Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 fans have gotten their first insight into the next chapter of the Dark Aether saga, and it’s shaping up to be an interesting one. Not only will players be facing off against a new villain resembling The Ghoul from Fallout, but Ashes of the Damned is aiming to be the TranZit successor that fans have been requesting for years. Perhaps most importantly of all is the fact that players will not only be resuming control of the Terminus crew in Black Ops 7, but playing as new versions of the mode’s most iconic protagonists: Nikolai, Richtofen, Dempsey, and Takeo. Given the legacy of these characters, and how different the new versions seem to be, a comparison is absolutely worthwhile.
How Each Member of Black Ops 7 Zombies’ O4 Compares to Their Previous Versions
Edward Richtofen
Starting with the most obvious example, it’s worth taking a look at the character who has had the most variants in the CoD Zombies’ timeline by far, Edward Richtofen. In addition to Primis and Ultimis, there was Zombie Richtofen (an extension of Ultimis Richtofen) and Eddie, the “pure” soul of an alternate Richtofen that eventually became the Director of Requiem in the Dark Aether universe. While players saw Eddie’s story wrap up in The Reckoning’s main quest, as he either gets his family back or shames the Terminus crew for dooming the world under SAM, he stands out as a sort of “in-between” version of Richtofen. While he did bad things consistently, he never went as far as Ultimis with his cruelty, even keeping Weaver — the man who got his family killed — alive. His goal was always to bring back the people he loved, which was fairly noble, whereas the original Richtofen (and his latest variant) are pure evil.
- Ultimis Richtofen: The first version of Richtofen drove the storyline for its first several years, as he had the goal of ruling the undead, which he ultimately accomplished by betraying his allies on the Zombies map Moon. Driven insane by his 115 exposure, role in the illuminati, and the MPD, Richtofen was once a brilliant-if-unhinged scientist. He leaned on the Nazi party’s funding to keep Group 935’s research going, but he was never a proper believer in the Third Reich, which is a key distinction from the new Richtofen.
- Primis Richtofen: Players first met this version of Richtofen in the classic CoD Zombies map Origins, and it became immediately clear that he differed the most from his Ultimis counterpart. Players get to meet a few versions of Primis Richtofen across the Aether storyline, but what they share in common is that they are the “nicest” versions of the character. This Richtofen did everything he could to keep his allies alive, prolonging their necessary demise by keeping a massive time loop active. He showed genuine emotion time and time again, with Treyarch swapping out the psychotic humor of his predecessor for character depth.
- Black Ops 7 Richtofen: Black Ops 7’s Richtofen may seem like Ultimis Richtofen reborn on the surface, but the key difference between the two is that while Ultimis Richtofen used the Nazi party for his own agenda, BO7 Richtofen is seemingly a proper believer in their vile cause. He’s described as a “hero of the Reich” who helped the Axis powers win the war, lending credence to the rumors of a New York BO7 Zombies map that was destroyed by a nuclear bomb. Beyond that, he’ll be a sadist with an ego and a “charming smile,” once again seeking power like Ultimis Richtofen.
Tank Dempsey
Perhaps the most consistent character across all three games, Tank Dempsey is the quintessential American soldier. He’s tough, boasts a gruff voice and heroic attitude, and is always seeking out the next fight. However, it remains to be seen if one trait will stick around with the new version of the character.
- Ultimis Dempsey: Tank Dempsey’s loud-mouthed attitude shined in World at War and the original Black Ops because of his regular breaking of the fourth wall. Whenever he wasn’t arguing with Richtofen, Dempsey was yelling at the player to get him ammo or shaming Treyarch for always making him turn on the power in every map, making this World War 2 veteran an instant fan favorite.
- Primis Dempsey: The younger version of Tank Dempsey served in World War 1 as opposed to World War 2, though there were some other subtle changes Treyarch made to the character with this variant. He broke the fourth wall less, trusted and cared for his three allies more, and was overall more thoughtful than the older Dempsey who just wanted to look cool while blowing things up. If Ultimis Dempsey was a character out of the Duke Nukem series, Primis Dempsey could be better compared to a character from a serious war film.
- Black Ops 7 Dempsey: Treyarch seems to be cooking up something a bit different with Tank Dempsey this time around. Not only is he a Vietnam veteran in this new iteration, but this take on the character is extremely distrustful of his allies and will be the “unpredictable wild card of the group.” Supposedly the most uncomfortable with the Dark Aether and its many otherworldly entities, perhaps his fear could see him being the one to betray his allies this time around.
Takeo Masaki
Takeo has had an interesting journey since his first appearance in Shi No Numa. While he was the character players avoided in the original Black Ops (with some even restarting matches so that the game would choose another member of the crew for them to play as), as he was deemed “boring” by many, the Primis version clicked with players due to the use of his katana and clear samurai vibes. It seems like Treyarch saw that progression, as it plans to go even further in the warrior direction with its next version of the character.
- Ultimis Takeo: Like the rest of Ultimis, Takeo was a dated caricature of Japanese culture, regularly speaking of the importance of honor and little more with his character quotes. He lacked a standout gimmick like Richtofen’s insanity, Nikolai’s drunk antics, and Dempsey’s fourth-wall breaks, adding to his unpopularity.
- Primis Takeo: The younger take on Takeo got a proper character arc involving the Japanese emperor, which instantly made him an improvement over the “fourth wheel” the original Takeo was. Like Dempsey, he grew deeply attached to his comrades, and his confidence in himself coupled with his young age allowed him to be a flashier fighter.
- Black Ops 7 Takeo: The newest version of Takeo is “a disgraced Ronin” from all the way back in 1591, making him the biggest outlier by far, as all the other O4 members are only decades apart. Learning why Takeo was exiled will undoubtedly be interesting, while his struggles to understand technology and vocabulary from hundreds of years in the future will make for some fun interactions with the rest of the BO7 Zombies crew.
While the other three members of the original four will be keeping their same voice actors, Tom Kane, who previously potrayed Takeo, was unfortunately forced to retire due to a stroke a few years ago. Takeo will now be voiced by Nelson Lee in the upcoming release.
Nikolai Belinski
Nikolai is only second to Richtofen in terms of character development, as he went from an angry drunkard to the most important character in the storyline across the two variants. Naturally, all eyes will be on the new Nikolai to see whether he becomes another follower or the star of the show like in Black Ops 4 Zombies. Currently, signs point to the latter being true, but with how surprising his shift to leader was in BO4, perhaps Treyarch is keeping another Nikolai shocker under wraps.
- Ultimis Nikolai: One of the more humorous takes on these characters came in the form of Ultimis Nikolai, as his regular drunken rants produced consistently funny comments about his fellow survivors — as well as some disturbing claims about his many dead wives. However, Gorod Krovi eventually made Nikolai's past more than a gag by revealing that the many wives he claimed to kill were all fake stories that covered up the pain of losing the one woman that he truly loved.
- Primis Nikolai: When considering how this Nikolai was responsible for revealing the truth behind his Ultimis counterpart’s addiction, it should be immediately clear what kind of person he was. He was highly intelligent, never turning to alcoholism in the Primis universe, and he was willing to do the right thing no matter the cost. This viewpoint allowed him to kill his friends and himself to end the chaos of the Aether universe for good, something Primis Richtofen refused to do.
- Black Ops 7 Nikolai: A Soviet tank commander who served in Afghanistan during the 1980s, it’s been hinted that the new Nikolai is growing disillusioned with his duty and country, a stark change from the proud Russian he was in his other forms. He relies on dark humor instead of alcohol to cover up his bitterness, and has seemingly been betrayed while also making questionable decisions himself.
Looks-wise, the characters are a mixture of their previous forms. Richtofen’s outfit is fairly similar to his Ultimis garb, only more detailed, while Dempsey’s is also Ultimis-like, just with exposed sleeves. Takeo, on the other hand, looks like his Primis variant but with bulkier red armor, and Nikolai’s design is very similar to his Primis attire thanks to the pilot hat returning. Based on what’s known about these new versions of the crew thus far, it seems like there’s a lot of potential for them to carry the narrative for years to come. For now, the CoD Zombies community will just have to wait for more insight into the latest take on the group — including an official name for the quartet — though the early bios shared by Treyarch are certainly promising.
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 66 /100 Critics Rec: 34%
- Released
- November 14, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Treyarch, Raven Software
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
