Call of Duty: Modern Warfare/Characters

For characters in the rest of the franchise see: Call of Duty.

United Kingdom Special Air Service
Members of the UK SAS appear in the first Modern Warfare game, conducting a number of covert counter-terror operations that connect to the larger conflict in Al-Asad's nation and the Ultranationalist's civil war in Russia. SAS members appear in Modern Warfare 2, but primarily as part of Task Force 141. In the third, they are tasked with containing an apparent terrorist threat in London.

Captain John Price
The humorless, straightforward and unflappable leader of the SAS units in Modern Warfare 1. Suffers severe injuries at the climax of the first game. "Yuri: Makarov's got a small army in there. Price: It won't help him."
 * Anti-Hero: He's a Type IV or a Type III depending on how you look at it.
 * Badass And how.
 * Badass Beard
 * Badass Family: Granddaddy Price was pretty awesome too (and possessed the same love of epic mustaches and unduly persistent headwear).
 * Bash Brothers (with Gaz and Soap, and just watch some of the stuff he does with the latter! Eventually forms one with Yuri, though nowhere as tightly.)
 * Badass Boast: During "Dust To Dust":


 * Book Ends: The first mission of the MW trilogy opens with him smoking a cigar.
 * Cold Sniper: At one point.
 * The Captain
 * The Comically Serious
 * Deuteragonist
 * Dynamic Entry:
 * Expy: From the Captain Price in Call of Duty 1 and 2. Popular Fanon makes him the original Price's son or grandson. Word of Dante / Word of St Paul makes him officially Price's grandson.
 * He Who Fights Monsters:.
 * Heroic BSOD: Experiences one when Fortunately, it doesn't last long.
 * Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Used on.
 * Verging on Gene Hunt Interrogation Technique with what he does to
 * Made of Iron
 * Never Bareheaded: Price does not go anywhere without some kind of hat. Even in, he has a nifty wool hat on, and after he.
 * No-Holds-Barred Beatdown:
 * Not Quite Dead
 * Porn Stache: Taken Up to Eleven in Soap's field journal, where he frequently mentions it and calls it a "dick tickler".
 * Unexplained Recovery
 * Warrior Poet: His impossibly awesome intro to Just Like Old Times.
 * Porn Stache: Taken Up to Eleven in Soap's field journal, where he frequently mentions it and calls it a "dick tickler".
 * Unexplained Recovery
 * Warrior Poet: His impossibly awesome intro to Just Like Old Times.
 * Unexplained Recovery
 * Warrior Poet: His impossibly awesome intro to Just Like Old Times.

Captain (fmr. Sgt) John "Soap" MacTavish
One of the player characters from the first Modern Warfare and general protagonist of the Modern Warfare series. Begins the game as a newly recruited SAS trooper, but after surviving the events of the first game, is placed in command of Task Force 141. "Price: Five men, automatic rifles, frag grenades, one German Shepherd. Soap: Dogs. I hate dogs. Price: These Russian dogs are like pussycats compared to the ones in Pripyat. Soap: It's good to have you back, old man."
 * Badass
 * Bash Brothers (with Price. And fucking how!)
 * The Captain: In the second game.
 * Cold Sniper: Sometimes.
 * Determinator:
 * Dynamic Entry: Does this to Rojas in the favela.
 * Heroic Mime: In the first game.
 * Implacable Man
 * Knife Nut
 * Lodged Blade Recycling: Does being stabbed in the chest with a knife the size of his forearm stop Soap from killing the bad guy? Hell no. However,
 * Player Character: Of course.
 * Made of Iron: He got shot a bajillion times, blown up by an oil tanker,.
 * Perma-Stubble
 * Protagonist
 * Took a Level In Badass: Takes one between "F.N.G." and "Game Over!", then takes about 30 in the 5 year gap. From the first moments of your time as Roach he makes this obvious.
 * In MW3, the loading screen of "Stronghold" briefly shows a partial list of Soap's decorations. Among them is a Victoria Cross (pretty much the equivalent of the American Military's Medal of Honor).
 * Undying Loyalty:
 * Violent Glaswegian: Well, he's at least capable of being stealthy before violent, unlike what one would expect.
 * Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Soap hates dogs (probably due to being repeatedly attacked by guard dogs in the first game), and mentions it during the Modern Warfare 2 mission "Contingency."
 * Took a Level In Badass: Takes one between "F.N.G." and "Game Over!", then takes about 30 in the 5 year gap. From the first moments of your time as Roach he makes this obvious.
 * In MW3, the loading screen of "Stronghold" briefly shows a partial list of Soap's decorations. Among them is a Victoria Cross (pretty much the equivalent of the American Military's Medal of Honor).
 * Undying Loyalty:
 * Violent Glaswegian: Well, he's at least capable of being stealthy before violent, unlike what one would expect.
 * Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Soap hates dogs (probably due to being repeatedly attacked by guard dogs in the first game), and mentions it during the Modern Warfare 2 mission "Contingency."

Gaz
Captain Price's right hand man. Known for his sense of humour humor. His real name is never stated.
 * Badass
 * Bash Brothers (with Price/Soap at times)
 * Catch Phrase: "Let's do this." (in multiplayer) "Team Deathmatch."
 * Deadpan Snarker: At times.
 * Name's the Same: No, not Dib's perpetually angry pizza-loving world-hating younger sister.
 * Number Two: To Price in the first game.
 * The Ace
 * The Lancer
 * Wearing a Flag on Your Head: His hat has a UK flag on it, for a literal interpretation.
 * The Lancer
 * Wearing a Flag on Your Head: His hat has a UK flag on it, for a literal interpretation.

Captain MacMillan
Price's former superior. He accompanied Price in. As of Modern Warfare 3,.
 * Asskicking Equals Authority:
 * Badass Cold Sniper: He very much embodies this trope. At least before the escape.
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Everything Sounds Sexier in Scottish: His Scottish accent has its own following.
 * The Faceless: Due to wearing a ghillie suit.
 * Friendly Sniper: He IS personally nice to you, aside from when you decide to be a cocky dumbass, then any Jerkass behavoir from him is rather justified.
 * Improbable Aiming Skills: He never, ever misses. Not even after
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: Despite, MacMillan is willing to listen to him and help, even supplying him with intel and equipment.
 * Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right / Screw the Rules, I Make Them:
 * Unflinching Walk: Subverted. After shooting down a helicopter, he walks away saying "Good night ye bastards...".
 * Violent Glaswegian: Being a Cold Sniper, he's arguably a much calmer variation of the trope.
 * Unflinching Walk: Subverted. After shooting down a helicopter, he walks away saying "Good night ye bastards...".
 * Violent Glaswegian: Being a Cold Sniper, he's arguably a much calmer variation of the trope.
 * Violent Glaswegian: Being a Cold Sniper, he's arguably a much calmer variation of the trope.

Marcus Burns
An SAS commando who accompanies Wallcroft, Griffen and others in a mission to intercept a suspicious shipment near Canary Wharf in London in Modern Warfare 3 in "Mind the Gap."
 * Heroic Mime
 * Made of Iron:
 * One-Scene Wonder
 * Player Character

Sgt. Wallcroft
SAS operator in MW and MW3. He appears first in "Crew Expendable" as a guy assigned to rear guard, and reappears in 3 as PC Marcus Burns's commanding officer.


 * Expy: Of Gaz and Ghost-- it comes with the territory when you're voiced by Craig Fairbrass in a Modern Warfare game. Gets kinda weird when you realize that he actually knew Gaz, though.
 * The Faceless: He's never seen without his gas mask.
 * Mauve Shirt: He appears in Modern Warfare in one level and has maybe 3 lines. He returns, having Took a Level In Badass and now voiced by Craig Fairbrass.
 * Rule of Three: Third character to be voiced by Craig Fairbrass.

United States Military
Members of the United States military appear throughout the Modern Warfare games, usually from different branches. US Marines form the primary American forces in Modern Warfare 1 with US Air Force and US Navy supporting them during the invasion of al-Asad's country. Modern warfare 2 primarily focuses on the US Army Rangers, with Air Force and Marines supporting them. Modern Warfare 3 has special operations unit Delta Force in the lead role, who are supported by regular Army, Air Force, and Navy.

Lieutenant Vasquez
Leader of Sergeant Jackson's Marine Force recon unit in the first Modern Warfare game.
 * Badass
 * Big Damn Heroes: Subverted. Hard.
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: David Sobolov; fans of Beast Wars may recognize him as Depth Charge.
 * No Indoor Voice
 * The Stoic: Along with all American characters except Griggs.
 * Verbal Tic: Oorah (USMC shout, equivalent to the Army's Hooah).

Sergeant Paul Jackson
Player character for the Marine Force Recon segment of the first Modern Warfare game.
 * Badass
 * Heroic Mime
 * Player Character
 * Heroic Mime
 * Player Character
 * Player Character

Staff Sergeant Griggs
SAW gunner for Jackson's Force Recon squad in the first Modern Warfare game.
 * Author Avatar: He is modeled after and voiced by Infinity Ward employee Mark Grigsby.
 * Badass
 * Cold-Blooded Torture: His Russian interrogators start looking for a hacksaw, before Price and Gaz kill them.
 * Number Two: He seems to be second-in-command of Lt. Vasquez's unit.
 * Theme Tune Rap: The end credits feature a rap sung by him.
 * Token Minority.
 * Theme Tune Rap: The end credits feature a rap sung by him.
 * Token Minority.

Sergeant David Foley
Leader of Ramirez's Army Rangers squad in Modern Warfare 2. Voiced by Keith David. "Foley: Then take us up! If we're going down, we're taking as many of those SAMs with us!"
 * Badass
 * Bash Brothers (With Dunn/Ramirez)
 * Determinator: His response to a SAM damaging his helicopter? Damn well not to retreat and land, that's for sure.


 * Genre Savvy: Foley knows that if you've got a Player Character in your squad, damn well make use of him.
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: You can pretend that your Ranger squad is led by:
 * The Arbiter.
 * David Anderson.
 * Goliath.
 * The Cat.
 * Some National Geographic / History Channel narrator waiting to lecture you about World War II.
 * Dr. Facilier.
 * Julius Little.
 * "I know it's pretty, Ramirez, but I didn't take it out for air!"
 * Large Ham
 * Sergeant Rock

Private James Ramirez
Player character for the US Army Rangers segment of Modern Warfare 2.
 * Badass (Related to Hypercompetent Sidekick)
 * Bash Brothers (with Dunn/Foley)
 * Butt Monkey: Ramirez deserves some kind of award for all the CRAP he takes during the course of the campaign.
 * Cool Shades If it's really him on the cover of the box, then the man has some very slick sunglasses. He even wears them at night!
 * Do Anything Soldier: Ramirez! Do everything!
 * Heroic Mime
 * Player Character
 * Hypercompetent Sidekick

Corporal Dunn
Soldier in Ramirez's Army Rangers squad.
 * Badass (Mostly played straight, but the one time this is kinda subverted can be excused since
 * Bash Brothers: (With Ramirez/Foley, though more often the latter)
 * Casual Danger Dialogue: I'm cutting through History Class!
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Fake American: Voiced by Canadian Barry Pepper.
 * Freak-Out: After
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: Barry Pepper, aka Alex "I'm Hungry" Mercer. Or Pvt. Daniel Jackson in Saving Private Ryan.
 * The Medic: Dunn is assigned to check over the incapacitated "Raptor", and later on check a downed soldier for a pulse.
 * Southern-Fried Private: But snarkier and wittier than most.

Master Sergeant Sandman
Leader of the Delta Force unit "Metal" in Modern Warfare 3. Commanding officer to player character Derek "Frost" Westbrook.
 * Actor Allusion: He's voiced by William Fichtner, who also played a Delta operator in Black Hawk Down.
 * Badass
 * Badass Mustache
 * Cool Shades
 * Elites Are More Glamorous: Delta Force, duh.
 * Remember the New Guy?: He's revealed to be an old friend of Price, whom he met back in 2013 when they, Ghost, and Soap embarked on Operation Kingfish, the first mission to find Makarov.
 * Sergeant Rock: Well, Master Sergeant, to be precise, but you get the idea.
 * Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right:.
 * Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right:.

Staff Sergeant Derek "Frost" Westbrook
An American Delta Force soldier and playable character for several missions in Modern Warfare 3.
 * Badass
 * Elites Are More Glamorous
 * The Faceless: Due to wearing goggles & a mask.
 * Heroic Mime: Was slated to be voiced but in the end wasn't...
 * Hypercompetent Sidekick
 * Player Character
 * What Happened to the Mouse?:

Sergeant 1st Class Grinch
Another member of Team Metal, who accompanies Frost and Sandman on their missions. Seems to serve as Sandman's right hand.
 * Badass
 * Cool Shades
 * Deadpan Snarker: Usually to Truck's quips.
 * Guns Akimbo: He wields dual Desert Eagles, aimed at different targets in the penultimate mission.
 * Note that he is the only NPC to ever dual wield guns, and even the player characters can't shoot them in different directions.
 * Southern-Fried Private
 * Weapon of Choice: Almost always carries the MK14.
 * Weapon of Choice: Almost always carries the MK14.

Sergeant 1st Class Truck
The fourth member of Team Metal, and usually the one with the least dialogue. "Sandman: Friendlies! Hold your fire! Truck: That means don't shoot 'em, Grinch. Grinch: No shit."
 * Badass
 * The Big Guy: Has shades of this, judging from his tendency to carry the Mk. 46 LMG, his callsign, and his deep voice.
 * Captain Obvious: Does it teasingly, often to Grinch.


 * Fake American: Voiced by the British Idris Elba.
 * The Quiet One
 * Token Minority
 * Token Minority

"Warhammer"
Callsign "Warhammer" is an AC-130 gunship that first appears in Modern Warfare to support an extraction of Price's team. Warhammer can be overheard in radio transmissions in Modern Warfare 2, providing fire support around Washington DC. Later on in Modern Warfare 3, they support Team Metal's extraction of Volk from Paris. The names of the crew are never specified beyond their roles in the crew, i.e. "AC-130 TV Operator."


 * BFG: All three of the guns on the plane: the 25mm gatling gun, the Bofors 40mm autocannon, and the 105mm howitzer.
 * Casual Danger Dialogue: Though in the first game, they're not in immediate danger, in the third they actually get shot at by ground fire and Russian planes, but manage to keep their cool.
 * The Cameo: Only appears in 2 in background radio transmissions, but they're doing what they do best.
 * Death From Above: The actual name of the first level they appear in. It's what they do.
 * Escort Mission: Your providing air cover for ground units, containing your other Player Character, both times. It's really cool though, and the ground units are competent.
 * Gunship Rescue: Their specialty.
 * Ludicrous Gibs: "Good hit. I see lots of little pieces down there."
 * One-Scene Wonder: Two scenes, technically.

Task Force 141
A multinational special operations unit formed after the events of the first game, Task Force 141 conducts a number of high-risk counter-terror special operations across the globe, with particular emphasis on containing the threat presented by Ultranationalist Russia.

Ghost
British soldier in Task Force 141, who prefers to wear a skull-faced ski mask. His face is never shown, and name is never stated in-game, though the tie-in comic centered on him revealed that it's Lt. Simon "Ghost" Riley. Has a suspiciously similar voice to Gaz.
 * The Ace
 * Badass
 * Bash Brothers (With Soap/Roach)
 * Catch Phrase: "Let's do this!"
 * Cool Mask
 * Cool Shades
 * Dark and Troubled Past As shown in the comics...and boy is this man's past ever tragic and messed up. But does that make him an even bigger Badass then he already is?
 * Wait...then that whole torture of Rojas and his right hand man in the favela have suddenly become...a lot more frightening.
 * Granted.
 * The Faceless: Never seen without his trademark skull mask and sunglasses. Ever. Except in the comic book.
 * Freak-Out:.
 * Mask Power
 * The Lancer:.
 * Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Of Gaz.

Sergeant Gary "Roach" Sanderson
Player character for  the Task Force 141 segments of Modern Warfare 2.
 * Badass
 * Bash Brothers: With Ghost in "Loose Ends". Then he got wounded by a mortar and Ghost dragged him to the evac chopper.
 * Book Ends: His story begins and ends with the throw of a lit cigar.
 * Heroic Mime
 * Meaningful Name: Roach survives a lot of crap, even for a Call Of Duty Player Character.
 * Player Character
 * The Ishmael: In Modern Warfare 2, he mostly serves as a viewpoint character to show how badass Soap really is.
 * The Ishmael: In Modern Warfare 2, he mostly serves as a viewpoint character to show how badass Soap really is.

General Shepherd
Commander of the US military task force invading Khaled Al-Asad's nation in Modern Warfare. Afterwards, becomes commander of Task Force 141. ". But tomorrow, there will be no shortage of volunteers, no shortage of patriots. *Dramatic Gun Cock* I know you understand."
 * Authority Equals Asskicking: To say he leads from the front is an understatement. He can be seen fighting alongside the Rangers in Team Player. While carrying a .44 Magnum Revolver.
 * Badass Grandpa:
 * Badass Mustache
 * Big Good:
 * Colonel Kilgore: He sees the war as a time for heroes and legends and he brags all the time about how good the United States Armed Forces are....
 * Embarrassing First Name: As stated below, Shepherd's full name was revealed as Hershel Von Shepherd III by a Word of God twitter shot.
 * Four-Star Badass
 * Despair Event Horizon: Crossed it when
 * General Ripper: Pretty much to the letter.
 * He Who Fights Monsters: He.
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: B-Movie actor Lance Henriksen voices Shepherd.
 * Four-Star Badass
 * Despair Event Horizon: Crossed it when
 * General Ripper: Pretty much to the letter.
 * He Who Fights Monsters: He.
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: B-Movie actor Lance Henriksen voices Shepherd.
 * He Who Fights Monsters: He.
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: B-Movie actor Lance Henriksen voices Shepherd.
 * Hey, It's That Voice!: B-Movie actor Lance Henriksen voices Shepherd.

"Cpl. Dunn: C'mon, since when does Shepherd care about danger close?"
 * Nice Hat: He is never seen without his beret.
 * Praetorian Guard:
 * Precision F-Strike:
 * Revolvers Are Just Better: He uses a .44 Magnum.
 * Rouge Angles of Satin: For a while, on this very wiki, people had trouble spelling S-H-E-P-H-E-R-D.
 * We Have Become Complacent
 * We Have Reserves: As stated by Cpl. Dunn:
 * We Have Become Complacent
 * We Have Reserves: As stated by Cpl. Dunn:
 * We Have Become Complacent
 * We Have Reserves: As stated by Cpl. Dunn:


 * Subverted in that at least once he can be seen fighting the enemy alongside the Rangers, even while calling in the danger close air strikes.
 * The Von Trope Family: His full name is Hershel von Shepherd, as confirmed by Robert Bowling.
 * The Von Trope Family: His full name is Hershel von Shepherd, as confirmed by Robert Bowling.
 * The Von Trope Family: His full name is Hershel von Shepherd, as confirmed by Robert Bowling.

Private First Class Joseph Allen
Player character for a few missions in Modern Warfare 2, Army Ranger and later TF141 member.
 * Badass
 * Heroic Mime: Averted, though he only speaks in cutscenes.
 * Player Character
 * I Did What I Had to Do
 * If You're So Evil Eat This Kitten: In the mission No Russian, he is ordered to slaughter Russian civilians along with Makarov's men in order to prove himself as a member of the squad.
 * My Country, Right or Wrong:
 * Nice Job Breaking It, Hero
 * Reverse Mole: He's sent on an undercover mission to infiltrate Makarov's terrorist cell.
 * This Loser Is You: Representing the murderous nature of the players.
 * This Loser Is You: Representing the murderous nature of the players.

Russian Loyalists
Members of the Pro-West Russian government/military fighting against the Ultranationalists. They ultimately lose the war, with the Ultranationalists coming into power by the events of the second game. By the third, Loyalist soldiers form a sort of La Résistance aimed at stopping Makarov.

Nikolai
Russian informant and mercenary who works with Price and Soap. Appears in the first Modern Warfare game as a spy inside the Ultranationalist camp. By the events of the second game, he is a support asset for Task Force 141, who is frequently called in as for emergency extractions, but the third game reveals that he is in command of an entire PMC made up of former Loyalist soldiers dedicated to stopping Makarov.

"Nikolai: My friend, from up here, it looks like the whole village is trying to kill you! Captain MacTavish: Tell me something I don't know! Just get ready to pick us up!"
 * Ascended Extra: In the first game, he was a minor character who was central to a rescue and Escort Mission, who provides a bit of intel on where to find al-Asad. By the later games, he takes on a much bigger role, becoming part of Price's group of trusted associates.
 * Big Damn Heroes: Plays the part no fewer than three times in the second game.
 * Captain Obvious: In MW 2. It is not appreciated either time.
 * In The Hornet's Nest
 * In The Hornet's Nest

"Nikolai: ''(witnessing the massive three-way fight between Task-Force 141, Makarov's men, and Price, I am approaching the boneyard. I see you do not have situation under control. Very unsafe to land. It looks like when I was in Afghanistan with the Soviets! Captain Price: Nikolai! Just shut up and land the bloody plane! We're on our way!"
 * In ''The Enemy of My Enemy"


 * Escort Mission: Averted. In "Hunted", he is invincible and carries an AKS-74U.
 * Former Regime Personnel: Fought in Afghanistan.
 * La Résistance: Heads up a force of Russian Loyalists that oppose the Ultranationalists.
 * Reverse Mole
 * True Companions Team: Part of a three-man one between Soap, Price, and himself.
 * The Other Darrin: His original voice actor, Sven Holmberg, was rather jarringly replaced by Robin Atkin Downes in MW3, which sadly cost him his ability to curse in Russian.
 * Undying Loyalty: During the Second Russian Civil War, Price and Soap went deep behind enemy lines to walk him out of Hell. Five years later, he returned the favor.

Sergeant Kamarov
Leader of a Russian Loyalist Spetznaz squad.
 * Big Damn Heroes: Climax of the first Modern Warfare.
 * The Load: He really gets in the way of the SAS in his first appearance, to the point where Gaz holds him over a ledge and threatens to drop him if he won't stop it. They all get along much better in his next 3 appearances, though Soap lampshades this
 * La Résistance: Leader of the
 * Manly Tears: "You're going to be alright, my friend!"
 * Noodle Incident: What happened with him in Beruit, anyway?
 * Manly Tears: "You're going to be alright, my friend!"
 * Noodle Incident: What happened with him in Beruit, anyway?

Yuri
Former Spetsnaz who thoroughly hates Makarov and his organization, and serves as the player character for the Task Force 141 mission in Modern Warfare 3.


 * Badass: Being a Call of Duty player character, this is a given.
 * Big Damn Heroes:
 * Cold Sniper: At times.
 * Defector From Decadence:
 * Determinator: Getting
 * The Gump: He was there when, when  , and
 * : During
 * Made of Iron
 * He got shot in the stomach with a Desert Eagle and survived. Note that he is the only person in the entire series to have pulled this off.
 * In "Dust To Dust" he is  when he tells Price to go after Makarov. After , he comes charging in to save the day, pistol blazing, and
 * Not What I Signed Up For:
 * Only Sane Man:.
 * Remember the New Guy?
 * Revenge: One of his driving motivations for opposing Makarov.
 * Indeed, it is stated that he is the one man in the world who hates Makarov even more than Price does.
 * Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Yuri wants Makarov dead. That's all that motivates him by the point in the story that he joins Price's group. It eventually culminates in the
 * Russian Guy Suffers Most: Out of all of the series' protagonists, he probably suffers the most beatings across a single game, including getting dumped off a cliff into a river, shot repeatedly in the stomach, impaled by a piece of rebar, knocked senseless in the mining complex, thrown down a flight of stairs  and eventually
 * True Companions: Averted. Of all of the Modern Warfare characters who work with Price, Yuri is distinct in that he never truly ingratiates himself with Price, Nikolai, or Soap. When Price, he makes it clear afterwards that he doesn't care if Yuri lives or dies, and that Yuri has to "keep up or be left behind." Price does eventually warm to Yuri, but never to the same degree as he did to Soap, Nikolai, MacMillian, Sandman, Griggs, or Gaz.
 * Russian Guy Suffers Most: Out of all of the series' protagonists, he probably suffers the most beatings across a single game, including getting dumped off a cliff into a river, shot repeatedly in the stomach, impaled by a piece of rebar, knocked senseless in the mining complex, thrown down a flight of stairs  and eventually
 * True Companions: Averted. Of all of the Modern Warfare characters who work with Price, Yuri is distinct in that he never truly ingratiates himself with Price, Nikolai, or Soap. When Price, he makes it clear afterwards that he doesn't care if Yuri lives or dies, and that Yuri has to "keep up or be left behind." Price does eventually warm to Yuri, but never to the same degree as he did to Soap, Nikolai, MacMillian, Sandman, Griggs, or Gaz.

Ultranationalist Russia/OPFOR
The primary opposition across all three games, made up of three primary factions: The Ultranationalists, OPFOR, and the Inner Circle. The Ultranationalists are hardcore nationalists dedicated to rebuilding Russia's power and turning it against perceived enemies, and formed a loose alliance with Al-Asad's revolutionaries (simply referred to as OPFOR or "Opposing Force") to draw US attention away from the war in Russia and to inflict as much damage as possible on the West. By the second game, the Ultranationalists were split by Zakhaev's death, with Boris Vorshevsky controlling the more moderate elements of the Ultranationalist government and Vladimir Makarov heading up the much more violent and radical elements, with Makarov's personal army becoming known as the Inner Circle. The conflict between Vorshevsky's regime and Makarov's private army comes to a head in Modern Warfare 3.

Khaled Al-Asad
Leader of the unnamed Middle-eastern nation in the first Modern Warfare.
 * Authority Equals Asskicking: Brutally averted.
 * Dirty Coward: He is explicitly called this by Nikolai after he
 * Dying Like Animals: A cowardly chicken of the worst sort.
 * Nuke'Em:  does this to   in the first Modern Warfare.
 * President Evil
 * Rebel Leader
 * The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized
 * Sinister Shades: Never seen without them.
 * Smug Snake
 * Starter Villain: al-Asad lasts only halfway through the first game, and the remnants of his forces comprise the opposition in a single mission in the second game.
 * Unwitting Pawn: Really, his entire role was to draw the US's attention away from the civil war in Russia. The  that he used on the Marines was
 * The very first moment that you see him in the flesh confirms al-Asad's status as a pathetic puppet of the Ultranationalists. Al-Asad, in his own country, surrounded by his own men, walks up to Zakhaev, who points a pistol in his face, and al-Asad stops like a deer trapped in the headlights. Zakhaev then casually spins the pistol around and hands it to al-Asad, as if saying "now go kill al-Fulani like a good dog." And he does as the master commands.
 * The very first moment that you see him in the flesh confirms al-Asad's status as a pathetic puppet of the Ultranationalists. Al-Asad, in his own country, surrounded by his own men, walks up to Zakhaev, who points a pistol in his face, and al-Asad stops like a deer trapped in the headlights. Zakhaev then casually spins the pistol around and hands it to al-Asad, as if saying "now go kill al-Fulani like a good dog." And he does as the master commands.

Imran Zakhaev
Leader of the Ultranationalists in the first Modern Warfare. The SAS attempted to assassinate him in 1996 at Chernobyl because he was dealing spent nuclear fuel rods to terrorists; during the assassination attempt his arm was blown off by Price, though he survived. Becomes  and serves as a rallying point for the Ultranationalist Russians.


 * Bald of Evil: Might be caused by his tendency to hang around radioactive areas.
 * Beard of Evil
 * Big Bad: Of the first, and casts his shadow over the next two.
 * Disproportionate Retribution / Nuke'Em: His response to.
 * He Was Right There All Along: He is briefly seen in "The Coup", far before his role becomes apparent.
 * He Who Must Not Be Seen:
 * Only a Flesh Wound:
 * Papa Wolf: He does not take  well.
 * The Quiet One
 * Why Don't Ya Just Shoot Him:
 * Why Don't Ya Just Shoot Him:

Viktor Zakhaev
Imran Zakhaev's son, and a major Ultranationalist leader.
 * Then again, if the SAS, the Marines and the Spetsnaz are after my rear,
 * Overlord, Jr.
 * Co-Dragons: With Al-Asad, to his father.
 * Sins of Our Fathers:
 * The Quiet One: He only speaks twice (at the beginning of "The Coup" and at the end of "Sins of the Father"), both in Russian.
 * The Brute

Vladimir Makarov
Russian terrorist who supports the Ultranationalists. Described by Shepherd as a "whore" who sells himself to the highest bidder.


 * Badass:.
 * Badass in a Nice Suit: The only time he's not seen in a nice suit are in the flashbacks before he becomes the Ultranationalists' new leader. He seem to hate ties though.
 * Big Bad: Of 3, but he'd been a major (if unseen) player much earlier. He, he  , and he masterminded the
 * Dragon Ascendant/Mook Promotion: In Modern Warfare 3 it's shown that Makarov
 * Famous-Named Foreigner: Named after the former Soviet Union's standard issue pistol. Becomes a case of Hilarious in Hindsight for some when said pistol appears in Black Ops. "Wait, what do you mean the guard was trying to beat you with Makarov's butt?"
 * From Nobody to Nightmare: He was just an ordinary soldier with dreams of patriotism. Then he rose through the ranks, and became the world's greatest terrorist.
 * Hero-Killer: Every time he is encountered in the flesh, without exception, Makarov ends up killing or critically wounding a Player Character..
 * Though he doesn't personally encounter them he also kills.
 * Mismatched Eyes: His eyes are slightly different colors. Blue and green, according to his dossier.
 * Mook Lieutenant: Begins as one, then goes through a series of mook promotions, as detailed above.
 * Psycho for Hire: Shepherd explicitly states that he works for money.
 * Rasputinian Death:
 * With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: In Modern Warfare 3, Yuri pretty much paraphrases this word for word when describing how Makarov's rapid ascent up the ranks turned him from a regular patriotic Mook into a Complete Monster.
 * Psycho for Hire: Shepherd explicitly states that he works for money.
 * Rasputinian Death:
 * With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: In Modern Warfare 3, Yuri pretty much paraphrases this word for word when describing how Makarov's rapid ascent up the ranks turned him from a regular patriotic Mook into a Complete Monster.
 * Rasputinian Death:
 * With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: In Modern Warfare 3, Yuri pretty much paraphrases this word for word when describing how Makarov's rapid ascent up the ranks turned him from a regular patriotic Mook into a Complete Monster.
 * With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: In Modern Warfare 3, Yuri pretty much paraphrases this word for word when describing how Makarov's rapid ascent up the ranks turned him from a regular patriotic Mook into a Complete Monster.

Boris Vorshevsky
President of Russia and leader of the mainstream Ultranationalists after the civil war.
 * Our Presidents Are Different: President Target.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: He decides to pursue peace so more Russians won't die. One wonders how much control he has over the Russian military, given that they launched the massive invasion of Europe even though he wanted peace.
 * It should be noted that several members of his staff, and possibly his Cabinet, were with him on his plane. They were presumably loyal to him, but were all killed when Makarov's men attacked it.
 * You're Insane!: Says this to Makarov.
 * You're Insane!: Says this to Makarov.

Alena Vorshevsky
The daughter of President Vorshevsky.
 * Bridal Carry: She gets this briefly from Price.
 * Cold-Blooded Torture: She seems to have gone through this at least to a minor degree when you find her in
 * Distressed Damsel: Well, yeah. But you have to admit, you'd be pretty scared too if the Ultranationalists were after you.
 * Hair of Gold
 * I Have Your Wife: The reason why the Ultranationalists keep trying to kidnap her is so they can coerce President Vorshevsky into giving up the launch codes.

Andrei Harkov
An FSO (equivalent of American Secret Service) agent, in charge of President Vorshevsky's security.
 * Badass
 * Determinator
 * One-Scene Wonder: Sure, he only appears in one mission, but he still wrecks a whole platoon of hijackers. It takes

Major Petrov
Commander of an Ultranationalist airbase in Modern Warfare 2.
 * Department of Redundancy Department: "...surrender now or your comrade dies! Put your hands in the air and surrender to us or your comrade dies!" "You have five seconds to comply!" "Very well, we give you five seconds to comply!"
 * Large Ham
 * One-Scene Wonder: Only appears in one part of one level, but his outrageous hamminess made an impression on players everyone.

Sat1
An astronaut briefly controlled in Modern Warfare 2.
 * Heroic Mime
 * Player Character
 * Recycled in Space: He mostly serves the same role as Call of Duty 4's Al Fulani, but IN SPACE.
 * Recycled in Space: He mostly serves the same role as Call of Duty 4's Al Fulani, but IN SPACE.

Yasir Al-Fulani
President of the unnamed Middle Eastern country in the first Modern Warfare.
 * Boom! Headshot!: How he dies.
 * Controllable Helplessness
 * Crucified Hero Shot: He is tied to a cross before Al-Asad shoots him.
 * Meaningful Name: Equivalent to the English "President X" in Arabic.

The Davis family
A family seen vacationing in London during MW3.
 * Cheerful Child: Sarah, the daughter in the family.
 * Genki Girl: Sarah, again.
 * Heroic Mime: You briefly play as the father recording his family. As required by CoD law, he is completely silent.
 * Heroic Mime: You briefly play as the father recording his family. As required by CoD law, he is completely silent.

Waraabe
Somalian warlord seen in the MW 3 mission "Return to Sender".
 * Authority Equals Asskicking: Averted. He quickly cracks when Price threatens to use Deadly Gas on him.
 * Bald of Evil: Despite the fact that his dossier in "Return to Sender" says he has black hair, he is actually bald.
 * Boom! Headshot!: Price kills him this way.
 * Names to Run Away From Really Fast: "Waraabe" means "hyena" in Somali.