One of Overwatch’s Most Wanted Heroes May Still Make a Comeback
One of the exciting new heroes set to join the roster next week is Jetpack Cat. As her name suggests, she’s a playful feline companion zooming around the battlefield in a jetpack, providing healing to allies while playfully pestering enemies. This character marks a revival of a concept that dates back to the early development days of the game. With Blizzard revisiting old ideas, could there be a chance for other long-forgotten concepts, like Mama Hong, to make a comeback?
For those who may not know, Mama Hong is another hero that was scrapped during the early stages of development, when the game was originally envisioned as an MMO called Titan. Details about her are scarce, but she’s depicted as an older Asian woman with curlers in her hair, a cigarette in hand, and dressed in a simple robe, as if she just rolled out of bed. Her look has drawn comparisons to the landlady character from Kung Fu Hustle, but some have criticized her design as leaning on stereotypes, making her feel out of place in the current Overwatch universe. Despite this, fans have remained passionate about her, often calling for her return and even creating detailed fan concepts for her abilities. With Jetpack Cat making her debut, could the beloved meme queen also find her way back? According to some Blizzard developers I spoke with last week, there’s a glimmer of hope.
“I really hope [she can come back],” said narrative designer Joshi Zhang. “One of the great things about working in game development is that we often revisit ideas that didn’t make it to the public. Even if they don’t come back exactly as they were, we draw inspiration from them. Sometimes, those concepts do resurface. It’s a ‘never say never’ situation. While we can’t share specifics about what’s coming next, we frequently discuss concepts from Titan. From a narrative perspective, we’re always exploring the stories we haven’t told yet, considering new factions, and expanding the world. With the upcoming 2026 story arc, we have a fantastic opportunity to delve deeper, which opens up many possibilities. Players should definitely be excited about the potential for more storytelling and the return of their favorite characters.”
When I spoke with the art team, art director Dion Rogers expressed his enthusiasm with an exasperated “oh, my god,” while character artist Melissa Kelly made it clear that she wants Mama Hong to join Overwatch someday. Rogers mentioned that “there’s hope” for her inclusion in the future, although there’s nothing concrete to announce at this moment. Currently, none of the silhouettes teasing the next year of heroes resemble her, suggesting that if Mama Hong does return, it likely won’t be in 2026. However, with Jetpack Cat on the horizon, there’s still a chance we could see her make an appearance one day.
