The ending of Call of Duty: MW3, explained

The newest installment of the Call of Duty series, Modern Warfare 3, includes a whole new campaign for players to enjoy. So how does it end, and what happens next?

The third entry of the rebooted Modern Warfare subseries of Call of Duty games, Modern Warfare 3, continues where Modern Warfare 2 ended. An illusive new threat, Makarov, has made his move. It’s up to Task Force 141, led by Captain Price, to stop him before it’s too late.

The campaign for Modern Warfare 3 is short, only four to five hours long. As the story progresses, it doesn’t meet a conclusion and ends with a lot of questions for the future. Luckily, we can answer some of them, as well as what the future might hold if Modern Warfare 4 comes to fruition.

How does MW3 end?

To recap the ending, Task Force 141 comes face-to-face with Makarov at a train station. He has the upper hand with controlling the trains and bombs, but Price and the gang push through. While defusing the bomb, Soap clashes with Makarov. Unfortunately, Soap is bested and shot in the head, killing him on the spot. Price manages to injure Makarov, but he gets away.

Afterward, Price, Gaz, and Ghost spread Soap’s ashes into the ocean, swearing vengeance on Makarov. The post-credit scene shows Shepherd in his office, oblivious to Price’s presence. He emerges from the shadows and points a silenced pistol at him as revenge for his actions in Modern Warfare 2. The game ends with a bang and Shepherd’s lifeless body on the desk.

What to expect next?

For starters, expect Task Force 141 to return for the next one, excluding Soap. As he and Shepherd are the only ones who die, we figure the rest of the team will show up. We can also assume Makarov will return as the big bad for Modern Warfare 4.

It’s clear Task Force 141 is out for revenge, and Makarov is at the top of that list. Since he survived, he’ll want to go bigger with his attacks, as he outsmarted the government. We may find more people out to get Makarov, including Yuri, who’s introduced in the mission Deep Cover. Yuri may have had a small role in this game, but his original counterpart was a playable character and part of Task Force 141. Before that, however, he was a Russian loyalist and Makarov’s right-hand man, so it’ll be interesting if they dig into that for the next entry.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Check out Cody Perez’s review of the newest CoD entry here.