Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 campaign ending and post-credit explained

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 campaign was released yesterday, and after 17 grueling missions, here’s everything that led up to that cliffhanger ending. 

The campaign follows the iconic characters from the original franchise with several members returning from Modern Warfare, which was released in 2019. The antagonist this time around was Hassan Zyani, a terrorist working with the Al-Qatala group. 

Modern Warfare 2 campaign ending and post-credit, explained

At the end of the game John “Soap” MacTavish manages to disarm a missile that was heading to Washington D.C before being attacked by Zyani in a Chicago skyscraper. But before Zyani can throw Soap out of a window, he is shot in the head and killed by Simon “Ghost” Riley, who was perched up on a separate balcony with a sniper in hand. 

It is revealed that General Shepard, who turned on Task Force 141 earlier in the campaign, has vanished and is completely off the grid, according to Laswell, the CIA operative who assisted the task force throughout the campaign. Laswell then hands an image of Makarov to Captain Price, who instantly recognizes the face. He is wanted for the Russian involvement in the trade deal of missiles, which the United States wants to end at all costs. 

Post-credit scene

After each member of Task Force 141 lays eyes on the picture of Makarov, the credits begin to roll. 

After the credits, there is a short post-credit scene where the camera pans inside what looks to be a commercial flight where we get a shot of multiple men just about to receive some food or drinks. 

One of the passengers asks for a salad to which the man then crafts a gun from materials hidden in his pockets and an ammo clip attached to the roof of the serving bowl. The man then opens his phone to see a text from somebody with a name beginning with ‘M,’ likely Makarov.

After he confirms that he is ready, the ‘M’ contact tells the passenger ‘No Russian,’ which signals all three hooded armed passengers to get out of their seats and move forward in the plane. 

What does this mean? 

The ending and the post-credit scene almost confirm that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will likely be on the horizon, with a setup for the leading antagonists of the original trilogy Makarov and General Shepard likely to return. 

The plane that the passengers were aboard at the end of the post-credit scene was likely flying over Europe, as seen on some blurred screens showing the flight’s path, potentially toward Moscow, Russia, where the infamous ‘No Russian’ mission took place in an airport during the original Modern Warfare 2 title. 

The attack was staged by Makarov to frame the United States for the attack by eliminating the undercover American CIA operative left behind after murdering civilians in an airport. This prompts Russia to blame the States and marks the beginning of another world war. 

The next installment in the franchise will likely take the player back to Russia where we could see a repeat of the terrorist incident Makarov carries out in the airport. Task Force 141 will likely attempt to stop and track Makarov to take him down. 

General Shepard’s whereabouts remain unknown, but Captain Price and the rest of the crew will be out for revenge.