Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has only just started its seasons of post-launch content, and with every season comes new operators. With campaign characters like Frank Woods, Russel Adler, and Helen Park all playable, fans have plenty of options to choose from already. However, more familiar faces can still come to Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, though that does not mean their appearances will not be exciting. In fact, Treyarch has some surprising options available to them that still make sense within the context of the Black Ops universe.
Not only can more characters from the campaign and older Black Ops entries debut inside the new game, but two prominent Call of Duty Zombies characters are on the table as well. While some may be likelier to appear than others, all are valid options for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s future seasons of content. With Season 2’s release date rapidly approaching as well, players may be seeing a few of these characters in their multiplayer games and Call of Duty: Warzone sooner rather than later.
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A fan favorite and a likely contender for a future appearance as an Operator in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Alex Mason would be great to see outside of the game's campaign. Much like how Call of Duty: Modern Warfare brought in campaign characters like Gaz and Alex after the game’s launch, it seems like a given that Mason will eventually be added to the operator list. First introduced in the original Call of Duty: Black Ops, Mason’s story was critical to the plot of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and he had a small role to play in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War — making the assets needed for the operator readily available to Treyarch.
Another character important to Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s narrative and the Black Ops storyline as a whole, Hudson would be great to play as. A character that has been portrayed by seasoned actors like Ed Harris and Michael Keaton, Hudson gets a new voice actor in Piotr Michael with the latest Black Ops game. While some people may have preferred the older performances, Michael still does a fine job in the role, as much of Hudson’s mannerisms and attitude still come through clearly. As such, it would be a blast to play as the cold CIA leader, hearing his take on enemies like Zombies and the madness that goes on in Call of Duty: Warzone.
This one would be one of the more surprising entries on the list, as the son of Call of Duty: Black Ops 1’s Joseph Bowman has not yet appeared in a Call of Duty game. However, he was revealed to be the person behind all the cryptic Pawn Takes Pawn teasers leading up to the reveal of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, adding some significance to the hooded figure seen in the videos. Joining the NATO operators to help hunt down Perseus and make his father proud, the young Bowman could have some great conversations with his father’s comrades Woods and Mason.
Raul Menendez himself could be making an appearance as a playable operator, as the Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 villain has already been teased heavily. Not only would an appearance make sense based on the Call of Duty: Black Ops timeline, but the Cartel map features the Menendez households — with the character’s father dead on the bed. Pictures of Menendez and sister Josefina are found in the room, while the PlayStation Exclusive Zombies Onslaught mode provides intel on the villain’s activity at the time. Showing the antagonist’s younger self, before his blood feud with Frank Woods started the Cordis Die movement, Menendez becoming an operator could be very exciting for longtime Black Ops fans.
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The main antagonist of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, both of the game’s endings see the villain surviving — though the non-canon evil ending gives a bit more insight on the villain’s appearance and motives. With the entirety of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s multiplayer and Warzone storyline centered on finishing off Perseus for good, it makes sense to eventually make the villain playable. After all, with Season 1 antagonist Stitch assisting Perseus in his grand plan, seeing the one in charge at some point will likely be a requirement. Once again, the assets already exist for Perseus, making an appearance as an Operator even likelier.
The eye-patch-wearing CIA member Grigori Weaver is one of the major connections between the Zombies universe and the campaign storyline, with the character’s appearance in the Dark Aether narrative establishing that the two are connected. As such, while Weaver’s main focus is clearly centered on stopping Requiem, it would make sense that he would be helping the CIA on other missions — making a debut as an Operator justified. Seeing Weaver reunite with partner Jason Hudson would be great to see as well, making the duo an excellent pairing for DLC operators.
If Treyarch does indeed bring Weaver into the fold of Operators, it should not stop there. Nearly everyone in the Zombies community would love to be given the chance to play as iconic Zombies character Samantha Maxis inside the popular survival mode, and being able to use her in Call of Duty: Warzone and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War multiplayer would be a major bonus. With the Firebase Z trailer showcasing her skills as a fighter, and no limitations on the crossover between the new Zombies story and the main Black Ops timeline, Samantha would be a terrific way to round out the list of known characters that could become Operators.
While it is likely that Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War will see some more beloved characters becoming playable soon, it is equally likely that some more fully original characters will be added to the game. Aside from more midseason operators like Zenya and Bulldozer, someone like Stitch would be interesting to see. Introducing a new character than expands the universe in the same way Season 1’s main operator would be a great move on the part of Treyarch, as adding someone with a backstory tied to established characters instantly makes them more intriguing. Further, fully original characters allow Treyarch to be more creative with cosmetics. With so many seasons left for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, a mixture of fresh, complex additions like Stitch and returning cast members like Mason would be great to see.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.