===The Female Monk===

The Monk debuted at Blizzcon 2009 with just the male version in concept art or playable. There was no sign of the female monk at that point, though Blizzard always stressed that every character in the game would be playable, with identical stats and abilities, in either gender. Aside from spawning numerous, "wouldn't she be the 'nun?'" jokes, the female Monk existed only in rumor and various pieces of fan-made concept art until late January 2010, when Blizzard requested that fans create their own versions of what the character might look like, as a fun diversion before the real artwork was released.

There were no prizes offered for this feat, but fan artists enjoyed the experience, and other fans liked to see what they came up with, as well as wagering which one would most accurately reflect the official version. Blizzard was taking something of a risk with this; after all, what if some of the fan art had been wildly popular, and the official version not very well-liked by the community. (This was not out of the question; see [[Wizard#Appearance|the male Wizard controversy]], for example.)