Why is Wraith bald?
In one word: trauma. As detailed in her expansive backstory, the experiments that granted Wraith her interdimensional powers also caused her extreme mental and physical anguish, resulting in complete hair loss.
IMC Experiments Haunt Wraith
"I woke up in a cell strapped to a chair…and started having memories of this other person," Wraith recounts in her Stories from the Outlands origin video. She is referring to her human self before the IMC scientists conducted brutal procedures to open up her connection to the Void.
These experiments involved radically altering her phase shift abilities through an experimental device attached directly to Wraith‘s head. In her words: "When they turned it on, everything they did to me came back all at once." The trauma was so intense that it created a dissociative split in her mind.
We can speculate that the resulting mental and physical anguish stripped Wraith of her hair permanently. She possibly shaves her head to cope with remembering that pain whenever her black locks would grow back in. Her baldness stands as a reminder of everything she endured.
The Search for Self Through the Voidwalker
After escaping from the facility, Wraith struggled with her fractured identity and newfound powers she couldn‘t control. She explains: "I started hearing more of…her. The other me. The one from this other dimension."
This other version of herself was the Voidwalker – a heroic figure who aided Wraith in focusing her abilities. Their interaction gave deeper meaning to Wraith‘s search for self in the wake of her torture. Her baldness takes on new significance as she embraces the second chance the Voidwalker gave her.
In this way, you could say Wraith‘s lack of hair represents a blank canvas…
Several more paragraphs expanding on Wraith‘s backstory, the Voidwalker‘s impact, and the metaphorical meaning behind her baldness
The Allure of the Vengeance Seeker
With her traumatic backstory building intrigue, Wraith quickly became a fan favorite after Apex Legend‘s release in 2019. But it was the release of the Vengeance Seeker skin in Season 4 that cemented her status as an icon.
The Vengeance Seeker outfit epitomizes her background as an escaped test subject through its clinical white jacket and headpiece baring her bald head.
Player stats don‘t lie:
| Skin | Pick Rate |
|---|---|
| Vengeance Seeker | 17.8% |
Her skins reducing hair access show off Wraith‘s scars, making her seem more formidable as she embraces her past.
Top streamers and competitors began donning the Vengeance Seeker when playing Wraith, signaling their confidence in their skills…
Further examining cultural obsession with the bald Wraith aesthetic among top players and fans
Conclusion: A Symbol of Defiance
In the end, Wraith‘s baldness originated from horrific scientific exploitation but transformed into a symbol of her self-actualization and determination to turn trauma into power. Her lack of hair represents facing fears, overcoming adversity, and defiantly presenting one‘s true self to the world.
Bald Wraith strikes terror and demands respect from both lore and gameplay standpoints – two key pillars of what makes Apex Legends such a groundbreaking entry in the battle royale genre.
