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Reaper/Pharah Overwatch Theory

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Oct 15th, 2016
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  1. So, a popular Overwatch theory I've seen for a while is that Pharah's father is Soldier 76. But after a bit of analysis, I started to think; what if it wasn't 76, but instead, Reaper? Let's break it down!
  2.  
  3. ---
  4.  
  5. First Point - Ana's Dialogue Interaction
  6.  
  7. One big note I always see in the 76 side of this theory is that Ana shares the most pre-round interaction dialogue with 76, at four possible interactions. While it is significant, there isn't a lot that particularly drops hints.
  8.  
  9. Ana: "For a man of your years, you're looking pretty good, Jack."
  10. 76: "Well, all that stuff they pumped into me has to be good for something."
  11.  
  12. Ana: "Seems like neither of us like being dead very much.
  13. 76: "Old soldiers are hard to kill."
  14.  
  15. 76: "Ana, we all thought you were dead. Why didn't you tell me?"
  16. Ana: "You of all people are going to ask me that?"
  17.  
  18. Ana: "What are you going to do when the fighting's over Jack?"
  19. 76: "I'm a soldier, Ana. Retirement doesn't suit me."
  20.  
  21. Those last two could easily be the most damning, but at the same point, it does sound more like two former comrades engaging in banter, as opposed to an intimate couple.
  22. Reaper's interactions, while he has the second most interactions with Ana at three, I'd say are much more telling of something larger.
  23.  
  24. Reaper: "I shouldn't be surprised you took his side."
  25. Ana: "You never gave me much choice."
  26.  
  27. Reaper: "Just like old times."
  28. Ana: "Right. Except for the part where you became a homicidal murderer."
  29.  
  30. Reaper: "Guess you're going back on my list, Ana."
  31. Ana: "What happened to you, Gabriel?"
  32.  
  33. That last line in particular does have some interesting tone. Reaper doesn't sound particularly pleased about the idea of putting her back on "the list", and there's some genuine tone of concern in Ana's voice. Mercy has an almost identical interaction, but there's seemingly a lot less concern in her voice in comparison. As for the other two, there's almost this feuding tension between the two. It could just be the fact that, hey, Reaper is the leader of Talon and the sworn enemy of both her and 76 now.
  34. The last missing piece is the interaction between Pharah and Reaper. Or, more accurately, the lack thereof. But we'll come back to that shortly.
  35.  
  36. ---
  37.  
  38. Second Point - Hint in Junkenstein's Revenge
  39.  
  40. Now, this one can very likely be invalidated due to the non-canon nature of Junkenstein's Revenge. But it is something that did catch my interest.
  41. During the match, if one of the boss characters appears, the narrator will call out which hero lands the killing blow. Ana's quote for Reaper, in particular, caught my attention.
  42.  
  43. Narrator: "The Alchemist slew the Reaper, feeling a moment of sadness for the man she once knew."
  44.  
  45. A bit of curious phrasing, no? I'll concede that this is my weakest point, given the non-canonicity, but I still feel like it could be a subtle tell by Blizzard. Take this one how you will, but don't hesitate to disregard it if you don't think it's strong enough.
  46.  
  47. ---
  48.  
  49. Third Point - Pharah and the Timeline
  50.  
  51. Coming back to that earlier point, I felt like the biggest roadblock in this theory was the fact that Reaper and Pharah have zero interaction dialogue. But going over a few things, I think this might actually be a big contributor instead.
  52.  
  53. The biggest thing to note about this is that it operates on assumption. And I know, assumption is the worst tool to have when it comes to a theory, but establishing circumstance is the best way to have this work cleanly. In any case, this is the assumption:
  54.  
  55. Pharah doesn't know/was never told, but Ana, Reaper, 76, and possibly Reinhardt are all aware.
  56.  
  57. Pharah's age, and the accompanying spotty timeline information we have, is the basis for this assumption. Pharah's official profile pings her current age at 32 years old. And with the information we get from Olympia Shaw's "eulogy" of 76 (http://bit.ly/2esJDg0), we know that there's at least 20 years in between the end of the Omnic Crisis and the disbandment of Overwatch, with six years between the disbandment of Overwatch and the current day. To make this easier, I did up a poorly-made timeline detailing the key events that'll pop up. (http://imgur.com/a/OHaEs)
  58.  
  59. Taking that into account, Pharah would've likely joined the Egyptian Army sometime between 8 and 10 BOD, as the age of voluntary enlistment in the Egyptian Army is 16, as of 2012, and conscription age is 18. Considering she would've been around six years old by the time the Omnic Crisis came to an end, we now need to assess what Reaper would be doing.
  60.  
  61. Reaper was supposedly the commander of Overwatch's forces during the Omnic Crisis, but I wasn't able to find a source confirming that, so we'll assume he isn't in order to keep this fair. He still would likely have his hands full, and be spending a lot of his time on the battlefield. In the aftermath, 76 was made the official Strike Commander, and Reaper went on to form the Blackwatch division, which was more of a secretive black ops division that would later turn into a splinter group.
  62.  
  63. Again, running off of assumption, Reaper's presence in Blackwatch most likely kept him very separated from the other members of Overwatch, especially in the later days closer to their rebellion. He wouldn't likely have been around Ana or Pharah much, if at all, post-Omnic Crisis. In particular, starting with, at least, 10 BOD, Pharah would've moved on to the Egyptian Army by that point. As for Ana, her official profile says she continued to be in active duty into her fifties, and she is currently 60. Meaning she would've been attacked by Widowmaker any time after 4 BOD.
  64.  
  65. There's still the time between 20 BOD and 10 BOD that can be a hazy grey area that could really muck this section up, and that needs to be taken into account. But by contrast, 76 would have spent much more time potentially being around Pharah, and I know that many characters haven't fully connected that Jack Morrison is 76, especially since 76 only shares interaction dialogue with Reaper, Ana, Pharah, and Winston, but if he was Pharah's father, I feel like the one line they share...
  66.  
  67. 76: "Your mother would've been proud of you."
  68. Pharah: "You didn't know my mother very well, then."
  69.  
  70. ... wouldn't be the only thing they have to say to each other. I actually doubt Pharah wouldn't recognize her own father, even with the aging white hair and his masked face, especially if she actually knew him. Considering Ana herself recognized 76, I honestly don't think Pharah wouldn't.
  71.  
  72. Now, coming back to the main point, how can we establish that she doesn't know? Well, on top of the idea that Reaper may have little or no time with his family post-Omnic Crisis, the time where he would most likely be able to, we'll also bring back the fact that Pharah and Reaper have zero interaction dialogue. If Pharah doesn't know Reaper was her father, originally aspired to join Overwatch, and later encountered the Overwatch agent hunting mercenary Reaper, what would she have to say? To her, he's simply a dangerous murderer hell-bent on killing off her former heroes and idols. Someone she wouldn't hesitate to terminate, given a chance. As for Reaper, she would be a fragment of his past, something that would easily be best left undiscovered, especially if she was dead.
  73.  
  74. As for the lack of a father figure for Pharah between 20 and 10 BOD, I think I might have an idea of what filled the void. Namely being 76, and potentially even Reinhardt. This being that Pharah spent most of her time around Overwatch's main body, and it's been made clear that Ana had very close friendships to 76 and Reinhardt through some of the interaction dialogue. 76 knew that Reaper had been spending so much time away on missions with Blackwatch, and how much his relationship with Overwatch was turning sour. In an effort to help, he potentially acted as a fatherly figure, trying to keep Pharah encouraged.
  75.  
  76. Reinhardt is also a potential father figure too, though my assertion is based on a single voice line:
  77.  
  78. Pharah:
  79. "Reinhardt, you know, I had a poster of you on my wall when I was younger."
  80. Reinhardt:
  81. "I remember the poster! My hair was amazing."
  82.  
  83. His involvement might be a bit shakier than what I imagine 76's would be like, but at the same point, Reinhardt has been shown to be a very comforting, encouraging, and warmhearted man. I have less to substantiate it with, but it could just be a thing.
  84.  
  85. I know the assumption that Pharah doesn't know is very unlikely and makes this painfully circumstantial makes this very weak, but it could potentially work. And I wish I didn't have to assume so much, and yeah, it relies on a lot of vague language and supposition. But I still believe it's enough to work with to form a theory that is, at worst, feasible.
  86.  
  87. ---
  88.  
  89. Final Point - The Old Soldiers Comic
  90.  
  91. Finally, the last piece. In the comic Old Soldiers (http://bit.ly/2bzq2E4), 76 is active out in Giza, where he's ambushed by Reaper, and Ana comes in the nick of time to assist. On page seven, Ana is in combat with Reaper, when she unmasks him, and becomes horrified by what she sees. Reaper monologues, then takes off.
  92.  
  93. So, what's so significant about this? Well, bringing back what we talked about in the past three sections, her reaction can potentially be explained by what her former relationship with him was. He was one of the fellow co-founders of Overwatch, her former lover, the father of her daughter, one of her now sworn enemies, and someone who, at the time, was trying to do something seemingly with the local Helix Security office, the same place their daughter is stationed at. The completely shocked expression, dropping her weapon and tumbling backwards startled... Would you expect a reaction much different from that, seeing that disfigured face once again, and all the history crawling back up your spine to haunt you once again?
  94.  
  95. ---
  96.  
  97. Compiling everything, the way they currently interact with each other, the potential former history together, and the way the timeline works, leads me to believe that Pharah's true father isn't Soldier 76, but instead Reaper. And come on, who wouldn't want a Darth Vader-esque reveal at some point.
  98.  
  99. Anyways, that's the theory. I know it has holes, and if you all have suggestions for or against it, I welcome all constructive criticism.
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