Overwatch fandom can’t stop talking about, and drawing, this radically different Mercy concept art.
Over the weekend, at the Overwatch exhibit in Gallery Nucleus in Portland, Oregon, Blizzard had copies of their upcoming Overwatch artbook. An enterprising fan, twitter user Adulture, took a few pictures of the concept art for the game from the book. While a grizzled, older McCree and a Porco Rosso-style Pharah concept were interesting to see, nothing fascinated the fandom more than the concept art for Mercy. In the game that was eventually released, Mercy is a 30-something Swiss woman with a slim build and blonde hair. For at least a moment during development, this same character was a black man with a broad chest and a white ponytail.
Fandom was overcome with emotions about this. While most people are happy with the Mercy we have, the possibility of having this version of Mercy has made some people’s heads spin. It’s such a different design than the Mercy we know and love, and, well, he’s kind of a beefcake. Since the fandom has seen that concept art, artists have been drawing this concept art Mercy almost non-stop.
By far my favorite variation of this fanart are the ones where Mercy and this Mercy concept art meet and interact:
I love Mercy’s design, but I have to admit that this concept art is very, very strong. At least we all have fandom, so we can still show appreciation for something that didn’t come to be in-game.