Reinhardt Shines In Overwatch Animated Short ‘Honor And Glory’

The latest Overwatch animated short, “Honor and Glory,” focuses on why Reinhardt answered Winston’s Recall. While speaking to a young woman, Reinhardt thinks back to a critical turning point in his life: a pitched battle against Omnic hordes in the Battle of Eichenwalde.

Young Reinhardt is loud and rowdy, with some seriously poppin’ long blonde locks. He’s skeptical about commander and old friend Balderich von Adler’s choice of “disappearing into some secret organization” rather than remaining a Crusader, one of “the immortal defenders of Germany.” In a battle against the Omnics, Reinhardt rushes brashly forward into the fray, rather than obeying von Adler’s orders to stay back and protect his team. (He says they only hold him back. Is that shade, Blizzard?)

Partway through the battle, a new, more threatening type of Omnic appears and puts the fear of God into Reinhardt as well as taking out his eye. Von Adler rescues him, and they head back into Eichenwalde Castle, barring the door for a brief respite. Here, von Adler tells Reinhardt to move forward and protect his team — “be their shield” — while von Adler remains at Eichenwalde Castle and singlehandedly holds back the assault, giving the human soldiers enough time to escape.

We learn the armor back at Eichenwalde has the corpse of Reinhardt’s old commander contained within. (It’s also a Reinhardt legendary skin available in-game, “Balderich.”) While the short ends with Reinhardt’s uplifting choice to rejoin Overwatch, the harsh sacrifice in his past make “Honor and Glory” a painful watch.

“Honor and Glory” also dovetails neatly with “The Last Bastion,” showing the human cost to the Omnic conflict and perhaps providing a little more insight into the stances of characters like Zarya, whose country suffered so much in the wars.

(But come on, Omnic rights activists, weren’t you all a little verklempt at the tremendous loss of Omnic life? Where is the reckoning for all these digital souls?)

Reinhardt’s cartoon is the first since Blizzard released a video starring Mei in August titled “Rise and Shine,” a bittersweet animated short that explored Mei’s life as a climatologist. Previous Blizzard shorts have focused on Bastion, Winston and Widowmaker, among others. Also revealed during Blizzcon 2017? The latest hero coming to Overwatch, a support character and Talon geneticist named Moira.

What did you think about the Reinhardt short? Did it put you in your feels as much as “The Last Bastion” or “Rise and Shine” did? Feel free to let us know in the comments section below.