Liao (Updated 2/8)

Liao is one of the founding members of Overwatch and the only one not currently playable in the game. Liao's full name, gender, and appearance are all still a mystery. As such, they are a highly anticipated character in the lore.

2/8 Update:

• Added confirmation that man in Ana Origin Story photo is not Liao

Overwatch is Back blog article

They were first mentioned in the news article “Overwatch is Back: Uncertainty and Hope After UN Confirms Vigilante Activity”:

“The United Nations covertly brought a few of these unique minds together to form a small, nimble team, aimed at striking significant blows against omnic strongholds. Their names—Morrison, Reyes, Amari, Liao, Wilhelm, and Lindholm—have since become legendary. The world would come to know them as the founders of Overwatch.”

There has yet to be any other mention of Liao and there are no known pictures of them.

Playstation Magazine

In August 2016, a Brazilian gaming magazine mentioned Liao. The text reads in English:

"22 heroes. Blizzard is already working on more, like cryogenesis expert Liao."

According to a Brazilian reddit user, the female version of expert was used, indicating that this Liao is a woman.

It is likely that the author of the article was mistaking Liao with Mei, a female hero with ice abilities.

Notes and Speculation

• According to Wikipedia, Liao is a Chinese surname most commonly found in Taiwan and Southern China.
• It was confirmed during the SDCC 2016 Overwatch panel that the man on the far left in the Ana Origin Story photo is not Liao. (source)

The man on the left is not Liao