The top 10 best Call of Duty characters
The Call of Duty series is known primarily for its slick gunplay, jaw-dropping action set pieces, sometimes shocking violence, and its less-than-enlightened online community (how many new insults have you learned in the online battlefields?). However, also tangled up in all the mayhem and carnage were some great characters and epic storylines.
Some were valiant heroes, some were cruel and twisted villains, and some were just trying to get by in a harsh world. Without further ado, it’s time to press F to pay our respects to the very best characters to fight against or alongside us in this legendary shooter series.
Contents:
- Viktor Reznov
- Soap McTavish
- Captain Price
- Private Chernov
- Ghost
- Frank Woods
- Vladimir Makarov
- Farah Karim
- Salen Kotsch
- Imran Zakhaev
1. Viktor Reznov
Voiced by none other than the legend that is Gary Oldman, Reznov appears in both World at War and Black Ops (or does he?) as a bold, brave, and ruthless Red Army sergeant with little empathy or remorse, but plenty of epic lines and motherland-loving fervor. He’s a bit harsh on poor Pvt. Chernov, though. Let the man write his war diary.
2. Soap McTavish
First introduced in the original Modern Warfare, Soap is the character you play as, which means you don’t actually get to see him until Modern Warfare 2 where he shines in all his Scottish, mohawked glory. Having established himself as a fan favorite in that game, he then kicks the bucket in Modern Warfare 3 at the hands of the sinister Vladimir Makarov – on whom more below...
3. Captain Price
Probably the most recognizable of all the COD menagerie, Captain Price appears in the very first mission of the original Modern Warfare and won all of our hearts with his signature hat and mutton chops combo, along with his no-nonsense demeanor and god-tier professionalism. He also made a grand return in the second generation of Modern Warfare games, much to the delight of fanboys the world over.
4. Private Chernov
Chernov is an underappreciated but solid character from World at War, who is part of your company (led by Sgt. Reznov). He never proves himself as an exceptional warrior in the game’s story but serves more as a moral narrator of your exploits, providing thoughts and reflections on the carnage going on around you. He even judges you in his diary as “no hero” if you decide to execute surrendering Germans with Molotov cocktails (quite rightly, too).
5. Ghost
Ghost is known pretty much for one thing and one thing only: getting his head blown off and his corpse immolated by the nefarious General Shepherd. By the time he meets his grizzly end, he’s already endeared himself to pretty much anyone who played Modern Warfare 2 with his awesome skull-decorated balaclava and trendy fleece/green pants combo.
6. Frank Woods
Woods is your companion through the murky world of Black Ops’ covert operations throughout the Cold War, and he’s one hardcore, badass Cold warrior. His crowning moment comes during an enforced game of Russian roulette, where he screams at his captors “You can’t kill me!” – turns out he’s right, as he makes it all the way to a retirement home in Black Ops II.
7. Vladimir Makarov
Modern Warfare 2 and 3’s main antagonist is a real piece of work. Never one to shy away from an atrocity or several, this Russian ultranationalist unleashes chemical weapons all over Europe, kicks off World War III, and, in a mission that left every aspiring soldier scarred and horrified, has you gun down civilians in an airport to force Russia and the US into all-out war. He does eventually come to a sticky end though, as Captain Price hangs him in a hotel with some broken cable.
8. Farah Karim
The COD series has always a bit light on major female characters, so we were all excited when we were introduced to Farah in Modern Warfare. One of the only playable characters on this list, this freedom fighter is bent on liberating her home country of Urzikstan from Russian occupation. This she does in style at the end of the game by brutally executing General Barkov and kicking him out of a helicopter. You go girl!
9. Salen Kotch
Difficult as it was for us all to pretend Kit Harrington could ever be anyone other than Jon Snow, his performance as the leader of the Martian independence movement in Infinite Warfare was pretty stellar. We can all agree that it takes guts to wage a war against the Earth itself, but that’s exactly what this absolute madman did. He may have lost in the end, but credit where credit’s due for trying. Mars aeternum…
10. Imran Zakhaev
His is the first voice we ever heard in the original Modern Warfare, kicking off the epic story with a monologue about how his country had been “prostituted to the West” and setting the grim, realistic tone the series was to take. This grizzled Cold warrior loses an arm after having it blown off by none other than Captain Price in the wastes of Chernobyl, but he’s not going to let that stop him from stirring up trouble across the globe!