When you look at Deadlock’s Warden, the immediate feeling you get is ‘what’s a bobby doing in New York?’ Because Warden’s design looks very similar to how cops were portrayed in the UK in the early 1900s. But truth be told, he has nothing to do with them.
In fact, Warden is not with the police at all; it’s actually the title for a long line of descendants of militant alchemists. He is pretty much inspired by the popular media trope of passing down the mantle of masked heroes.
According to Warden’s lore, most of the world became aware of the supernatural a mere 50 years ago, but that is not the case. These phenomena have long since existed in the world, shaping history through folklore and other media. It’s just that all of it has started coming out into the light in the last half-century following the first maelstrom event.
The Wardens have been trained meticulously through generations to fend off apocalyptic situations that can be caused by the unnatural. But as time has passed, the teachings have become less important, with the discipline turning into mere stories told by grandparents.
The Warden has similarities to Arc Warden from Dota 2
All of that is changing with the present-day Warden we see in Deadlock. A no-nonsense alchemist and a brawler who is participating in the ritual in order to stop the patrons from entering the world.
Warden’s initial design from Deadlock’s previous iteration was named ‘Murphy,’ which was a reference to the character of Captain Murphy from Robocop. Who goes on to become the cyborg cop, struggling to cope with his memories and emotions.
The character in Deadlock is supposed to receive a new remodel someday, and we have already been teased with some hints and images. One fun fact about the character is that his backstory shares close similarities with Arc Warden from Dota 2.
Currently, Warden does not have too many interactions or history with the rest of the Deadlock cast, so he might feel like a forgettable character lore-wise, but we are hoping to see that change in the future when he gets redesigned.
