It's been nearly four years since the launch of Overwatch. May 24th marks the fourth anniversary of Blizzard's first and only Hero Shooter and since then they have come up with several skins for their varied cast of characters. Among them, Soldier 76 has proven to be quite the fashionista with his wide assortment of alternate costumes ranging from Halloween costumes, military wear, and even summer gear.
So let's take a look at Overwatch's big papa bear and rank his outfits from worst to best. One note though, any simple recolors of skins will be left on the cutting room floor and the focus will be on skins that are actual costume changes.
13 Stunt Rider: 76
This one barely qualifies as a costume change. If it wasn't for the helmet, it would otherwise be a recolor of Soldier 76's Daredevil 76 skin and a bad one at that. To the point where it looks like a bad knockoff of the better Daredevil 76 skin.
The worst part about this skin is that it does away with the incredible mustache of its predecessor. Instead, it is replaced by an uninspired helmet that makes the outfit look more generic than anything else.
12 Bone
Another one that barely qualifies as an alternate costume. The key point of difference being the set of teeth that runs along Commander Morrison's mask. Otherwise, it's a wholesale copy of the classic skin.
At the very least, it doesn't have an awful color scheme like Stunt Rider 76. Which is what keeps it out of last place.
11 Alpine: 76
While this outfit is far from the worst in this list, it still comes off a bit uninspired. Unlike his other outfits, there is nothing that makes this particular skin pop when compared to his other designs.
Especially not in the color department. The mostly white palette might help him blend into the snow for covert missions, but it only makes it stand out as a bad design among all the other great costumes in this game.
10 Immortal
Now here's a costume change. Taking some inspiration from Michael Jackson's Thriller, Halloween Soldier 76 comes to invade your nightmares... or bust a move. Either one works.
Unfortunately, it still pales in comparison to Papa Overwatch's other Halloween outfit. If someone wants to celebrate the season, they would do better to pick his other Halloween Terror outfit than to cosplay as the King of Pop.
9 Formal: 76
Here is another outfit that suffers by having a superior skin with the same general theme in the game. A suit makes the man, but it can also unmake them. Morrison's formal attire is such a departure from his usual gritty and badass design that it just ends up looking sorta awkward on him.
It may harken back to his younger years as one of the most decorated soldiers in Overwatch (and probably all over the world), but that design was already done to perfection in one of the very first skins available in the game.
8 Venom
In the far future... no even farther than that... keeping going... almost there... There! That should be enough.
Somehow they included a more futuristic design for Soldier 76 despite Overwatch already taking place into the future. Now instead of a human soldier augmented with technology, Jack Morrison goes for the full-on android look with his Venom skin. It erring on the side of a villainous mook, instead of the rugged anti-hero look he currently wears.
7 Cyborg: 76
Another skin that makes Soldier 76 look more machine than man. Though this one comes with some nice and shiny bits that make it pop a bit more than the Venom outfit above.
This skin looks like an almost completely different character. Instead of his usual grey locks, he is given an army regulation buzz cut, and the visor doesn't help any with how it obscures his face. Even his scar is different and seems to be mirrored on the left side of his face. This new getup makes him look more like a Mass Effect Spectre than an Overwatch hero.
6 Commando: 76
From Mass Effect all the way back to Modern Warfare. Soldier 76's Commando set gives him a more modern look while still keeping everything we love about him intact.
He still looks like a grizzled badass and that is about all we can hope for. He may have lost his futuristic appeal, but Soldier 76 still comes off as a competent soldier ready to fight now or fifty years from now.
5 Slasher: 76
This is the outfit that puts his Immortal skin to shame. Slasher 76 is the perfect costume for Halloween and is only boosted by the fact that it is a giant reference to Jason from the Friday the 13th film saga.
All that's needed now is for Junkrat to get a Freddy costume and then the players can film their own sequel to Freddy vs Jason.
4 Strike Commander Morrison
A little more Captain America and a lot less Punisher. This skin puts Commander Morrison into his bright-eyed youth as the leader and face of Overwatch before the Omnic Crisis split the team and changed his outlook.
Overall, the outfit is a nice throwback piece to Soldier 76's youth (and is leagues above his formal look), but there is something about being a grizzled old veteran that still puts his regular outfit on top.
3 Classic
Sometimes nothing beats a classic. Well, except for the two entries that are placed above this one...
Still, it's hard to deny that Blizzard got a pretty good handle on how to dress Soldier 76 the first time. It seems like the colors and the outfit blend in a way to tell the viewer everything they need to know about the former Overwatch leaders. His reds, blues, and whites allude to his brighter past but the black that seems to outline his outfit represents his current predicaments.
2 Daredevil: 76
Look at that mustache. That perfect thing covers his face in 70's flair and gives him a style and substance unlike all his other skins. And that's only like five perfect of this fantastic skin.
The rest is a well-done tribute to Evel Knievel. Soldier 76 sporting Knievel's signature color scheme, stars, and even the cape. The only thing missing would be the motorcycle and the blatant disregard for his own well being.
1 Grill Master
This is Soldier 76 at peak dad. Armed with a small armory of barbequing utensils, a fistful of beers at his shoulder, and everything else needed to have summer fun with the family, the grill master will make sure that no steak will be left uncooked! No hamburger will be without toppings! And no meat with be left unseasoned!
The only thing that could make this any more dad-like is if he had a bad pun on his apron... Wait! Oh no... It's right there on his chest.