Call of Duty: Best Black Ops Characters

With a total of 6 Black Ops games in the Call of Duty franchise, it’s inevitable that some characters would feature across their campaigns that would make for some of the most memorable, and the best Call of Duty characters out there. A villain, a hero, or a conflicted patriot, the Black Ops series has a plethora of exciting and flawed characters worth the mantle of the best.

With so many characters featuring across so many different campaigns, it’s a good time to look at the best characters in the Black Ops series, and hope that with Treyarch’s return in Black Ops 6, some of these characters will feature as Operator Skins for everyone to enjoy.

8 Jason Hudson

The CIA’s Ice Cube Who Has a Way With Words

• Featured in: Black Ops, Black Ops 2, Black Ops Cold War
• Portrayed by: Ed Harris, Michael Keaton, Piotr Michael

Jason Hudson gets bonus points for being portrayed by the legendary Ed Harris and the legendary Michael Keaton, which completely aids in his cool persona. Jason Hudson doesn’t back down from anyone, and his servitude to his country and his friends proves why this is an icon that doesn’t deserve to be forgotten.

Hudson was a good man in the CIA, and his assistance during the Vietnam War aided in stopping nuclear devastation. Hudson was never a hot head, but definitely a hard head, and would constantly give those under him and those above him a difficult time and a grilling in order to get things done the right way. However, no matter how cold Hudson was, he would, and did, take a bullet for his friends.

7 Mike Harper

The Navy SEAL Who Isn’t Afraid to Die

• Featured in: Black Ops 2
• Portrayed by: Michael Rooker

Mike Harper is everything a heroic soldier should be. He has the brawn and the willpower to see a mission through to the end, no matter how many bodies he has to bury, and no matter how many bullets he has to shrug off. Mike isn’t afraid to stare death in the face, and if he has to take a bullet for his country and his friends, he’d do so with gritted teeth and gumption.

Mike Harper features heavily in the Black Ops 2 campaign, and his friendship with David Mason is one of the strongest chemistry of the entire Call of Duty series. Mike feels like a classic cowboy in a war of the future and for the future.

6 Raul Menendez

A Drug Lord Who Seeks to Destroy the United States of America

• Featured in: Black Ops 2
• Portrayed by: Kamar de los Reyes

Raul Menendez is terrifying, and the tragic loss of his family at the hands of the CIA years prior to his desires to see America wiped off the face of the Earth made for the perfect catalyst to understanding this villain’s intentions, but that doesn’t mean we have to root for him – even if some may well do due to how well characterized he is.

Menendez is cruel and sadistic, and his rage is boundless. The fact that Menendez dismantled the CIA and killed some truly fan-favorite characters in the Black Ops series shows that this isn’t someone to mess with, and his Cordis Die’s followers prove that he will always be immortal.

5 David Mason

The Son of David Mason, an Elite Soldier Who Upholds the USA

• Featured in: Black Ops 2
• Portrayed by: Rich McDonald

David Mason is a character born into a great legacy, for he is the son of Alex Mason. With so many ties to the CIA and a great relationship with Frank Woods, David Mason was able to craft the tragic loss of his dad into the catalyst for becoming one of the most elite soldiers that could pave the way for a better future.

David Mason makes his own decisions, no matter how fatal they may be and what consequences they hold. Learning David’s trauma cements his resolve and shows how strong of a character he is, and his hardened nature shows how good of a soldier he is.

4 Russell Adler

An Unstoppable CIA Boogeyman

• Featured in: Black Ops Cold War, Black Ops 6
• Portrayed by: Bruce Thomas

Russell Adler seems like the ideal CIA agent. A man with no morals or compromise, and an undying loyalty to America. No matter who Adler has to kill, he will kill. No matter who Adler has to betray, he will betray. Adler is an acquired taste due to his commitment to no half-measures, and the fact that he isn’t afraid to betray people and his own word if it means he gets the intel he needs.

Adler has gone rogue more than a few times, and his desire to save America and dismantle any organization hellbent on the destruction of his country is commendable, even if his methods can be a tad extreme and violent.

3 Viktor Reznov

A Brilliant Russian Soldier Who Befriended and Programmed Alex Mason

• Featured in: World at War, Black Ops, Black Ops 2
• Portrayed by: Gary Oldman

Once a Soviet leader of the Red Army during World War 2, Reznov inspired his soldiers to take Berlin, even after he and only one other soldier made it out of Stalingrad. Reznov is a man of sheer resilience, and even with his imprisonment in the labor camp of Vorkuta, he wouldn’t stop until he had his revenge.

Reznov’s friends were killed at the hands of Nova Six gas, and so he made it his mission to murder those responsible, even if it came at the cost of his own life. Reznov’s friendship with Alex Mason is incredible, and the ties to MK-Ultra show that Reznov has a burning path of vengeance that will consume those who walk it.

2 Frank Woods

The Gung-Ho Marine Who Lost His Legs, But Not His Devotion

• Featured in: Black Ops, Black Ops 2, Black Ops Cold War, Black Ops 6
• Portrayed by: James C. Burns, Damon Victor Allen

Frank Woods is one of the best men in the field, and this is a man that can’t be killed. Surviving the Vietnam War and inspiring those he fights alongside, Frank Woods loves the fight and the thrill of the kill in service to the flag he is proud to salute, and it makes him a commendable soldier.

Frank Woods served his country well, and even when tragedy stole his legs from him, he still served. With a powerful mind, a sense of resilience, and street smarts, Woods knows how to survive and how to keep America safe, even if that comes at the cost of mistrusting those in power above him.

1 Alex Mason

The Iconic Protagonist of Black Ops

• Featured in: Black Ops, Black Ops 2, Black Ops Cold War
• Portrayed by: Sam Worthington

A patriot for his country, Alex Mason was the first protagonist of the Black Ops series, and his presence has been felt in every future installment, or sorely missed. Alex Mason was one of the most interesting protagonists due to his role as an unreliable narrator, interrogated for his fractured memories involved in the experiments of Russians during the Cold War.

Despite everything Alex Mason has been through and the numbers that plague his mind, he never lets it get in the way of his service to his country, his love for his son, and the respect he feels for his brothers-in-arms. Mason is a great agent, even if he may or may not have killed JFK.