Intriguingly, the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 fan base has fallen in love with antagonists like the cartel leader Valeria and the turncoat Phillip Graves. Graves and Shadow Company turning on Task Force 141 is not necessarily surprising for those that played the 2009 Modern Warfare 2, even though the villain turn is sudden. However, it is even less of a shock for those that played Uncharted 4: Among Thieves.
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Graves’ Role in Modern Warfare 2’s Campaign
Part of the reason that the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 community is so fond of Graves has to do with his attitude before the betrayal. Alongside some memorable mannerisms, he gives a speech prior to the game’s AC-130 missions about how Shadow Company should treat Task Force 141 as their brothers. During this bit of dialogue, Graves seems like a respectable soldier and a good ally, so his eventual betrayal is obviously devastating for the heroes.
Some gamers also like to point out that Graves is only following the orders of General Shepherd, using this as a defense for his actions. He even gives Task Force 141 a chance to leave before Alejandro Vargas understandably lashes out, only reacting violently once he has been attacked. Still, Graves almost killing Soap and essentially going on an ethnic cleansing within Mexico makes him a terrible person, and one that seemingly meets his demise in a fiery Tank explosion.
Warren Kole’s Uncharted 4 Role Indicated Villain Experience
Warren Kole plays Graves, and a role as a charismatic villain is nothing new for the actor. This is because he played Rafe Adler in the critically acclaimed Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, a treasure hunter desperate to outdo Nathan Drake. With some fun back and forth dialogue and a standout sword fight finale, Rafe is one of the more memorable Uncharted villains, with the character elevated by Kole’s performance.
Though Uncharted 4 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 are hugely different games, the success of both series ensures there is some crossover between their fan bases. As such, most Graves-related posts or YouTube videos will point out how the same actor played Rafe in Uncharted 4, adding that they saw the twist coming because of this. While predicting a villain turn for Graves because of his actor’s other work will have stopped the moment from being surprising, Uncharted fans who saw it coming were likely proud to get their guess right.
Still, regardless of whether it is Shepherd and Shadow Company filling the same roles they had in the original story, or Uncharted fans raising an eyebrow due to Graves’ actor, it is clear that the game’s big twist fell a bit flat. With no deaths in the latest Modern Warfare campaign, either, it lacked any major surprises. While exciting, even the post credits scene was predictable since it involved a character and event most were expecting to see again. Though many players are still loving Modern Warfare 2’s singleplayer content, Infinity Ward may want to make its next campaign a bit less predictable.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 launches on October 28 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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