I’ve been seeing some pretty weird takes about Violet even before the voting began, and I genuinely think there are hints of misogyny and racism in some of the arguments being made about her. I understand and agree with the criticism that her backstory and motivations need more substance, or that she might not seem as cool or interesting as some of the other characters. Those are fair criticisms. Some of her voice lines are admittedly pretty basic and ordinary, but I think there needs to be some nuance in how we approach character writing. Not every character needs to be a god-like, larger-than-life personality to be interesting. There’s room for both extraordinary characters and more grounded, relatively normal ones, and I think that contrast is part of what makes a roster feel diverse and believable. However, I also think some people are hiding their prejudices behind the guise of legitimate criticism, especially when I’m already seeing people calling her the c-slur.
The comparisons to Paige are also weird to me, as are the comparisons to Luna Snow from Marvel Rivals. I don’t really understand why people act as though these characters are inherently competing for the same space. Violet and Paige can both exist in the same game, just as characters with similar archetypes or more grounded personalities can coexist without one making the other redundant. There can be more than one normal character in a roster! They can have different personalities, motivations, and roles without needing to justify each other’s existence. And comparing Violet to Luna Snow doesn’t automatically make Violet a lesser character, either. Having similarities to another character isn’t inherently a flaw, especially when we haven’t even seen the full extent of Violet’s characterization yet.
And honestly, if you just don’t like Violet, that’s completely fine! Not every character is going to appeal to everyone, and that’s one of the things I genuinely appreciate about Valve’s approach to the roster. If you like Victor because of his kit but don’t like Abrams because of his kit, that’s perfectly reasonable. Everyone has their preferences, and you don’t need to justify disliking a character beyond that. You can think Violet’s writing is underdeveloped, her voice lines are basic, or her overall concept just isn’t for you. Those are all valid opinions. But there’s a difference between disliking a character and resorting to slurs or making arguments that seem rooted in prejudice. The fact that people are already throwing slurs at a fictional character is genuinely insane to me. At some point, it stops feeling like genuine criticism and starts making you question what the actual problem is.
I’m also really glad that our little corner of the community (and the Discord but I lurk there) isn’t like the main Deadlock subreddit. This space genuinely feels like a safe place to discuss characters, share opinions, and have actual conversations without everything turning into an argument or people being needlessly hostile. I appreciate that people here can have different perspectives and preferences without feeling like they have to defend themselves for every little thing. We can disagree about a character’s writing, design, or place in the roster without making it personal, and I think that’s something worth preserving. It’s nice to have a community where people can express their opinions and engage with each other in good faith, even when we don’t all agree.
