"This is for the record. History is written by the victor. History is filled with liars. If he lives, and we die, his truth becomes written - and ours is lost. Shepherd will be a hero, 'cause all you need to change the world is one good lie and a river of blood. He's about to complete the greatest trick a liar ever played on history. His truth will be the truth. But only if he lives, and we die."
— Captain John Price describing General Shepherd, Modern Warfare 2
In the world of Call of Duty, these brilliant masterminds exemplify badassery using ingenuity and charisma, rather than guns.
Entries are listed in alphabetical order.
All spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned!
Black Ops series
- Original game: Victor Reznov is a charismatic soldier for the Russian Red Army who drove the Nazi's out of Stalingrad and lead the charge to Berlin during World War II, showing utter ruthlessness to his enemies while inspiring loyalty from his allies. After being betrayed by his superior Nikita Dragovich, Reznov would plot his revenge against Dragovich and his cohorts for killing his friends. Getting himself locked up in the Russian gulag Vorkuta, Reznov would orchestrate a prison-break and sacrifice himself so Alex Mason can escape. It would be revealed that Reznov brainwashed Alex Mason to kill all of his enemies, appearing in his mind to guide him throughout, successfully using the American soldier to complete his revenge.
- Black Ops III's "Nightmares" campaign: Dolos is the demigoddess of trickery whose actions prove why she earned such a title. Being brought to Earth from Malum by the SP/CORVUS experiments conducted by Coalescence in Singapore, along with her brother Deimos, she schemes against Deimos when he plans to turn all of humanity into an undead army to conquer Malum. Dolos would posses Kane and through her convince Soldier #25954 and Hendricks to kill Taylor and his team possessed by Deimos before Deimos proceeds to posses Hendricks. Upon arriving at Zurich, Dolos convinces Soldier #25954 to let Deimos open the portal to Malum before trapping them both in Malum. With Deimos now vulnerable in Malum, Dolos helps Soldier #25954 kill her brother before revealing her plan to kill off every demigod and supernatural being that opposes her, successfully persuading the soldier into helping Dolos accomplish this goal.
- Cold War:
- CIA agent Russell Adler is the head of a black ops squad out to stop Perseus' plan at all costs. Willing to murder and torture to stop the Soviets from activating nukes across Europe, Adler has Perseus' severely wounded second-in-command implanted with false memories and renamed "Bell" to be used to track down Perseus. Mentally torturing Bell into reliving a series of distorted memories once time's running out, should Bell side with Adler and stop Perseus, Adler summons Bell to personally kill them to tie up loose ends. Even if Bell betrays Adler and has the Soviets gun him and his squad down, Adler shows defiance against Bell even when he's on the verge of death.
- "Perseus" is a rogue Soviet Union agent who seeks to increase his country's power. Stealing the detonation codes for Operation Greenlight, which will involve initiating a series of American neuron bombs planted in European soil, Perseus plans to activate the bombs and kill millions, with America taking the brunt of the blame while the SU will rise as a global superpower. Perseus is able to remain hidden throughout the game, getting away with killing his own scientists after they successfully reverse engineer the bombs to activate upon his command. Anticipating his former associate Bell regaining their memories, Perseus launches a successful ambush against Adler's men should Bell choose to side with the Soviets, even allowing his former comrade to activate the bombs and secure victory.
- The Player Character known as "Bell" is secretly the brainwashed second-in-command of Perseus turned US black ops soldier. After aiding in a series of secret missions to uncover and prevent Operation Greenlight, Bell rediscovers their true identity and is given a choice that decides the fate of the two global superpowers of their era: should they side with their current associates, Bell aids in the operation that effortlessly prevents and thwarts Perseus' plans to burn the West to the ground. Should Bell decide to side with their former associates, they are able to divert the US operatives' attention long enough for Perseus to detonate the nukes, being able to take things further by secretly setting up an ambush with their Soviet allies that wipes the entire team out, and then personally giving the order that leads to Russia becoming the dominant global power.
- Dimitri Ivanovich Belikov is the Head of Security at the KGB Headquarters that has been acting as The Mole within the organization for about fourteen years. Being tasked with getting his US black ops allies into the Lubyanka Building to obtain a list of erased names, Belikov, while his treachery is being suspected, manages to use a combination of framing, stealth, bribery, and outright murder to get Alder and Bell inside with disguises. After being rescued when his cover is blown, Belikov leads his allies to sets of heavy Soviet combat gear before fighting with them through a whole building of armed Russian forces, managing to escape with no casualties on their side and with the list they came for.
Modern Warfare series
- John Price was a sniper of the Special Air Service (SAS) who nearly killed Imran Zakhaev. Becoming an SAS Captain, Price leads many missions while showing utter ruthlessness to his enemies, in one case by torturing Khaled Al-Asad about his benefactor before killing him. Price goes on to lead a joint-operation with the US marines to stop Zakhaev from launching nuclear missiles before helping John "Soap" MacTavish kill him. Price later joins Task Force 141, leading a mission to gain intel about the Russian terrorist Vladmir Makarov, sacrificing himself to Makarov's forces so that their mission would be successful. Reuniting with his team three years later Price helps in the hunt for Makarov where he launches a nuclear missile at the US's east coast which causes an unfathomable amount of destruction and innocent casualties, but allows the US Army to drive the invading Russian forces out of Washington DC. When Shepherd betrays Task Force 141, Price makes a deal with Makarov for Shepherd's location, killing Shepherd there. Resuming his hunt for Makarov, Price's determination to bringing him to justice increases when he kills Soap, helping US Delta Force rescue of the Russian Presiden's daughter from Makarov's imprisonment, thwarting Makarov’s plans before killing him.
- Modern Warfare 2: General Shepherd is the charismatic leader of Task Force 141, who—after losing 30,000 soldiers from a nuke detonated in the Middle East—vows to reinvigorate the U.S. military and remind the world of the cost of freedom. To this end, Shepherd gives up Private Allen's identity to Makarov, resulting in Allen's death during the airport massacre and kickstarting World War III. Receiving unlimited soldiers and resources to support his manhunt for Makarov, Shepherd uses his funding to form his own faction, Shadow Company, before betraying Task Force 141 and personally killing Ghost and Roach to tie up loose ends. When Price and Soap arrive at his base, he orders its self-destruction and leads them on a lengthy chase, skillfully using Shadow Company's full might to slow them down. After that fails, Shepherd brutally fights the two head-on, unafraid to die since he'll be remembered as a hero, while they will be branded fugitives.
