Highlights
- The inclusion of the character Graves in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 's fifth season suggests his involvement in the upcoming Modern Warfare 3 , which could impact the narrative of the MW remake series.
- Graves played a significant role in Modern Warfare 2 's storyline as the head of Shadow Company, but it is believed that he died in a showdown with Soap MacTavish. However, recent developments suggest otherwise.
- The potential problem with Graves being included in Modern Warfare 3 is that it could lead to a crowded narrative, with already established antagonists General Shepherd and Makarov. Giving all three villains equal screen time may result in an overly complicated finale.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is gearing up for its fifth in-game season, bringing with it a wide selection of fresh content. Predictably, the season introduces a range of new playable operators, with the popular campaign character Graves now being available for online play.
It is likely that this resurgence of Graves' presence in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is an indicator of his involvement in the upcoming Modern Warfare 3. While this could have some benefits for the narrative of Modern Warfare 3, the inclusion of Graves could also have a detrimental impact to the story of the MW remake series.
Graves' Role in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Phillip Graves played a large role in the narrative of Modern Warfare 2, being the head of the private mercenary group Shadow Company. Graves and Shadow Company originally act as allies to the player-controlled Task Force 141, before a shocking revelation is made.
After developing a bond with Task Force 141, it is revealed that Graves and General Shepherd are actively participating in a cover-up over lost nuclear weapons. Graves then takes on an antagonistic role for the rest of MW2's narrative; a large portion of the campaign's end-game sees the player assault a Shadow Company compound to find Graves.
This culminates in a showdown between Soap MacTavish and Graves, with Soap destroying a tank that Graves was operating. Graves is largely thought to have died in this encounter, although recent developments to MW2's multiplayer suggest otherwise. Graves is now a playable operator in MW2's multiplayer and Warzone 2, and this late resurgence of the character could indicate his continued presence within the franchise.
The Potential Problems with Graves in Modern Warfare 3
The timing of Graves' reappearance in Modern Warfare 2 likely indicates that he will play a role in the story of the rumored upcoming Modern Warfare 3. It would be a memorable shock if it is confirmed that Graves survived his fight with Soap, although the narrative of MW3 may suffer slightly from his inclusion.
Despite being uniquely spearheaded by Sledgehammer Games, MW3 will still continue the established running narrative of the other two recent reboot titles. As the third release of the new Modern Warfare trilogy, an immense narrative pressure would be on MW3 to bring its many involved factions and characters to a satisfying conclusion.
Of course, the haphazard General Shepherd is already expected to be a lingering antagonist within Modern Warfare 3, with rumors also indicating that the game will introduce a fresh take on the iconic CoD villain, Makarov. These are already two screen-grabbing figures that would require a lot of narrative attention in MW3, and the addition of Graves to the list of antagonists could be detrimental to the game.
It may be difficult for MW3 to give Graves, Makarov, and Shepherd equal screen-time, leading to a potentially confusing or rushed finale that tries to juggle all these antagonists. While Graves was a memorable figure within MW2, his story did have a fairly solid level of closure which may be best left alone. When considering how Makarov would have to be introduced and dealt with just in the space of MW3's story, a focus on Graves could pull away from one of the most iconic villains in Modern Warfare and Call of Duty as a whole.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.