Call of Duty: Modern Warfare serves as a reset of the series, ignoring the prior trilogy and telling a new story featuring updated versions of old characters. Nods to Infinity Ward's classic Modern Warfare trilogy from a decade ago exist, but the plot itself is brand new.
Most are satisfied by the campaign, though some found the more gritty moments exploitative and forced. The following list will discuss parts of the story left hanging by the ending. To be fair, few of these are plot holes, and are instead established to set up a possible sequel, which we sincerely hope happens in the next few years.
10 Urzikstan's Future
Urzikstan has been liberated from Barkov's tyranny, but what is next for the traumatized country? Picking up the pieces won't be easy. Has Russia's interests in the piece of land waned? If so, why would Al-Qatala still be attacking Russian soil in the Spec Ops mode? While the war against Barkov may be over, Farah knows this is just the beginning, and they are likely to face more trouble in the near future.
9 Hadir
After unleashing the gas against the Russians in "Highway of Death," Hadir is shunned by his sister and the United States turns their back on him. Captain Price and Kyle Garrick find him in Moldova, where he reveals his intentions in finding General Barkov's chemical weapons manufacturing plant.
After capturing him, Kate Laswell intervenes, telling Price that Hadir is to be handed over to the Russians. What happens next is left for the sequel. The Spec Ops prologue says Al Qatala's new leader likes Hadir, so maybe they will break him out of captivity. If so, will he then become a villain or will he try to win back his sister's trust?
8 Al-Qatala's New Leader
Even though The Wolf died during the campaign, Al-Qatala didn't stop their operations. A new leader has taken the reigns, though his name remains a secret. He bears slight resemblance to Khaled Al-Asad from the first Modern Warfare, but it hasn't been confirmed if it is indeed him.
Whatever the case, what will he think of Farah's liberation forces? Will a whole new civil war erupt in Urzikstan, or does this new leader have different ambitions?
7 Barkov's Troops
Farah gets her full dose of vengeance by the end of the game, sending Barkov to the grave. However, Barkov was only one man commanding many troops. What happens to these soldiers now that he is out of the picture? Will they go back to Russia and be stationed elsewhere, or will they become mercenaries? In an ideal world, they would face trial for their war crimes, but Call of Duty has never taken place in an ideal world. If it did, they'd be pretty boring campaigns.
6 141
The game ends on an exciting note for fans of the original trilogy. A conversation between Captain Price and Kate Laswell details the beginnings of task force 141, the protagonists of the classic games. As cool as this is, it does make one worry. Will fans see all their favorite characters die again? It was hard enough the first time seeing Shepherd shoot Ghost in the face like he was an animal. Seeing him go down again would be too much for some to handle.
5 Russia's Reaction To Foreign Action On Their Soil
Captain Price and Garrick go into St. Petersburg with complete secrecy, but there's no way the Kremlin doesn't catch wind of their activity. Russia officially disowns Barkov and his actions, but a few up top probably weren't crazy about foreign soldiers killing a general, even if he was a war criminal. It will not lead to full scale conflict between the super powers, but it could not have done anything to ease tensions, either. At this point the countries are working together to stop Al-Qatala, but that could all change in the blink of an eye or in the time it takes to complete the "No Russian" mission.
4 Verdansk
The prologue for Spec Ops details Al-Qatala's siege of Verdansk, a fictional eastern European city. The missions all take place in this town, but we'd put money down on the area being used in a sequel as well. Perhaps Al-Qatala even gains a stronger foothold in several Russian cities.
Whatever a sequel brings, Al-Qatala will surely play a part.
3 Farah's Liberation Forces
After Hadir betrays Farah and uses the gas on the Russian troops, the United States labels her army as a terrorist threat. By the end of the game this label has not been removed. Assuming the United States has left Urzikstan, this shouldn't cause too much of a problem, but if they are still there in some capacity, it will lead to misunderstanding and bloodshed. Will Farah feel forced to dirty her hands for the betterment of her people? Hopefully she never turns into a villain and she survives whatever future games throw at the protagonists.
2 The Butcher
Depending on the player's actions, the Butcher can survive the campaign. If he does live, what happens next for the terrorist? In the most likely case, he is in a Russian prison. Perhaps he is next to Hadir when Al-Qatala break him out and he comes along for the ride. He was an especially ruthless member of Al-Qatala, and now he has a personal bone to pick with Garrick and Price for the way they used his family to psychologically torture him.
1 Shepherd
Lieutenant General Shepherd is only mentioned in the ending, but the name made fans' ears perk up. He was Modern Warfare 2's main antagonist. After a nuclear bomb killed thousands of American troops, he hatched a plan to restore the United States' military dominance and his own reputation, which led to various betrayals and war crimes. If nuclear destruction is avoided in the new continuity, will Shepherd still become a villain? For Ghost's sake, we sure hope not.