Warning: Spoilers Ahead for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s CampaignFans have responded well to theCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2campaign due to its impressive mission variety, but its cast of characters have proven to be just as impactful. New versions of beloved fan favorites are featured, such asGhost and Soap. The popular versions of Gaz and Price from the 2019 game play a major role, while newcomers like Alejandro have quickly become beloved. However, it is the villains that have dominated a lot of the discussion.
Intriguingly, theCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2fan base has fallen in love with antagonists like the cartel leader Valeria and the turncoat Phillip Graves. Graves and Shadow Company turning on Task Force 141 is not necessarily surprising for those that played the 2009Modern Warfare 2, even though the villain turn is sudden. However, it is even less of a shock for those that playedUncharted 4: Among Thieves.
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Graves’ Role in Modern Warfare 2’s Campaign
Part of the reason that theCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2community is so fond of Graves has to do with his attitude before the betrayal. Alongside some memorable mannerisms, he gives a speech prior to the game’s AC-130 missions about how Shadow Company should treatTask Force 141as their brothers. During this bit of dialogue, Graves seems like a respectable soldier and a good ally, so his eventual betrayal is obviously devastating for the heroes.
Some gamers also like to point out that Graves is only following the orders of General Shepherd, using this as a defense for his actions. He even gives Task Force 141 a chance to leave beforeAlejandro Vargasunderstandably lashes out, only reacting violently once he has been attacked. Still, Graves almost killing Soap and essentially going on an ethnic cleansing within Mexico makes him a terrible person, and one that seemingly meets his demise in a fiery Tank explosion.
Warren Kole’s Uncharted 4 Role Indicated Villain Experience
Warren Kole plays Graves, and a role as a charismatic villain is nothing new for the actor. This is because he played Rafe Adler inthe critically acclaimedUncharted 4: A Thief’s End, a treasure hunter desperate to outdo Nathan Drake. With some fun back and forth dialogue and a standout sword fight finale, Rafe is one of the more memorableUnchartedvillains, with the character elevated by Kole’s performance.
Still, regardless of whether it is Shepherd and Shadow Company filling the same roles they had in the original story, orUnchartedfans raising an eyebrow due to Graves’ actor, it is clear that the game’s big twist fell a bit flat. Withno deaths in the latestModern Warfarecampaign, either, it lacked any major surprises. While exciting, even the post credits scene was predictable since it involved a character and event most were expecting to see again. Though many players are still lovingModern Warfare 2’s singleplayer content, Infinity Ward may want to make its next campaign a bit less predictable.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2launches on October 28 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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