Does Reaper work both straight and as a parody?

[WindKnight]

We all know Reaper - he of the hooded trenchcoat, the skullmask, dual shotguns, and uber techowraih edginess, and while I know there's a certain demographic that eats that all up and LOVES it in a serious manner... I'm finding I quite enjoying the character as a parody with how over the top everything about him is, and it doesn't really take a lot to make him funny.

Doo you think this was a deliberate aim of Blizzard when they were coming up with him?

(also, enjoy these [http://thepunchlineismachismo.com/archives/comic/reaper-has-a-chill-day] comics [http://thepunchlineismachismo.com/archives/comic/my-favourite-14-year-old-60-year-old] about him, and this [https://twitter.com/ReaperNames/with_replies] twitter account dedicated to... interesting names of reaper players.)

 

[Bilious Green_v1legacy]

Isn't every character is Overwatch an archetype turned up to eleven? Nothing about it seems inclined towards being taken seriously.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Can you take any Overwatch character seriously?

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

Surprisingly, he does kinda work both ways. XD

On the serious side, he's a man in endless pain, dealing with what he perceives as a betrayal, brought back from the dead into some kind of abomination, which generates some sympathy offset by how outright evil he is.

On the other hand, he's so over the top edgy that even Winston can make fun of him in-game.

This duality serves to make him both more interesting, as well as just plain more hilarious too. It's great.

It's why stuff like this can exist and be so damn silly that I love it:

 

[RaikuFA]

Can you take any Overwatch character seriously?

Bastion. Maybe Widowmaker.

 

[RedDeadFred]

Can you take any Overwatch character seriously?

How are you not gonna take Dad 76 seriously? Maybe you're one of the "young punks" he wants off his lawn.

 

[Saetha]

I don't know about a parody, but if the fan art I've seen on Tumblr is an indication he's definitely not straight. *Ba-dum tssssh*

Surprisingly, he does kinda work both ways. XD

Hey-oooooooo.

 

[MrCalavera_v1legacy]

Of course not. He only works as straight as it gets.


[img src=http://66.media.tumblr.com/a1a967fbd74c696c41a6f8b017126f83/tumblr_o7a7v8LZdR1s68p7oo1_500.gif]
[img src=https://66.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m96n3x0nzk1rnbcv3o1_400.gif]

Overwatch is a serious game for serious people. I cry everytime i remember someone programmed a robot to experience PTSD.

 

[Aeshi]

Honestly, I think he works because he's treated the way a person like him would be treated IRL.

Which is to say, nobody takes him seriously at all.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

There has never been a single Blizzard character worth taking serious, with the possible exception of good ol' Deckard Cain, because you have quiet the treasure there in that Horadric cube!

 

[SlumlordThanatos]

I didn't know that the ReaperNames Twitter account even existed. I needed that in my life.

But honestly, his backstory and theme are an odd juxtaposition. Backstory says he should be taken seriously, but his over-the-top quotes ("I'm not a psychopath. I'm a high-functioning psychopath") and visual design just reeks of Little Timmy's First OC.

 

[WindKnight]

Of course not. He only works as straight as it gets.


[img src=http://66.media.tumblr.com/a1a967fbd74c696c41a6f8b017126f83/tumblr_o7a7v8LZdR1s68p7oo1_500.gif]
[img src=https://66.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m96n3x0nzk1rnbcv3o1_400.gif]

Overwatch is a serious game for serious people. I cry everytime i remember someone programmed a robot to experience PTSD.[/QUOTE]

I must admit, seeing that I now really want a sequel to Concerned [http://www.hlcomic.com/] set in the Overwatch universe with the Gabriel Reyes skin.

 

[Redryhno]

I didn't know that the ReaperNames Twitter account even existed. I needed that in my life.

But honestly, his backstory and theme are an odd juxtaposition. Backstory says he should be taken seriously, but his over-the-top quotes ("I'm not a psychopath. I'm a high-functioning psychopath") and visual design just reeks of Little Timmy's First OC.

To be fair, that's more Blizzard's writing staff in general being sorta incompetent at characterization and Overwatch trying to be Pixar friendly than anything.

 

[TheMysteriousGX]

The best parodies also work as an example of what they're parodying. Take Airplane! for example. A hilarious parody of airplane emergency movies as well as being a textbook example of an airplane emergency movie.

 

[Lightspeaker]

Isn't every character is Overwatch an archetype turned up to eleven? Nothing about it seems inclined towards being taken seriously.

This.

Genji is a cyborg ninja from Japan.

McCree is literally an old-west gunslinger.

Soldier 76 is the grizziliest of grizzly old cynical veterans.

Widowmaker looks like a femme fatale straight out of a film noir.


Etc etc.

You're talking about a game where the most healing-focussed character literally has WINGS. Its not a game for subtlty. Compared to Reinhardt, Mercy or McCree...Reaper is almost subtle in his design. X-D

 

[gyrobot_v1legacy]

And D.Va is basically animu waifu. And as for Reaper. I liked him when his name was Spawn.

Isn't every character is Overwatch an archetype turned up to eleven? Nothing about it seems inclined towards being taken seriously.

This.

Genji is a cyborg ninja from Japan.

McCree is literally an old-west gunslinger.

Soldier 76 is the grizziliest of grizzly old cynical veterans.

Widowmaker looks like a femme fatale straight out of a film noir.


Etc etc.

You're talking about a game where the most healing-focussed character literally has WINGS. Its not a game for subtlty. Compared to Reinhardt, Mercy or McCree...Reaper is almost subtle in his design. X-D

And this is a selling point on Overwatch vs Battleborn. Battleborn tries to do these unique designs only to fall so flat that the only character I gave a crap about was Marquis the kill the poor robot sniper.