Early Overwatch concept art reveals Blizzard’s surprise take on Mercy

Mercy’s appearance in Overwatch today is staggeringly different from that of her original designs, as newly released concept art has revealed.

Originally part of Blizzard’s canceled MMO, ‘Project Titan,’ Mercy’s character design has seen a great deal of iteration over the years since development first started.

Newly revealed concept art seems to have shed light on a number of early looks and a number of early names, highlighting just how different the Support hero could have been in-game today.

Blizzard

An original look at heroes in Overwatch back when it was code-named ‘Prometheus.’

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While the official Overwatch artbook released back in 2017 gave a first look at Mercy’s original appearance as a winged male figure, a few varying designs appear to have showcased additional glimpses at the character throughout development.

Shared on Twitter by popular Overwatch community member, Naeri, nine versions of the Support are on display as the earliest models are compared with the current hero design.

The first three pieces of art show both male and female iterations of Mercy in a red and white suit of armor with wings outstretched.

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Some versions of this attire feature the hero with a visor covering the top half of her face, and also replacing her blonde hair with that of a spiky white styling.

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Interestingly enough, the visor and overall design of Mercy’s old red and white gear appears somewhat similar to that of Echo’s appearance throughout Overwatch 2’s promotional material.

While details have been scarce surrounding the upcoming addition to the hero lineup, perhaps Echo may carry out a few early ideas that were scrapped.

The more medical scrub-oriented designs were previously revealed in the official art book, yet these unique costumes all appear strikingly different to that of her appearance in-game today. Even Mercy’s name alternated throughout development, from Pharah to Angelica, and eventually to Mercy.

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Perhaps the only aspect of the hero that doesn’t appear to have been adjusted a great deal throughout development, is Mercy’s Caduceus Staff.

Blizzard

An early hero pitch had Mercy been given the name ‘Angelica.’

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Early concept art has shed light on just how different overall map designs could have been in the popular hero shooter as well. 

While there’s no telling if these original works of art will ever see the light of day on such a huge scale, there’s no denying that some of these early costumes could make for great throwback skins in the near future.