If someone were to ask me what the last truly great Call of Duty campaign was, Black Ops 2 would be my answer.

The recent Black Ops titles have had some standout, mind-bending missions, Modern Warfare 2019 was a solid-if-safe reboot, and Infinite Warfare’s singleplayer deserved more love even if it didn’t feel like Call of Duty. However, none of these compare to the golden era of the franchise, a time when every facet of the games was celebrated by fans and critics alike. As the endpoint of this fruitful period, I find myself thinking back to Black Ops 2 quite often, and when I do it doesn’t take long to remember Raul Menendez, a character set to return in Black Ops 7. 

While I had enjoyed the Call of Duty games’ singleplayer modes up to Black Ops 2, especially the twisty narrative of the original Black Ops, I was rarely emotionally invested. Sure, the betrayal of Ghost in MW2 was shocking, but outside his cool mask, there was little reason to feel something when this loss happened. Similarly, though No Russian  was unforgettable, the faceless pedestrians all blended together. The same logic applied to enemies like General Shepherd, Makarov, and Dragovich - all felt like generic mustache-twirling villains only worth talking about for their ideologies and acts of terror, not because of their own stories. It’s for this reason that I was so stunned when Raul Menendez made me feel something - and why I'm worried he's coming back.

Rather than being just the “guy who turned on Ghost” or the “villain who did No Russian,” Raul Menendez  had real motivations that were presented to the player. As a child, Raul and his sister Josefina were trapped in a burning barn that was lit on fire by an American as part of an insurance scam, disfiguring Josefina and instilling an early hatred of capitalism in Menendez. While this eventually led him to work with the cartels and oppose the American government, his “Cordis Die” revolution did not kick into high gear until quite some time after his sister was accidentally killed in an attempt to assassinate Raul. Once this happened, he planned his revenge against her killer - something so memorable that I’m worried anything Menendez does in Black Ops 7 won't have the same impact.

Menendez’ Story in BO2 Was a High Point For CoD Campaigns

Menendez’ most memorable villainous act is more personal than those of other Call of Duty villains,  as it’s a case of eye-for-an-eye (or more accurately, eye-for-an-eye-for-an-eye). After torturing Black Ops icon Frank Woods and leaving him for dead in a crate of corpses, Woods naturally vowed revenge on the cartel leader once he was rescued. However, consumed by his own rage, he threw an errant grenade at Menendez in a hasty attempt to kill him. Unfortunately, Alex Mason interfered with the throw, and the grenade bounced away from Raul and into the room with his sister Josefina. This killed his beloved family member, who had already endured so much, but Raul survived and began plotting his vengeance. This mission in particular, and the lead-up to the tragedy, stuck out to me for a couple of reasons:

📍Getting to actually see Raul Menendez’ perspective where he visited and sat quietly with his sister showed his soft side, while his attempt to save her showcased bravery, traits that had essentially never been shown by a Call of Duty villain.

📍Getting to see Frank Woods’ reaction in the present day as he looks back on the moment that caused his loved ones and the world so much suffering allowed for some powerful voice acting.

📍Including Alex Mason as an accomplice in Josefina's accidental death added extra depth to Menendez’ revenge plot, as he chose to punish Mason very differently from Woods.

Menendez’ revenge is undoubtedly the most harrowing moment in Black Ops 2, and arguably one of the darkest sequences in Call of Duty history. In quick succession, Menendez tricked Frank Woods into shooting Alex Mason, kneecapped Woods so that he could no longer walk, and killed Woods’ handler Jason Hudson right in front of him. This is made worse by Alex’s son David being forced to witness it all, traumatizing the soldier’s son and adding even more guilt for Woods to live with. Instead of granting Woods a quick death like Mason or brutally killing him like Hudson, Menendez forced him to live the rest of his life in a wheelchair, racked with regret and forced to sit on the sidelines when he’s so desperate to fight. Menendez’ promise that Woods would suffer with him held true, as both grew old missing people they held dearly due to their heated rivalry.

Source;Activision Publishing/GameRant 

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