Ahead of her August 10 reveal, Blizzard has finally given us a real glimpse at the latest support to land in Overwatch 2, proving that the fan art actually was pretty spot on. Here’s everything we know so far about Illari and the Sun God that likely inspired her design.
Illari’s Light Powers May Come from an Ancient Sun God
Revealed in the Invasion Trailer released on August 8, we’re given a brief look at Illari, the Peruvian hero who’s packing solar-charged bullets and sun-inspired abilities. Her Ultimate, Captive Sun, seems to send her into the air, where she launches a light-powered volley at her enemies. Similar to Symmetra, she’s also capable of sending out a turret. This turret, which has a certain radiance, can heal nearby allies.
But Illari’s connection to the sun might be more than ability deep. The name Illari in Quechua (the Incan language) translates directly to dawn or new beginning. And it’s likely that Inti, the Inca Sun God, also inspires Illari’s design.
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Inti is most commonly represented in his human form, with rays of light extending from around his face and body, much like Illari appears in the Invasion trailer. He was also once featured on the historical Peru flag and is revered as the national patron of the Inca state. It’s possible that Illari’s distinctive, feather-like bangs are also inspired by Inti’s priests, the Willaq Umu.
But we’ll have to wait until August 10 to see the full extent of this divine inspiration when Illari hits live servers.
Overwatch 2 is seeing a new dawn in more ways than one. Its mini-series offers the background and lore that promises to give the new PvE mode, debuting on August 10, more depth.
