Spoilers ahead forCall of Duty:Black Ops 2.
If someone were to ask me what the last truly greatCall of Dutycampaign was,Black Ops 2would be my answer. The recentBlack Opstitles have had some standout, mind-bending missions,Modern Warfare2019 was a solid-if-safe reboot, andInfinite Warfare’s singleplayer deserved more love even if it didn’t feel likeCall 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 toBlack Ops 2quite often, and when I do it doesn’t take long to remember Raul Menendez, a character set to return inBlack Ops 7.
While I had enjoyed theCall of Dutygames’ singleplayer modes up toBlack Ops 2, especially the twisty narrative of the originalBlack Ops, I was rarely emotionally invested. Sure, the betrayal of Ghost inMW2was shocking, but outside his cool mask, there was little reason to feel something when this loss happened. Similarly, thoughNo Russianwas 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 Menendezhad 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 inBlack Ops 7won’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 otherCall of Dutyvillains, as it’s a case of eye-for-an-eye (or more accurately, eye-for-an-eye-for-an-eye). After torturingBlack Opsicon 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:
Menendez’ revenge is undoubtedly the most harrowing moment inBlack Ops 2, and arguably one of the darkest sequences inCall of Dutyhistory. In quick succession, Menendez tricked Frank Woods into shooting Alex Mason, kneecapped Woods so that he could no longer walk, and killed Woods’ handlerJason Hudsonright 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.
I’ll never forget seeing this sequence play out for the first time. Though I could tell something was immediately wrong, and did everything I could to not shoot the hooded figure I had correctly guessed was Mason (including shooting his leg to get the ending where he survives), at the time I was sure I had killed the protagonist of the firstBlack Opsgame. This felt like a huge moment on its own, but to see Woods crippled and Hudson immediately executed was incredibly bold, as theBlack Opssubserieshad eliminated all of its biggest names in one fell swoop. It was both surprising and upsetting to see three action heroes I had grown quite fond of taken out so abruptly, especially with how much Woods and Mason had already been through. However, I didn’t fully hate Raul Menendez for doing what he did. He was in the wrong and had to be stopped, sure, but I understood why he did it, which is more than I could see for manyCall of Dutyvillains before and after him.
While I can’t say that Raul Menendez’ arc is on par withstories likeThe Last of Us 2that also tackle the dangers of revenge, to me it is undoubtedly a cut above what the otherCall of Dutygames have done with their villains, as there’s proper depth to Raul Menendez. He had the ability to show compassion for others; not just to Josefina, but to people who aligned with him in his Cordis Die movement, like the undercover Farid. Even his revolution, though he ultimately leveraged it for revenge, had a goal of fighting for the 99% and elevated impoverished people around the world. Even if this was just part of Menendez’ agenda, and even though he undoubtedly took things too far with violent protests and terrorist attacks, it again shows his complexity and a twisted sense of love for others. Unfortunately, though I think Menendez is a great character and have hoped for aBlack Ops 2campaign remaster for years, I think it’s unlikely for anything inBO7to live up to his story inBO2- especially when I don’t even think Menendez is still alive.
In the lead-up toBlack Ops 6,Treyarch and Ravenconfirmed that Alex Mason did in fact die as the canon outcome of Menendez’ revenge. While some fans doubt this claim due to a trailer featuring a shot of the version where Alex lives, and theBO6tagline “The Truth Lies,” it would be simpler if Alex Mason were out of the picture inBO7’s story.
Menendez Could Be Stuck on the Sidelines in Black Ops 7
The early reveal ofBlack Ops 7at the 2025 Xbox Showcase may not have been the bombshell showcloser people expected, but for me, it was quite the surprise. While the brief glimpse at Zombies was obviously up my alley, the campaign teaser made up a majority of the reveal, and it certainly provided things to talk about. The worldbuilding that sets up the later entries intheBlack Opstimelinewas cool to see, while the trippy,Alan Wake-like imagery suggests Raven is doubling down on the best aspects of itsCold WarandBO6. However, it was the back-to-back confirmation of David Mason and Raul Menendez that made my jaw drop, as I never thoughtCall of Dutywould revisit the characters from a 13-year-old entry. However, after the shock wore off, I was left wondering how Menendez could be back - and I think I know what’s going on.
Based on the world ofBlack Ops 3, it has been widely accepted by fans that the canonical ending ofBlack Ops 2sees David killing Menendez as opposed to capturing him. While Raven could retcon this to go with the capture ending instead, and simply have Menendez break out, I don’t think that’s what’s happening here. In theBlack Ops 7reveal trailer, we see David struggling to understand what is happening as the world shifts around him before a red butterfly flies into the hand of Raul Menendez and is crushed by the villain. It’s this butterfly (and the surrounding red TVs) that I think is key to understanding the villain’s comeback. In theBlack Opsfranchise, red has always been associated with mind control, be it the numbers that haunt David’s fatherAlex Masonor the Red Door that followed Bell after Adler’s brainwashing. Somehow, I think Menendez has gotten into David’s head, and throughoutBlack Ops 7’s campaign he could trick David into carrying out his agenda. Much like Viktor Reznov manipulated Alex Mason, David Mason could be unwillingly helping an echo of his nemesis.
History repeating itself with the Mason family isn’t the worst idea in the world, but it does suggest that Menendez will not actually be able to do anything himself inBlack Ops 7and will purely be a force within David’s mind. Perhaps something interesting can be done with this idea by leveragingBlack Ops 7’s campaign co-op, as Treyarch could try something likeDeathloop. In this scenario, one player could control a mind-controlled David Mason while another player controls Michael Rooker’s returning character Harper, trying to stop David from causing harm. Alternatively, the player controlling David Mason could see visions caused by the version of Menendez that’s in his head, experiencing different surroundings from what the second player sees. This could work similarly to how it did forDead Space 3’s Carver and Isaac, where the player controlling the latter experienced terrifying visions when the former saw nothing at all.
Still, as interesting as it could be for David to deal with a Reznov-like mental projection of Menendez, Menendez potentially just being a hallucination limits his potential for villainy. On top of that, Treyarch and Raven would be throwing newerCall of Dutyplayers into the deep end, as they would know little about the mysterious man that’s hauntingBlack Ops 7’s protagonist. I’m dreading a potential scenario where Menendez is both shrugged off by newerCall of Dutyfans who are unfamiliar with him and disappoints longtime fans due to the potential nature of his comeback. Whether he was leaving propaganda for his followers, vowing revenge, attempting to win David over, or mourning his sister, Raul Menendez was a constant highlight ofBlack Ops 2. Hopefully,Black Ops 7will see history repeating itself and Menendez will be a showstealer, but for now I’m worried he’ll be a shell of his former self, much like theModern Warfarereboot’s take on Makarov. I certainly hope I’m wrong, though, as I’d love to see a whole new generation of gamers appreciate Raul Menendez as much as I do.
