Details on the story of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare are still relatively scarce. However, the developers did show some gameplay behind closed doors at E3. Now that reports are starting to emerge about what it included, we do now know certain details. For example, that at least one Call of Duty: Modern Warfare villain will be a rogue Russian general. Moreover, a general inspired by the terrifying villain of Apocalypse Now, Colonel Kurtz.

The Identity of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Villain

From what little footage has been released so far, it’s clear that the story of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will span several different settings and protagonists. However, what’s currently unclear is whether this means that the campaign will be one large story or whether these settings represent totally different vignettes. (For example, something akin to what DICE did with War Stories in their most recent Battlefield games). As such, we don’t know whether this particular villain is THE Call of Duty: Modern Warfare villain. He could be one of several villains in the game.

This particular character was mentioned in a recent interview conducted by Kotaku. Jacob Minkoff, the single-player Design Director, describes the leader of a Russian army in the game as; “one particular rogue general, who you should think of like Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now, who goes off the reservation and says: ‘I know how to protect Russia. Don’t you worry about legality and all that. This country – this fictional country of Ursekstan – this is a breeding ground for terrorists. And if they can’t administrate themselves, I will do it for them.’ And, ultimately, we work with Russians to take him out, because he’s a problem.”

For now, that’s all we know about this mysterious villain. He will clearly be a major antagonist in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Colonel Kurtz, the antagonist from Apocalypse Now to whom Minkoff compares him, is a truly terrifying and archetypal villain; himself based upon the ivory trader villain from Joseph Conrad’s famous 1899 novella, Heart of Darkness. Given the focus on the brutality and horror of war said to be prevalent in Modern Warfare, such a villain could be particularly chilling indeed.