Between gameplay, animated shorts and comics, the operatives of Overwatch are consistently finding themselves in dangerous situations. Overwatch was globally supported during their heyday, but this all changed with the signing of the Petras Act. This Act deemed any Overwatch activity illegal and effectively disbanded the task force. This led some operatives to return to their respective fields while others, including Tracer, began a career as vigilantes. The Overwatch: Tracer–London Calling miniseries by Mariko Tamaki and Babs Tarr expanded on two animated shorts while explaining how Tracer maintained her chronal accelerator following the disbanding of Overwatch.
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After Overwatch disbanded, Tracer found herself back in London preventing petty crimes. Tensions were high in London as human-omnic relations were at a boiling point as the omnics fought for equal rights following their spiritual awakening. Tracer was invited by Mondatta, the omnic religious leader, to see him speak in King’s Row. The events in Mariko Tamaki and Babs Tarr’s Overwatch: Tracer–London Calling #2 line up perfectly with what happens in the animated short “Alive.”
Tracer felt an odd feeling while watching Mondatta speak and noticed Widowmaker perched near a rooftop. She pursued Widowmaker, but the sniper’s talents shined through. Widowmaker was able to place a shot between Tracer’s blinks which hit and killed Mondatta. Widow took it a step further by slamming Tracer into the side of a building which damaged her chronal accelerator. Tracer’s accelerator is responsible for keeping her anchored to the present and not blinking through time.
This story revealed that Winston continued to send parts for Tracer’s accelerator while using the pseudonym S. Paceape. Luckily for Tracer, one of these packages arrived shortly before she damaged her accelerator in her fight with Widowmaker. Tracer attempted to help the omnics before repairing the accelerator, which caused her collapse in the street. She was saved by an omnic, who with the help of Tracer’s girlfriend, installed the repair parts sent by Winston to fix her chronal accelerator. During a video call with Winston, the part was revealed to be a temporary fix. This led Winston to travel to King’s Row to permanently repair Tracer’s accelerator.
Winston is one of the core Overwatch scientists. He originally designed Tracer’s chronal accelerator, thus it is plausible that he would continue to maintain it even after Overwatch disbanded. People may have assumed that the pair were working in the name of Overwatch if they were seen together, which was illegal. This explains why Winston was sending care packages to Tracer and why he used a pseudonym. While it might seem like Winston or Hammond may have kept the Overwatch operatives’ gear functional after the Petras Act, this does not seem to be the case. Winston and Tracer appear to have a closer relationship than most of the other members of Overwatch.
Tracer and Winston have a friendship that goes beyond the technology that keeps her anchored. In the short “Doomfist Origin Story,” Tracer and Winston get into a fight with Doomfist. During the battle, Doomfist damages Tracer’s chronal accelerator yet again, which sends Winston into an extreme rage, even though Winston knew he could fix the accelerator.
The animated short “Recall” shows another brief example of their relationship as Tracer is the first operative that Winston calls when attempting to reform Overwatch. The best example of their relationship can be seen in Overwatch #10 by Michael Chu and Miki Montlló. This comic depicted the holiday celebrations of the former members of Overwatch. While many members are shown with family and friends, Winston is alone at Watchpoint: Gibraltar anticipating Tracer for dinner. Tracer ran late as she was busy stopping a thief from stealing Christmas presents. Winston prepared to spend another holiday alone but just as he’s about to sit down, Tracer arrived at the door with her girlfriend. Winston was ecstatic to have people to share the holiday with and the fact that his only invitation went to Tracer speaks to the strength of their friendship.
The lore of Overwatch is bound to continue growing as Overwatch 2 draws ever nearer. With Overwatch 2‘s anticipated story missions, Tracer and Winston’s relationship has an opportunity to be further expanded. Tracer is arguably the face of Overwatch and it’s likely that she will have a center spotlight during the events of Overwatch 2.
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