History YMMV / ModernWarfare

* EvilIsSexy: There's a disturbing amount of people who think Makarov is "sexy." Unlike the other villains in the ''Modern Warfare'' trilogy (most of whom are EvilOldFolks), Makarov is fairly young-looking, well-groomed, and [[SharpDressedMan well-dressed]].

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny:
** When Call of Duty 4 came out, it was cited as a great FPS which managed to at least help to revolutionize the genre with its modern war setting and well-done online multiplayer, noob tubes aside. Now, the series has been criticized for doing nothing new ever since then, if not since the very beginning, along with the whole modern war FPS genre has been considered very stale since 2012.
** The [[spoiler:death of Sergeant Jackson via a nuclear blast, which you can do nothing to prevent]], was incredibly shocking at the time. Then comes ''Modern Warfare 2'' and ''3'', where [[spoiler:a good half of the playable characters die, one of them in each game just half a minute after you take control of him,]] making the whole thing old-hat.

** Depending on how you feel about Russia, the series' premise of an "[[CommieNazis Ultranationalist]]" movement taking over the nation and declaring war on NATO hits much harder in light of rising political tensions between Russia and the West as of the late 2010s--with the former gradually shifting closer toward authoritarian governance while also seeing NATO as a threat to its national and cultural sovereignty. The [[spoiler:invasion of Europe]] in ''[=MW3=]'' is particularly unsettling given [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine in 2022]]. Further, the Ultranationalists' goal of restoring the country to its Soviet-era glory sounds strikingly evocative of similar sentiments expressed by Russian President UsefulNotes/VladimirPutin (many critics have made comparisons between the Ultranationalists and the ideology that is currently active in Russia known as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Bolshevism National Bolshevism]], and many commentators have noted that Putin's views are similar to theirs despite his apparent efforts to distance himself from them). Even the series' antagonist, Vladimir Makarov, almost looks like Putin albeit with a different hairstyle. You can only take comfort that the Russian military is woefully underperforming in Ukraine compared to the game.

** Depending on how you feel about Russia, the series' premise of an "[[CommieNazis Ultranationalist]]" movement taking over the nation and declaring war on NATO hits much harder in light of rising political tensions between Russia and the West as of the late 2010s--with the former gradually shifting closer toward authoritarian governance while also seeing NATO as a threat to its national and cultural sovereignty. The [[spoiler:invasion of Europe]] in ''[=MW3=]'' is particularly unsettling given [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine in 2022]]. Further, the Ultranationalists' goal of restoring the country to its Soviet-era glory sounds strikingly evocative of similar sentiments expressed by Russian President UsefulNotes/VladimirPutin (Many critics have made comparisons between the Ultranationalists and the ideology that is currently active in Russia known as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Bolshevism National Bolshevism]], and many commentators have noted that Putin's views are similar to theirs despite his apparent efforts to distance himself from them). Even the series' antagonist, Vladimir Makarov, almost looks like Putin albeit with a different hairstyle. You can only take comfort that the Russian military is woefully underperforming in Ukraine compared to the game.

** Depending on how you feel about Russia, the series' premise of an "[[CommieNazis Ultranationalist]]" movement taking over the nation and declaring war on NATO hits much harder in light of rising political tensions between Russia and the West as of the late 2010s--with the former gradually shifting closer toward authoritarian governance while also seeing NATO as a threat to its national and cultural sovereignty. The [[spoiler:invasion of Europe]] in ''[=MW3=]'' is particularly unsettling given [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine in 2022]]. Further, the Ultranationalists' goal of restoring the country to its Soviet-era glory sounds strikingly evocative of similar sentiments expressed by Russian President UsefulNotes/VladimirPutin. (Many critics have made comparisons between the Ultranationalists and the ideology that is currently active in Russia known as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Bolshevism National Bolshevism]], and many commentators have noted that Putin's views are similar to theirs despite his apparent efforts to distance himself from them.) Even the series' antagonist, Vladimir Makarov, almost looks like Putin albeit with a different hairstyle. You can only take comfort that the Russian military is woefully underperforming in Ukraine compared to the game.

* MisaimedFandom: The series is often described by a substantial number of fans and detractors alike as being a [[WarIsGlorious mindless celebration of warfare]] wherein AmericaSavesTheDay from evil Russians and Arabs. (So infamous did this reputation become in fact that it led to many potshots at it from other [[DeconstructionGame deconstruction games]] and commentators in the industry; see ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine''.) However, ''Modern Warfare'' is itself a deconstruction of exactly that type of mindset: for starters, the series mainly revolves around ''British'' soldiers--assisted by many local and even Russian forces, no less--fighting extremist cohorts in the hopes of toppling the war machine, whilst America serves mainly to ''deter'' the Ultranationalists rather than ''defeat'' them. Furthermore, the trilogy is a ''scathing'' condemnation of warlike foreign policy wherein both American and Russian exceptionalism are portrayed as [[EvilIsPetty evil and petty]], and though the Ultranationalist-led Russia ''is'' portrayed as being more in the wrong than the West, the overarching conflict is still not as black-and-white as many make it out to be--the main villain in the second game is [[spoiler: an American general who wants to drum up a war filled with patriots]], and much of the first and third game is spent fighting both ''as'' and alongside Russian loyalists who also seek peace with the West. Lastly, in ''Modern Warfare 1'' and ''2'', America ''doesn't'' save the day and its actions end in failure (be it a [[spoiler: nuclear blast which wipes out 30,000 marines]], or a [[spoiler: botched CIA mission which results in Russian civilians dead and an American soldier's finger on the trigger]]). And though ''Modern Warfare 3'' did end up taking on a more standard AmericaSavesTheDay plot, it arguably leans further into the WarIsHell angle than any game in trilogy (as the story ends with [[spoiler: the U.S., NATO, and Russia in disarray, countless civilian lives lost, nearly every player character or fellow soldier dead, and moderates on both sides calling a truce when the costs no longer justify the goals]]). To be fair however, this commentary [[DoNotDoThisCoolThing kind of got lost amidst all the bombastic action sequences]] and multiplayer, and subsequent ''Call of Duty'' titles near-dropped the angle entirely, so it's not ''entirely'' unfounded--just misguided.

*** They manage to blitz the U.S. Eastern Seaboard and go all the way from their border to Paris; each within a day. Fast forward to the 2022 Russo-Ukrainian War, and Russia's shambolic performance became a huge meme. Particularly the fact that Russian convoys would simply run out of fuel and get abandoned by their drivers (the Ukrainians [[https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-equipment.html literally captured more abandoned tanks and other vehicles than they lost]]), as well as the fact that the grunts had to either loot local civilians for such mundane things as ''wheat'' or pawn their gear to those same locals in cheap barter exchanges. The kicker? All of this happened within ''a few dozen miles of the Russian border, with an operation they had been planning for months.

** Depending on how you feel about Russia, the series' premise of an "[[CommieNazis Ultranationalist]]" movement taking over the nation and declaring war on NATO hits much harder in light of rising political tensions between Russia and the West as of the late 2010s--with the former gradually shifting closer toward authoritarian governance while also seeing NATO as a threat to its national and cultural sovereignty. The [[spoiler: invasion of Europe]] in ''[=MW3=]'' is particularly unsettling given [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine in 2022]]. Further, the Ultranationalists' goal of restoring the country to its Soviet-era glory sounds strikingly evocative of similar sentiments expressed by Russian President UsefulNotes/VladimirPutin. (Many critics have made comparisons between the Ultranationalists and the ideology that is currently active in Russia known as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Bolshevism National Bolshevism]], and many commentators have noted that Putin's views are similar to theirs despite his apparent efforts to distance himself from them.) Even the series' antagonist, Vladimir Makarov, almost looks like Putin albeit with a different hairstyle. You can only take comfort that the Russian military is woefully underperforming in Ukraine compared to the game.

** One of the most oft-criticized elements of ''Modern Warfare'''s plot is the massive amounts of EasyLogistics involved with Russia's invasions--they manage to blitz the U.S. Eastern Seaboard and go all the way from their border to Paris; each within a day. Fast forward to the 2022 Russo-Ukrainian War, and Russia's shambolic performance became a huge meme. Particularly the fact that Russian convoys would simply run out of fuel and get abandoned by their drivers (the Ukrainians [[https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-equipment.html literally captured more abandoned tanks and other vehicles than they lost]]), as well as the fact that the grunts had to either loot local civilians for such mundane things as ''wheat'' or pawn their gear to those same locals in cheap barter exchanges. The kicker? All of this happened within ''a few dozen miles of the Russian border, with an operation they had been planning for months.''
*** In fairness to ''MW 2'', the sequel immediately wastes no time deconstructing MakeTheBearAngryAgain by agreeing with the idea that modern Russia is not the Soviet Union by showing that the devastating invasion in ''MW2 '' was literally all it could do and required the nation to throw ''everything'' it had the west. Thus, once the Americans begin properly counterattacking as in the opening Delta Force mission, Russia is unable to recover its losses that are already stretched pathetically thin and the President must sue for peace in a conflcit that lasted ''weeks'', far shorter than Russia's invasion of Ukraine. One could effectively construe the opening of ''MW 3'' as a warning to Russia's government as to what would actually happen should it take on the West, and probably should've been required media consumption for its officials to avoid its ongoing issues in Ukraine.

* VindicatedByHistory: The two sequels, but especially ''3'', were [[CriticalDissonance incredibly divisive]] among critics and fans. Critics usually gave Modern Warfare 2 and 3 solid 80-90 while fan reaction of Modern Warfare 2 is that it's generally considered a GenreShift towards Creator/MichaelBay style actions and theatrics, and Modern Warfare 3 got a lot of flak from fans considering the game to be [[ItsTheSameSoItSucks too similar to the last two]] and the storyline being rushed for a quick buck. Today, they're looked on more favorably by (mostly returning) fans thanks to the mixed reception of ''Videogame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2019'' and the very well received but largely plotless ''Videogame/CallOfDutyMobile'' bringing nostalgia for the now older fans by featuring iconic characters from almost the whole series. Then there is how fans look at the COD series from ''Ghosts'' onwards suffering from an AudienceAlienatingEra by too much milking wildly fictional, usually future eras (while ''WWII'' was criticized for being a ClicheStorm that made too much use of rare guns or guns that weren't depicted correctly for the era), and considered them [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks too radically different]].

* VindicatedByHistory: The two sequels, but especially ''3'', were [[CriticalDissonance incredibly divisive]] among critics and fans. Critics usually gave Modern Warfare 2 and 3 solid 80-90 while fan reaction of Modern Warfare 2 is that it's generally considered a GenreShift towards Creator/MichaelBay style actions and theatrics, and Modern Warfare 3 got a lot of flak from fans considering the game to be [[ItsTheSameSoItSucks too similar to the last two]] and the storyline being rushed for a quick buck. Today, they're looked on more favorably by (mostly returning) fans thanks to the mixed reception of ''Videogame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2019'' and the very well received but largely plotless ''Videogame/CallOfDutyMobile'' bringing nostalgia for the now older fans by featuring iconic characters from almost the whole series. Then there is how fans look at the COD series from ''Ghosts'' onwards suffering from a DorkAge by too much milking wildly fictional, usually future eras (while ''WWII'' was criticized for being a ClicheStorm that made too much use of rare guns or guns that weren't depicted correctly for the era), and considered them [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks too radically different]].

** [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement Depending on how you feel about Russia]], the series' premise of an "[[CommieNazis Ultranationalist]]" movement taking over the nation and declaring war on NATO hits much harder in light of rising political tensions between Russia and the West as of the late 2010s--with the former gradually shifting closer toward authoritarian governance while also seeing NATO as a threat to its national and cultural sovereignty. The [[spoiler: invasion of Europe]] in ''[=MW3=]'' is particularly unsettling given [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine in 2022]]. Further, the Ultranationalists' goal of restoring the country to its Soviet-era glory sounds strikingly evocative of similar sentiments expressed by Russian President UsefulNotes/VladimirPutin. (Many critics have made comparisons between the Ultranationalists and the ideology that is currently active in Russia known as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Bolshevism National Bolshevism]], and many commentators have noted that Putin's views are similar to theirs despite his apparent efforts to distance himself from them.) Even the series' antagonist, Vladimir Makarov, almost looks like Putin albeit with a different hairstyle. You can only take comfort that the Russian military is woefully underperforming in Ukraine compared to the game.

* VindicatedByHistory: The two sequels, but especially ''3'', were [[CriticalDissonance incredibly divisive]] among critics and fans. Critics usually gave Modern Warfare 2 and 3 solid 80-90 while fan reaction of Modern Warfare 2 is that it's generally considered a GenreShift towards Creator/MichaelBay style actions and theatrics, and Modern Warfare 3 got a lot of flak from fans considering the game to be [[ItsTheSameSoItSucks too similar to the last two]] and the storyline being rushed for a quick buck. Today, they're looked on more favorably by (mostly returning) fans thanks to the mixed reception of ''Videogame/CallOfDutyModernWarfare2019'' and the very well received but largely plotless ''Videogame/CallOfDutyMobile'' bringing nostalgia for the now older fans by featuring iconic characters from almost the whole series. Then there is how fans look at the COD series from ''Ghosts'' onwards suffering from a DorkAge by too much milking wildly fictional, usually future eras (while ''WWII'' was criticized for being a ClicheStorm that made too much use of RareGuns or guns that weren't depicted correctly for the era), and considered them [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks too radically different]].

* {{Anvilicious}}: Though it can be hard to spot between the exciting gameplay and over-reliance on RuleOfCool, the series has an [[WarIsHell anti-war theme]]. More specifically: the games are a harsh condemnation of nationalistic and [[WarIsGlorious jingoistic]] foreign policy wherein both American and Russian exceptionalism are portrayed as [[EvilIsPetty petty and destructive]], with none of them being subtle in their imagery (given that the series began near the tail-end of the Bush era, it might have been an attempt to criticize neoconservative interventionism by showing what it's like when your enemies hold a similar philosophy). The games practically rub players' noses into the horrific and broad-sweeping consequences of war with things like "No Russian", "Shock and Awe". "Eye of the Storm" and "Davis Family Vacation". Even the AC-130 level is making a point about how dehumanizing swatting people like flies from a gunship is. [[note]]Sister-series, ''Black Ops'' is, if anything, even more blatant.[[/note]] There's a reason they included all those quotes.

* {{Anvilicious}}: Though it can be hard to spot between the exciting gameplay and over-reliance on RuleOfCool, the series has an [[WarIsHell anti-war theme]]. More specifically: the games are a harsh condemnation of nationalistic and [[WarIsGlorious jingoistic]] foreign policy wherein both American and Russian exceptionalism are portrayed as [[EvilIsPetty petty and destructive]], with none of them being subtle in their imagery (given that the series began near the tail-end of the Bush era, it might have been an attempt to criticize neoconservative interventionism by showing what it's like when your enemies hold a similar philosophy). The games practically rub players' noses into the horrific and broad-sweeping consequences of war with things like "No Russian", "Shock and Awe" and "Davis Family Vacation". Even the AC-130 level is making a point about how dehumanizing swatting people like flies from a gunship is. [[note]]Sister-series, ''Black Ops'' is, if anything, even more blatant.[[/note]] There's a reason they included all those quotes.

* {{Anvilicious}}: Though it can be hard to spot between the exciting gameplay and over-reliance on RuleOfCool, the series has an [[WarIsHell anti-war theme]]. More specifically: the games are a harsh condemnation of nationalistic and jingoistic foreign policy wherein both American and Russian exceptionalism being portrayed as [[EvilIsPetty petty and destructive]], with none of them being subtle in their imagery (given that the series began near the tail-end of the Bush era, it might have been an attempt to criticize neoconservative interventionism by showing what it's like when your enemies hold a similar philosophy). The games practically rub players' noses into the horrific and broad-sweeping consequences of war with things like "No Russian", "Shock and Awe" and "Davis Family Vacation". Even the AC-130 level is making a point about how dehumanizing swatting people like flies from a gunship is. [[note]]Sister-series, ''Black Ops'' is, if anything, even more blatant.[[/note]] There's a reason they included all those quotes.

* {{Anvilicious}}: Though it can be hard to spot between the exciting gameplay and over-reliance on RuleOfCool, the series has an [[WarIsHell anti-war theme]]. More specifically: the games are a harsh condemnation of both American and Russian exceptionalism and jingoistic foreign policy, with none of them being subtle in their imagery (given that the series began near the tail-end of the Bush era, it might have been an attempt to critique neoconservative interventionism by showing what it feels like when your enemies hold a similar philosophy). The games practically rub players' noses into the external costs of war with things like "No Russian" and "Davis Family Vacation". Even the AC-130 level is making a point about how dehumanizing swatting people like flies from a gunship is. [[note]]Sister-series, ''Black Ops'' is, if anything, even more blatant.[[/note]] There's a reason they included all those quotes.

** Thanks to ''Machinima/ArbyNTheChief'', there's also "Cock of Doody 4: Modern Gayfuckstupid" (coined by Master Chief, who in that series is a parody of your typical ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' fanboy).

** [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement Depending on how you feel about Russia]], the series' premise of an "[[CommieNazis Ultranationalist]]" movement taking over the nation and declaring war on NATO hits much harder in light of rising political tensions between Russia and the West as of the late 2010s--with the former gradually shifting closer toward authoritarian governance while also seeing NATO as a threat to its national and cultural sovereignty. The [[spoiler: invasion of Europe]] in ''[=MW3=]'' is particularly unsettling given [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine in 2022]]. Further, the Ultranationalists' goal of restoring the country to its Soviet-era glory sounds strikingly evocative of similar sentiments expressed by Russian President UsefulNotes/VladimirPutin. (Many critics have made comparisons between the Ultranationalists and the ideology that is currently active in Russia known as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Bolshevism National Bolshevism]], and many commentators have noted that Putin's views are similar to theirs despite his apparent efforts to distance himself from them.) Even the series' antagonist, Vladimir Makarov, almost looks like Putin albeit with a different hairstyle.

* FranchiseOriginalSin: One of the main criticisms leveled against 2019's reboot of ''Modern Warfare'' was its portrayal of Russia as evil imperialists committing war crimes against civilians. This depiction has its roots in the original trilogy, wherein ''[=MW2=]'' had them invading the US in response to a botched CIA mission which resulted in hundreds of Russian civilians dead, after which players would spend most of the time killing Russian soldiers who are launching brutal attacks on American cities and (later) European cities in ''[=MW3=]''. The difference however is that ''[=MW2=]'' and ''3'' were explicitly set in an AlternateHistory wherein Russia suffered a second civil war which resulted in an extreme "ultranationalist" movement taking over the country, and their war with the U.S. in ''2'' was [[spoiler:purposefully set up by ''an American military general'' as part of a jingoistic power fantasy]]. This latter point was somewhat trivialized when the third game showed Russia launching a full-scale invasion of Europe (during which countless civilian casualties are amassed even further), but this was ameliorated by the fact that players would spend most of the game fighting both ''as'' and ''alongside'' various Russians who remained loyal to their former-federation; with the shared goal of defeating the ultranationalists and restoring peace to the continent (indeed, the war only ends when [[spoiler: a coalition of American, British and loyalist forces manage to rescue the Russian president from extremist captors so that he can order the military to stand down]]). By contrast, 2019's reboot shows no signs of infighting amongst the Russian soldiers and has a more down-to-Earth setting which is comparatively [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical not-as-far removed from contemporary political events]]. Thus, their unflattering portrayal in 2019's reboot comes off as an excessively [[BlackAndWhiteMorality black-and-white]] condemnation of the current Federation over its actions in Chechnya and Syria, and its blaming Russia for ersatz versions of ''real-life war crimes'' committed by American forces in the Middle East doesn't feel like alternate history so much as it does historical revisionism. As a result, many wound up deriding ''Modern Warfare'' (2019) as Russophobic propaganda in contrast to the original trilogy's more empathetic depiction of the Russian people and soldiers whose nation has been inducted by radical warlords.

* LoveToHate: Vladimir Makarov, villain of the entire ''Modern Warfare'' triolgy, is arguably the most popular villain in the entire Call of Duty franchise even to this day, and for very good reason. He's [[TheSociopath vicious]], [[TheChessmaster intelligent]], and [[HateSink utterly detestable]], [[spoiler: making his gruesome death at the hands of Captain Price all the more satisfying.]]

** A scan of the Website/GameFAQs message board would suggest Foley's usage of the term "Oscar Mike" (On the Move), alongside the fact that he entrusts everything to Ramirez, is becoming one.
*** RAMIREZ! [[ItsUpToYou DO EVERYTHING]]!

*** "Thirty thousand years ago, I lost 5 men and my fucking watch."

* OlderThanTheyThink: It's surprising how many fans of the first game think the term "noob tube" is unique to the series. It's been around since the M203 first started appearing in multiplayer games. As an example, [[VideoGame/{{Battlefield}} Battlefield 2]] came out two years earlier and had horrific issues early on with "dolphin diving noob tubers" because a player who jumped in the air then went prone could kill an enemy instantly with a grenade launcher while not taking damage themselves.
** A lot of things people think are original to [=CoD 4=] and [=MW2=] were in the earlier games too, most notably Captain Price and the teddy bears.

*** [[spoiler: Team Metal's death, especially with Price screaming at the pilot to stay so they can all make it. Lessened somewhat, by the fact that they at least got to go out via HeroicSacrifice instead of being horribly killed like everyone else]].

* DoNotDoThisCoolThing: As noted under MisaimedFandom below, the series is a brutal {{deconstruction}} of national supremacy and militaristic foreign policy, with WarIsHell being a major theme which permeates throughout the campaigns--When you're downed, the screen shows a quote from various historical figures condemning ultranationalist ideals and lamenting the cost of violence on humanity. However, the weight of these quotes seems lost amidst the exciting gameplay--no one can deny that it's pretty fun to be a OneManArmy caught in the middle of WorldWarIII. Not helping matters is the fact that the multiplayer and spec ops modes (which became ''massively'' more popular as the series went on) are comprised almost exclusively of run-and-gun action--lacking any of the campaigns' anti-war commentary.
** The commentary becomes far more noticeable when playing the campaigns on higher difficulty settings (e.g., Hardened), as the increased threat-of-death forces players to be more mindful of their surroundings and consequently amplifies the whole WarIsHell theme.

** One of the most oft-criticized element of ''Modern Warfare'''s plot is the massive amount of EasyLogistics involved in Russia's invasions; they manage to blitz the US Eastern Seaboard within a day, and go form their border to Paris in under a week. Fast forward to the 2022 Russo-Ukrainian War, and Russia's shambolic performance became a huge meme. Particularly the facts that Russian convoys would simply run out of fuel and get abandoned by their drivers (the Ukrainians [[https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-equipment.html literally captured more abandoned tanks and other vehicles than they lost]]) and that the grunts had to either loot local civilians for things as mundane as ''wheat'' or pawn their gear to those same locals in cheap barter exchanges. The kicker? All of this happened within ''a few dozen miles of the Russian border, with an operation they had been planning for months.''

* FranchiseOriginalSin: One of the main criticisms leveled against 2019's reboot of ''Modern Warfare'' was its portrayal of Russia an antagonistic imperialists committing war crimes against civilians. This depiction has its roots in the original trilogy, wherein ''[=MW2=]'' had them invading the US in response to a botched CIA mission which resulted in hundreds of Russian civilians dead. From hereon, players would spend most of the time killing Russian soldiers who are launching brutal attacks on American cities and later on European cities in ''[=MW3=]''. The difference however is that ''[=MW2=]'' and ''3'' were explicitly set in an AlternateHistory wherein Russia suffered a second civil war which resulted in an extreme "ultranationalist" movement taking over the country, and their war with the U.S. in ''2'' was [[spoiler:purposefully set up by ''an American military general'' as part of a jingoistic power fantasy]]. This latter point was somewhat trivialized when the third game showed Russia launching a full-scale invasion of Europe (during which countless civilian casualties are amassed even further), but this was ameliorated by the fact that players would spend most of the game fighting both ''as'' and ''alongside'' various Russians who remained loyal to their former-federation; with the shared goal of defeating the ultranationalists and restoring peace to the continent (indeed, the war only ends when [[spoiler: a coalition of American, British and loyalist forces manage to rescue the Russian president from extremist captors so that he can order the military to stand down]]). By contrast, 2019's reboot shows no signs of infighting amongst the Russian soldiers and has a more down-to-Earth setting which is [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical not-as-far removed from contemporary political events]] when compared to the original trilogy. Thus, their unflattering portrayal in 2019's reboot comes off as a scathingly [[BlackAndWhiteMorality black-and-white]] condemnation of the current-Federation over its actions in Chechnya and Syria, and its blaming Russia for ersatz versions of ''real-life war crimes'' committed by American forces in the Middle East doesn't feel like alternate history so much as it does historical revisionism. As a result, many wound up deriding ''Modern Warfare'' (2019) as Russophobic propaganda in contrast to the original trilogy's more empathetic depiction of the Russian people and soldiers whose nation has been inducted by radical warlords.

* FranchiseOriginalSin: One of the primary criticisms is about Russia being portrayed as an antagonistic imperialists committing war crimes against civilians, which first started with ''2'' where they launched an invasion at the US in response for a massacre that had occured at the Zakhaev International Airport. From here on players would spend most of the time killing Russian soldiers who are launching brutal attacks on American and (later) European cities. The difference however is that those games were explicitly set in an AlternateHistory wherein Russia suffered a second civil war which resulted in an extreme ultranationalist movement taking over the country, and their war with the U.S. in ''Modern Warfare 2'' was [[spoiler:purposefully set up by ''an American military general'' in collaboration with the ultranationalists as part of a jingoistic power fantasy]]. This latter point was somewhat trivialized when ''Modern Warfare 3'' showed Russia commencing a full-scale invasion of Europe (during which countless civilian casualties are amassed even further), but this was ameliorated by the overarching plot which saw players fighting both ''as'' and ''alongside'' various Russians who remained loyal to their former-federation; with the shared goal of defeating the ultranationalists and restoring peace to the continent (indeed, the war only ends when [[spoiler: a coalition of American, British and loyalist forces manage to rescue the Russian president from his captors so that he can order the military to stand down]]). By contrast, 2019's reboot shows no signs of infighting amongst the Russian soldiers and has a more down-to-Earth setting which is [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical not-as-far removed from contemporary political events]] when compared to here. Thus, their unflattering portrayal for the reboot game comes off as a scathingly [[BlackAndWhiteMorality black-and-white]] condemnation of the country over its actions in Chechnya and Syria, and its blaming Russia for ''real-life war crimes'' committed by American forces in the Middle East doesn't feel like alternate history so much as it does historical revisionism. As a result, many wound up deriding this game as Russophobic propaganda in contrast to the more empathetic depiction of the Russian people and soldiers whose home country has been inducted by radical warlords.

* FranchiseOriginalSin: One of the primary criticism is about Russia being portrayed as an antagonistic imperialists committing war crimes against civilians, which first started with ''2'' where they launched an invasion at the US in response for a massacre that had occured at the Zakhaev International Airport. From here on players would spend most of the time killing Russian soldiers who are launching brutal attacks on American and (later) European cities. The difference however is that those games were explicitly set in an AlternateHistory wherein Russia suffered a second civil war which resulted in an extreme ultranationalist movement taking over the country, and their war with the U.S. in ''Modern Warfare 2'' was [[spoiler: purposefully set up by ''an American military general'' in collaboration with the ultranationalists as part of a jingoistic power fantasy]]. This latter point was somewhat trivialized when ''Modern Warfare 3'' showed Russia commencing a full-scale invasion of Europe (during which countless civilian casualties are amassed even further), but this was ameliorated by the overarching plot which saw players fighting both ''as'' and ''alongside'' various Russians who remained loyal to their former-federation; with the shared goal of defeating the ultranationalists and restoring peace to the continent (indeed, the war only ends when [[spoiler: a coalition of American, British and loyalist forces manage to rescue the Russian president from his captors so that he can order the military to stand down]]). By contrast, 2019's reboot shows no signs of infighting amongst the Russian soldiers and has a more down-to-Earth setting which is [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical not-as-far removed from contemporary political events]] when compared to here. Thus, their unflattering portrayal for the reboot game comes off as a scathingly [[BlackAndWhiteMorality black-and-white]] condemnation of the country over its actions in Chechnya and Syria, and its blaming Russia for ''real-life war crimes'' committed by American forces in the Middle East doesn't feel like alternate history so much as it does historical revisionism. As a result, many wound up deriding this game as Russophobic propaganda in contrast to the more empathetic depiction of the Russian people and soldiers whose home country has been inducted by radical warlords.