The long-running Call of Duty franchise jumps around different time periods and settings, so it’s difficult to stay attached to particular story beats and characters. But there are a few exceptions, with one constant through the decades being Captain John Price. With his bushy mustache and gruff accent, Price has graced every installment of the Modern Warfare subseries with his presence.
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Even with how much screen time Price has taken up, there’s still little that fans know about the SAS soldier. In the original Modern Warfare continuity, players get to be in his shoes in a couple of the most memorable missions in Call of Duty 4, but his larger backstory remains a mystery. With a few fun trivia facts, let’s try to shed some light on Bravo Six.
1) A World War 2 Version Of Captain Price Exists
We often think about the original Captain Price from the original Modern Warfare trilogy and the rebooted Captain Price from the newer Modern Warfare games. But unless you’ve been with the series from the start, you likely don’t know that there’s an even older Price. The first two Call of Duty games from Infinity Ward, which were set in World War II, prominently featured a Captain Price character who served in the SAS.
This Price even has that same thick mustache as his modern-day counterpart. He’ll join you on a few missions in the two games, but unfortunately, Price meets his demise in the Call of Duty mission “Battleship Tirpitz,” during which he infiltrates a German ship and attempts to sabotage it. At least Price goes down fighting, and in Call of Duty 2, you get to serve with him once again in missions that take place chronologically before the first game.
2) Price Appeared In A Treyarch Call Of Duty Game
The nature of Infinity Ward, Treyarch, and Sledgehammer Games rotating to develop Call of Duty titles leads to a lot of characters and story elements being firewalled behind a particular studio’s work, but Captain Price made the brief jump to another subseries for some crossover fun. Players who preordered 2019’s Modern Warfare were able to play as Price in Black Ops 4’s Blackout battle royale mode.
It’s a relatively minor appearance, as there are no story repercussions in Blackout, but it’s fun nonetheless to watch him fight alongside Frank Woods. The barriers between the different properties of Call of Duty are thinning, with Woods even appearing in Modern Warfare (2019) and Modern Warfare III (2023) as a skin.
3) Captain Price Is Based On A Real Person
Fiction is often a reflection of reality, and even Captain John Price comes from real-life inspirations. While Price may seem like a larger-than-life character, he’s reportedly based on the late Scottish soldier John “Mac” McAleese. The similarities are undeniable, with both serving in the SAS, having roles in international incidents, and sporting a big ‘stache.
McAleese served in the British Army from 1969 to 1992; during his career, he participated in an SAS raid operation involving hostages in London’s Iranian embassy in 1980. The event was televised and put McAleese directly in the public eye. After his military career, McAleese spoke about his experiences on a BBC show titled SAS: Are you tough enough? McAleese passed away from a heart attack in 2011. So, for every ridiculous stunt that Captain Price pulls off in Modern Warfare, just know that there was someone in real life who was remarkably similar.
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