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Spy (Team Fortress 2)
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Spy (true name unknown) |
| Occupation: | Spy |
| Relationships: | The Scout AKA Jeremy (coworker, adversary, implied biological son); Scout's Ma (love interest) |
| Fandom: | Team Fortress 2 |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
This article or section needs expansion. |
The Spy is a playable character in the team-based multiplayer first-person shooter video game Team Fortress 2. He also appears in related media.
Canon Background
He is a puzzle, wrapped in an enigma, shrouded in riddles, lovingly sprinkled with intrigue, express mailed to Mystery, Alaska, and LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU! but it is too late. You're dead. For he is the Spy - globetrotting rogue, lady killer (metaphorically) and mankiller (for real).
Although Team Fortress 2 does not have a story mode or single-player campaign, the storyline of the game has been revealed through comics, Meet the Team videos, and media released in connection with major updates, [such as in-game skins and item descriptions].[1]
[....] During the Summer of 1968, nine individuals - the Scout, the Soldier, the Pyro, the Demoman, the Heavy Weapons Guy, the Engineer, the Medic, the Sniper, and the Spy - were recruited by Reliable Excavation & Demolition (RED) and Builders League United (BLU) to continue [rivals] Redmond and Blutarch's neverending war to seize the land left to them by their deceased father.
[...] With the introduction of RED Spy's romantic interest in BLU Scout's Mother came suggestions that Spy is Scout's biological father. Several scenes or gags in the comics reference this suspicion. Certain comments made by other characters suggest they know or suspect something of a connection between Scout and Spy. A strongly emotional scene plays out after the battle with the last of Gray's robots; Spy comforts a dying Scout with an apparent fiction that Scout is the son of Tom Jones. Spy may be Scout's actual biological father, or he may have otherwise over time developed a deep fatherly concern and affection for Scout.[2]
Fan Community
Reception and Popularity
Fanon and Tropes
Spycrab
Spycrab was an in-game animation oversight, later named by fans and embraced by Valve, the creators of TF2. Often seen in fanart and fan-made merchandise.
One of the most well-known fads within Team Fortress 2 is the Spycrab. The Spycrab is an animation oversight that occurs if the Spy looks straight up while holding the Disguise Kit and crouching, then walks in any direction. Doing this will cause the Spy to move in an amusing fashion that resembles a crab. The first known video of a player doing the Spycrab can be found here. As a result of its popularity, numerous references to the Spycrab have been included in official TF2 media, such as in-game, on the Official TF2 Blog and in TF Comics.[...] The Spycrab has also inspired a number of community trends, for example a fan-made game mode, and a form of gambling known as "Spycrabbing". "Spycrabbing" has multiple variations, however the general rule is that the first player to perform the Spycrab taunt a certain number of times will win/lose, with the winner taking all items wagered.[3]
Tentaspy
Tentaspy is an AU for Spy where he is half human, half tentacle monster.
Other Popular Tropes
- As with the other mercenaries, fans often portray the RED Spy and BLU Spy as two separate individuals. They may be twins, otherwise related, clones, or unrelated, and possess their own distinct personalities and associated traits.
- While nothing in-game or in the comics suggest so, some fans like to think it's necessary for Spy to kill someone before taking their form in a disguise.
- Many pieces of fanart depict him with grey or silver streaks in black hair sans balaclava.
- While there is still room for skepticism regarding the canon status of Spy's blood relationship to the Scout, many fans fully believe that the Spy is the Scout's biological father.
- Spy Is Bad at Feelings
- Soft Spy
- Spy Tries to be a Parent
- Trans Spy
- Genderfluid Spy
- Spy Being an Asshole
- Overprotective Spy
- Good Parent Spy
- Spy Is Not A Parent
Relationships
See List of Team Fortress 2 Relationship Names For All Spy Relationships
The most popular relationships featuring Spy are Sniper/Spy and Spy & Scout. Spy/Scout's Ma is also canon.
Common Pairings and Poly Ships
- Spy/Spy
- Scout/Spy
- Soldier/Spy
- Pyro/Spy
- Demoman/Spy
- Engineer/Spy
- Heavy/Spy
- Medic/Spy
- Sniper/Spy
- Spy/Scout's Ma
- Heavy/Medic/Spy
Common Gen Relationships
Example and/or Notable Fanworks
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Fan Videos
- Four Versions of Meet the Spy by RedRover88 (2017), comparing three fan animations of Meet the Spy with the official one. One features characters from the cartoon My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
- Meet the Spy but it's in LEGO by ATIX_Animations (2019), fan animation of Meet the Spy using LEGO.
- Meet the Spy but it's a Twitter thread by Duck9K (2020), Meet the Spy recreated as Twitter screenshots.
Fan Fiction
Fan Art
Cosplay
Fan Mods
Fan Mixes
- you can set the world on fire by iUpelKuchen (2017)
- mon amie, by redmedic, Archived version (2017)
- mr. pinstripe suit by elysiandusk, Archived version (2017)
- Manteau et poignard by sandalpacking, Archived version (2016)
- Never Saw Me Coming by unwantedscorpion, Archived version (2016)
- i never really was on your side by _dirt_, Archived version (2015)
- About a Spy by freudianslaps, Archived version (2015)
- it's always been said that we're already dead by enjolrad, Archived version (2015)
- Lost My Head, Lost My Mind by Father Pucci, Archived version (2014)
- you know my name by tissue, Archived version (2014)
- The Rat by theghoulishrodent, Archived version (2014)
- Ils m'appellent Spy. by that-ugly-chick, Archived version (2013)
External Links
Fan Communities and Archives
- FanFiction.Net (FFN): Team Fortress 2 stories and crossovers
- Archive of Our Own (AO3): Spy (Team Fortress 2) tag
Resources
- Spy on the Team Fortress 2 Official Wiki
- Spy on Know Your Meme