All antagonists expected to return in Modern Warfare 2

Modern Warfare 2 is just a few weeks away from launch. It has been receiving lots of hype after the colossal success of its sequel, Modern Warfare (2019).

As we wait for the game's release, we have received much information about its campaign, based on intel drops by the developers and leaks.

The developers have been highlighting its campaign a lot this time. They have claimed this to be the most advanced titles in the Call of Duty series.

With new audio technologies and graphical upgrades introduced to the game, Activision is aiming for a truly immersive and next-gen Call of Duty experience.

They are also bringing back some of the most loved characters from the series like 'Ghost' and 'Soap.' However, it's not only the good guys that were brought back, as some infamous bad guys from the Modern Warfare series will also return.

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All antagonists likely to be in Modern Warfare 2

1) General Shepherd

Probably one of the most hated yet iconic antagonists in the series, General Shepherd was first introduced to fans with the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. With the original title, player opinions about the character shift pretty quickly by the end of the game.

In Modern Warfare (2019), we don't see General Shepherd, but he does get mentioned. He provided the files on Kyle "Gaz" Garrick, Johnny "Soap" MacTavish, and Simon "Ghost" Riley to Captain Price to form Task Force 141.

In the Modern Warfare 2 campaign clip, we hear a voice in the background at 0:08, which seems like General Shepherd is responding to Captain Price.

From his previous mention in 2019's title and his voice in the clip, General Shepherd is most likely to be in the upcoming title. However, unlike the original title, we aren't sure if he will be on the bad or good side.

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2) Victor Zakhaev

The son of Imran Zakhaev from Call of Duty 4 is also most likely to return in the series. In the reboot, after Barkov got disowned by the Russians, there was a void of power.

Victor Zakhev wants to fill this void and take Barkov's place. Stopping him in the game seems to be the first objective of the newly formed Task Force 141.

Victor Zakhaev is also one of the two main antagonists in the Special Ops mode of Modern Warfare (2019) and the main antagonist of the Modern Warfare Storyline in Call of Duty: Warzone.

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3) Khaled Al-Asad

Khaled Al-Asad is a military commander and warlord in the Middle East (Image via Activision)

After recently coming to Warzone as an Operator, Khaled Al-Asad is also likely to be in Modern Warfare 2. We see him at the end of 2019's Call of Duty making an appearance holding his iconic Desert Eagle.

Khaled Al-Asad is a military commander and warlord in the Middle East and the secondary antagonist of Call of Duty 4. He is the main antagonist in the Spec Ops story in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and the secondary antagonist of Call of Duty: Warzone's Modern Warfare storyline.

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4) Vladimir Makarov

Deemed as the main antagonist of the entire original Modern Warfare trilogy, Makarov is also likely to be in Modern Warfare 2. We don't have any confirmation on this yet, but fans of the series have found links that suggest we could see this infamous bad guy returning.

As discovered by Inkslasher, all the evidence points in only one direction. Vladimir Makarov will be a part of the rebooted series.

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Call of Duty has delivered some of the most likable characters throughout time. But they don't compromise when it comes to their antagonists.

All the antagonists in the series have been carefully molded and written so that they are not just some bad guys. They have been given purpose and reason, thus, making them symbolic of the series.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is scheduled for launch on October 28 and will be available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series S/X, and Xbox One.