Modern Warfare 3 campaign: How does the ending of MW2 tie into Makarov's return?

The ending of MW2's campaign dropped several hints that Makarov will return in Modern Warfare 3. Although there were rumors and speculations about his arrival, there were no official confirmations until now. Call of Duty recently confirmed that the villain will return in MW3 and is set to face off with Task Force 141, marking an end to the rebooted saga.

Makarov was one of the primary antagonists in the original Modern Warfare series. In Call of Duty 4, he was the man behind the nuke explosion in the Middle East, killing over 30,000 soldiers and countless innocents. He was also responsible for the massacre at the Russian Airport. Although his actions kicked off World War 3 in the game's universe, he ultimately met his fate at the hands of Cpt. Price in the original MW3.

Now the murderous villain is set to return in the rebooted Modern Warfare 3. That said, the events of MW2 tie up pretty well with the return of the psychopathic antagonist, giving players an idea of the plot for the upcoming Call of Duty launch.

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Why is Task Force 141 after Makarov in Modern Warfare 3?

Possible reasons for Task Force 141 hunting Makarov in Modern Warfare 3 explored (Image via Activision)

The end of MW2's campaign gave a number of hints that explain why Task Force 141 will be hunting Makarov in Modern Warfare 3. To understand the events, you will have to take a trip down Modern Warfare 2's campaign. In the 15th mission of the game, 'Hindsight,' players are told that General Shepherd was assisting his allies in the Middle East to fight off Russian forces. He sent them a shipment with US missiles off the books.

While his intentions were in the interest of his men, things went south quickly for him. Russian Ultranationalists attacked the convoy carrying the missiles, killing all US soldiers. These Ultranationalists then took stock of the missiles and handed them to the terrorists in the Middle East.

However, at the end of Modern Warfare 2's campaign, Laswell mentions that the Ultranationalists are now working with a new guy, handing over a picture to Price. Captain Price immediately recognizes the person in the picture, and it is none other than Makarov. Hence, Task Force 141 will be out hunting for him. Since Price was quick to recognize him, it is highly likely that they have faced each other previously in the rebooted series' universe.

Then finally, a post-credits scene appears, where a plane is hijacked by Makarov's men with his iconic dialogue in the form of a text that reads "No Russian."

If players are to go by how World War 3 was waged in the original MW2, players this time around can expect to see the murderous villain blaming the hijack on US forces and blackmailing Shepherd over the illegal shipment.

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That covers everything you should know about Modern Warfare 3's campaign. However, it is worth noting here that these are merely speculations, and the actual plot might take a completely different path.

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