“I repeat, do no trust Shepherd”: The Most Hated Villain in Call of Duty Gave us the Mother of All Plot Twists in Franchise History

SUMMARY

• Over the decades, Activision has given us a number of iconic villains in the Call of Duty franchise.
• However, none of them receives more hate than General Shepherd, who gives us the biggest plot twist.
• Things aren't looking good for the future of Call of Duty as its latest game has lost more than 47% of its players.

Villains in any video game are an essential part of the experience as they’re the forces that bring big changes in the story and create memories that haunt us forever. It’s crucial for a title to get things right with the villain, as an adventure is only as compelling as its primary antagonist.

Call of Duty villains have earned a name for themselves. (Image via Activision)

Activision’s Call of Duty franchise has brought us a number of villains that have left their mark in the gaming industry. They’ve done things so brutal that one can’t simply speak of them without getting scared. However, not a single villain in this series comes close to General Shepherd, who shocked us all with the greatest plot twist.

General Shephard gave us a nightmare plot twist in Call of Duty

General Shepherd is the most despised villain in the Call of Duty franchise. (Image via MKIceAndFire)

It’s been decades since the release of the Call of Duty franchise, and we’ve seen numerous villains that shaped the franchise in major ways. Their sheer brutality and insanity keep pulling players back to the FPS series.

Over on the game’s official subreddit, one player asked the community which Call of Duty villains in the entirety of the franchise they despise the most for their actions.

Whenever we talk about the most hated villain in the Call of Duty franchise, there’s one name that instantly pops into our minds, and that’s General Shepherd. As an officer in the United States Army, Shepherd was the first one to put his country before his own life.

In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Shepard commandeered Task Force 141 and its operations throughout the entirety of the game. However, things soon start to unravel when it’s revealed that Shepheard had his very own personal army called the Shadow company to work behind the scenes.

However, the most shocking twist comes when Shepherd decides to betray the members of Task Force 141 in the mission called “Loose Ends.” This betrayal saw Shepherd murdering both Ghost and Roach, who were the most beloved characters in the game.

What’s even more horrifying is that Shepherd decides to have both Ghost and Roach’s bodies’ burned, which angers Captain Price. In the future, it’s told to us that Shepherd was the one who pulled the strings and orchestrated all the in-game events that would soon be called World of War 3.

Call of Duty is losing players at an alarming rate

Black Ops 6 hasn’t been able to sustain its player numbers. (Image via Activision)

While Call of Duty games have given us incredible moments and plot twists, the same can’t be said for the franchise’s recent entries. The last Call of Duty games have all proven to be a mixed bag, but Activision and Treyarch were hoping that they would hit big with Black Ops 6.

Black Ops 6 had an incredible start and hype behind it. The game looked to be a fresh start for the franchise as it was packed with a number of fan-favorite features, modes, weapons, and whatnot.

The game looked to be a return to the golden days and kicking off a new point for the FPS franchise. The developers even brought a number of new content additions in the last couple of months.

However, it seems like things aren’t going well for Black Ops 6. Data from SteamCharts suggests that the title has lost more than 47% of its player base since it debuted last October. This is quite concerning because Activision positioned the title as a new beginning for the franchise.

The drop-off in player numbers is due to a number of reasons. Black Ops 6 has had to deal with rampant cheaters and accusations of using artificial intelligence for cosmetics.

With that said, is there any other villain in the Call of Duty series that you think deserves more hate than General Shepherd? Let us know in the comments below.

Written by Dhruv Bhatnagar

Articles Published: 671

Dhruv has been an avid gamer all his life, with an emphasis on multiplayer titles. After switching to PC, he has dabbled in the world of GTA Online ever since its release. He aims to spread his passion for gaming through his writing.