Summary
A lot of attention is already being placed on the narrative ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3with that being where most of the revealed information for the title is focused. Now, as a trilogy-capping finale for the franchise’s reboot, many are expecting the upcoming release to portray some of the most iconic campaign sequences of the original games.
Great attention has already been given toCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s campaign antagonists, with General Shepherd, Graves, and Makarov acting as a deadly trifecta of villains. With this in mind,MW3may have the perfect opportunity to take an antagonist twist from the originalModern Warfare 2and turn it on its head.
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Modern Warfare 2’s General Shepherd Twist
One of the most memorable moments from the entire originalModern Warfaretrilogy was the General Shepherd twist inMW2. Originally introduced as a powerful ally, General Shepherd famouslybetrayed the members of Task Force 141in the aptly-named mission “Loose Ends”.
Thisbetrayal saw Shepherd kill both Roach and Ghost, two of the most beloved characters ofModern Warfare 2, hence the raw memorability of the moment. Shepherd’s betrayal smartly set the figure up to be a hated antagonist ofModern Warfare 2’s end-game, with the trilogy reboot aiming to capture this same emotion behind the motivations of its characters.
A reboot recreation of this moment has already been approached by 2022’sModern Warfare 2to some extent, although there is still room for some serious twists in the upcomingModern Warfare 3. In particular, the role of Shepherd seems in dire need of an injection of excitement and purpose, and this could be handled differently byMW3to give the reboot an even greater sense of original identity.
Modern Warfare 3: A Twist With General Shepherd
It is clear that General Shepherd is taking a much more muted role in the newModern Warfaretrilogy compared to his original involvement. Although still being a calculating man of stringent ideals, Shepherd is very much in the background as opposed to how on the ground he was in his firstModern Warfareappearances.
Despite this, the recentModern Warfare 2portrayed a similar Shepherd-led betrayalto what 2009’sMW2originally gave fans. The betrayal comes from Shepherd wanting to cover his own tracks during global conflict, yet the character of Graves is the main mouthpiece of the betrayal.
This leaves room for Shepherd to have a final narrative twist in the upcomingModern Warfare 3,especially with the introduction of Makarov in the title. It is a big ask forModern Warfare 3to juggle three antagonists in Shepherd, Graves, and Makarov, and so a clear opportunity is present to twist the expectations of fans.
Philip Graves was introduced inModern Warfare 2as a proficient mercenary driven purely by profit, although his near-death at the hands of Soap will likely have turned his motivations to vengeance above all else. This makes Graves a much more imposing and unpredictable figure forModern Warfare 3, who may work with the likes of Makarov knowing the full consequence of what this may mean. With Shepherd having to play more by the book and acting out of self-preservation,MW3could see Task Force 141 make a tentative alliance with Shepherd in a fight against a joined Makarov-Graves offensive.
This would be a complete narrative departure from the original role of Shepherd inModern Warfare, and one that would be as intriguing as it is bittersweet to long-term fans. It remains unclear howModern Warfare 3will handle its antagonists, yet the motives of General Shepherd hold the most utility in providing a sensible yet memorable twist from the source material of the reboot.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3launches on November 10.
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