The Modern Warfare 3 campaign features 14 total missions, consisting of 8 traditional levels, and 6 open combat ones. There’s a lot to take away from the ending of MW3 and the consequences of the game’s post credit scene. Here’s everything we learned during the final mission of Modern Warfare III.
Shepherd is in his office; Price was hiding in his office for him. Shepherd reaches for his pistol, but Price has his ready. Shepard tries to bargain for his life, but realizes there’s no convincing him. Price holds up his gun and says “Wouldn’t do you any good.” Price shoots Shepard in the head, and leaves his office.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
This means MW3 tied up a loose end *pun intended* and sets up a future sequel or 2. As it’s now known, Soap was killed in the final mission of Modern Warfare 3 by Makarov. Earlier in the campaign, it’s discovered that Shepherd had a hand in helping Makarov rise to power and accomplishing his goal (accidentally). Shepherd has screwed over TF-141 since Las Almas in MW2, and they haven’t forgotten about it. After losing one of his own, Price takes matters into his own hands. He decides he’s going to take out General Shepherd.
Of course, he succeeds and kills Shepard, but what does this mean for the future? Previously, it was reported that a “Modern Warfare 4” is on the table, and if so, we may know what the story will be about. The obvious answer is Makarov, but could it be 141 cleaning out Shadow Company in the process? Now that the entire 141 knows Graves is alive and Shepherd is dead, they may want to cut the heads of each snake in their way.
WHAT’S NEXT?
The MW3 story ends on a good note for Farah and Alex, as they get a lift from Nikolai back to Urzikstan. Farah’s name was effectively cleared by the court hearing where Shepherd solidifies the ULF as an ally to the United States. Farah only made a cameo in one mission of MW2, while Alex was only present in the last 2 RAID episodes of the post launch.
Fans grew to love the bond between Ghost and Johnny, which made the ending of MW3 that much more impactful. As a reminder, Soap plays a large role in MW3 Zombies since that story takes place BEFORE the events of the MW2 campaign. It’s possible Ghost ventures off to form his own group of Ghosts (which has been hinted through several COD Ghost (2013) insignias around the game) which could setup a spinoff title.
With Task Force 141 down a member, it’s possible that Johnny’s shoes may be filled in by a character such as Sandman or Roach, both of which were prominent characters in the OG MW trilogy. Either way, Task Force 141 is out for vengeance and still need to find Makarov. Aside from the Chicago mission from MW2, no war began on American soil, which was a plot point in the original Modern Warfare 3 (2011). It’s likely that to raise the stakes for a Modern Warfare 4, this may indeed happen next.
POST LAUNCH STORY OR MODERN WARFARE 4?
The question remains, when WILL we get a follow up to the ending of Modern Warfare 3? Every Call of Duty since MW2019 has provided fans with a post launch narrative that gets told through Multiplayer and Warzone. Rumor has it that every season of MW3 will focus on an older COD title, to help celebrate the 20 year anniversary of the franchise. It’s hard to picture how the studio could still tell a post launch story if that rumor is true.
A few months ago, Infinity Ward was interviewed by the press where they hinted that they weren’t done telling stories in the new Modern Warfare universe. They encouraged the idea of spinoffs using familiar characters, and taking the narrative further than the original MW trilogy went. While Infinity Ward assisted Sledgehammer with the development of Modern Warfare 3, their next title isn’t due until at least 2026, as Treyarch is reportedly dropping back to back Black Ops titles in 2024 and 2025.
THE END
For a deeper dive into the MW3 ending, post credit scene and a full storyline review, checkout my video:
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