Viktor Reznov

Viktor Reznov (Виктор Рэзнов) was a Russian squad leader of the Red Army in Call of Duty: World at War during World War II. His influence on Alex Mason plays a major part in Call of Duty: Black Ops.

He is voiced by veteran film actor Gary Oldman.

Early History
Reznov was born in Russia, at Saint-Petersburg (renamed Petrograd in 1914 and Leningrad ten years later) and joined the Red Army sometime before World War II. According to Reznov, his father was a musician who, during the Siege of Stalingrad, played music composed by patriotic composers with his violin. His music was a symbol of hope for his fellow countrymen and defiance for the Germans. His father had his throat slit by a German while he slept, one of the many reasons Reznov hates Nazis.

Battle of Stalingrad
He is first seen in the level Vendetta as a sniper trying to assassinate the German general Heinrich Amsel, the "architect of Stalingrad's misery". As one of the only two survivors of a brutal German massacre at a fountain, he is saved from being executed by feigning death. It is here that he and Dimitri Petrenko first meet each other, with Reznov explaining his situation to Dimitri. Reznov, who can no longer snipe precisely as a marksman due to his injured hand, gives Petrenko his scoped Mosin Nagant rifle, and asks him to eliminate the general. Reznov guides Dimitri on killing a few German soldiers as German bombers fly overhead to shroud out the noise of the gunshots. He leads him through Stalingrad, dueling against a German sniper, and a whole German platoon with multiple soldiers equipped with Flammenwerfer 35s.

Then, they are saved by Petrenko's squad led by Daletski, and continue with them on an assault against a Nazi communication post. After fierce fighting, Petrenko kills Heinrich Amsel, which gives Reznov a hearty chuckle. They are soon attacked by German Panzers and soldiers. Reznov holds off numerous German soldiers before he jumps in a canal, with Dimitri soon following him. It is important to note that due to Reznov's injured finger he could not fire his rifle with perfect aim, and thus, his "character class" was changed to Submachine Gunner as he wields a PPSh-41 from then on. He is seen without his finger three years later.

Battle of Berlin
Three years later, on April 18, 1945 in Seelow Heights, Germany, Soviet troops are pushing towards Berlin. Sergeant Reznov along with a new recruit Chernov comes to rescue the captured Dimitri Petrenko from three German soldiers. Reznov often tells the other soldiers to follow Dimitri as an example, especially to Chernov, who seems to be shocked by the vengeful violence of his comrades against Wehrmacht soldiers. The atrocities Reznov and Petrenko saw at Stalingrad made them feel no pity for German troops.

In the level Heart of the Reich, near the Reichstag, Reznov orders Chernov to at least prove he can die for his country, if he can't kill for it, giving him the Russian flag that must be planted on the top of the Reichstag, because Chernov was writing in his diary. Reznov also states that "no one will ever read this." After Chernov had been wounded by a flamethrower, he takes Chernov's diary and states that "someone should read this," contrary to what he had said earlier. Another soldier carries the flag to the top of the roof but is killed before being able to plant it. Reznov then asks Petrenko to take the flag and plant it. When Petrenko gets shot almost fatally with a P-38 by a surviving SS trooper, Reznov jumps in and slices the unfortunate German twice in the torso and impales him in the back. After that, he helps Petrenko up, and tells Petrenko that he can make it, and that he always survives. He then cuts the rope holding the Nazi flag and tells Petrenko to plant the Soviet flag. He expects the two of them to return to their home as "heroes." Reznov mentions many times that the heart of the army cannot be broken as long as Dimitri lives.

After World War II: Project Nova
Six months after the the Battle of Berlin, Reznov was promoted to the rank of Captain. Reznov continued to serve in the 3rd Shock Army alongside Dimitri Petrenko under the orders of Kravtchenko and Dragovich, despite maintaining animosity with Dragovich for his failure to assist during Stalingrad. Reznov was deployed to Arctic Circle to capture the Nazi scientist Steiner, the mastermind behind Nova-6, a nerve toxin ordered in secret by Hitler to combat the imminent Allied victory. The Russians swept through the remaining SS troops and made contact with Steiner, who was expecting Dragovich. Reznov and Petrenko lead the way into the hold of the frozen vessel, discovering that the Germans were planning on using long-range V2 rockets to send Nova-6 to Allied cities. The group finds and secures Nova-6, but Dragovich orders his troops to restrain Reznov and his soldiers to see the effects of Nova-6 himself. Reznov witnesses Petrenko's horrific death when he and his comrades are gassed. Reznov escapes the same fate by the timely arrival of British commandos also seeking the secret Nazi nerve toxin. Reznov leads his small group of soldiers out of the vessel, killing both British and Russian soldiers in their escape. He manages to arm explosives to sink the ship under the ice.

Reznov was presumably captured and sent to a prison camp in Vorkuta, and had been there for the past 18 years. There, he became a companion to an American prisoner, Alex Mason, gaining his trust and protecting him during their time in the gulag. Because of this bond, Reznov was able to exploit Mason's resistance to Steiner and Dragovich's attempt to brainwash him by overriding their original mission with his own personal agenda: killing Dragovich, Kravchenko and Steiner.

Reznov masterminds a massive uprising in the gulag. He and Mason engaged in a mock fist fight to draw the guards' attention. Once Mason eliminated the guard and seized the keys, Reznov led the prisoners to the surface. The Russian prisoners expressed doubt over Mason's trustworthiness, but Reznov convinced them by explaining how they were both "soldiers without an army" and betrayed by their leaders. Reznov continued to lead the insurrection, securing a secret weapon for Mason to blow their way out. He pulled Mason out of a tear gas barrage and the two escaped on motorcycles. Mason managed to escape by leaping onto a train, but Reznov is surrounded by the pursuing soldiers, and is killed.

Mind Game and Legacy
Years later during the Vietnam War, the SOG was dispatched to Hue City to meet up with a Russian defector carrying an important dossier on Nova-6. To Mason's surprise, the defector turned out to be Reznov. Reznov gave Mason the dossier and revealed that Dragovich and Kravchenko are nearby. Reznov fought alongside Mason, but went missing during the American incursion into Laos. He reappeared after Mason's helicopter crashes, stating that Woods was a good man and that Mason had chosen his friends well. He met up with Mason again inside the Viet Cong tunnels. At this point, Swift turned around and asked what was wrong with Mason, seemingly oblivious to his contact with Reznov. When playing these levels, it is clear that Resnov is part of Mason's imagination since his right index finger, (which he lost in Call of Duty: World at War) is still there.

After Kravchenko's death, Reznov accompanied Mason in his unauthorized assault on Rebirth Island. The two of them fought their way to Steiner, and Reznov proceeded to execute him with a pistol. Mason insisted that it was Reznov who killed Steiner. However, the real events were witnessed by Hudson and Weaver, who saw Mason executing Steiner with a pistol while proclaiming himself to be Viktor Reznov.

During Mason's interrogation, Hudson and Weaver revealed that the real Viktor Reznov had been dead for five years, having been killed in the escape from Vorkuta. Having brainwashed Mason, Reznov was able to complete his personal objective of killing Dragovich, Kravchenko and Steiner; leading Mason to become obsessed with pursuing them in spite his other objectives, inadverently continuing Reznov's posthumous legacy. The Reznov witnessed by Mason was a guardian angel-like hallucination, possibly developed by multiple personality disorder.

After Mason finally killed Nikita Dragovich, he heard the voice of Reznov commending him for doing what Reznov himself could not do and for completing his legacy.

Quotes
Viktor Reznov/Quotes

Videos
400px|Video:A tribute to Reznov

Trivia

 * His face strikes a close resemblance to his voice actor, Gary Oldman.
 * His bearded look, Russian accent and vengefully brutal and merciless character traits may also resemble in essence Gary Oldman's antagonistic character Ivan Korshunov from Air Force One (which in addition also features Andrew Divoff (who would voiced Lev Kravchenko in Black Ops) as one of Oldman's character's henchmen). However, the only difference between Oldman's Russian characters is that the character of Reznov in the games is more of a heroic character unlike the psychotically villainous character of Ivan was in the film.
 * Reznov seems to have talent in storytelling. He knows when to introduce it and proceed to the body of the story. It is notable on the mission "Project Nova".
 * He is missing part of his index finger on his right hand, yet is still able to fire a weapon right-handed fine. However, Reznov possibly uses his middle finger instead.
 * According to the intel in Black Ops, Reznov's birthplace is St. Petersburg, Russia. But in the CIA report, Reznov's birthplace was Moscow, Russia.
 * For some reason, in the picture with Reznov in "Their Land, Their Blood", he still has his hand in bandages, which he does not have during gameplay in the level.
 * In the Call of Duty: Black Ops trailer and the game, Reznov is seen using a Knife to kill a Viet Cong in the tunnel, however it can be seen that he has a second knife attached to his left shoulder. It would seem, however, that this was the knife the Viet Cong attacked him with.
 * The developers of Call of Duty: World at War based Reznov off of the character model of Imran Zakhaev from Call of Duty 4, but he bears more of a resemblance to the first Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the Soviet Union, Vladimir Lenin. Reznov's resemblance to Zakhaev is further developed during the mission "Rebirth" (Call of Duty: Black Ops) where Reznov wears a coat highly similar to Zakhaev's.
 * He also bears a slight resemblance to John Price, as they both appear old, they both have facial hair, they are the leader of their respective team and they are put in a prison without trial. The similarities are most notable in The Gulag and Vorkuta.455px-Lenin.jpg
 * The knife (Boyevoy Nozh, or "Combat Knife") that Reznov kills the German with is the first time the player sees him use it, but he apparently had it throughout the game (shown in the cutscene in "Blood and Iron").
 * Even after two and a half years, he is still a Sergeant, although he was promoted to Captain after the battle of Berlin.
 * Reznov is the voice for the multiplayer Red Army team.
 * He looks quite old to be a soldier, like Captain Price and Lt. Volker in Call of Duty 4. Reznov's recently confirmed birthday reveals that he was 50 at the time of his death in Vorkuta, and in fact only 29 during Vendetta, his first appearance.
 * Considering how he always calls Petrenko by his first name, it is possible he knew him before Stalingrad or maybe even the war. However, he never addresses Petrenko by name, until after they meet Daletski. At that point, Reznov calls Petrenko by his first name. This implies that Reznov knows Dimitri's name from Daletski.
 * In Vendetta, if the player runs out of ammo (possibly only for normal and lower difficulties), Reznov will whisper "Take the shot Dimitri!" and the ammo will be fully reloaded. This can be important for when the player finds the PTRS-41 or the Walther P-38 when the player attempts to kill Amsel with a pistol shot, as the Walther comes with low ammo.
 * If the player shoots a Nazi Soldier or a dog in Vendetta with his sniper rifle without scoping, Reznov will say "No scope?!! Nice!"
 * Reznov is always seen with his fur coat and ushanka in World at War, with the exception of Vendetta.
 * Reznov will always be a submachine gunner, except on Vendetta where he is a sniper. Even so, he will only be a sniper for several seconds, as he obtains the PPSh-41 sub-machine gun.
 * In the above photo of Reznov stabbing the VC soldier, a U.S. ARMY branch tab can clearly be seen over his left breast pocket. However, in Black Ops, Reznov seems to always wear the same uniform that Mason wears (Except in the mission ' The Defector' he wears a different uniform). This is due to Reznov being a hallucination - the only time Mason saw the real Reznov, he wore his prison clothes, and were Reznov to wear that throughout the whole game it would ruin the "twist ending" quite fast.
 * According to the intel from Call of Duty: Black Ops, Reznov is 5'11, and 200 pounds, with a "heavy-set" build. Coincidentally, other in-game intel gives Mason's height as 5'11" as well. This is likely a reference to Element 115, the thing that the Zombies storyline is based on.
 * In any mission after Vorkuta, the player can shoot or knife Reznov as much as they want, and the player will not get the friendly fire penalty. Also, bullet holes will appear where the player shoots him, so they can obscure his whole face.
 * According to a hidden code in the game, there might be a possibility that Reznov did not die in Vorkuta, as shown in this video. At the start of all campaign missions, the intel in the bottom left of the screen displays designates (XRAY, VICTOR, etc.) and some numbers, in addition to location, date and character. The designates, when listed vertically, each first letter forms a sentence. The sentence makes out to be 'X REZNOV XX IS XX DEAD'. However, the transmission numbers, when translated into letters using basic Alphanumeric conversion (A is 1, B is 2, etc.) is turned into 'OR IS HE DEAD THERE WAS NO BODY FOUND HE IS NOT WHO HE SAYS HE IS'. The results have been translated into: Reznov is dead. Or is he dead? There was no body found; he is not who he says he is.
 * Reznov's birthday is April 20, the same date as Adolf Hitler.
 * It is currently unknown but speculated by some fans that Reznov is currently going under the alias of John Trent, the mysterious person emailing Hudson about JFK's assassination and about Mason. This theory is supported as in the last email sent by him he tells Hudson to "Tell Mason that this time it's freedom for both of us.", which coincides with what Reznov told Mason during the Vorkuta escape. Also, Trent sends an e-mail to President Kennedy, saying 'Victory cannot be achieved without sacrifice'. This links to Vorkuta when Reznov says to Mason, 'Victory cannot be achieved without sacrifice Mason. We Russians, know this better than anyone.'
 * This is also supported by email 5 on Hudson's login, titled "A single step". In the beginning of the Vorkuta escape, Reznov says "Every journey begins with a single step. This, is step one!"
 * In one of the messages, John Trent says "Start in Vorkuta. 2 escaped the massacre. You know one, the other one just died." If Reznov is John Trent, this could mean Reznov faked his death, and due to safety measures, that is why he has undergone the alias of John Trent.
 * If John Trent is indeed Reznov, then the last part of the Maverick Code 'He is not who he says he is" could mean that John Trent is simply an alias, implying that he is in fact Reznov.
 * In the loading scene of WMD after Hudson says that Mason's team was presumed dead, the player can see parts of a document stating both Mason and Viktor Reznov as M.I.A.. This supports the theory of Reznov still being alive. This could be however be due to the fact before Mason's S.O.G. unit went into Laos and went M.I.A., Mason had presumably reported to Hudson that Reznov was the defector and was with them, thus leading Hudson to believe he was still alive and was missing with the rest of the group in Laos, and the mission statement in the loading screen was from before they discovered Reznov wasn't real.
 * In the Uncut Reveal Trailer, it seems as though Viktor Reznov was going to have a larger role in the game seeing as in 16:00 he is wearing a SOG uniform in some sort of office which is not seen in the game.
 * In the mission Project Nova, Reznov does not want to kill the British Commandos, since he says "This is not our war!" and he only killed them possibly in forced self-defense. Reznov may like the British because they helped heavily during the siege of Berlin.



Виктор Резнов