The original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has one of the best campaigns in the entire franchise, with an ending twist that’s still talked about today. Rather than repeat those same plot beats, 2022’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 instead creates its own story, containing a similar twist, but delivered in a subversive and fresh way that keeps the player guessing.
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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s Shepherd Twist Is Made Fresh Again
One of the most infamous twists in all of gaming can be found in 2009’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. After sending half of Task Force 141 to recover Makarov’s servers from his estate hideout, General Shepherd meets the team for the hand-off. After being given the server box, the player-character is shot by the general, who then proceeds to shoot an enraged Ghost. After muttering something about loose ends being tied up, Shepherd orders his men to pour gasoline over his victims, who are then set on fire.
Modern Warfare 2’s Shepherd twist is a truly memorable one, seemingly coming out of nowhere but feeling justified, with Shepherd making plenty of comments throughout the game that hint towards his eagerness for a prolonged US-Russia war. Going into 2022’s Modern Warfare 2, and seeing General Shepherd for the second time, many fans will have thought that the same twist was heading their way once again. Though it ends up being pretty similar, there are enough additional factors, motivations, and red herrings to keep the twist feeling fresh.
Throughout Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s campaign, Task Force 141 is on the hunt for Hassan, the leader of a terrorist organization who is believed to have stolen two US warheads. Along the way, General Shepherd commands the team from his CIA office, pressuring them at all times to just destroy the missiles, and not ask any questions about where they came from. A few hours in, Shepherd brings in a private military company called Shadow Company, commanded by Philip Graves.
It’s eventually revealed that General Shepherd is responsible for handing the missiles over to the terrorist organization, though he didn’t mean to. In an attempt to assist the local forces covertly, Shepherd was handing over missiles off-the-books when they were intercepted by Russian Ultranationalists, and the missiles were stolen. Shepherd then tries to cover his tracks, and when Task Force 141 gets close to finding out the truth, he commands Shadow Company to relieve them of their duty.
It’s a fairly predictable twist, especially for long-time Call of Duty fans, but the reasoning behind the twist is an interesting one that adds some depth to Shepherd’s character, and the gradually unfolding mystery, with Alejandro Vargas acting as a red herring, does help to make the twist still a surprising one. The addition of Graves also adds another wrinkle to the twist, with a new antagonist making the twist feel sufficiently different from the original 2009 game.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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