Overwatch news » Story Update: Brigitte Q&A

Since Brigitte was revealed as the next Overwatch hero, we’ve received hundreds of questions about her from players around the world. Lead Writer Michael Chu answers just a handful of the most popular ones below.

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Where did the story inspiration for Brigitte come from?
Brigitte's character has been around in the story almost from day one. Back when we were developing Reinhardt, we wanted a character who would play Sancho Panza to Reinhardt's Don Quixote. Brigitte was Reinhardt's squire and Torbjörn’s daughter. She followed Reinhardt on his adventures as a mechanic who worked on his armor and, perhaps more importantly, tried to keep him out of trouble.

Why is she named Brigitte?
We hinted at this in one of the early bits of story we put out leading up to Brigitte's release. To give a quick summary: Shortly after the Omnic Crisis, an Overwatch strike team was dispatched to deal with a pocket of omnic resistance in Turkey. That team included Torbjörn and Reinhardt, who’d become very close friends. During the mission, Reinhardt saved Torbjörn’s life—though the engineer lost his arm in the process. In thanks, Torbjörn decided to make his friend the godfather of his unborn daughter, and also gave in to Reinhardt's frequent requests to be able to name her.

So ultimately it was Reinhardt who named Brigitte.

Why was Mercy visiting Torbjörn in the hospital?
Angela Ziegler is a longtime family friend of the Lindholms. While recovering from his injuries in Switzerland after operation White Dome, Torbjörn wrote a letter to his wife, Ingrid. In that letter, he mentions Angela visiting him. This wasn't in a professional capacity—even though she was quite the prodigy, she was still a teenager and student. It wouldn't be until later that she joined Overwatch.

What's Brigitte's daily life like?
Brigitte's most common responsibilities are taking care of Reinhardt's armor, the van they travel around in, and now, her own suit of armor. It's still a work in progress, so she's always making upgrades and adjustments to it.

She trains and spars with Reinhardt every day, but afterwards, the two of them like to kick off to the tavern or pub and relax.

She probably looks at a lot of cat holo-gifs.

Why doesn't Brigitte like Overwatch?
It's a little more complicated than that. Brigitte's feelings about Reinhardt joining Overwatch are colored by two factors. The first is that she is worried that it is asking too much of him after all the battles he's seen and the wounds he's taken over the years. The other is that she knows that Overwatch forced Reinhardt to retire at the end of his career, which Brigitte feels was disrespectful to someone who dedicated his life to it as Reinhardt had.

But ultimately, Brigitte understands that Reinhardt, has no choice but to answer the call, and as such, she will support him as best as she can.

What’s the history behind Brigitte’s armor?
When Brigitte first had the idea that she'd like to fight alongside Reinhardt on the battlefield, she started building her own prototype suit of armor from materials she had on hand. This initial armor is what inspired the look of her Engineer and Mechanic skins, and you can also see it in her origin story, in the art where she's sparring with Reinhardt.

Once she truly stepped into the role, she began creating the armor you see today, though it is still very much a work in progress.

How does Torbjörn feel about her decision?
Torbjörn knows that his daughter shares his stubbornness, and it's something he understands and respects. His bigger concern is that Reinhardt and Brigitte are in over their heads, but he ultimately supports their decisions.

And he probably thinks there's no one better to look after one of his best friends than his daughter.

Why does she have Reinhardt's lion on her shield?
This was inspired by the idea that a squire bears the arms of the knight that she serves.

Did you consider any other weapons for her?
During the design process, we considered a number of different knightly weapons for her, like swords and a more traditional mace. We ultimately decided on her rocket flail because of its connection to her two hammer-wielding inspirations. 

What's Brigitte's motivation?
Originally, Brigitte was interested in adventure, traveling around, doing good, and getting a chance to make the world a better place. But Brigitte cares deeply for her godfather and believes in him. She wants to do what it takes to keep him safe, while she hones her own skills.

Who would win in an arm wrestling match, Brigitte or Zarya?
Zarya.

Does she like doughnuts?
Yes, but she loves semlor.

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To learn more about Brigitte, click here.