Call of Duty is one of the most popular video game series ever. It is definitely the favorite FPS experience for plenty of players across the globe. What makes it stand out from the rest of the genre is its stunning graphics, captivating storyline, and, most importantly, well-written characters to whom you instantly get emotionally attached as soon as you begin a campaign.
Related
Every Call Of Duty Game In Chronological Order
Ever wondered if the Call of Duty games follow a timeline? They do! Here are all Call of Duty games in order.
Some of these characters’ personalities and conflicting ideologies have made them immensely popular in the gaming community, and many of their iconic dialogues have made CoD as famous as it is today. The series has hundreds of inspirational, tragic, and goofy quotes, but we’ve brought some of the best ones it offers.
Updated December 15, 2024, by Zackary Wiggs: The Call of Duty series is still going strong and with no sign of letting up soon. With new games like Black Ops 6, even more characters are added to the fight, and with new characters and a new storyline comes all new quotes. Whether it’s from masked aggressors, genocidal dictators, or just your right-hand man when you’re fighting off an enemy task force, they have things to say. Those things are what add depth and detail to this classic FPS series.
The quotes for this list have been chosen because they’re either funny, powerful, or memorable.
Potential spoilers for the plots and various characters in the Call of Duty series follow.
16
“Bishop Takes Rook”
-Russell Adler (Black Ops 6)
- Released
-
October 25, 2024
- ESRB
-
Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Suggestive Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
There are few characters in the Black Ops series as enigmatic as Adler is. A repeating character now in the storyline, it can be uncertain just which side he is fighting for. While he shows up in many key moments in the series, his quote at the beginning of Black Ops 6 is key.
After the death of Saeed Alawi, Adler allows himself to be captured, and directly after, he says the above in the hopes that they will relay the message to handler Woods. What results is a hectic campaign of intrigue and deception, all brought on by Adler and Pantheon.
15
“History Is Written By The Victor. History Is Filled With Liars. If He Lives, And We Die, His Truth Becomes Written And Ours Is Lost.”
-Captain Price (Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2)
- Released
-
October 28, 2022
- ESRB
-
M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs
“History is written by the victor” is a very well-known phrase. However, in Modern Warfare 2, Captain Price provides a slightly deeper analysis of the quote while connecting it to your own situation.
He says it before you go track down General Shepard. And he makes a great point that if your mission were to fail, the villain’s version of the events would be the one the world remembers. Nobody would know that Shepard is a nasty traitor. So, it’s both a powerful line in general and one that fits the situation you’re in at the time.
14
“My Name Is Viktor Reznov And I Will Have My Revenge!”
-Alex Mason And Viktor Reznov (Black Ops)
Some quotes are great and iconic because they’re linked to important moments. This is the case for this line in question. These are the last words Viktor Reznov says to Friedrich Steiner before shooting him in the head and finally getting his revenge on the man responsible for his allies’ deaths. Or at least, it seems that way initially.
Yet, in reality, Reznov’s vengeance only happened in Alex Mason’s mind. He was actually the one who said the words and shot Steiner. Reznov was never there. This is a mind-blowing reveal when you first play the game, so this line sticks a long time in the memory. It helps that it’s an impressive line read from both of the voice actors who perform it.
13
“It’s Ok, I’ll See You On The Other Side.”
-Will Irons (Advanced Warfare)
Despite being a minor character who only appeared in the first mission, this quote by Will was the only good thing to come out of the disaster, which was CoD Advanced Warfare. Will says this line to Mitchell, his friend whom you control during the mission, after his hand gets stuck inside an enemy aircraft while planting a C4 to blow it up.
Related
Ranking Every Call Of Duty Game From Worst to Best
Call of Duty has seen countless installments over the years, but which ones are the best?
The helplessness that you feel during this cutscene is painful. As the aircraft lifts off, Will accepts his fate and pushes you off to save your life after speaking these heartbreaking words to calm you down.
12
“Sniping your enemy is like hunting. Fire at the wrong moment and your chance will be forever lost.”
-Viktor Reznov (World At War)
Call of Duty: World At War was a game that took the series back to its roots of World War 2 shooters and did so with incredible skill. Both on the European and Pacific fronts, you fought alongside brave troops from different armies, such as Viktor Reznov of the Russian army.
Meeting him, both of you half dead, at a broken fountain in the middle of Stalingrad was a great set piece. But, the lesson in sniping nazi soldiers that follows is something that sets up the entire game and gets you to understand Reznov’s ideology.
Reznov himself plays a key part in multiple games of the CoD series, so it’s only fair that the first words he speaks are well-remembered.
11
“What The Hell Kind Of Name Is Soap?”
-Captain John Price (Modern Warfare)
Captain Price spoke for everyone when he said this to John “Soap” MacTavish. This scene was the first introduction to the iconic character of Soap as well. No one knew then that they would become one of the greatest video game duos of all time and a memorable part of the series.
As a tribute to this iconic quote, Diego, El Sin Nombre’s henchman, says the same line to Soap in Spanish while meeting him for the first time in the latest Modern Warfare 2 reboot.
10
“You Suffer With Me.”
-Raul Menendez (Black Ops 2)
Who can forget when Raul Menendez killed two of the best CoD characters, Alex Mason and Hudson, in a single scene? He kills them in front of Woods and David, Alex’s son, and spares those two to suffer with him so that they can feel his pain.
This short dialogue and scene that explains the psyche of Menendez were enough to make him one of the greatest and most hated CoD villains of all time.
9
“Tomorrow, There Will Be No Shortage Of Volunteers, No Shortage Of Patriots.”
-General Shepherd (Modern Warfare 2)
Definitely the most hated antagonist in all the Call of Duty series, General Shepherd gives this short speech to Soap when pointing a gun at him during the endgame of MW2.
This quote explains his twisted reasoning for betraying Task Force 141 and killing Ghost and Roach. He was hellbent on starting a war with Russia to ignite feelings of patriotism in the American people, which he felt was diminishing day by day. The only thing standing between him and his objective was Task Force 141.
8
“The Healthy Human Mind Doesn’t Wake Up In The Morning Thinking This Is Its Last Day On Earth…”
-Captain Price (Modern Warfare 2)
This quote, addressing Soap and referring to Shepherd, occurs at the introduction of the MW2 endgame mission. And it is a small part of one of the many spine-chilling inspirational speeches by Captain Price.
The rest of the quote is as follows:
"...But I think that's a luxury, not a curse. To know you're close to the end is a kind of freedom. Good time to take... inventory. [...] Out-gunned. Outnumbered. Out of our minds. On a suicide mission. But the sand and the rocks here, stained with thousands of years of warfare... They will remember us. For this. Because out of all our vast array of nightmares, this is the one we choose for ourselves. We go forward like a breath exhaled from the Earth. With vigor in our hearts and one goal in sight: We. Will. Kill him."
7
“Be Careful Who You Trust Sergeant…”
-Ghost (Modern Warfare 2 [2022])
You can’t help but get emotional when Ghost gives this advice to Soap in the Modern Warfare 2 reboot. After all, while he has a different fate in the reboot, everyone remembers how Shepard betrayed him in the original.
His trust in Shepherd, for whom he successfully accomplished countless missions, got him killed. This quote is a tribute to that very same tragic event that left all the CoD fans in tears. As it doesn’t happen in the rebooted reality, this line means more to you than the characters themselves.
6
“No Sacrifice Too Great.”
-Joseph Turner (World War 2)
This iconic quote comes with one of the saddest deaths in the series. The stunning graphics of CoD: World War 2 made Turner’s expression extremely realistic as he slowly succumbs to the German gunshots after reciting his motto to always keep the mission first.
Combined with the beautiful voice acting and writing, this scene becomes one of the most memorable moments in the entire series. It is extremely painful to listen to Daniels’s screams as the squad leaves Turner behind to die.
5
“Bravo Six, Going Dark.”
-Captain Price (Modern Warfare Reboot Trailer)
This line became a classic as soon as the trailer for Modern Warfare’s reboot was launched. The way Price says it combined with the beat drop and action sequence makes it an absolute gem of a quote.
Related
Call Of Duty: Every Black Ops Game, Ranked
We go undercover to rank every Black Ops entry and decide which one is the best of this popular CoD subseries.
The return of Modern Warfare with Captain Price at its center was a big moment for the CoD community. Moreover, this particular line also became a big meme replicated in plenty of ways and styles, which added to its overall popularity.
4
“The Numbers Mason, What Do They Mean!”
-Jason Hudson (Black Ops)
This quote is much more than just a hilarious meme. The campaign of Black Ops had one of the most well-written and deep storylines. You find yourself in the shoes of an amnesiac, Alex Mason, who keeps blacking out and seeing random numbers along with some vague memories, which makes even you wonder what do these numbers actually mean.
If you have played the game, you already know the answer to this iconic question. And you will also know that Jason Hudson keeps asking Mason about them, which is why the line became famous.
3
“It Doesn’t Take The Most Powerful Nations On Earth To Create The Next Global Conflict. Just The Will Of A Single Man.”
-Vladimir Makarov (Modern Warfare 3 Reveal Trailer)
Vladimir Makarov, the greatest Call of Duty antagonist of all time, says these terrifying lines during the reveal trailer of MW3. He is a mastermind strategist who, throughout the three-game series, plots and commits various acts of terrorism (including detonating a literal nuke) in order to initiate a World War.
This quote by him very well explains his mental state to go to any extent to achieve his objective. He wants to throw the world into chaos and has fun while doing it.
2
“50,000 People Used to Live Here. Now It’s a Ghost Town.”
-Captain MacMillan (Modern Warfare)
‘All Ghillied Up’ is arguably the most popular and fun CoD mission ever. In this stealth sniper mission, you play as Price in his early military days and follow the lead of MacMillan in the abandoned city of Pripyat to assassinate Imran Zakhaev, an ultranationalist terrorist leader.
Your captain says these chilling iconic lines as you move up a massive building and look at the vast ghost city. Despite being part of only a small mission in the game, MacMillan became one of the most memorable characters, thanks to this quote.
1
“Remember, No Russian.”
– Vladimir Makarov (Modern Warfare 2)
Even the non-gamers know this quote very well. At its launch, MW2 found itself at the center of controversy for making its players commit virtual terrorism. In one of the missions, Makarov tells his squad, which you are a part of, “No Russian” before they open fire on innocent citizens at a Russian airport.
The horror and screams that follow the small but terrifying elevator scene cannot be put into words. Despite all the controversy, No Russian still remains the most iconic quote of the game, and it will probably remain like that for the years to come.
Next
Call Of Duty: 10 Games With The Best Multiplayer, Ranked
Call of Duty has been a staple for online FPS for decades now, but which entry has the best multiplayer of them all?