There are few memes as iconic as Leeroy Jenkins and the team behind of World of Warcraft recognizes that. Nearly 20 years ago, a man named Ben Schulz helped introduce the world to his now-infamous World of Warcraft character, Leeroy Jenkins. For the uninitiated, the character entered the pop culture zeitgeist when a viral video of Schulz and his World of Warcraft fans were preparing to enter a big battle. Schulz was supposedly away from his computer while they were making their plan and instead just decided to go for it, screaming “Alright, let’s do this!” and then proceeding to scream his own name while charging into the chaos. His teammates, stunned, stared at him in silence before ultimately realizing they needed to help him. Although the folks behind the video later admitted that it was staged, history was made that day and Leeroy Jenkins has since been parodied and referenced in numerous shows like Family Guy.
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On the 17th anniversary, the official Warcraft Twitter account dedicated a post to Leeroy Jenkins. Over many years, Blizzard has found ways to pay tribute to the meme. Leeroy Jenkins is featured in Hearthstone, has been referenced in World of Warcraft‘s achievements, and much more. He was even in the script for the Warcraftย film, but seemingly didn’t make the final cut. “17 years ago today, one group of heroes ran valiantly into battle within the Upper Blackrock Spire,” reads the post. “One man led the charge with his iconic battle cry which still echoes in those halls to this day.Thank you, Leeroy.”
Leeroy Jenkins will continue to live on as one of the most iconic gaming characters known to man. World of Warcraft looks like it has no plans of slowing down, so it wouldn’t be shocking if Blizzard continues to honor him in various ways. With the 20th anniversary coming up in just 3 years, it seems likely that Blizzard will find yet another significant way to pay tribute to him.
Do you still enjoy the Leeroy Jenkins meme? Let me know in the comments below or hit me up on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
