● The Omnic Crisis
Somewhere in Indiana, a relatively uneventful middle-American life is upended by the robot apocalypse. Regardless of this unexpected development, a young Jack Morrison rises to the occasion, his innate sense of duty evident in the fact that he joins the US military specifically to combat the Omnic threat. This goes one step further when the government turns to increasingly desperate measures--genetically engineering super soldiers. Jack is recommended to the program for his work ethic, determination, and courage, and despite controversy, ethical quandaries, and potential dangers, Jack willingly becomes an experiment, ready to do what's asked of him even at great personal cost, a testament to his self-sacrificing nature.

Still, even that isn't enough, and the United Nations pieces together an international special ops best-of-the-best team called Overwatch to turn the tides. Again, Jack doesn't hesitate, waging a series of highly technical and very dangerous asymmetrical military operations with the hope of definitively ending the war. It's here that Jack learns the value of a team, and he exhibits an uncanny talent for unifying conflicting personalities into a cohesive fighting force, something that serves him well as a leader and helps Overwatch to surpass expectations.

Much of Jack's experience as a young adult is within the context of a fight for humanity's survival. From the very outset, he believes in something much larger than himself and knows that you cannot succeed without the camaraderie of others.

● Promotion to Strike-Commander
When the strike team ends the Crisis, they usher in a new and uncertain era of peace. Overwatch is given legitimacy, and with it, responsibility, something that Jack takes very seriously. His moral fiber and perseverance in the face of impossible odds makes him an obvious choice to lead a long-term peacekeeping operation, and the UN gives him command.

Charismatic and celebrated, Jack becomes a renowned and well-liked military commander noted for his unwavering devotion to creating a better world. Over the course of two decades, he uses his position to expand Overwatch beyond its original military purpose, rebuilding in the wake of the Crisis, championing international peace, and fostering groundbreaking developments in science and technology. During this time, he's widely regarded as someone the whole world could really and truly call a hero—which they did. Though we’re given only brief glimpses of the man he used to be as Strike-Commander, it’s clear that he is competent, compassionate, and thoroughly invested in both his cause and his people, never losing sight of the gravity of his position and the faith placed in him by the world at large.

● King’s Row Uprising
Still, twenty years is a long tenure, and it’s more than enough time to fall victim to shifting global politics, the ultimate outcome of being placed on a pedestal. Somewhere along the line, Jack stumbles under the weight of international politicking. Enmired in bureaucratic bloating and rapidly falling public opinion, Overwatch becomes the subject of great controversy involving the exposure of a covert ops division and accusations of human rights abuses, a direct result of Jack allowing said division to operate without meaningful oversight, his idealism having become a hinderance.

When a group of Omnic extremists occupies a prominent London neighborhood, and the British Prime Minister rejects Overwatch's assistance, Jack is forced to question the cause to which he devoted his life. As he weighs his ability to end a hostage situation against respecting a nation's sovereignty, it's clear that securing world peace at the expense of his own wants and needs has taken its toll on him. Still, he acts as a thoughtful and measured leader, allowing his subordinates to voice their opinions on the matter and carefully considering the risk of further eroding the world's trust in him.

Ultimately, he intervenes because he has the ability to save lives, which to him means there was never really a choice at all. His penchant for self-sacrifice is evident once more, as he knows the decision does not come without consequence. This time, however, Jack's devotion to Overwatch is a detriment to his own well-being as he gives larger and larger parts of himself to the organization in a desperate and futile effort to keep it alive.

● The Fall of Overwatch
Collapsing beneath scandal and continued onslaughts from terrorist cells, Overwatch is put to rest after an apparent attack on its Swiss headquarters where Jack is supposedly killed in the blast. He physically survives, but the same cannot be said for his mental state. His eulogy praised the fact that he “gave everything he was to Overwatch”—but perhaps he gave a bit too much. With all he built laid to ruin, what could possibly be left?

Christened Soldier: 76 by the media, the vigilante that crawled out of Overwatch’s rubble firmly believes that the man he used to be is dead, and with him, everything he worked for. In fact, 76 doubts it was worth working for in the first place, and thinks he wasted his time. Disillusioned, bitter, and overly-cynical, he actively works to distance himself from the inspirational, heroic figure that he once was, writing off his prior convictions as unrealistic and painfully naive. Few prices are too high to pay for the answers that he wants, and the same drive that helped him achieve so much in his heyday has turned into single-minded, self-destructive obsession. Where Jack was unwaveringly devoted to a grander vision of world peace, 76 is shellshocked, paranoid, burdened by his failure, and fully committed to uncovering the truth of how things went so wrong—or maybe just exacting retribution for it.

His general demeanor is gruff, blunt, and sardonic. Not one to offer praise, encouragement, or words in general, 76 is impatient and terse, acutely aware of his age and a little self-deprecating with regards to it. Still, he’s stubborn, insistent, and a tenacious force to be reckoned with. 76 is still exceptionally driven, and has a tendency to barrel headfirst into a fight without much thought (something for which he's criticized).

At this point, he’s a man who has lost almost everything, knows the price of war intimately, and is no stranger to sacrifice. Underneath his burning desire for vengeance is someone who has nothing else to strive for. Though he's certainly aware he’s past his prime, fighting is what he knows, and the only thing he feels he can do (he is, after all, "just a soldier"). 76 functions with the knowledge that once he catches up to the ghosts he’s chasing, he’ll serve no further purpose. He’s running on borrowed time, and has to make it count.

● Genetic enhancements (CANON): 76 was augmented in his late teens/early twenties, making him stronger, faster, and more durable than an ordinary human—the “perfect soldier”. It's implied that he's become less able with age. This does not, unfortunately, stop him from pushing himself as though he's still in his prime, often to his own detriment.
● Lay on Hands
● Flaming Sword