What is the real name of the hero known as 'McCree' after the 2021 name change?

The hero formerly known as McCree was renamed Cole Cassidy in 2021. Cole Cassidy is the gunslinger’s current canonical name in Overwatch, while Jesse McCree was the character’s former name and remains an important part of his history.

The original name referred to a former Blizzard employee. In 2021, Blizzard announced that the hero would be renamed after the employee’s departure from the company amid a workplace-misconduct controversy. The developers said the new name would better represent what Overwatch stood for.

Cassidy’s fictional backstory gives the name a further layer. He is associated with Santa Fe, New Mexico, joined the Deadlock Rebels, and later served in Blackwatch, Overwatch’s covert division. “Cole Cassidy” therefore became both the public-facing replacement for McCree and the identity used in the game’s continuing story.

Players sometimes answer Jesse McCree because that was the hero’s original name, but it does not satisfy the question’s “after the 2021 name change” qualifier. Gabriel Reyes and Jack Morrison are other Overwatch characters: they are the real names of Reaper and Soldier: 76, respectively.