CASSIDY
Cole Cassidy (originally introduced as Jesse McCree) is a Sharpshooter Damage hero in Blizzard Entertainment's hero-shooter franchise Overwatch. Armed with his signature Peacekeeper revolver, he is a formidable duelist who transitioned from an outlaw in the Deadlock Gang to a covert operative in Blackwatch, and ultimately a central figure in the reformed Overwatch strike team.
Cronologia
Biografia
Cole Cassidy is a sharpshooting Damage hero in Overwatch, operating as one of the game's premier duelists. Armed with his trusty Peacekeeper revolver, he takes down targets with deadeye precision and utilizes quick evasive maneuvers like his Combat Roll to outmaneuver adversaries in combat.
Formerly based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Watchpoint: Gibraltar, his current operational base is Gothenburg, Sweden. Throughout his career, Cassidy has served under various employers, beginning with the Ace Valentine megafarm before joining the criminal Deadlock Gang.
After being apprehended in an Overwatch sting, he served as a covert operative in Blackwatch under Gabriel Reyes. Following the collapse of Overwatch, he spent years operating as an independent vigilante and bounty hunter, taking on missions only when he deemed the cause righteous. Realizing the world needed heroes once more following Winston's Recall signal, Cassidy traveled the globe to recruit next-generation heroes—including Pharah, Baptiste, Zarya, and D.Va—to rebuild Overwatch and stand against the growing threats of Null Sector and Talon.
Storia
Cole Cassidy grew up in the American Southwest, working as a farmhand in Santa Fe, New Mexico, before turning to a life of crime. Alongside Elizabeth Caledonia 'Ashe' Wilde, he co-founded the notorious Deadlock Gang, orchestrating high-profile weapons heists across the Southwest.
During a high-stakes sting operation by Overwatch at Deadlock Gorge, Cassidy was apprehended by Blackwatch commander Gabriel Reyes. Given a choice between facing life in a maximum-security prison or putting his marksmanship to work for Blackwatch, Cassidy chose to join the covert division.
Operating within Blackwatch, Cassidy fought international threats outside the constraints of bureaucratic red tape. However, as internal strife and corruption tore Overwatch apart, he left the organization before its ultimate downfall. To hide from his past, he adopted the alias 'Jesse McCree' and operated as a gun-for-hire. Years later, he reclaimed his true name, saved the AI construct Echo at Route 66, and reunited with Ana Amari to spearhead the reformation of Overwatch.
I PEZZI DI CASSIDY
Evoluzione
Cole Cassidy's development spans early Blizzard visual concepts to major real-world and in-game changes. Originally conceived by Chris Metzen as 'Prospector Logann' for StarCraft, the character's sci-fi gunslinger visual design was adapted by Arnold Tsang and Peter Lee into the Overwatch universe. Upon the game's release on May 24, 2016, he was introduced as Jesse McCree.
In October 2021, Blizzard officially renamed the character to Cole Cassidy following real-world workplace misconduct litigation involving his namesake developer. In-universe, 'Jesse McCree' was explained as an alias adopted to hide his outlaw past. Mechanically, his kit evolved from Overwatch 1 to Overwatch 2 (released October 2022), replacing his classic Flashbang with a Magnetic Grenade before later returning to a modified Flashbang with Hinder mechanics. Narratively, he transitioned from a Deadlock gang outlaw to a Blackwatch operative, independent vigilante, and ultimately a leader rebuilding Overwatch.
Da Collezione
For Overwatch merchandise collectors, Cole Cassidy has been featured across several collectible lines, produced primarily by Funko. Due to the character's real-world name change in 2021, physical merchandise presents a unique historical dividing line between early 'McCree' packaging and modern 'Cole Cassidy' releases. Funko introduced the character to their Pop! Games line with Funko Pop!
Games #182: McCree in 2017, alongside the variant 'Merica McCree (GameStop Exclusive). In 2018, Funko expanded the line with a Pocket Pop! Keychain, followed by Funko Pop! Games #516: McCree (Summer Skin) in 2019. Following his narrative redesign in Overwatch 2, Funko released Funko Pop! Games #904: Cassidy (Overwatch 2) between 2022 and 2023. Figures featuring the original box name remain sought-after pieces for franchise collectors tracking packaging variations.
Before joining Blackwatch, Cassidy co-founded the Deadlock Gang alongside Elizabeth Caledonia 'Ashe' Wilde.
