Call of Duty is full of beloved characters. Frank Woods, for instance, has become synonymous with the Black Ops franchise. In Modern Warfare, the masked and mysterious Ghost has proven popular with large parts of the community. Call of Duty Zombies has several memorable characters, with the likes of Samantha Maxis and Edward Richtofen being fan favorites. However, few characters are more instantly recognizable than Captain Price.
Captain Price’s history is a long one, and it is complicated by the fact there have been three different versions of the British Captain. One featured in the earliest Call of Duty games, helping lead some of the operations that took place in the second World War. The Modern Warfare trilogy featured the most iconic version of Price, with the SAS officer leading Task Force 141 on various missions. A similar story is being told in the newer Modern Warfare games, though with a "new" Price at the helm since the universe has been rebooted. For those interested, here is the story of each version of Captain Price.
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The very first version of Captain Price stems from a World War 2 setting. He featured in the original Call of Duty game as well as Call of Duty 2, and while he does lack parts of the personality boasted by the newer Price, he shares some equally over the top facial hair. Wearing a beret instead of his usual hat, this version was an important member of the SAS. He was also part of the 7th Armoured Division and the 6th Airborne Division, and was voiced by Michael Gough.
Price’s first appearance in the timeline saw Call of Duty fans helping him destroy a supply depot and procure some enemy documents in 1942. He then followed the player character to defend a town near El Alamein, helped them clear out a minefield, and worked with the 7th Armoured Division to destroy some German ships. After some more fighting, Price and his men were eventually tasked with holding Pegasus Bridge. Unsurprisingly, they succeeded, defeating a tank in the process. Similar events of heroism occurred during the Normandy campaign, with Price eventually being transferred to the SAS.
Unfortunately, Captain Price’s luck was about to run out. While he still had some fight left, escaping capture and causing havoc at an airfield, he died in 1944. During a mission to sabotage a German battleship, an undercover Price was held up at security checkpoint. Worried that his papers would not pass inspection, Price killed the soldier, alerting the ship. While he did defend protagonist Sergeant Evans as he planted explosives, this version of Price was overwhelmed and killed – giving him a very different fate than the first modern version of Price.
The Modern Warfare trilogy features some of the most iconic campaigns in the series, and Price finds himself at the heart of some of the games' very best moments. His first timeline appearance is in the flashback mission with Captain MacMillan, as Price serves as a sniper with the goal of killing Imran Zakhaev. Price landed his shot, though it only took off the terrorist’s arm, forcing Price to deal with him again several years later. After stopping Zakhaev’s nukes from hitting the US, Price and his allies tracked down Zakhaev. While Gaz and Griggs were both killed, Price slid the protagonist Soap MacTavish a pistol. He then killed Zakhaev, making up for Price’s failure years prior.
After succeeding in this mission, Price and Soap were assigned to Task Force 141 under the command of General Shepherd. Price led the group in their missions to capture Vladimir Makarov, the terrorist who would become the main villain of the original Modern Warfare games. After a failed raid, Price is captured and held in the Gulag for three years. Eventually, he is rescued in 2016, resuming leadership of Task Force 141. While Price’s objective does shift to killing General Shepherd for his betrayal, his focus returns to fighting Makarov once the deed is done.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 revealed that Makarov and Yuri (one of Price’s new allies) were responsible for rescuing Zakhaev back in 1996. This deepens the blood feud between Price and Makarov even further, and after various missions showing off World War 3, the two have their final fight. Along the way, though, Soap dies, with Yuri also giving his life to save Price in his fight with Makarov. The campaign ends with Price hanging Makarov, brutally killing the man that caused so much suffering. Price smokes his signature cigar as the game quietly comes to an end, with the Captain being the lone survivor of Task Force 141.
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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2019 served as a fresh start for the franchise, though while it is a story completely disconnected from the original, Price is pretty much the exact same. Voiced by Barry Sloane instead of Billy Murray, he has the same personality, character design, and level of experience. A beloved and respected leader, this new version of Price served in the British Army for eighteen years, joining at the age of sixteen. Quickly climbing the ranks, Price now works in the shadows, called in for off-the-books missions where he can bend the rules.
One of these missions saw his presence being requested by CIA chief Kate Laswell, with Price brought in to deal with a gas-based threat. This eventually leads him to London, stopping a terror attack with Kyle Garrick – the man who would become the reboot’s version of Gaz. Price leads the fight against the terrorist group Al-Qatala, meeting up with Farah Karim. Having assisted her escape from a Russian chemical lab back in 2009, the two are close allies, and together they eventually stop the gas-related threat.
The cliffhanger ending for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2019 sets up the sequel, a game that will likely drop in 2022. When it does come, players can expect to see Task Force 141 together again. Price specifically requests Gaz, Soap, and Ghost, confirming some fan favorites for the group. With General Shepherd also name dropped, it will be interesting to see how closely the game sticks to the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Regardless, hopefully Task Force 141 will have a happier fate then it did in the previous timeline.
While Price did feature as an Operator in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, this was just for fun and is not canon, as his birth date is 1985 – the year after Black Ops Cold War. As such, his new story is limited to the 2019 campaign and the Call of Duty: Warzone narrative, with the latter seeing him stop Victor Zakhaev. While it remains to be seen if Price’s story will end tragically like his World War 2 counterpart, or if Price will survive like he did in the previous Modern Warfare timeline, fans can be certain that his story is not over yet.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is rumored to be in development.
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