Often times these characters are directly tied to a faction or organization which can help in their recognizability. Within the Modern Warfare series, very few factions are as recognizable as Task Force 141. With characters attached to it such as Capitan Price, Soap, Ghost, and Gaz, it is quite possibly Call of Duty’s most iconic faction across all campaigns.

3 Gary “Roach” Sanderson

In the original Modern Warfare 2 (2009), Roach served as the player character throughout the campaign whenever the story shifted focus to Task Force 141. With this honor came the unfortunate trade-off of being completely silent except for the generic grunts that can be heard when doing certain actions or taking damage. John “Soap” MacTavish had a similar situation when he was the player character in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, but would go on to be given actual characterization and voice lines in the sequel enabling him to be more dynamically involved in the story. Seeing as Roach, unfortunately, meets his end in a now well-known betrayal scene in Modern Warfare 2 he was never really given the chance to receive the same treatment as Soap Modern Warfare 3 (2011).

The Modern Warfare 3 remake is the perfect chance to finally give Roach the characterization he so desperately deserves. Since Roach is coming in as a blank slate, Infinity Ward can take his character in any direction. Even if Roach were to return as one of the player characters, the new precedent with the Modern Warfare remakes is that regardless of what character is being played they will continue to be dynamically included in the game’s story as it unfolds, which is not limited to just voice lines.

2 Joseph Allen (A.K.A. Alexei Borodin)

Joseph Allen was another character introduced in the original Modern Warfare 2 as one of the many playable characters. With Vladimir Makarov’s being named dropped at the end of the Modern Warfare 2 remakes campaign, it’s only fitting to bring back a character whose story, while brief, did tie directly to his. Appearing in only the First Act of the campaign before being killed Makarov, Allen’s characterization leaves much to be desired. Fortunately for Allen, there is a lot that can be done with his character without having to deviate too far from his original story.

Allen’s objective after being recruited into Task Force 141 was to infiltrate Makarov’s “Inner Circle” under the false name Alexei Borodin and gain valuable intelligence. This plan goes about as horribly as it could as Makarov is shown to have known Allen’s plans in advance and kills him at the end of the controversial “No Russian” mission. Allen’s role in Modern Warfare 3 remake can be identical to what it was in the original Modern Warfare 2 just a bit more fleshed out. Allow him to appear in more missions with the other characters in the 141 and illustrate what dynamic they have. From there having him follow the same plot thread of infiltrating Makarov’s “Inner Circle” should prove to be more compelling as now players have had a chance to know Allen better and naturally be more invested in his story to see if he makes it out alive or not.

1 Yuri

With Makarov’s appearance all but guaranteed for the third installment of the Modern Warfare remake series, it only makes sense for his former best friend Yuri to also make his return. Unlike the previous two entries in this list, Yuri has plenty of characterization with clear motives and a compelling backstory that directly ties into the plot of the whole series. Realistically, Yuri should return with much of his story intact and if he does he most definitely should be a part of the 141.

In the original Yuri’s involvement was told to the player via flashbacks illustrating where he fit into the story. If most of Yuri’s story were to remain unchanged, the addition of playable missions from his backstory leading up to joining Task Force 141 could result in some of the campaign’s best missions given the context from the original. This would be a great opportunity to show more of the dynamic between him and Makarov and expand upon the events that lead to Yuri’s betrayal.

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