- NOTE: This article is about Shepherd from the 2007 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare sub-series. The reboot version can be found here: General Shepherd.
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| “ | Good. That's one less loose end. | „ |
| ~ General Shepherd before betraying and killing Roach and Ghost. |
| “ | Five years ago, I lost 30,000 men in the blink of an eye. And the world just f**kin' watched. Tomorrow, there will be no shortage of volunteers, no shortage of patriots. I know you understand. | „ |
| ~ General Shepherd revealing his motives while preparing to kill Soap. |
Lieutenant General Hershel Von Shepherd III, better known simply as General Shepherd, is the secondary antagonist of the Call of Duty franchise‘s original Modern Warfare sub-series.
He was a corrupt U.S. Army officer in charge of Task Force 141 and the founding leader of his own elite army, Shadow Company, who after losing his 30,000 Marines to Vladimir Makarov, secretly sought to restore his country's reputation as the world's greatest military force and become recognized as a war hero with one good lie and a river of blood, while betraying and killing anybody who stood in his way.
He was voiced by Lance Henriksen, who also voiced Thomas Magruder in the Gun video games, Karl Bishop Weyland in the 2010 Aliens vs Predator video game, the Grim Reaper in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the Lieutenant in The Legend of Korra, Lockdown in Transformers: Animated, Jedediah Hackett in The Quarry, Brainiac in Superman: Brainiac Attacks, the Baron in Tangled: The Series and portrayed Sergeant Daniel Neff in Damien: Omen II, Emil Fouchon in Hard Target and John Milton in Scream 3.
In the 2011 short film, he was portrayed by David Brandon George and voiced by Don Berns.
Biography[]
Second Russian Civil War[]
During the events of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Shepherd commanded 30,000 U.S. Marines and the military invasion force in the Middle East in 2011 in response to the live execution of President Yasir Al-Fulani by OpFor leader, Khaled Al-Asad. Unfortunately, he was helpless to assist his men when Vladimir Makarov detonated the nuclear device in the capital city, wiping out his fellow Marines and most of his invasion force involved in the battle.
Inter-War Period[]
Losing 30,000 troops under his command affected Shepherd greatly, causing him to develop a sour view of the world and international politics. Sometime following his invasion of the Persian Gulf, Shepherd sought new ways to restore the United States' reputation as the global military power. The others were unaware that he secretly attempted to restore his own reputation as a military commander.
Sometime between 2011 and 2013, Shepherd founded a new unit called Task Force 141 with the help of John "Soap" MacTavish from Special Air Service. They evaluated the recruits from the special forces units of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. Shepherd also traveled to Mexico to recruit a former SAS trooper, Simon "Ghost" Riley.
Operation Kingfish[]
| “ | Shepherd: That's it? Soap: Who is Kingfish?! Shepherd: We'll get him. |
„ |
| ~ Shepherd and Soap after throwing the photograph of Vladimir Makarov and revealing him as Kingfish. |
Shepherd overseeing Operation Kingfish.
In 2013, Shepherd commanded the 141 in a mission code-named "Operation Kingfish" which he sent Captain John Price, Captain John "Soap" MacTavish, Lieutenant Simon "Ghost" Riley, Sergeant Gary "Roach" Sanderson and the Delta Force operators, Sandman and Derek "Frost" Westbrook to an Ultranationalist compound in Ukraine on a capture/kill mission to apprehend an individual code-named "Kingfish" who was later revealed to be Vladimir Makarov. The mission ended in failure as a large force of Ultranationalist troops attacked the task force. Most of them survived with the apparent exception of Price who stayed behind to allow the others to escape but got captured and locked up to the Gulag. After the story when Soap angrily demanded Shepherd of Kingfish's identity, Shepherd throw the photograph of Makarov and tells him, "We'll get him".
Also, during this time, Shepherd created Shadow Company, an elite military contingent that was fiercely loyal to Shepherd, which he used to his own ends.
S.S.D.D.[]
Before the war began, Shepherd chose one of Sergeant Foley's best troops to reassign as a CIA agent to go undercover to Makarov's Zakhaev International Airport Massacre operation. He handpicked Private First-Class Joseph Allen and watched him in observation during his course of training. He then sent Task Force 141 to Kazakhstan to retrieve a downed ACS module.
Planning a Full-Scale War[]
| “ | Allen: So how do I look? Shepherd: Like one of the bad guys. Perfect for your undercover assignment. |
„ |
| ~ Shepherd and Allen in Cliffhanger |
In the battle for occupying Afghanistan in 2016, Shepherd needed an enemy as part of his plan to increase the U.S. military. After hearing Makarov's increased terrorist attacks throughout Europe, Shepherd believed that the former's presence would be a mark to indirectly help and bring his desire changes. Now he had Task Force 141, Shepherd sent former Ranger-turned CIA operative, Private First-Class Joseph Allen, undercover in Moscow under an alias, "Alexei Borodin," to infiltrate Makarov's Inner Circle as they planned to attack Zakhaev International Airport.
| “ | Makarov was one move ahead. Now he's left thousands of bodies at the feet of an American. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd after Allen's cover was blown in Takedown. |
Unfortunately, Makarov knew of Allen's undercover status (which Shepherd probably deliberately leaked to him) and he killed him in order to place the blame solely on America for the massacre, much to Shepherd's delight. As a result of the sudden Russian invasion on the U.S. mainland, the government appointed Shepherd to lead the defense of his country, setting the stage for his revenge on the Ultranationalists.
Capture Alejandro Rojas[]
| “ | MacTavish: We're only ones who knew it was Makarov's op. Our credibility died with Allen. We need proof. Shepherd: Follow the shell. Alejandro Rojas. (MacTavish: Never heard of him, sir.) You know him as Alex the Red. He supplied the assault. MacTavish: One bullet to unleash the fury of a whole nation. Which means... Shepherd: He's our ticket to Makarov. |
„ |
| ~ Shepherd to Soap about Alejandro Rojas. |
After analyzing the bullets from the massacre, Shepherd sent Task Force 141 to Brazil to find and capture the Inner Circle's arms dealer, Alejandro Rojas for interrogation on Makarov which the only man whom Makarov hated worse than the Americans was locked up in the Gulag. Shepherd now realized that the downed ACS module was actually copied by the Inner Circle to wage war and kill thousands of Americans.
Commandeering the Rangers[]
| “ | Shepherd: Sergeant Foley. This is General Shepherd. Your objective is to extract a high value individual from a "panic room" on the second floor of that house. Sgt. Foley: Yes, sir!" Shepherd: He'll be expecting you. Challenge is "Icepick", countersign "Phoenix". Get him outta there and report back to Overlord. Shepherd out. |
„ |
| ~ Shepherd to Foley of the HVI. |
After Task Force 141 escaped from the Brazilian Militia, Shepherd commandeered Sgt. Foley and his unit with the assistance of a Stryker code-named “Honey Badger” to get them to 4677 Brookmere Road to destroy the anti-aircraft batteries and then search and extract a high value individual (codename: Icepick) but they were too late, the HVI was killed by Viktor, only to take what was left of the HVI's briefcase.
[]
| “ | Mactavish: Shepherd! Get those fighters to ceasefire immediately! That was too close! Shepherd: I'll try to buy you some time. One man in a gulag doesn't mean much to the Navy at this point. |
„ |
| ~ Shepherd to Mactavish after a fighter jet almost attacked the helicopter. |
Shepherd assigned Task Force 141 to link up with the SEAL Teams to destroy the mobile SAM sites and extract oil workers in the oil rigs to get to the Gulag to rescue prisoner #627. When the jet fighters attacked the tower and almost knocked down the helicopter carrying Soap and Roach, Soap demanded for Shepherd to get the fighters to ceasefire, only for him to reply that he was trying to buy him time as one man in the Gulag would not hold any meaning to the Navy. When the Navy fired without any orders, Soap demanded Shepherd to tell the Navy to ceasefire. After rescuing 627, who was none other than John Price, Shepherd ordered Soap to escape the Gulag since the Navy once again disobeyed his commands of ceasing fire.
Betraying Task Force 141[]
Shepherd betraying and killing Ghost and Roach.
| “ | Shepherd: Do you have the DSM? Ghost: We've got it, Sir! Shepherd: Good. That's one less loose end. Ghost: No! |
„ |
| ~ Shepherd revealing his true nature as he betrays and kills Ghost and Roach before collecting D.S.M. containing Makarov's operations playbook. |
Sometime after the rescue of Captain John Price, Shepherd planned a personal war against the Ultranationalists and anyone who knew of Joseph Allen. Shepherd sent Roach and Ghost to collect any intelligence related to Makarov before mercilessly executing them and giving them a sadistic funeral pyre as his elite private army soaked them in gas and he lit them on fire with his cigar. Then, his men began their plan to kill Makarov's men and the rest of Task Force 141 in order to tie up loose ends regarding what he did.
At the vehicle boneyard in Afghanistan, Makarov, who knew Shepherd's true intentions, revealed the location of his command base, "Site Hotel Bravo", to Price and Soap, knowing they would tie up his own loose end in the form of the General himself. Makarov then goes into hiding before Price and Soap escaped in Nikolai's C-130 Hercules.
Final Fight and Death[]
| “ | All units be advised this is Gold Eagle. The site has been compromised. I am executing directive one-one-six bravo. If you're still inside, your service will be honored. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd. |
Shepherd is killed by Soap for his betrayal.
After the rescue, Price and Soap had no allies they could trust and decided to go on a suicide mission to kill Shepherd for betraying Task Force 141. With his command collapsed, Shepherd tried to escape in a Pave Low helicopter, but it was shot down by Price as soon as he got in. Shepherd escaped the crash site and pinned MacTavish down after stabbing him in his chest with his knife. The renegade General then revealed Soap of the events in the past before attempting to execute him. Price saved Soap, and the two fought. Just when Shepherd was about to beat Price to death, Soap pulled Shepherd's knife out of his chest and threw it directly into Shepard's left eye, killing him and avenging the deaths of the 141 members, as well as the innocent people at the airport he deliberately allowed to get killed.
Legacy[]
Shepherd was later buried at the Arlington National Cemetery, and he was called a "War Hero" by many people at that time and, unfortunately, Soap and Price were declared war criminals after his death. However, their names were cleared when Price and Yuri (Soap wasn't there because he was killed after the knife wound inflicted on him by Shepherd was opened by an explosion caused by Makarov) conducted a joint operation with their Delta Force counterparts to rescue the President of Russia, Boris Vorshevsky, and his daughter Alena from a diamond mine in Siberia, restoring the President's goal of developing peace and friendship between the United States, Russia and NATO. Eventually, Captain Price killed Makarov for Shepherd's corruption and for the death of Soap and Yuri.
Call of Duty: Mobile comics[]
Personality[]
| “ | Shepherd: Excalibur, this is Gold Eagle. Fire mission - target package Romeo - danger close Excalibur: That's within hundred meters from your position, sir! Shepherd: That's not a suggestion! Send it! Excalibur: Roger! Fire mission danger close! |
„ |
| ~ Shepherd when unleashing artillery fire support. |
It's unknown what Shepherd was like during his earlier years, but it's clear he cared deeply for his 30,000 marines as if he is like a father figure to them.
However, after his 30,000 marines were killed in the capital city in the Middle East by the nuclear bomb under the order of Vladimir Makarov, Shepherd had become corrupted and ruthless as he swore vengeance toward the CIA's most wanted criminal. Shepherd created Task Force 141 (before he betrayed them) and Shadow Company to serve his purpose of killing Makarov when he was going to use his blank check of any resource to accomplish his goals. He hated Price for disobeying his orders to track down Makarov and when he launched a EMP missile to the United States to help the Rangers. After being called a "War Hero", Shepherd would kill all who got in his way when sending out his Shadow Company troops to terminate every single of Makarov's men and members of Task Force 141, including Price and Soap. When his base was compromised by Soap and Price, he ordered his troops to provide cover for his escape attempt. Shepherd had no qualms of using danger close which questions raised by Dunn and later Price, "Since when Shepherd did care about danger close." Shepherd viewed his troops as expendables to ensure he escapes from Soap and Price. He is also extremely jingoistic and wants to restore USA's military might, seeing the loss of his men in a nuclear strike as a huge humiliation to his country and being frustrated that people worldwide didn't pay much attention to it.
In the original Modern Warfare 2, Shepherd had little remorse over killing Roach and Ghost. In the Remastered version, Shepherd was more sinister when Roach grabbed his arm, only to shake it off in a look of disgust on his face.
However, as ruthless and cunning as he may be, Shepherd was just as much of a pawn in Makarov's own grand plans. While General Shepherd initially thought he could achieve his ambitions by taking advantage of Makarov's airport massacre via planting PFC Allen into his group, ultimately however, his plans of instigating a war with Russia was very much the same as Makarov's. General Shepherd's actions and plans were a result of Makarov who was pulling the strings behind the lines as a puppet master. Makarov was aware of Shepherd's turning point in the aftermath of Modern Warfare, thus leading the latter to unknowingly spearheading Makarov's plans.
Quotes[]
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2[]
| “ | The more things change, the more they stay the same. Boundaries shift, new players step in; but power always finds a place to rest its head. We fought and bled alongside the Russians; we should've known they’d hate us for it. History is written by the victor, and here I am, thinking we'd won. But you bring down one enemy and they find someone even worse to replace him. Locations change, the rationale, the objective. Yesterday's enemies are today’s recruits. Train them to fight alongside you and pray they don’t eventually decide to hate you for it, too. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd's speech during the opening cutscene in S.S.D.D., while also describing the growing threat of Makarov following Zakhaev's death. |
| “ | We are the most powerful military force in the history of man. Every fight is our fight. Because what happens over here, matters over there. We don't get to sit one out. Learning to use the tools of modern warfare is the difference between the prospering of your people, and utter destruction. We can't give you freedom. But we can give you the know-how to acquire it. And that, my friends, is worth more than a whole army base of steel. Sure it matters who's got the biggest stick, but it matters a helluva lot more who's swinging it. This is a time for heroes. A time for legends. History is written by the victors. Let's get to work. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd describes his country's military might in the cutscene of "Team Player". |
| “ | Get up, Private Allen! Rangers lead the way! Move! | „ |
| ~ Shepherd to Private Allen. |
| “ | Since when does Shepherd care about danger close? | „ |
| ~ A common question brought up by protagonists regarding Shepherd's disregard for the safety of himself and his men - which also foreshadows his true colors and motivations. |
| “ | Gentlemen, good work on taking the town. Private Allen, you'll be taking orders from me from now on. I'll brief you on the chopper. Let's go. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd to Allen at the end of "Team Player". |
| “ | Makarov's no prize. He's a whore. A mad-dog killer for the highest bidder. Just remember your new identity. It'll keep you alive. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd to Joseph Allen. |
| “ | The rest of Task Force 141 brought in the ACS, Allen. Two men took down an entire base. I ask much more from you now. Yesterday you were a soldier on the front lines. But today front lines are history. Uniforms are relics. The war rages everywhere. And there will be casualties. This man Makarov is fighting his own war and he has no rules. No boundaries. He doesn't flinch at torture, human trafficking, or genocide. He's not loyal to a flag or country or any set of ideals. He trades blood for money. He's your new best friend. You don't want to know what it's cost to put you next to him. It will cost you a piece of yourself. It will cost nothing compared to everything you'll save. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd to Allen before "No Russian". |
| “ | When they speak of this moment, we will not be the ones who stood guard while America died. One man is responsible for all this. Makarov must be brought to light. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd declaring war on Makarov during the Russian invasion in America, which grants him a blank check from SecDef. |
| “ | It's been a tough week, gentlemen. We've lost more than we ever dreamed. But we will recover. I've got a blank check. And we're gonna use every cent of it killin' Makarov. Despite what the world may say, we are not savages, we don't kill civilians. We use precision. There's an evil man hiding in these shadows and we're gonna bring him into the light. Once his face is revealed, we will write history, gentlemen. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd declaring the manhunt for Makarov to Task Force 141. |
| “ | You know what they say about revenge: you better be ready to dig two graves... (long pause) Go ahead and end it. It won't change anything. (long pause) Hmph. I know you couldn't do it. (long pause) You're a good warrior, but you can never take that extra step to do what was absolutely necessary. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd to Soap if the player doesn't attack the general. |
Mobile Comics[]
| “ | Based on The Intel Mace gave us, This is Where Menendez has to be operating out of since the raid. This is our last chance. Price and Company are busy elsewhere, and Cordis Die might have penetrated our computers. This is off book, and it’s going to be a small team, working fast. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd to The UAC Staff about Mace, Alex and Mara located Menendez at The Raid. |
| “ | Raul Menendez, Leader of Cordis Die, Genuine Son of a bitch. You should talk. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd when interrogating Menendez. |
| “ | Alex, you, and Soap have the easy job. Bag and tag on Hidora. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd to Alex and Soap to capture Hidora Kai. |
| “ | I expect you talk, obviously. Certainly your colleague, Menendez has been very happy to. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd when interrogating Hidora Kai. |
| “ | He can't stay hidden forever. Sooner or later, He'll have to step out of the shadows. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd to Hidora Kai about The Fifth Knight. |
| “ | Don't worry. I wasn't hiding. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd to Vagr Modir when holding Hidora Kai Hostage. |
| “ | Don't worry about me, find them. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd to Alex and Soap. |
| “ | This is it. We've got The Five Knights on the ropes, Thanks to Rosa's intel we know where they've gone. And for this mission, We need everyone. Adler is coordinating from another location, But we know where we're going. An Island codenamed Blackout, Where Five Knights Forces are missing. This is not a covert mission, When I say we're bringing everybody. The Navy has The Island barricaded. The Army has provided Artillery. The Air Force is providing support. But all that is there to support the real effort, The U.S. Marines. 30,000 of them are storming that Island, We're going to need it. Best guess is that The Five Knights have assembled as equivalent number of Mercenaries, Rebels and Warfighters around The World. Which is tough enough, But it's not just human assets on the field. They have hardware as well. And yeah, I'd love to know where they got it But... {...} You're late. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd to The UAC Members about Blackout Island, Alex, Soap and Roach. |
| “ | Whole Goddamn Island is gone. Adler dead, and responsible for all this. And then there's you, off mission just to be in the middle of it all. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd after The Blackout Island Nuke and Adler death by Ghost. |
| “ | It wasn't enough, not nearly enough. I lost 30,000 men in the blink of an eye, and the world just fuckin' watched. Did what you had to do? What did was fail, and some have to pay the bill. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd berating Ghost about The Blackout Island Nuke Incident. |
| “ | You better tie your looses end or I will. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd threatening Ghost. |
| “ | This is bullshit. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd leaves Ghost and Price alone. |
| “ | Good job, kid. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd while manipulating Ghost to betray Templar and Vagr Modir and retrieve the DSM. |
| “ | Stop your bickering and let's begin. With Atlas now in our control, What of Kuzmin and our Operations in Central Asia? | „ |
| ~ Shepherd to The Director and Dark Shepherd. |
| “ | Agent Kestrel, you have yet to make your report. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd to Kestrel. |
| “ | And now we face the possible disruption of our plans, due to your incompetence. But we will not compound your error by punishing you. Not while you are still capable of being useful, you are to complete your original orders regarding Diedrich Amsel, Seize control of The Iron Will, and failing that, see to it's destruction. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd to Kestrel about The Director's Incident and The Iron Will. |
| “ | If Templar believes he knows the identity of one of us, There is only one place he could be going. He is going to seek out the fabled Couteau Stronghold. and possibly try to claim Gideon's Armor, activate our Agents in France. If I am correct, we can make contact with The Couteaus, and track them from there, and reclaim what Gideon stole from us. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd to The Four Families about The Couteaus going to The Stronghold Monastery to claim Gideon's Armor. |
| “ | Timothy, my boy. Give your great grandpa a hug. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd when greeting his great grandson Timothy. |
| “ | Get Simon on the phone. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd to his secretary. |
| “ | So, It is my honor to assume the position of President and CEO of The Atlas Corporation. Now ready to resume its role, after The Darkest Period in its history, to support peace efforts across the globe. And to that end, I have directed significant military aid to combat Kuzmin's Terrorist forces, and humanitarian aid to the relief agencies already on site. For The Atlas Corporation Never Forgets its friend in their time of need. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd to the people of New Vision City while becoming The CEO of The Atlas Corporation. |
| “ | Pathetic! We had them dead to rights, all of them! And They still managed to escape! | „ |
| ~ Shepherd's villainous breakdown and loses his sanity to The Four Families. |
| “ | You sound a little too impressed by its development, Lord Crimson. When this is exactly the scenario we were trying to avoid, We were foolish for putting our faith in Agent Kestrel to get the job done. | „ |
| ~ Shepherd to The Four Families about Kestrel. |
Trivia[]
- Robert Bowling gave Shepherd's his full name on Twitter as "Hershel von Sheperd III", though it is not clear if this was intended as a serious statement. In addition, the Tweet misspelled Shepherd's last name as "Sheperd".
- While General Shepherd serves as the main antagonist of Modern Warfare 2, ultimately however, his actions were caused and orchestrated by Makarov, who is the true Big Bad of the Modern Warfare series due to being Grand Mastermind and cause of the events of the series, which Shepherd was a victim and a pawn of.
- Shepherd is the first villain to be American in Call of Duty series, the others being Gabriel T. Rorke in Call of Duty: Ghosts, Jonathan Irons in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Savannah Mason-Meyer in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Russell Adler in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Phillip Graves in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II.
- However, unlike the other four, Shepherd was the only one who wasn't waging war against the country.
- His betrayal in "Loose Ends" is regarded as one of the most shocking moments in Call of Duty history, especially due to killing off two fan-favorite characters (Ghost and Roach).
- Shepherd shows himself to be a smoker, as he is seen smoking cigars. Notably, he throws his cigar on Ghost and Roach's corpses in "Loose Ends".
- If Makarov was the grand mastermind behind the events of Modern Warfare series, Shepherd was, unknowingly to himself, the spearhead of Makarov's grand plans, by being the grand architect ensuring World War III would come into fruition.
- Shepherd is shown to be a lot more malicious in the remastered game. After betraying Roach and Ghost, a critically injured Roach grabs onto Shepherd's arm, only for Shepherd to shake it off with a look of disgust on his face. Also, his new updated design makes him look unfriendly, whereas his original design looked far more trustworthy and somewhat friendlier despite being a traitor.
- Shepherd is one of the most hated villains in the entire franchise for killing popular characters Ghost and Roach, rivaling Vladimir Makarov.
- Their is an easter egg in Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 where Shepherd's skull, alongside the knife in his right eye, appears in the map Rust.
External links[]
- Shepherd on the Call of Duty Wiki.
- General Shepherd on the Magnificent Baddie Wiki.
