The Overwatch universe is made up of many more factions than just the titular group. The since-disbanded Blackwatch went on black ops missions that were too dark for the main team to condone, while the Junkers worship a queen and fight in gladiator battles. Talon joins Null Sector as proper antagonists, with the former being a group of terrorists and the latter being a twisted group of Omnics. Orbiting all these Overwatch organizations is the Deadlock gang.
Like the group’s name suggests, this Overwatch faction is anything but heroic. Led by Elizabeth Caledonia Ashe, and once featuring McCree, this faction has terrorized the area around Route 66 for many years. However, there is an interesting story behind the creation of the gang and McCree’s departure, something that those who do not keep up with Overwatch’s lore have likely missed out on. As such, here is the complete history of the Deadlock Gang.
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The Overwatch hero Ashe comes from wealth, growing up at a large estate in Texas. Unfortunately, that wealth did not buy her family, as her parents paid little attention to her — with her butler Bob being the closest thing she had to a friend and loved one. With her mom and dad constantly leaving her to travel out of town, she eventually got into trouble with the law, though was consistently bailed out. She would steal money to buy things like motorcycles, growing attached to the vehicle despite her parents’ hatred for it.
Ashe became progressively “unladylike” in their eyes, with her pastimes mainly being bike riding and slingshot shooting. While Ashe and her family made it through the Omnic Crisis unscathed, her trusty companion Bob did disappear. He eventually returned with sentience, though their close relationship remained intact. More time passed, with Ashe finally having enough of her family after they skipped her high school graduation. Losing her cool and beating down some bullies, Ashe was imprisoned once again — though this time, she met Jesse McCree.
While Overwatch fans know where McCree has ended up, he was different when he first met Ashe. The two bonded over a love for guns, and eventually became partners in crime. Once Ashe was cut off from her family’s wealth due to an embarrassing news story that made the rounds, she began running guns with McCree. Donning the look seen in her Deadlock Challenge skin, Ashe and McCree began pulling off various heists. A hacker named Frankie was hired alongside a demolitions expert named Julian, with the Deadlock Gang succeeding in over a dozen different heists before things went wrong.
While Ashe had made plenty of money from the heists, and briefly considered going to Numbani so that Bob could be treated kindly, she realized that being an outlaw was her true calling. On this, her and McCree differed, as the latter would eventually go on to become a hero. This process started after a sting operation that led to McCree being captured by Overwatch. Though his crimes set him up for a lengthy stint in a maximum-security prison, where Ashe and the gang could not have rescued him, he was given another option. Said option would see him joining Blackwatch, the faction led by Gabriel Reyes – the man who would go on to become Reaper. Unsurprisingly, he chose to use his skills for good instead of being locked up.
Years after McCree’s departure, he would cross paths with Ashe and the gang once again. This time around, though, they would not be allies. While McCree was able to grow and mature as a person, Ashe still had nothing beyond her life of crime. As such, while she is now feared and respected in the criminal underworld, she lacks closeness with anyone apart from Bob. This shows clearly in the "Reunion" short, as the gang features some new members. However, the Deadlock Triplets and the sniper Bars are no match for Jesse McCree's s Peacekeeper pistol.
Regardless, the Overwatch animated short serves as the most recent development in Ashe’s story, meaning that players have no idea where her story will go in the future. The last time players saw her, Ashe and the gang were strapped to a floating dolly and sent down the road. Intriguingly, McCree did not arrest or kill anyone in the gang, simply getting them out of the way so he could reactive the Overwatch hero Echo. This could hint that he still cares about Ashe and, to an extent, the rest of the gang.
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As of now, it remains to be seen where Blizzard will take Ashe in the next game. The first and most likely option is that she continues committing crimes. After all, Ashe loves what she does and is driven by having complete freedom to make her own choices. One failed heist is unlikely to dissuade her, as she still has the gang and her butler Bob by her side. Still, Blizzard could evolve Ashe’s story further, with her going in either a darker or lighter direction.
Given that she is already more of an antagonist than protagonist, it would make sense if Ashe went down a darker path in Overwatch 2’s campaign. Doomfist and Talon could offer Ashe a position, giving her the resources to commit even more crimes. With her causing chaos for the thrills just as much as the money, she fits right into the mold of the terrorist organization. While she certainly does not have the same ideology, she could be backed by the group and left to distract Overwatch agents like McCree. While the partnership could be hands off, it is a real possibility for the Deadlock Gang.
For those that want to be a bit more optimistic about Ashe’s role in Overwatch 2’s PvE mode, there is a possibility that she can be turned around like McCree was. Ashe’s lore shows that she does care for Bob, and she has shown brief flashes of being a decent person in the past. While she may be too far gone now, seeing her former friend McCree turn her to the side of good could be a pleasant surprise. Overwatch could provide the family Ashe has always wanted, with her being able to trust the heroes and open herself up far more than she can to a group of criminals. For now, though, Overwatch fans will just need to wait and see where the Deadlock Gang’s story goes next.
Overwatch is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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