Call Of Duty is a big enough franchise within the video games industry that a new edition is expected and delivered every year. While multiplayer modes are becoming increasingly popular, such as the likes of Warzone, focus often deviates away from the campaign modes that have told some incredible and captivating stories over the years.
Naturally, the best of these stories have been constructed including memorable characters that leave a lasting impression with many players. A memorable character generally has purpose and meaning within the overarching narrative, with a unique quirk often helping them to stand out. On the other hand, there are also those characters that lack imagination or simply suffer from poor writing or narrative direction.
10 Most Memorable: Gaz & Ghost Are Terrific Supporting Characters In The Modern Warfare Series
Gaz from Call Of Duty 4 and Simon "Ghost" Riley from Modern Warfare 2 have many things in common with the main one being that they are both given the iconic voice of Craig Fairbrass.
Both are integral members of the team beyond Captain Price and Soap, and both suffer heart-breaking demises at the hands of Zakhaev and Shepherd respectively. They both cemented themselves as fan-favorites and rightfully so. Fairbrass has also voiced other Call Of Duty characters but none of them are as memorable as Gaz and Ghost.
9 Forgettable: With Corvus, An AI Villain Seemed Misplaced In The World Of Call Of Duty
Amidst the bizarre and complicated story of Black Ops 3 is the peculiar overlying antagonist, Corvus. Unlike all the other Call Of Duty antagonists, Corvus is a form of conscious artificial intelligence. A rogue form of AI or a virus taking over and killing people may be new to the Call Of Duty franchise, but it is a rather overused trope in TV and film.
While it certainly enhanced the complex story of Black Ops 3, many people felt that this sort of villain didn't have a place in the Call Of Duty franchise, especially compared to other top antagonists of the series— from Makarov and Shepherd to the likes of Menendez and Rourke.
8 Most Memorable: Viktor Reznov Became So Much More Than Just A Companion
Voiced by the incredible actor Gary Oldman, the character of Reznov evolved into one of the most bizarre and confusing entities in video game history. While he was a guide and companion for the player in the Soviet half of the World At War campaign, the usage of his character in the Black Ops sub-franchise blurred the lines between good and bad, real and imaginary.
This made Black Ops into something of a psychological thriller, even if it tainted the heroic visage that he amassed for himself in World At War. Regardless of public opinion regarding his overall character arc, Viktor Reznov was certainly memorable.
7 Forgettable: Nick Reyes & Infinite Warfare In General Were Not Overly Memorable
When Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare was announced, fans were divided with many being outraged. Their beloved franchise was taking a trip into the futuristic, with a venture into space. It always seemed to be the divide, that Halo games would focus on futuristic and fantastical warfare, while Call Of Duty would stay rooted in the brutal and more realistic depictions of war.
While Infinite Warfare is often disregarded, the same can be said about the game's protagonist Nick Reyes, despite his heroic sacrifice in space. The gameplay, performances and campaign were not "bad" by any means, they just fell into the category of being rather forgettable within the overall franchise.
6 Most Memorable: Shepherd's Betrayal Was Utterly Shocking & Surprising
Shepherd's monstrous betrayal in Modern Warfare 2 was nothing short of iconic. On a second playthrough, subtle seeds had been planted but they were easy to notice if being specifically searched for. The impact of him "rescuing" Ghost and Roach before mercilessly shooting them and burning the evidence, was shocking and haunting enough, without the addition of Captain Price on the radio telling them not to trust the General, in a truly heart-breaking moment.
This and the final fight cemented Shepherd as one of the most iconic and hated villains in the franchise alongside Makarov, both from the scarring moment itself and the general weight behind the betrayal. It essentially completed the already near-perfect second part of the Modern Warfare series.
5 Forgettable: Not Even Kit Harington Could Leave A Lasting Impression As Salen Kotch
Call Of Duty: Infinite Warfare is often considered a repressed memory by fans of the franchise, in the sense that it ventures into space and futuristic warfare, away from the conventional Call Of Duty themes. Even the excellent Kit Harington assuming the role of the game's villain, Salen Kotch, couldn't muster enough of an impact to render the game as memorable.
Far from the successes of his characters like Game Of Thrones's Jon Snow, Harington's Salen Kotch is certainly evil enough to be considered a worthy villain with his ruthless nature and determination to win at all costs, but falls short as being somewhat generic, not leaving an especially lasting impact.
4 Most Memorable: "Soap" MacTavish Went From Playable Character To Complete Hero
In first-person shooters, if the player's character isn't given any dialogue or redeeming features, they can often be lost in the shuffle and forgotten. However, the main playable character in Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Soap, fit in so well with the overall incredible narrative and game, that the following sequels would see him be a part-time playable character— allowing for him to be seen and heard properly.
This did wonders for giving players more of a feeling and insight into his character, ultimately making his eventual death hurt that little bit more than it would have.
3 Forgettable: Ghosts & Logan Walker Are Often Considered Among The Worst Games & Protagonists Of The Franchise, Respectively
As the protagonist of Call Of Duty: Ghosts, Logan Walker should have been given more of a character that the player would want to get behind. Instead, he just existed, being easily lost in the shuffle among plenty of interesting and captivating characters throughout every entry in the Call Of Duty series.
Ghosts gets a lot of public criticism, but the campaign was good enough with plenty of suspense and intrigue. However, a forgettable main character goes a long way in making an entire game follow suit and ultimately, be just as forgettable.
2 Most Memorable: Captain Price Faced All Of The Modern Warfare Terrors Head On And Prevailed
Not only was Captain Price an integral part of the original Modern Warfare trilogy starting the Call Of Duty 4, but his character was also reinvigorated and reimagined for the 2019 edition of Modern Warfare.
Mainly remembered for his shouting of orders to the player and shouting "Soap" countless times, Captain Price cemented himself as one of the most iconic Call Of Duty characters in the history of the franchise— mainly due to how successful the Modern Warfare games have been by themselves.
1 Forgettable: The Nameless Protagonist In Black Ops 3
It is not exactly uncommon for protagonists in first-person shooters to be silent and not have any dialogue, but it can often take away from the general experience of a single player campaign. Black Ops 3 went a step further and didn't even give the player protagonist a name.
While in theory it allowed the player to customize their character and make their own identity, this did not seem to fit well within a Call Of Duty campaign, as customization should really be left for the multiplayer game modes. The augmentation procedure aspect of the campaign could justify this oversight, but it doesn't stop this particular player protagonist from being rather forgettable in the grand scheme of things.