stacked enemy team. Look for opportunities where your opponents are clumped together and where you can silently approach to unleash Death Blossom.
 * Death Blossom's damage is treated in much the same way as Hellfire Shotguns, meaning that it will be blocked by barriers, D.Va's Defense Matrix, and solid objects as well as enemy players themselves. Try to make sure that your opponents don't have a corner they can duck behind when you activate Death Blossom, or you may end up wasting your Ultimate.
 * Death Blossom always checks line-of-sight on each hero in range to deal damage instead of spreading the same damage output around. When there are more targets behind a barrier, all of the shots will be put on the barrier, which will greatly break it apart if not outright destroy it. When standing behind friendly targets, the first target that blocks line-of-sight for his/her teammates will receive all of the damage, based on how many targets are behind him.
 * Remember that heroes with stuns, like McCree and Roadhog, can interrupt your Ultimate. Be cautious about using Death Blossom around them if their stuns are off cooldown.

General Strategies

 * Reaper's high damage output makes him a great counter to durable characters like Winston or Roadhog. Consider using Reaper if up against multiple Tanks.


 * Reaper is usually not effective as a straightforward Assault hero like Pharah or Soldier: 76. Instead, use a combination of Shadow Step and side routes to carefully maneuver behind your opponents so that you can ambush them with your Hellfire Shotguns. Having good knowledge of each map and learning where Reaper can use Shadow Step effectively greatly increases his usefulness. Don't be afraid to spend time in a Custom Game on each of the maps finding out where Shadow Step can take you.


 * Try to focus your gameplay around Wraith Form's cooldown. When Wraith Form is off cooldown, you can afford to play more aggressively, since you have it available to escape if needed. When Wraith Form is on cooldown, play more defensively and don't take unnecessary risks.


 * When flanking, look to pick off lone targets rather than charging straight into a group (unless Death Blossom is available). While Reaper is more durable than other flankers, his lack of in-combat mobility means that he relies solely on Wraith Form to escape, and its short duration means that enemy heroes can follow and kill you easily if you're too far away from your own team.


 * It can be tempting to use Death Blossom when at low health, since this would remove the sources of the damage you're taking. Never do this. The enemy team will focus on you as soon as you use it, and Death Blossom ends immediately when Reaper dies.


 * When ambushing with Death Blossom, look for ledges or other raised areas that you can leap off of to get into the middle of the enemy team before activating your Ultimate. Always use the element of surprise in your favor.


 * When Reaper reloads, his magazine refills very quickly after reloading — roughly at the point Reaper fully releases his shotguns and they fall from his view — meaning you don't have to finish the animation. Taking an action other than firing (entering Wraith Form, using a quick melee attack, etc.) at the moment the ammo counter shows a full magazine of 8/8 allows for less time watching a useless animation and a faster response time, which is helpful against targets such as Reinhardt and Roadhog, who can kill you while you are vulnerable reloading.
 * Keep in mind that Wraith Form will reload your shotguns as one of its own side-effects, so using Wraith Form just as a means to cancel your reload animation is essentially wasting Wraith Form.

Story
"Death walks among you."

- Reaper

Due to experiments carried out by Doctor Moira O'Deorain, Reaper's cells simultaneously decay and regenerate at a hyper-accelerated rate. Even after the complete destruction of his body, Reaper has been observed to retain some kind of form as a black mist, apparently able to regain physical form at a later point. He has described living in the condition as a form of "constant agony," though it is only through O'Deorain's experiments that he is able to stay alive.

Pre-Omnic Crisis
The man who would later be known as Reaper was originally known as Gabriel Reyes. He was born in Los Angeles. Prior to the Omnic Crisis, he joined the United States military, where he achieved a senior officer position. He achieved veteran status, and was highly respected.

Reyes earned a coveted position in the government's controversial and still-classified (but widely acknowledged) "soldier enhancement program." Military scientists shaped Reyes and other inductees into the perfect soldiers, blessed with superhuman speed, strength, and agility. Similar to Jack Morrison being referred to as Soldier: 76, during the soldier enhancement program, Reyes was referred to as Soldier: 24.

The Omnic Crisis
"Gabriel built our team to save humanity, but he couldn’t rebuild afterwards. Adawe and the others thought Morrison was the one who could."

- Ana Amari

Reyes and his fellow augmented soldiers soon put their abilities to use with the advent of the Omnic Crisis. As governments tried and failed to neutralize the omnics, the United Nations was busy forming an international task force called Overwatch. This small, experimental group would bring together the best and brightest from around the world to wage asymmetrical warfare against the robots. Overwatch's short list of prospective agents included two members of the soldier enhancement program: Reyes and Jack Morrison from rural Indiana, whose work ethic and courage caught the eye of the military brass back home. Reyes and Morrison became fast friends, despite their different backgrounds, and decided to join Overwatch together. Reyes was given leadership of the group, but it was Morrison who would have a greater impact on the group in the long term. He brought out the best in the people around him and helped mold Overwatch's diverse (and sometimes conflicting) agents into a cohesive fighting force.

Alongside Morrison and Ana Amari, Reyes took part in an operation at Rio de Janeiro. By this stage, the burden of leadership was beginning to get to him.

In unity, they found the strength to defeat the robots and end the Omnic Crisis. Morrison, because of the key role he played in shaping the group, was given the position of strike commander by the UN, the first, official commanding officer of Overwatch. Reyes was overlooked due to being "too rogue," along with his maverick leadership style. Ana Amari was of the opinion that Reyes was overlooked as Gabrielle Adawe felt that Morrison could lead rebuilding efforts better than him, further commenting that Morrison "looked the part" of a war hero.

Despite losing his rank, Reyes was relieved that Morrison was given the position, preferring to be the number 2 rather than hold the more political position. Morrison told Reyes that they made the wrong choice, that Reyes should have been in charge, but regardless, Morrison retained the position.

At some point after the Crisis, Reyes started a family.

Blackwatch
Reyes became the commander of Overwatch's Blackwatch unit. After a sting operation that resulted in the apprehension of Jesse McCree (a member of the Deadlock Gang, Reyes visited the man, as he was impressed with his expert marksmanship and resourcefulness. Reyes gave McCree the choice between rotting in a maximum security prison, or joining Blackwatch. McCree chose the latter. Reyes gave him personal instruction.

At some point, Reyes and Gerard Lacroix partook in an operation in Cape Town, where Lacroix apparently saved Reyes, though Reyes remained mute on what actually happened (though in recollection, apparently found the experience amusing).

Another individual that Reyes recruited into Blackwatch was disgraced geneticist Moira O'Deorain, as he wanted someone who could advise him on genetics. O'Deorain's experiments on Reyes gave him supernatural abilities he would later demonstrate as "Reaper."

A Growing Rift
At least for a time Reyes remained on good terms with the rest of the team. On one Halloween, he dressed up as a pumpkin-headed monster, bursting through the door as Reinhardt was telling a Halloween story. Angela Ziegler and Torbjörn gave praise to his costume, with Ziegler asking him if he'd be open to designing their official uniforms. He responded "that'll be the day."

As time time went on, the tension between Reyes and Morrison worsened, even though Morrison spent a lot of time defending Reyes's more questionable actions.

Rome
"Our enemies think they can get away with this. They think Overwatch has limits to how far it will go to protect the world...because it follows a system of rules that Talon doesn't play by. But what they don't realize is...I don't play by those rules either."

- Gabriel Reyes

Nine years before the present day, Talon appeared on Overwatch's radar. One year later, Reyes was in Rome's new Blackwatch facility alongside McCree to meet up with Gérard Lacroix, who was spearheading anti-Talon operations. Lacroix briefed them on Antonio, a Talon arms dealer who had links with the Italian government, and who was also behind a recent attack on Overwatch's Oslo facilities. Antonio was holed up in a compound in Venice. McCree was all for a "road trip," but Lacroix pointed out that Antonio was too well connected, and planned to play the long game in bringing Antonio to justice. Reyes agreed with Lacroix, and left the building with McCree. Seconds after exiting, the building was destroyed in an explosion set by a Talon agent. Reyes and McCree rushed into the burning rubble to save whoever they could find, with Reyes pulling out Lacroix.

Reyes was shaken by the event. Lacroix survived, and Ziegler informed him that he would make a full recovery, but at least 14 other agents and personnel weren't as lucky. At Overwatch Headquarters, he discussed the issue with Morrison as they placed Overwatch flags on the coffins, with Morrison stating that they'd launch an official investigation. Reyes stated that Morrison's approach of "by the book" wasn't working, and that Antonio would weasel his way out of any proceedings launched at him. He told Morrison that he wanted to apprehend Antonio to interrogate him, but Morrison pointed out that if such an operation was sanctioned, it would be a violation of Italy's sovereignty, and would erode the public trust in Overwatch. Reyes agreed that officially Morrison could never do so, but Blackwatch could get it done with no one the wiser. Morrison left the final choice with Reyes, but asked him to seriously consider if it would help Overwatch keep the world safe in the long run.

After silently thinking things over at Lacroix's bedside, Reyes decided to go ahead with the op, with himself, McCree, O'Deorain, and Genji Shimada taking the "road trip" that McCree had suggested back in Rome. Reyes planned to snatch Antonio from Venice for a few days of interrogation, and use what he knew of Talon to hit the organization hard.

Rialto
"You sure you want to hear about this Jack? You haven't left me much choice. Whatever happened to plausible deniability? Little late for that."

- Reyes and Morrison in the debriefing

Arriving in Venice, Reyes and his team used the safehouse there and set up survaillance on Antonio's manor. It was heavily guarded by Talon soldiers, but when night fell, the unit moved in. The initial plan was to go in quietly, and in that, they succeeded, stealthily making their way to Antonio's office. Antonio however, was unfazed, calling Reyes by name. He pointed out that Overwatch abducting a "respected businessman" would be a public relations nightmare, and even if they did take him, Antonio's "friends" would have him released within the week. Reyes, after some thought, said "you're right," and shot Antonio, sending his body flying out the office window, much to the constenation of McCree. This alerted the guards to their presence, and the Blackwatch team had to fight their way out of the manor. As they fought, Reyes and McCree continued to verbally spar over Reyes's actions. O'Deorain however, stated that Reyes had done the right thing. Reyes stated that he'd never apologised for anything before, and that he didn't intend to start now&mdash;someone had to get things done.

The team succeeded in escaping the manor. In the aftermath, Morrison was incensed by Reyes's actions; the attack was reported in the press, and the existence of Blackwatch had been made public. Reyes was debriefed by Morrison, Ana Amari, and a recovered Lacroix. Morrison grilled Reyes in the debriefing, demanding to know what had actually happened. Reyes snidely responded to Morrison's demands, but nonetheless recounted the Rialto mission. In his debrief, he pointed out that things don't always go according to plan, and stood by the decisions he had made.

Uprising
"Sounds like the Brits have the situation under control. Ever the hero, Gabriel. I'm not the one with the statue."

- Reyes and Ana Amari

Seven years before the present day, Reyes and Morrison attended a briefing on the King's Row Uprising in Overwatch's headquarters. During the briefing, Blackwatch agent McCree reported on a developing hostage situation occurring at a power plant, despite the prime minister of England's demands that Overwatch remain out of the crisis. Angered by the breach of protocol, Reyes shrugged off Jack's accusing finger, stating that McCree was merely on "vacation," and that he was not tied down by the statute. He left the command room, stating that the Brits had this under control, snidely drawing reference to Morrison's statue in the headquarters's courtyard.

The following day, a strike team sent in by Morrison arrived in King's Row. Reyes informed them that Blackwatch assets had reported that Null Sector had set up heavy fortifications, and they had tactical control of the area. Null Sector was defeated, but the events that transpired were classified within Overwatch's archives.

Reflections
After Ana disappeared in an operation conducted in Poland, Reyes assigned McCree to find her. However, Overwatch was unable to find her.

The End of Overwatch
"Why am I being subjected to this agony? No need to thank me, I only saved your life."

- Moira and Reyes at some point after the blast

Ultimately, Overwatch met its end through a combination of accusations that tainted the organization's reputation, and Reyes himself. Officially, Reyes and Morrison were killed in the blast that destroyed Overwatch's Swiss headquarters, an event the UN ruled as an accident. In reality, Overwatch had become split down the middle, with Reyes leading a rebellion against Morrison's leadership. As a battle was waged within the base, their fighting triggered an explosion that destroyed the facility, and apparently took Reyes and Morrison into the inferno with it. He had somehow survived the incident, however. To this day, Reyes's true agenda remains unknown. He blamed Morrison for what had happened to him, and he didn't believe that his former friend had perished in the blast. He set out on a personal crusade to find Morrison and finish what had begun in Switzerland.

Reyes was only able to survive the blast because of Moira's experiments (she may have played a direct role in saving him from the event). Reyes was left in a state of constant agony as a result, but, thanks to the experiments, at least kept alive.

Reaper
"Some speak of a black-robed terrorist known only as the Reaper. His identity and motives are a mystery. What is known is that where he appears, death follows."

- Character description

Reyes resurfaced as a volatile mercenary known as "Reaper." His identity and motives remained unknown. Now a ruthless and remorseless killer, he was responsible for terrorist attacks throughout the world. He fought in many armed conflicts throughout the 6 years since the blast, showing no loyalty to any cause or organization. Survivors described him as a black shadow ghosting unscathed through the most hellish battlefields. The few bodies recovered of his victims were pale, empty husks drained of life, their cells showing signs of intense degradation. It was speculated that Reaper was a byproduct of failed genetic alteration which forced his cells to simultaneously decay and regenerate at a hyper-accelerated rate.

Those attempting to track his movements began to see a pattern in his appearances. They believed (correctly) that Reaper was hunting former Overwatch agents and systematically eliminating them. This was indeed the case, as Reaper carried a list of Overwatch agents that he intended on eliminating.

Watchpoint: Gibraltar
"I'll be sure to send them your regards, monkey."

- Reaper to Winston

Alongside Talon operatives, Reaper entered Watchpoint: Gibraltar in an effort to gain a list of Overwatch agents. The Talon soldiers kept Winston occupied long enough for Reaper to begin downloading the agent database, but soon found themselves overpowered, forcing Reaper to enter the fray. He quickly incapacitated Winston, and mocked the ape that he'd send his fellow agents his regards. Winston stunned Reaper by activating a shield device that detonated, and then used his Tesla Cannon on Reaper, incinerating him. Yet despite this, a cloud of black mist was seen leaving the base awhile later.

In truth, Reaper not only survived Winston's cannon, but had managed to gain access to a portion of the database. He used the data to eliminate a number of Overwatch agents.

Doomfist's Gauntlet
"Die."

- Reaper

Having regained physical form, Reaper teamed up with Widowmaker in order to steal Doomfist's gauntlet, but was hampered by former Overwatch agents Tracer and Winston. While he initially held the advantage, breaking Winston's glasses was enough to send the ape into a berserk fury, and Reaper and Widowmaker were forced to retreat without the device, having been used by a bystander to punch Widowmaker which ended up damaging the gauntlet, their foes hot on their heels.

Old Soldiers
"They left you to die. They left me to suffer...Never forget that."

- Reaper's parting words

Reaper was present in Egypt while Hakim was trying to set a trap for Morrison, now waging a one-man war as "Soldier: 76." Hakim's compound came under attack by Morrison, though Reaper managed to get the jump on his old nemesis, shooting him in the back. Before he could finish off Morrison, he was interrupted by Ana Amari, another former Overwatch operative. She healed Morrison through her biotic rifle, and Reaper and Morrison engaged in a fist fight. Reaper was again able to incapacitate Morrison, and engaged in a dual with Ana, bitterly commenting that he shouldn't be surprised, that Ana had always taken Jack's side during their days in Overwatch. In the fight, Ana pulled off his mask, revealing his identity as Gabriel Reyes, and his disfigured face. Reaper faded away, commenting that Overwatch had left him to die, and that Ana should never forget what happened to him.

Reflections
At Christmas, Reaper stalked his family down the streets through the rain.

Valkyrie
Reaper led a Talon assault on the Temple of Anubis in Egypt. In the ensuing battle against the HSI forces, Talon also had to contend with Morrison and Ana resurfacing. Morrison apparently engaged Reaper, but when asked about what happened, simply commented "old soldiers are hard to kill." Reaper apparently headed for Europe after the attack.

Infiltration
Reaper worked with Widowmaker and Sombra in a mission to assassinate Katya Volskaya, the CEO of Volskaya Industries, on the orders of Vialli. Sombra hacked the site's systems, allowing Reaper to bypass the factory's defenses and get within striking distance of the target, though it would be Widowmaker who would take the shot. The operation went awry when an alarm was sounded, and Widowmaker missed her shot in the commotion. Reaper ordered her to hold the perimeter while he entered the factory, guns blazing, killing numerous guards. He was confronted by a mech, which temporarily incapacitated him, and he ordered that Sombra take out the target. Reaper was able to reduce the mech to a pile of scrap, but Sombra reported that Katya had escaped. Furious, Reaper ordered that the agents return to the ship. He walked off, throwing away his shotguns in frustration.

In truth, Sombra had let Volskaya live, in an attempt to gain leverage over her due to her dealings with the omnics. Reaper later developed suspicions about her actions with Volskaya, possibly learning the truth in its entirety.

Prison Break
"You're late."

- Reaper to Doomfist, upon the latter's escape

Reaper was able to gain access to a Helix Securities maximum security prison, using an aircraft that was able to penetrate the base's defenses, likely due to Talon moles within Helix. Once inside the base's perimeter, Reaper headed to the prison grounds. He killed over a dozen of the base's security agents, before breaking out Doomfist, as well as possibly other inmates.

Masquerade
"Targets neutralized."

- Reaper, after killing Vialli's men

Away from the base, Doomfist and Reaper discussed recent Talon operations, such as the assassination of Mondatta, and the failed assassination of Volskaya. He discussed his list with Doomfist, and how Morrison and Ana were still on it. When asked if that was due to sentimentality on his part, Reaper denied it. He helped set Doomfist up with Maximilien in Monaco, where Vialli sent some of his men to assassinate Doomfist. The attempt failed, and Reaper, along with Doomfist, Widowmaker, and Sombra, headed for Venice. There, they killed Vialli's men, while Doomfist killed Vialli himself. Afterwards, Doomfist and Reaper met with Talon's inner council, where Doomfist declared his intention to start a war.

Trivia

 * Reapers are a type of unit in Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft series. Like Reaper himself, they dual-wield firearms and wear masks.


 * A statue of Reaper was present at GamesCom 2015.


 * A Reaper portrait is available in StarCraft II for those who purchase the Origins Edition.


 * Reaper bears resemblance to the Grim Reaper, from various real-world cultures.


 * Reaper's stance bears resemblance to the Diablo III antagonist Malthael.


 * Reaper's face mask's design is similar to the Blackwatch logo as well as his emblem, possibly to highlight that he was the leader of the group or they all symbolize an owl which represents death.


 * It is possible for Reaper to one hit kill every hero except Bastion and tanks.


 * Reaper wears bandoliers of grenade shells


 * Reaper's reload animation is possibly a reference to the lobby shootout scene from The Matrix.


 * Reaper's guns open up when fired on all of his skins and on his default sets have vents on the outside that say "🔺Caution" with the red arrow pointing to them as well as a glowing red switch that's always set to "OFF" as it says. Similarly his set of shotguns on his Soldier: 24 skin say "◀ Caution Moving Part" on them.


 * Reaper's guns actually have different words on them for each set of skins such as:
 * Default sets say "RPNT", "RPNT MK6", "MN 666-SHGX1", and "WTL-Type 8 Devil Chamber"
 * Blackwatch Reyes say "BLK001"
 * Plague Doctor and Nevermore say "CRW-ND"
 * Biker say "Speed Fang", "T4", and "REAPER"
 * Soldier: 24 say "RVGR" and "US ADVANCED MILITARY ARMS RESEARCH INSTITUTE ALLOY SUPERFOIL TYPE-24"


 * Death Blossom might be a reference to
 * a weapon used in the 1984 movie The Last Starfighter named Death Blossom.
 * Katarina from League of Legends, whose ultimate "Death Lotus" behaves similarly.
 * Strafe, an ability for the Demon Hunter class from Diablo III, another Blizzard title.
 * the art of Gun-kata from the movie Equilibrium.
 * a military term used to describe a group of men firing wildly in all directions surrounding the group.


 * The "CRW-ND" written on Plague Doctor and Nevermore skins' guns might be a reference to "crowning", a technique from the game Left 4 Dead that involves focusing the devastating fire of a shotgun in point blank range on the Witch, a very high health enemy, essentially killing her before she can react - this being a reference to Reaper's tank busting abilities.
 * It may be a play on the gaming term "owned", crossed with the skins' "crow" theme ("crow-ned", rather than "crown-ed").


 * Reaper's Pumpkin skin is shown on the poster of The Reapening.


 * According to Reaper's dog tag on his Soldier: 24 skin his blood type is AB Negative, his soldier ID number is 06 0000 0024, and he has no religion.


 * Contradictory information exists as to the nature of Reaper and Morrison's relationship. An Atlas News post in 2015 stated that Morrison becoming head of Overwatch was the source of the rift between them. In 2018, Jeff Kaplan stated that there was no rift, that Reyes was happy for Morrison to have the more political role and be "number two," as there would be less accountability.


 * Reaper was a big basketball and football fan. His favourite team was the L.A Lakers.


 * Reaper is of Hispanic descent. His Mariachi skin might imply that he is specifically of Mexican ancestry.


 * Reaper appears as a cosplay skin for Valla in Heroes of the Storm.

Merchandise

 * A Funko Pop Reaper figurine was released in June, 2016.


 * A 12" Reaper statue was made available in 2017.


 * A Figma Reaper statue will ship from Blizzard in 2019.

Development
Prior to the development of Overwatch, Reaper was the name of one of the player classes in the cancelled Project Titan, which in the original pitch for the game that would become Overwatch was envisioned as wielding dual shotguns and a magnum, and using the abilities Death Blossom and Shadow Walk. This class was reworked into the present day Reaper as one of the first three characters designed for Overwatch, alongside Tracer and Widowmaker. The character of Reaper was inspired entirely by concept art for the game&mdash;his actual character was developed after his appearance was presented. Under Overwatch's original leveling system, Reaper's wraith form would give him healing abilities once he reached a certain level. Reaper once had a slimmer design with a mask that was more human looking and dual wielded SMGs.

Reaper's appearance was redesigned for Overwatch 2, with silver replacing white in terms of his color scheme.