Call of Duty Zombies went through an interesting but rough period during Black Ops 4’s life cycle. Not only was the game released a month earlier than usual, leading to plentiful bugs and crashes, but controversial changes to Call of Duty Zombies’ iconic perks were made. The game also attempted to conclude the beloved Aether storyline while simultaneously starting a fresh chapter in the Chaos Story.
Considering that the Chaos Story remains unfinished, it is clear that this approach was not fruitful. With the Aether story still going, people only cared about what was going on with the likes of Primis and Ultimis. Despite this, all the budget and fresh resources went to the Chaos story, leading to unique maps while the Aether story ended with reimagings of old ones. It is very clear that Treyarch did not have the time or budget to properly conclude the 10-year story it had crafted, something that shines clearly through Black Ops 4's use of Dr. Monty and the Shadow Man.
Giving Dr. Monty and The Shadow Man One Last Hurrah
The Shadow Man’s only appearance in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Zombies was admittedly a cool one. After completing the Blood of the Dead main quest, the hidden radios of the map revealed the voice of the Shadow Man, proving that he was guiding the events of the original Mob of the Dead. While the reveal that he orchestrated the hellish version of Alcatraz was a fun one, fans never received proper answers on what his relationship with Doctor Monty actually was.
With Monty describing the Shadow Man as his “other half,” they could have once been the same being or been in a romantic relationship. Some more backstory for the characters would be interesting, and this can only happen by bringing one of them back in a future game. With the Shadow Man seemingly being killed when the Summoning Key was destroyed, it would be far easier to bring back Monty. Such an interesting character deserves more than to sit on the sidelines while they are beaten, and a future Call of Duty Zombies mode should strive to fix the weak conclusion to his story.
Despite Doctor Monty being a god-like being with near-limitless knowledge and power, his only Black Ops 4 appearance comes during Alpha Omega. He does not speak a single word, instead taking his Apothicon Form and angrily killing Dr. Maxis - the father of Samantha Maxis. While fans were promised an opportunity to see her get revenge on Monty, this never comes, as the scarf-wearing antagonist does not have any impact on Tag Der Toten’s events.
While the character’s silence was tied to the fact that Monty’s actor Malcolm McDowell was never asked to return (likely due to rushed development and a low budget), it was a shame that the character never got a proper sendoff. Monty was set up heavily through all of Black Ops 3 Zombies, and hearing him interact with characters like Richtofen again would have been incredibly memorable. Further, a proper boss fight against the all-powerful Monty would have made sense as a true finale for Zombies, but instead fans got an anti-climactic survival sequence.
Though the Shadow Man was defeated in the Revelations easter egg, he could have joined Monty in the heavily teased Great War map that fans never got a chance to play. This map would have seen players going back in time to wield the original copies of the Origins staves while letting them battle Apothicon creatures alongside the undead, and it would have been a thrilling way to conclude the Aether story. While the scenes with Primis and Ultimis in the woods were well-written, a more memorable sendoff for Monty and the Shadow Man would have made the ending much better. As such, the next iteration of Call of Duty Zombies should find a way to bring them back into the fold, rectifying the biggest mistake made with the Aether story’s finale.