| Junker Queen | |
|---|---|
| Overwatch character | |
 Junker Queen's appearance in Overwatch 2 | |
| First appearance | Overwatch (2017 update) |
| First game | Overwatch 2 (2022) |
| Created by | Arnold Tsang[1] |
| Voiced by | Siho Ellsmore (Overwatch)[2] Leah de Niese (Overwatch 2)[3] |
| In-universe information | |
| Class | Tank |
| Nationality | Australian |
The Junker Queen is a character who first appears in a small role in the 2016 video game Overwatch, a Blizzard Entertainment–developed first-person shooter. Designed by Arnold Tsang, she was introduced as a background character in a 2017 update for Overwatch to help establish the game's "Junkertown" setting, she serves as its ruler. Her voice can be heard at various points on the in-game map of the same name, broadcasting over its PA system. In the game's 2022 sequel, Overwatch 2, she was added as a playable character upon release, establishing her real name as Odessa "Dez" Stone and expanding her backstory. Voiced by Siho Ellsmore in the original Overwatch, Leah de Niese took over the role for the character's full reveal in Overwatch 2.
Despite only appearing in voice and on a poster in the map itself, the character developed a prominent fandom since her introduction. Players hoped for a playable version of her to be added to the title, while various fan works and cosplays followed suit, with game director Jeff Kaplan further teasing her inclusion. After her release in Overwatch 2, media outlets heavily praised her design, mainly in terms of the visual diversity she brought to the game's female designs. She was repeatedly praised by TechRadar in particular, whose writers used her as an example of a character with an outfit that empowered rather than objectified, and how they wanted to see similar character variety in the game. However complaints also arose, such as Mathew Rodriguez of Kotaku feeling her design followed much in the same vein as other female Overwatch characters by portraying her with a slender body and a lack of visible scars, and some players calling her too dissimilar from other "tank" class characters, instead seeming narrow and leading to them confusing her for other characters during gameplay.
- ^ Kaplan, Jeff (April 17, 2019). I asked Jeff Kaplan about NEW HEROES in Overwatch. ohNickel!. Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023 – via YouTube.
- ^ Hansen, John (June 16, 2022). "Who is the voice actor for the Junker Queen in Overwatch 2? Answered". Gamepur. Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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