| NOTE: This article is about Ghost from the original Modern Warfare sub series. The reboot version can be found here: Simon "Ghost" Riley. |
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| “ | Let's do this! | „ |
| ~ Simon "Ghost" Riley. |
| “ | Another keeper: Ghost. Can't get over the name though. What the hell kind of name is Ghost? | „ |
| ~ Soap on Ghost, referencing Captain Price's line from Call of Duty 4. |
Lieutenant Simon "Ghost" Riley is a major character in the 2009 video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and its 2020 campaign remaster, and the titular protagonist of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 graphic novel comic series Modern Warfare 2: Ghost. He also appears as a supporting character in Call of Duty: Online, a playable skin in Call of Duty: Ghosts, a customizable option in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, and a playable character in Call of Duty: Heroes and Call of Duty: Mobile (and also appears as a main character in Mobile's comic storyline).
He was a British special forces operator who is is the second-in-command of Task Force 141, and is seen wearing dark red sunglasses and a skull-patterned balaclava along with headphones with a mic. Ghost was tasked with finding Vladimir Makarov after the terrorist leader enacted World War III via the Zahkhaev Airport massacre, but would be betrayed and killed by General Shepherd. His death would be avenged by Captain Price and Soap MacTavish, who then went on to end the war and later eliminate Makarov.
He was voiced by Craig Fairbrass, who also voiced Gaz in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Wallcroft in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and Tee in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. In Call of Duty: Mobile, he is voiced by Jeff Leach, who voiced the character's 2019 reboot iteration for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Warzone.
In Find Makarov, he was portrayed by Cameron Rufelds, and in Find Makarov: Operation Kingfish, he was portrayed by Kegan Wilson and voiced by Andrew Randall.
Quick Answers
What is the real name of the character 'Ghost' in Call of Duty?
In which Call of Duty game did Simon 'Ghost' Riley first appear?
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In which Call of Duty games is 'Ghost' a playable character?
What is the significance of the 'Ghost' in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2?
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Simon Riley was born in Manchester, England to unnamed parents and has an older brother named Tommy, who would often scare him when he slept. During his childhood, he was frequently tormented by his father, whom at one point forced Simon to laugh at a prostitute's corpse at a Bone Licker's concert. While working as an apprentice butcher, Simon saw the 9/11 attacks and joined the British military, and later became a member of the Special Air Service. He returned home in 2003, and refused to return to the military until he fixed his family, as his father was cheating on his mother and Tommy became a drug addict. Simon managed to help Tommy break from his drug addiction, and made him marry a woman named Beth as he kicked his father out of their home.
Modern Warfare 2: Ghost[]
The first mission depicted in the series has a captured Special Ops soldier wearing a skull-patterned balaclava in a classroom filled with children of a Ukrainian school that has been taken over by terrorists (who threaten to kill one child each hour if their demands are not met). The soldier passes the time by telling a story of his friend, Simon "Ghost" Riley on a mission in Mexico. The SAS loaned "Ghost" to USSOCOM to bust a heroin cartel that has recently begun smuggling terrorists into the U.S. This mission takes place on the Mexican holiday, "Day of the Dead", when Riley and the others wear skull face-paint and skeleton costumes to blend in with the celebrating crowd at the party that the leader of the Heroin Cartel is throwing.
During the operation, Riley is betrayed by Major Vernon, revealing that he was Roba's spy and kills Cumberland after learning that was possibly working for the CIA. Simon, Sparks and Washington are captured by Roba and endure continuous torture and brainwashing techniques. Throughout this ordeal, Riley recalls his childhood trauma he received from his father while being tortured by Roba and abused by Gilberto. While Sparks and Washington escape, Riley is buried alive with Vernon's corpse, but is able to escape by the major's lower jaw bone to break through his coffin. He was later found by a Texas sheriff, and later debriefs with his superiors about his experience.
Despite being physically fine, his superiors worry about his mental state and want him to speak with a psychiatrist named Halloway to clear him for duty. His superiors fears are shown to be correct, as Riley suffers nightmares involving Roba with a skull painted on his face. While spending Christmas with his family, Riley gets a surprise visit from Sparks. While having a beer together at a local pub, Sparks and Riley rehash old times and their experience during those hellish months in Mexico. Sparks tells Riley that he and Washington are getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan. As they are walking back home Sparks approaches a young woman he previously saw at the pub and tries to sweet talk her into bed, the young woman is not impressed. Angrily, Sparks knocks the woman out, and orders Riley to help him get her inside her house so that they can rape her.
Riley secretly calls the police, and they arrive just before any harm could be done to the woman, forcing Riley and Sparks to retreat. Once they both arrive at Sparks' hotel room, Riley suspects that Sparks is up to something, and by the time he finally pieces the clues together, Sparks points a gun at Riley's head. Riley immediately disarms Sparks, and interrogates him. Sparks reveals that he and Washington have been working for Roba, showing that they had been successfully brainwashed, but before Riley could get any more information Washington arrives from a task and attempts to gun down Riley.
Riley escapes by jumping through Sparks' hotel window, slightly injuring his leg, and steals a cab to make his getaway. Remembering what Roba said about his family, Riley speeds towards his family's home and witnesses a shocking display. His mother; Tommy, Tommy's wife, Beth; and his nephew Joseph have all been executed, no doubt by Washington himself. Upon seeing this sight, Simon begins to laugh before vomiting and calls for his superiors. After learning of his superior's death, Simon leaves and receives a phone call from Sparks, whom hints that they're framing him for the murder of his psychiatrist. Later on, Simon visits his father at the Christie Cancer Hospital and asks him why he laughs anytime he sees corpses. Mr. Riley reveals that while attending a Bone Lickers concert, he murdered a prostitute in the bathroom and forced Simon to laugh with him.
Learning what he needed, Simon leaves and moments later, Sparks and Washington enter and ask Mr. Riley for his son's whereabouts. Mr. Riley refuses and taunts them, resulting in his death while Simon hears the gunshots and refuses to give into the urge to laugh. Following his father's death, Simon infiltrates a military base, kills Washington and kidnaps Sparks. After torturing Kevin, Riley kills him, switches dogs tags and burns down the house to fake his death. Afterward, he interrogates Gilberto for Roba's location and learns that he's staying at his summer house. Simon then confronts and kills Roba and while leaving the compound, encounters General Shepherd. In the present day, Ghost kills the terrorist with his military aid and saves the civilians and children.
Joining Task Force 141[]
Simon accepted General Shepherd's offer to join Task Force 141, working alongside Captain John Price, John "Soap" MacTavish and Gary "Roach" Sanderson. At some point, he started going by the name "Ghost", which was questioned by Soap in his journal.
Operation Kingfish[]
Ghost worked alongside Captain Price, Soap, Roach and Delta Force officers Sandman and Derek "Frost" Westbrook on Operation Kingfish in 2013 to hunt down Vladimir Makarov. The operation went awry, as it was ambush set up by the terrorist leader and ended with Price sacrificing himself to get an injured Soap to evac. Unbeknownst to the team, Price was captured and sent to a Russian Gulag while Makarov remained at large.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2[]
Hunting Rojas[]
Lt. Simon "Ghost" Riley is first seen in the level Takedown talking to Cpt. John "Soap" MacTavish via radio while they search for Alejandro Rojas's assistant. After John "Soap" MacTavish and Sgt. Gary "Roach" Sanderson begin pursuing the assistant, Ghost meets up with them at the Hotel Rio and joins the chase. Once the assistant is taken down by Roach, he is seen with MacTavish preparing to interrogate him. Ghost is then heard via radio for the rest of the mission as he attempts to pursue Rojas through the Favela. After the capture of Rojas, Ghost is heard requesting extraction from Command but to no avail. Ghost appears in the mission "The Hornet's Nest" with Task Force 141. He manages to escape with Captain MacTavish and Roach aboard Nikolai's helicopter.
Infiltration of the Russian Oil Rig[]
He then takes part in the infiltration of the Russian oil rig, which is being used as a makeshift SAM (Surface-to-Air-Missile) site in "The Only Easy Day...Was Yesterday" to rescue hostages.
Rescuing Prisoner 627[]
After clearing the oil rig, Ghost takes part in the operation to rescue Prisoner 627 from a Russian gulag. He takes control of the gulag's security systems and guides Soap and Roach to the prisoner, revealed to be Captain Price, imprisoned following his capture during Operation Kingfish.
Infiltration of a Russian submarine Base[]
Ghost also appears in the level Contingency, where he helps Captain Price infiltrate a Russian submarine base along with other Task Force 141 members. However, he is shocked when Price launches a SLBM at Washington D.C. where the Russian-American war rages on. Ghost contacted command of Code Black, the statement that a threat of a nuclear weapon has been launched and must be disposed of immediately. It is possible that he retracted this though after he learned of Price's intention.
The Search for Vladimir Makarov and Death[]
| “ | Shepherd: Do you have the DSM? Simon "Ghost" Riley: We've got it, sir! Shepherd: Good, that's one less loose end... (Shepherd plugs Roach in the gut with his revolver) Simon "Ghost" Riley: NO! |
„ |
| ~ Shepherd reveals his true colors. |
Ghost's final appearance is in the level "Loose Ends" where he leads a strike-team to search for Vladimir Makarov at his safehouse on the Georgian-Russian border. However, Makarov is nowhere to be found but the safehouse is loaded ("a bloody gold mine" as Ghost said) with intel. Ghost along with Roach, Ozone, and Scarecrow with sniper support from Archer and Toad, protect the DSM while it downloads information regarding Makarov's operations. As the team head to the LZ set up by Shepherd, Ozone and Scarecrow are killed by enemy mortars and Roach is injured. Ghost manages to get Roach to the LZ, but Roach and Ghost are betrayed by Shepherd, who initially appears to help Ghost get Roach into his MH-53 Pave Low to escape, but instead fatally shoots Roach in the gut, and Ghost in the head/chest at point-blank range with a .44 Magnum before he could use his ACR in retaliation. Ghost's body is then thrown into a ditch and set on fire along with Roach's by Shepherd and his Shadow Company forces.
Legacy[]
Ghost's death was later avenged by Soap after the latter threw a knife at Shepherd's left eye in Afghanistan, and when Price killed Makarov after ending World War III.
Call of Duty: Heroes[]
In Call of Duty: Heroes, Ghost became a playable character in an update where he can purchased with a thousand Celerium.
Call of Duty: Mobile[]
Ghost appears as a playable operative in Call of Duty: Mobile, and as a supporting character in the Mobile comics. In the game, he guides the player through various tutorials. In the comics, he is a a member of the United Ant-Terrorism Coalition, a group was founded by Captain Price, and they act as a countermeasure to the Five Knights and later the Dark Covenant. In the comic, the Ghost character is the original, as his Jawbone costume given to him by Captain Price is purely cosmetic.
Ghost would soon come across Vladimir Makarov, who somehow survived being killed by Mace, and the latter explains each member of the Five Knights. When Makarov explains that the leader of the Five Knights is unknown unless he takes him in, Ghost agrees but the two are stopped by Templar. Ghost battles the operative until he is stabbed and left for dead by Templar, but Riley is recovered by Makarov, who gives his body to the Ghosts.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare[]
- Main article: Simon "Ghost" Riley (reboot)
| “ | John Price: There he is... Simon Riley. Kate Laswell: There is no picture. John Price: Never. |
„ |
| ~ John Price and Kate Laswell discussing Ghost's file. |
| “ | Price, there's something wrong in Verdansk. They are targeting their own. We need to find out why. Send fighters I can trust. | „ |
| ~ Ghost to Price in the Season Two DLC intro. |
In the 2019 reboot of the Modern Warfare series, Ghost is mentioned at the end of the campaign by Captain Price. Price tells Kate Laswell that he's creating of team called Task Force 141, and Simon Riley is part of his recruitment, alongside Kyle "Gaz" Garrick and Johnny "Soap" MacTavish. In addition, Laswell notes there's no picture for him, and Price simply replies "never."
He appears as a playable character for the Armistice and the Coalition for Modern Warfare's season two DLC. Towards the end of the season, Ghost works with "Alex" and later joins the task force to stop Victor Zahkaev. The character also appear in the sequels, aiding Captain Price on missions since his recruitment into Task Force 141.
He is voiced by Jeff Leach in Modern Warfare and Warzone, and by Samuel Roukin onwards.
Quotes[]
| “ | The Russians ain't gonna let this massacre go unanswered. It's gonna get bloody. | „ |
| ~ Ghost to Soap after the airport massacre. |
| “ | Roger that! He's going to get away! | „ |
| ~ Ghost to Soap during their pursuit of Rojas. |
| “ | Command, ready for dustoff. Send the helicopter. Coordinates to fol- Bollocks! The skies are clear! Send the chopper now! Command's got their head up their arse. We're on our own. | „ |
| ~ Ghost to Soap and Roach after capturing Rojas. |
| “ | And they're killing a thousand Americans for every dead civilian in Moscow. Looks like we're all out of friends. Looks like we're all out of friends. | „ |
| ~ Ghost. |
| “ | All we got out of Rojas is that the only guy Makarov hates worse than Americans is locked up in a gulag. | „ |
| ~ Ghost to the team. |
| “ | Bloody Yanks! I thought they were the good guys! | „ |
| ~ Ghost. |
| “ | We have a nuclear missile launch! Missile in the air! Missile in the air! Code Black! Code Black! | „ |
| ~ Ghost upon Captain Price launching a missile. |
| “ | Fifty-fifty chance to take out Makarov, eh? Captain Price, request permission to take the safehouse with Roach. | „ |
| ~ Ghost in the opening of "Loose Ends". |
| “ | Makarov's men are going to do whatever it takes to keep us from leaving with this intel. We need to protect the DSM until the transfer's done. Use the weapons caches and set up your claymores if you've got any left. Defensive positions, let's go! | „ |
| ~ Ghost in "Loose Ends". |
| “ | We got it, sir. | „ |
| ~ Ghost to Shepherd at the end of "Loose Ends", moments before his death. |
| “ | Mission failed, we'll get 'em next time! | „ |
| ~ Ghost if the player dies in a spec ops mission. |
Mobile Comics[]
| “ | Alright, folks, I see y'sweatin' the clock. | „ |
| ~ Ghost in the comics. |
| “ | True enough to that lot. | „ |
| ~ Ghost to the young girl in the comics. |
| “ | Shut up and shoot people, Tank. | „ |
| ~ Ghost to Tank Dempsey in the Mobile comics. |
| “ | We won a battle, I'm going to win the war. | „ |
| ~ Ghost in the Call of Duty: Mobile comic. |
| “ | Like I said... You can't kill a Ghost. | „ |
| ~ Ghost upon his return in Mobile comics. |
Trivia[]
- He is the announcer of multiplayer (for TF 141), and most of the Spec Ops missions.
- According to two Army Rangers in "S.S.D.D.", Ghost has the second highest score in the pit.
- Despite having blue eyes in the game, he has brown eyes in the titular comics.
- In Call of Duty: Ghosts, the Walker family's dog Riley, is a reference to Ghost.
- Possibly, the title of Ghosts is a reference to the character due to his popularity.
- Another reference is the use of Ghost mask, as they have skull patterns on them as well.
- Additionally, Ghost's model can be used as a multiplayer skin, and will cause the player's character to become mute.
External links[]
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 Heroes
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Allied Powers Marine Raiders Special Operations Executive Task Force Vanguard Special Air Service Task Force 141 Loyalists FSO GIGN U.S. Armed Forces Delta Force Joint Special Operations Command Operation 40 U.S. Government Central Intelligence Agency Black Ops Vorkuta Prisoners MACV-SOG Ghosts Sentinel Task Force Winslow Accord Specialists Special Air Combat Recon Special Associated Treaty Organization United Nations Space Alliance Special Air Service Task Force 141 Urzikstan Liberation Force Chimera Armistice Die Landebahn Crew NATO Los Vaqueros JTF - Ghost Team SpecGru The Rook Safehouse Crew Rogue Black Ops United Anti-Terrorism Coalition Phantom Corps The Couteau Line Kurohana Corporation La Sous Terre Primis/Ultimis Victis Bureau of Archaic Technologies Chaos Requiem The Resistance Operation Deadbolt The Terminus Crew Zombies Others | ||