Summary
- A Call of Duty modder has uncovered a scrapped after-credits scene in Modern Warfare 3.
- The video suggests that the game was once planned to have an even darker ending than it ultimately did.
A scrapped Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 after-credits scene has been uncovered nearly 13 years following the game's release. The brief clip reveals that the developers once had an even darker ending in mind for Modern Warfare 3.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2011) spoilers ahead.
At the end of the 2011 game, Captain John Price and Yuri track down Makarov to a hotel in Dubai. They launch an assault on the facility, eventually managing to corner the iconic FPS villain after Price crashes his helicopter on the building's rooftop during his escape attempt. Makarov then emerges from the wreckage and grabs a gun, preparing to kill Price before being shot by Yuri. He manages to kill Yuri in retaliation, but is distracted for long enough for Price to get a jump on him and hang him with a steel cable after performing a crash dive through the hotel's glass ceiling. Price crawls across the shattered glass and lights a cigar while watching Makarov's corpse before the credits roll.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Makes One Great Decision With Makarov
While Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s campaign is being heavily criticized for all it gets wrong, thankfully it does do something smart with Makarov.
Deleted Modern Warfare 3 Scene Shows Price Dying at the End
And while the game hence implies that Price survived the hotel assault, Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games may have originally had different plans. That's according to a newly discovered after-credits scene unearthed by Call of Duty modder Vlad Loktionov. The 50-second video appears to take place shortly following the ending set piece, as it shows a mysterious, partially obscured man in a suit observing the site of Makarov's hanging. As the shadowy figure turns around and leaves, Price's vision becomes blurry, and he drops both his cigar and head, remaining motionless. The scene then fades to black, before transitioning to a photo of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's Operation Kingfish team.
The scene came as a surprise to many Call of Duty fans, as few have ever interpreted the game's ending as Price being on his deathbed. On the contrary, the cheeky act of lighting a cigar after the final fight suggested that his wounds weren't so severe as to be life-threatening. The fact that the Operation Kingfish photo is shown immediately afterward appears to underline Price's death, as all the other team members depicted in the image are also dead by that point in the story.
Captain Price's Death Isn't Canon
But since this scene didn't make the cut, it cannot be considered canon. After all, both Call of Duty: Heroes and Call of Duty: Mobile flat-out state that Price survived the events of the 2011 game. Given how many of Call of Duty's saddest deaths happen in Modern Warfare 3, the shooter is already plenty dark as is. As to the identity of the shadowy figure seen in the after-credits scene, fans have speculated it to be everyone from a miraculously alive Imran Zakhaev to the Grim Reaper himself.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
- Released
- November 8, 2011
WHERE TO PLAY
The best-selling first person action series of all-time returns with the epic sequel to multiple “Game of the Year” award winner, Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 2. In the world’s darkest hour, are you willing to do what is necessary? Prepare yourself for a cinematic thrill-ride only Call of Duty can deliver. The definitive Multiplayer experience returns bigger and better than ever, loaded with new maps, modes and features. Co-Op play has evolved with all-new Spec-Ops missions and leaderboards, as well as Survival Mode, an action-packed combat progression unlike any other.
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Franchise
- Call of Duty
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- How Long To Beat
- 6 Hours
