Reinhardt Wilhelm likes certainty. He likes knowing what he's doing and that it's the right thing to do. Where most people drift through life in a haze of indecision, indeterminate angst or existential dread, Reinhardt has always been certain of what is right and what to do. He knew that he should help his fellow man, that he should join Overwatch, that the Omnics needed to be stopped. On a more personal level, he was sure that he loved Ana Amari, that she was the only one for him and that he was content in the knowledge she loved him. In fact, there was little Reinhardt was not certain of during those days of black and white, when the greatest threat to the human race reared its head. It was a simple time and one that suited Reinhardt's unflinching honesty of purpose.

Of course, things have changed.

Nowadays, the world is painted over in shadows, blurs and greys. It is hard to be certain of anything in these uncertain times, when old friends become enemies and the dead don't stay down. There are Omnics rising again but also those that wish only for freedom and peace. But then there are humans who seem to want neither, some that operate without regard to consequence for humans or Omnics. For a man used to an obvious enemy he can fight on an open field with stalwart warriors at his side, this lack of clarity has robbed Reinhardt of his once legendary vigour. He is often more withdrawn and tired than the days of old, rousing to his former ferocity when there is a task worthy of a Crusader, one of uncomplicated right and wrong.

At other times, it seems that he has given ground to the uncertain present and retreated to the surety of the past. On some days, you could be forgiven for thinking he had slept through the thirty years since the last Omnic war, what with his upbeat demeanour and jovial references to those long in their graves; his commander, his friends, his love. And in a sense, he has. In order to keep sane, to keep fighting, Reinhardt has sacrificed surety for self delusion, fooling himself that the old days never died. Whether he allows himself to know how much things really have changed and how much has been lost varies from day to day, swinging with his mood.

Born in Berlin, the capital of Germany, Reinhardt was raised on the stories of ancient chivalry that distracted him from the perils and hardships of the present. He grew up dreaming of slaying dragons and leading charges, rather than worrying about the dire straights his country was in. But unlike most young men, the teenage Reinhardt did not abandon those childish dreams but worked on them. He trained his body, running for stamina, lifting for strength. He trained his mind, studying ancient books on tactics and the art of war, honing his brain and his brawn to work as one engine.

Upon his eighteenth birthday, his parents were unsurprised to learn that he would enrolling in the military and bade off an excited son with pride. He excelled in basic training, outstripping his contemporaries with ease but always slowing down enough to give them a helping hand. It was these qualities combined that brought him to the attention of the UN Advanced Research Division, the department that would one day spawn such wonders as the biotic grenade, the caduceus staff and Winston. They asked him to undergo a series of Genetic Therapies that they claimed would make him a better soldier in every way. Eagerly, he accepted.

The program was a resounding success, turning an already above average man into a hulking titan. He towered over most mortals and had strength enough stop a charging rhino with a single punch. In the years to come, he would also find that it had slowed down his ageing process, making sure he would be able to fight effectively for decades to come. It was then that Reinhardt became a founding member of The Crusaders, Germany's first line of defence. They were a heavily armoured legion of warriors that styled themselves on the Knights of old, much of which was due to Reinhardt's creative input.

They were not long formed, however, before they were rent asunder but the fury of the Omnics. The Crusaders were one of the first casualties of the Crisis, all but a handful dying to defend crucial choke-points and evacuation routes from the mechanical threat. They were dark days but the Crusaders proved themselves up to the task, never failing to hold the line or stand in front of a hail of bullets for a non-combatant. It seemed that Reinhardt would have no one to stand alongside, for a time, before a new organistion rose to face the Omnics; Overwatch.

The following days where the happiest of Reinhardt's life. He fought alongside heroes, comrades and friends to save the world, never falling but to be helped up and never advancing but with someone beside him. He met the love of his life, Ana Amari and, for a time, he was happy in his place in the world. He was a knightly hero. But then the war ended and although he celebrated with the rest of them, a sense of unease stole over Reinhardt. What happens to sodliers when the war ends?

He found that they are expected to retire or be quiet and neither was in his nature. Overwatch went from a pantheon of heroes to mess, Blackwatch taking over a large chunk of their operational purview and beginning to turn public opinion against them. It seemed that wherever he turned, things were souring; Reyes and Morrison were constantly bickering, Ana was more and more distant and now Omnics seemed to be making a subtle return into the spotlight. And then the hammer fell.

Overwatch was fallen, along with Jack, Ana and Gabriel. Those operatives who survived the tragedy were left to mourn in peace but were clearly informed that they were not to return to the field; those days were done. A part of of Reinhardt wanted to rail against the decision but there was too sorrow in his soul for anger to get any traction. With a heavy heart, he turned his back on the battlefield and went into a journey of solitude and regret.

It lasted for around five years before he woke. He was Reinhardt Wilhelm, a warrior, a knight, a crusader. While there good deeds to do, he would do them. He joined forces with a talented engineer named Brigitte, who he playful referred to as his squire, and turned a lonely journey into a bright new crusade. Many injustices were set to right and many tyrants toppled by the giant and his squire, much light brought to a dark world.

And now Overwatch has been born again. Cautiously, Reinhardt has agreed to accept membership once more, telling Angela Ziegler that she could call on him when he was needed, but has not stopped his crusade. Rather than join them in the new HQ, the old Lion still walks the earth, looking for battles most worthy and monsters to slay.