Captain Price

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This article is about the Call of Duty character Capt. John Price. For other uses, see Captain Price (disambiguation).
John Price
Call of Duty character
Price MW3 model.png
John Price in Modern Warfare 3
First appearanceCall of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007)
Last appearanceCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020)
Created byInfinity Ward
Portrayed byBarry Sloane (Motion capture performance)
Voiced by
  • Billy Murray (Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, 2, 3)
  • David Kinsman (Find Makarov: Operation Kingfish)
  • Barry Sloane (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War)
Allegiance United Kingdom
In-universe information
NicknamePrisoner 627 (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2)
9051210 (serial number in "Endgame" mission)
$ (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3)
Black Viking (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3)
Bravo Six (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare)
GenderMale
OccupationBritish Army
Special Air Service
Task Force 141
Nationality United Kingdom

Captain John Price is a fictional character in the Call of Duty series. He is the main protagonist of the Modern Warfare sub-series being one of two characters to be featured in all of the games in the sub-series, the other being Nikolai. Price first ranked as a lieutenant, and served as a sniper under the orders of Captain MacMillan, participating in a mission to assassinate Ultranationalist Leader Imran Zakhaev in Pripyat, Ukraine in 1996. He was then promoted to a Captain and took charge of a Special Air Service squad, codenamed "Bravo Team", which included Soap MacTavish, before being held prisoner in a Russian gulag after Find Makarov: Operation Kingfish. Price was well received by critics and became one of the most popular Call of Duty characters.

Character design[]

The first iteration of Captain Price was in Call of Duty. Initially a captain of D Company, 2nd (Airborne) Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry charged with seizing Pegasus Bridge prior to the Invasion of Normandy, Price is later seconded to 3 Troop, Special Air Service (SAS) along with the player character, Sergeant Jack Evans. He would appear again in Call of Duty 2, this time as a captain in the 7th Armoured Division, fighting in the North African campaign and then later in the Battle for Caen. The character design borrowed heavily from Michael Graham Cox's portrayal of Captain Jimmy Cleminson in the ensemble war movie A Bridge Too Far.[1] Cleminson sported a large moustache.

The character's third appearance was as a Captain in the SAS in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, followed by further appearances in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Still bearing a large moustache, this modern take on Captain Price drew further inspiration from British SAS soldier John McAleese,[2] who was involved in the Iranian Embassy siege and also co-hosted the television series SAS: Are You Tough Enough? in 2003. McAleese was also well known for his large moustache. Price's callsign, Bravo Six, is a direct reference to the 1986 war film Platoon, in which Captain Harris' callsign is exactly the same as Price's.[3][4][5] Over the course of the franchise, Captain John Price has been portrayed by Michael Gough, Billy Murray[6] and Barry Sloane.[3]

In an interview with Sami Onur, a character designer for Infinity Ward, the explanation was provided that John Price is the grandson of the Price who appeared in early Call of Duty games, though this has not yet been confirmed by Infinity Ward staff.[7] In the early developments of Modern Warfare 2, Price was scheduled to be the player's commander, not "Soap" MacTavish, as he was supposed to be the playable character instead of Roach. This is further explained in the artbook for Modern Warfare 2.[8]

Personality[]

Price is known to be ruthless towards his enemies. This can be seen when he tells Captain MacMillan that he was going to "kill them all" after MacMillan asked him what he was going to do with all of the equipment that he had acquired. However, he is also a man who can be funny at some times, often cracking jokes during missions. Price is also a very caring man. Although he seemed to be very hostile to Soap when they first met, they eventually became best friends, and Price was devastated over his death. Price is also very serious and thoughtful. On what was to be a "death mission", Captain Price gave a short speech to Soap about how knowing how and when he will die is not a curse, rather a blessing, and how "this land" (Afghanistan) will remember what they did on this mission.[9]

Appearances[]

Modern Warfare (original trilogy)[]

In Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Captain Price serves as the commanding officer of primary protagonist John "Soap" MacTavish. He is also the player character for two flashback missions set in Pripyat in 1996, these being "All Ghillied Up" and "One Shot One Kill". The missions explore an assassination attempt on main antagonist Imran Zakhaev. At the conclusion of the game, he is severely wounded in a tanker truck explosion, but passes an M1911 pistol to Soap so he can kill Zakhaev.

Price survives this incident, and is encountered again in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. He is discovered imprisoned by terrorist Vladimir Makarov after an attempt to capture him gone awry, and joins Task Force 141 in an attempt to stop a war between the United States and Russia. However, Task Force 141 is betrayed by their commanding officer, General Shepherd, who orchestrated the war in order to raise American patriotism and become a war hero. Price and Soap embark on a suicide mission to kill Shepherd and avenge their comrades; they succeed in doing so, although Task Force 141 is disavowed and they are labelled terrorists.

In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Price and Soap ally with Yuri, an ex-Spetsnaz operative, and Team Metal, a Delta Force fireteam, to kill Makarov and clear their names. During an assassination attempt in Prague, Makarov reveals he has a history with Yuri and kills Soap. Price learns that Yuri was formerly an associate of Makarov, but betrayed him during a terrorist attack on a civilian airport. The two work with Team Metal to rescue the Russian president and his daughter from Makarov, ending the war and clearing their names; Team Metal is killed in the battle. Several months later, Price and Yuri launch an assault on a hotel owned by Makarov and finally kill him at the cost of Yuri's life.[10]

Modern Warfare (2019 reboot)[]

In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019), Captain Price returns to the campaign, which takes place in a new timeline.[11] He is currently portrayed by actor Barry Sloane.[12]

Price is contacted by CIA agent Kate Laswell about the Russian nerve gas crisis. Given its threat status, he agreed to finish this operation. When London was attacked by Al-Qatala Price leads his Bravo team to contain the situation. Then, after a raid on a Al-Qatala terror cell in townhouse, intelligence shown the leader' name: Omar "The Wolf" Sulaiman. After the crisis ends and Barkov disowned by Russia for his action, Price meet up with Laswell to discuss the formation of Task Force 141, with few names up for consideration: his subordinate, Kyle "Gaz" Garrick, John "Soap" MacTavish, and Simon "Ghost" Riley.[13]

Warzone[]

Shortly after, Price and Laswell begin to monitor a series of special classified operations in the city of Verdansk, Kastovia, where the Al-Qatala have been operating following a resurgence under a new leader, Khaled Al-Asad. Al-Asad eventually cooperates with Russian terrorist Victor Zakhaev to release chemical gas across Verdansk. Operators across Eastern and Western countries work together under the name "Armistice" to apprehend Al-Asad and Zakhaev. Eventually, Price himself is deployed to Verdansk alongside Gaz to assist Task Force 141 members Ghost and Alex. Ultimately, with the help of Urzikstani rebel leader Farah Karim and Russian weapons dealer Nikolai, they locate Zakhaev attempting to activate a nuclear missile, and stop the launch, killing Zakhaev in the process.[14]

Other appearances[]

Captain Price appears in the mobile game Call of Duty: Heroes as the first hero to be unlocked and has a statue skin that can be unlocked for 250 Celerium.[15] Captain Price is also a playable Blackout character in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 if the digital or physical edition of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is pre-ordered.[16][17] Price also appears in the "Captain Price: Legend Pack", a DLC for Call of Duty: Ghosts on where he appears as a playable multiplayer character.[18]

The reboot version of Captain Price appears in Treyarch's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War as a bonus playable Operator in Multiplayer and Zombies modes, with Barry Sloane reprising his voice over role.[3]

Reception[]

The character was well received by video game publications and fans alike. This praise included Captain Price being ranked as eight on Game Informer's list of "30 Characters Who Defined a Decade"[19] and voted as 17th top video game character of all time in Guinness World Records 2011 Gamers' Edition.[20] He was also one of the 64 characters chosen for GameSpot's "All-Time Greatest Sidekick" poll,[21] while voted as the eighth-top character of the 2000s decade by Game Informer's readers,[22] and Complex in 2013 ranked Price as the 26th greatest soldier in video games.[23] In 2008, The Age ranked Price as the eighth-greatest Xbox character of all time, calling him "the most familiar of the Call of Duty supporting cast and a damn fine army man indeed" and saying "What a guy; what a [mous]'tache."[24] A GamesRadar's article demanded "a whole game" exclusively starring Price because "Call of Duty 4's best dialogue comes from Captain Price" as well as its "best missions are the ones in which you play as Captain Price."[25] GamesRadar's staff further placed him at number 41 in a list of the 50 best game characters of the generation, commenting, "Arguably no other character in the history of games goes harder than Captain John Price. ... Truly, the man is a badass."[26] He was also ranked as the 48th "most memorable, influential, and badass" protagonist in video games history.[27] Matthew Wilkinson of TheGamer has claimed that Captain Price is third greatest Call of Duty character of all time by stating that "Never showing fear, Captain Price was a true leader amongst men and is probably the most iconic character in the Call of Duty series.",[28] while July Muncy of Wired called Captain Price as one of the series most iconic character that was held up as being heroic.[29] Ian Higton of Eurogamer praised the return of the character from the reboot of the Modern Warfare.[30] Jeremy Peel of PC Gamer criticized and stated that "Captain Price shouldn’t be likeable. As a British citizen, I find the idea of cockney men flying around the world torturing in my name, without my consent, legitimately horrifying. He’s played by a former soap opera serial killer."[31] In 2016, Glixel staff ranked Price as the 27th most iconic video game character of the 21st century,[32] while In 2021, Rachel Weber of GamesRadar ranked him as 37th iconic video game character.[33]

Justin Davis of IGN described Captain Price's mustache as "glorious", and stated that "Sometimes Price has a full beard. But let's make one thing clear - moustache Price is best Price."[34] Australian Broadcasting Corporation also included Price's moustache on their "best gaming moustaches", stating that "this hairy hedgerow of a moustachery stretches from ear to ear and covers most of Captain Price's face in an impenetrable forest of facial fur."[35]

A cameo appearance of Price mocking Nadeshot has been made as an advertise of Call of Duty: Warzone.[36]

References[]

  1. ^ "Price in A Bridge Too Far". Jpgdump.com. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
  2. ^ "John McAleese". Retrieved 2007-06-21.
  3. ^ a b c "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's new Captain Price discusses the game's making - The Washington Post".
  4. ^ Biessener, Adam. "Five Things CoD's Captain Price Is Doing During Black Ops". Game Informer.
  5. ^ "In the Spotlight: Captain Price". PlayStation Universe.
  6. ^ https://mygaming.co.za/news/business/11325-captain-price-voice-actor-arrested-for-beating-wife-and-daughter.html
  7. ^ "Call of Duty 4'te bir Türk imzası". Oyun Haberleri - merlininkazani.com. September 24, 2008.
  8. ^ Behind the Lines: The Art of MW2
  9. ^ "Call of Duty: The History of Captain Price Throughout the Franchise". Game Rant. August 17, 2021.
  10. ^ "GameSpy— COD4 Plot". GameSpy. Archived from the original on January 20, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2008.
  11. ^ Hume, Mike (May 30, 2019). "'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare' trailer revealed, release date Oct. 25". Washington Post. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  12. ^ @BarrySloane (30 May 2019). "What an honor to play #CaptainPrice..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. ^ "Call Of Duty's Single-Player Campaigns Owe Everything To Captain Price". TheGamer. July 24, 2019.
  14. ^ "New Call of Duty: Warzone cutscene appears to end the current Modern Warfare storyline". Eurogamer. 19 December 2020.
  15. ^ "Call of Duty: Heroes Released".
  16. ^ Corliss, Cameron (13 July 2019). "Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 - How to Get Captain Price for Blackout". Gamerant. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  17. ^ "Classic Captain Price Reporting for Duty in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Blackout". Blizzard Entertainment. 18 July 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  18. ^ "Modern Warfare's Captain Price is a playable DLC character in Call of Duty: Ghosts". Eurogamer. 14 February 2014.
  19. ^ "Price character". Game Informer. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
  20. ^ "Guinness World Records 2011 Gamers' Edition". Archived from the original on 2017-11-26. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
  21. ^ "All-Time Sidekick". Archived from the original on 2012-03-30. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
  22. ^ Bryan Vore (December 3, 2010). "Readers' Top 30 Characters Results Revealed". Game Informer. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  23. ^ Chad Hunter, Michael Rougeau, The 50 Greatest Soldiers In Video Games, Complex.com, May 25, 2013.
  24. ^ "The Top 50 Xbox Characters of All Time". The Age. September 30, 2008. Archived from the original on October 6, 2010. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  25. ^ "Game Radar's Top 7 games needing a Prequel". Retrieved 2007-06-21.
  26. ^ "Best game characters of the generation". GamesRadar. 11 October 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2014.
  27. ^ "100 best heroes in video games". GamesRadar. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  28. ^ "Ranking The 15 Greatest Call Of Duty Characters Of All Time". TheGamer. April 10, 2020.
  29. ^ Muncy, Julie. "'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare' Has Nothing Interesting to Say". Wired – via www.wired.com.
  30. ^ Higton, Ian (June 6, 2019). "A brief history of Call of Duty's Captain Price". Eurogamer.
  31. ^ Peel, Jeremy (November 27, 2020). "The best and worst Call of Duty characters". PC Gamer.
  32. ^ "50 Most Iconic Video Game Characters of the 21st Century". Glixel. 23 November 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-11-23.
  33. ^ Weber, Rachel (November 8, 2021). "50 iconic video game characters". gamesradar.
  34. ^ "The Most Glorious Moustaches in Video Games - IGN". November 2021 – via www.ign.com.
  35. ^ "Good Game Stories - 5-Up: Best Gaming Moustaches". www.abc.net.au.
  36. ^ Duwe, Scott (May 29, 2020). "Captain Price himself roasts 100 Thieves CEO Nadeshot in hilarious video".

External links[]

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