John "Soap" MacTavish (Original)

John "Soap" MacTavish was the Scottish main protagonist of the Modern Warfare franchise. He appeared in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare as a Sergeant, serving as the 22nd S.A.S. Regiment's sniper and demolitions expert, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 as a Captain and a Field Commander of Task Force 141.

He played an important role during the Ultranationalist crisis, a newcomer to the British Special Air Service and part of Captain Price's Bravo Team. Players assume the role of Soap in Modern Warfare in addition to other characters. He is present as an NPC in Modern Warfare 2, except for the last three levels of the game, where the player once again plays as Soap. In Modern Warfare 3, Soap was killed in action after being caught in an explosion and falling from a high distance while trying to assassinate Vladimir Makarov, dying from massive blood loss.

Early life
Not much is known about Soap's early life except he was born Roman Catholic (as seen on his dog tags). He is from Scotland, implied by his distinctive accent and confirmed by the Scottish flag seen in the same cutscenes as his dog tags in Modern Warfare 3.

Military career
In the cutscene for Modern Warfare 3's mission "Stronghold", a combat knife holding up Soap's dog tags can be seen with the Latin "Per Mare, Per Terram" (By Sea, By Land) - the motto of the Royal Marines - scrolled on the blade suggesting he once served as a Royal Marine Commando (possibly in 45 Commando, based in Arbroath in the United Kingdom).

The FNG
"It's the FNG, sir."

- An SAS trooper referring to "Soap" MacTavish while talking to Price.

"Soap" begins his SAS career hours before the six-day global war begins. Initially, Soap starts out as a Sergeant, unusual in that newcomers to the SAS are usually demoted to Trooper, fresh out of Selection. Whilst in the SAS's training camp in Credenhill, UK, Soap received a quick training session in weapons and techniques by a fellow SAS member Gaz, before being introduced to Captain Price and the rest of Bravo Team. He is referred to as, "The F.N.G." by Gaz. After passing the C.Q.B. test, Soap is briefed on the mission to infiltrate and assault a cargo ship in the Bering Strait. On board the ship, they discover a nuclear bomb bound for Russia, though enemy MiGs interrupt their investigations. In the process of escaping the doomed vessel, Soap was forced to leap for the ramp of the team's helicopter, just as it was beginning to fly away. He lost his grip, but, mere seconds before he was bound to fall off the vehicle, was rescued by Captain Price.

Rescue of Code Name: Nikolai
Upon completing the mission, 'Soap', Price and Gaz travel to the Caucasus Mountains in Russia to extract the informant who supplied them with the intelligence for the cargo ship, a man codenamed "Nikolai". Working in close conjunction with Russian government, Loyalists led by Sergeant Kamarov, they successfully locate and extract Nikolai from the battle zone, though their helicopter is shot down by an Ultranationalist surface-to-air missile. Bravo Team, Nikolai and another SAS operator are forced to fight their way through enemy lines, before being provided with support from an AC-130H Spectre Gunship, call-signed "Wildfire." They are extracted by helicopters under cover of heavy air support from Wildfire.

The Search For Al-Asad
Soap's next mission with Bravo Team would take him to Azerbaijan, clearing through an abandoned village in search of Khaled Al-Asad. Upon locating him, Soap witnessed Al-Asad's interrogation and execution at the hands of Captain Price, learning that Imran Zakhaev had been Al-Asad's weapons supplier. The next day, it appears Soap was designated the team's support man, being equipped with both an M249 and M21 sniper rifle. He was placed in charge of covering the team's retreat with the Minigun from a downed Black Hawk (destroying several Ultranationalist Helicopters in the process) and detonating the explosive charges placed at Phase Line Bravo. Afterwards, he was the point man when the squad had to backtrack to the lower part of the village due to heavy coverage of Anti Aircraft weapons in the vicinity. Following this, Soap and the rest of Bravo Team were extracted by US Marines led by Staff Sergeant Griggs.

Chasing the Son of Zakhaev
MacTavish's final mission in the Russian civil war saw him infiltrating Russia as part of the joint task force of US Marines and SAS operators in order to eliminate Imran Zakhaev's nuclear capability. After grouping with US forces, Soap and his allies proceeded to enter a Ultranationalist outpost and secure it, as part of plan to capture Zakhaev's son, Victor Zakhaev. After a few hours, a convoy arrives in the outpost, led by Victor himself. Bravo Team, disguised as Russian guards, allow Victor to enter the facility, though quickly reveal their true intentions and attack his forces. During the battle that followed, Soap and Griggs provided sniper support for the rest of the team from a high tower. However, Victor Zakhaev rams his jeep into one of the legs of the tower, sending it tumbling to the ground, providing the perfect distraction to get away. Stunned, Soap was unable to take down Victor before he could get away. After chasing him through a small village, and a five story building, Soap and the rest of the team corner Victor. Unwilling to betray his father's secrets, Victor committed suicide before Soap could take away his weapon.

15,000 Nukes At Stake
Angered at his son's death, Zakhaev threatened to launch nuclear missiles at the East Coast of America if US and British forces did not withdraw from Russia. In order to handicap Zakhaev's nuclear threat, Soap, Price, Gaz, Griggs, and several other SAS members parachuted into the Altay Mountains in order to reach his launch facility. However, their mission was delayed by Griggs' separation and subsequent capture. After eventually locating and recovering him, Soap planted a set of C4 on a power tower, destroying the electricity supply to the facility. Following this, the team regrouped with US snipers before witnessing a double nuclear missile launch at Zakhaev's hands. Entering the facility, the team furiously fought against time to reach the launch control center, and eventually deactivated the missiles. However, the team was unable to prevent Zakhaev's escape, and he managed to depart the facility before anything could be done. The group then attempted to escape, with Soap provided all-around covering fire for their jeep as they made their way to the extraction site. However, Zakhaev's Mi-24 Hind damaged the bridge, forcing Soap and his companions to fight their way on their own.

Fighting fiercely at the bridge in a massive penultimate battle, Soap was thrown to the ground and severely injured by an exploding oil truck. He was pulled into cover by Sgt. Griggs, moments before Griggs himself was killed. He then watched helplessly as Imran Zakhaev and his bodyguards executed Gaz and two other SAS operatives. Just as all hope seemed lost, a Loyalist Mi-28 gunship destroyed the Ultranationalist Mi-24 Hind, forcing Zakhaev and his henchmen to turn away their attention from Soap and open fire on the helicopter. A heavily wounded Price slid Soap his M1911 pistol, which Soap used to kill Zakhaev and two of his bodyguards.

Moments later, Loyalist forces flooded the scene and Kamarov came to Soap's aid, placing him onto a stretcher, assuring him that he will be alright. Soap passed out during the middle of extraction, though survived his wounds alongside Price.

Inter-War period and Operation Kingfish
As seen in his journal (within the Hardened Edition of Modern Warfare 3), Soap recuperated in Russia and began to suffer from PTSD, believing it was his fault that Griggs, Gaz and the others had died in the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare mission "Game Over" feeling guilty that he had survived. He does take some comfort in having killed Zakhaev, saying it makes it worthwhile. He was also under the impression that Price had perished alongside the others.

Nikolai tried to console his friend by bringing women and friends to "comfort" him further but it didn't do much; he found himself pushing his body harder and harder to become stronger and continue the fight and obsessing over Price's M1911 pistol.

On return to Credenhill, MacTavish began running the O-course with selection candidates and began to enjoy it because it took his mind off what had happened, spending most of his time in an exhausted daze fueled further by morphine. In his spare time, he started to go to the race courses because Price loved it, but it only made him feel empty saying "Even if [his horse, MacGregor] had won, jumped the fence, done a 360°, and kicked the queen in the face, I can't say would've flinched". After this, he bought a box of Villa Clara's, Price's favourite cigars, commenting that Price had "good taste".

Soon after, U.S. General Shepherd contacted Soap and asked him to lead an elite task force to kill Makarov. Soap took an instant liking to Shepherd, seeing resemblances between himself and the General. Thus MW2's storyline begins.

On October 8th, 2013, a joint Task Force 141/Delta Force operation codenamed Operation Kingfish was launched to raid an Ultranationalist base suspected to house Makarov. With just Price, "Soap" MacTavish, Simon "Ghost" Riley, and Delta Operator Sandman the team infiltrates the compound and finds valuable intel on Makarov and escape as troops converge on their location. However during the extraction, Price becomes injured and is captured by Ultranatiolist forces.

Field Commander of Task Force 141
By 2016, MacTavish had become the task force's field commander, leading the 141's operations with Lieutenant Simon &quot;Ghost&quot; Riley and Sergeant Gary &quot;Roach&quot; Sanderson under his command. MacTavish evidently did not reveal his SAS nickname to any of the members, hinted in the mission "The Gulag" where Price is rescued by the Task Force 141 and exclaims "Soap?", followed by Worm asking, "Who's Soap?".

Recovering the ACS
When the Russians get their hands on a downed US satellite, MacTavish and Sanderson are sent to infiltrate a Russian airbase to recover an ACS module within the Tian Shan mountain range in Kazakhstan. After scaling the mountain and sneaking through base, the two recover the module inside a hangar. However, they are quickly compromised by Major Petrov and his forces. MacTavish tells Roach to go to Plan B. In a daring escape, Roach and MacTavish fight their way out of the base and commandeer snowmobiles, leading to a thrilling chase down the mountainside to the awaiting evacuation team.

Alejandro Rojas
Shortly after the mission in Kazakhstan, MacTavish led Task Force 141 into Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to capture Rojas, an arms dealer who had supplied the Russian terrorist Vladimir Makarov during his assault on Zakhaev International Airport. While Soap and Ghost interrogated Rojas' right-hand man, Roach and two other task force members (Royce & Meat) went into the favela in search of Rojas. The two are killed in the fighting, leaving Roach to tackle the favela by himself. Roach fights his way through, eventually linking up with MacTavish and Ghost, whom have just captured Rojas. However, they only managed to learn from Rojas is that Makarov has a strong hatred for Prisoner 627 in a Russian gulag.

Due to the surprise invasion of the United States, the airspace around Brazil is locked down, leaving the task force stranded in the middle of enemy territory. In order to escape, MacTavish calls in Nikolai, whom Soap had saved during the events of the Second Russian Civil War. Surrounded by militia, the task force fights its way to a market, where Nikolai was supposed to pick them up in a helicopter. However, due to the fire from the militia he is forced to the secondary extraction point. During the escape, Roach is nearly left behind when he falls off a rooftop. However, he makes his way back to the top, militia in tow, and makes it aboard the helicopter.

Counterstrike in Russia
Shortly after being extracted from South America, the Navy SEALs and Task Force 141 initiated a two-stage operation. The first stage being to secure a modified oil platform in order to disable SAM sites on the platform, and the second phase to infiltrate the prison itself. After infiltrating the prison, MacTavish led his troops through the Russian gulag, and eventually reach Prisoner 627, who turns out to be none other than Captain Price. Although Price is at first hostile towards Roach (thinking that HE was one of the Russians), he rejoins after recognizing Soap, and the squad manages to extract (via SPIE rig) from the gulag before it explodes. During this time, MacTavish returns Price's M1911 pistol he used to kill Imran Zakhaev five years ago.

The Contingency
Task Force 141 then headed into Petropavlovsk, Russia, seemingly on a mission to destroy a submarine. During the course of the mission, Roach facilitated Price's infiltration inside a submarine by providing Predator drone support. However, in a sudden twist of events, Price used the submarine to launch a nuclear missile, using it as an EMP to hinder the Russian's attack on America.

Shepherd's True Motives
After the events of the nuclear launch, Task Force 141 was split up to investigate two locations, with Price and MacTavish investigating an arms deal in Afghanistan, while Ghost and Roach and the bulk of the task force investigate one of Makarov's safe-houses in Russia. Price and MacTavish are attacked by Shepherd's men and attempt to warn Ghost and Roach, only to be too late in the process. Soap and Price manage to escape the aircraft graveyard with the help of Nikolai while getting some intelligence from Makarov, focusing on killing Shepherd.

Retribution
The two then pursue Shepherd through Afghanistan, fighting through his Shadow Company and into Site Hotel Bravo. They then prevent Shepherd's escape by shooting down the general's Pave Low where they eventually corner him and attempt to kill him. However, as MacTavish attempts to stab Shepherd, the latter disarms Soap, slams his head into a broken down car (thus knocking him to the ground) and impales him with Soap's knife. Before Shepherd could execute Soap with a .44 Magnum, however, Price tackles Shepherd, causing him to drop the gun. As Soap crawls towards it, Shepherd manages to push Price away from him, kicking the .44 Magnum away and stomping Soap's head. Price and Shepherd then engage in a long, brutal hand-to-hand fight that Soap can see as he drifts in and out of consciousness, with Shepherd eventually gaining the upper hand. However Soap, now awake, manages to gather what little strength he had left to get the knife out of his chest, and throws it into Shepherd's left eye, killing the traitorous general in seconds. Price, who had been punched unconscious, awakens, pushing Shepherd´s body off of him. Seeing Soap's mangled state, Price then comes to his aid and the two are evacuated by Nikolai, who arrives in a MH-6 Little Bird, even though told by Price that it was "a one way trip". During the course of Shepherd's betrayal, Soap and Price were labeled as international fugitives, and were on the run following their victory over Shepherd.

W.I.A and Disavowed
Shortly after his victory over General Shepherd, Soap's recent wounds had him slowly dying on the trip to Nikolai's safehouse in India. To make matters worse, a large group of Makarov's men assaulted the safehouse in an attempt to kill the remnants of Task Force 141. Soap's survival would not have happened had it not been for the actions of Price, Nikolai, and newfound ally Yuri during the events of Persona Non Grata.

Pursuing Makarov
Months after his recovery, Soap accompanies Price and Yuri on missions in Sierra Leone and Somalia in pursuit of Makarov. In Back on the Grid, the group follows up on Yuri's suspicions about Makarov's weapon shipments in Sierra Leone, and learn that the recent cargo Makarov's men retrieved were chemical weapons being shipped to Paris, Berlin, and London. Shortly after the wave of chemical attacks, intelligence from MacMillan leads the team to a local warlord in Somalia during the events of Return to Sender, where Soap assists Price in interrogating a local warlord on intel about Makarov. The intelligence facilitates Team Metal's apprehension of Volk during the events of Bag and Drag and Iron Lady.

Killed in Action
The acquired intelligence from Team Metal leads Price, Soap, and Yuri to Makarov's location in Prague during the events of Eye of the Storm and Blood Brothers. With aid from Kamarov, Price, Soap, and Yuri use the distraction of the local resistance to their advantage to reach their assigned spots at the Hotel Lustig. Price would infiltrate the Hotel Lustig while Soap and Yuri provide cover with their sniper rifles. However, Makarov caught wind of the assassination attempt and detonates the bombs planted on Kamarov and the church Soap and Yuri were occupying in. Soap pushes Yuri out the window to save him, but gets caught in the blast radius, accompanied by suffering from a long fall. Before the detonation, Soap briefly learns of Yuri's then unknown acquaintance with Makarov.

Price and Yuri desperately rush Soap to a nearby resistance safehouse, where Soap relays the recent revelation to Price before dying. Price stands still for a moment, then places the M1911 used to kill Imran Zakhaev in Call of Duty 4 that Soap had given him in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on his chest and takes the field manual, that was included in the hardened edition of Modern Warfare 3, from one of Soap's pouches. Soap's death fuels Price's vengeance against Makarov, even after the end of the conflict between the United States and Russia. Soap's name, John MacTavish, was later inscribed on the Hereford clocktower honoring fallen S.A.S. veterans.

Quotes
"Break's over, Roach. Let's go."

- To Gary "Roach" Sanderson (his first quote in Call of Duty)

"Took the scenic route eh?"

- Soap to Roach after they regroup on Cliffhanger

"Roach! Roach! Wake up!"

- Soap MacTavish to Roach after he falls off the building in The Hornet's Nest

"Too right, mate. Now in the eyes of the world, they're the victims. Nobody's gonna say a word when the Russians club every American they can reach."

- Soap in the cutscene before "Takedown".

"I know a guy. Let's find a pay phone - they still exist?"

- Captain MacTavish in the briefing of "The Hornet's Nest"

"Place is filled with living casualties of the last war... which I swear I thought we'd won. But I guess it's all a day at the races, you back the losing horse and this is where you end up."

- Soap, in the cutscene before "The Gulag"

"This belongs to you, sir."

- Soap giving back the M1911 he receives during "Game Over" to Captain Price in "The Gulag"

"It's good to have you back, old man."

- Soap to Captain Price in "Contingency".

"We've got one good UMP. They've got a thousand."

- Soap, in the cutscene before "Just Like Old Times"

"Oi, numpty! Watch your fire!"

- Soap, if the player shoots him by accident

"Dogs. I hate dogs!"

- Soap towards the beginning of "Contingency"

"Brought some friends with you, eh?"

- After meeting Soap while enemies are chasing the player in Cliffhanger.

"Price...Price?"

- Soap in the cutscene for Just Like Old Times. These are also his final words in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

"Roach, go to plan B!"

- Soap to Roach When he is compromised in Cliffhanger and to detonate the C4.

"Ghost, you've opened the wrong door!"

- After Ghost opens the wrong side of a checkpoint in the Gulag cell block.

"Makarov... knows... Yuri..."

- His last words before his death in "Blood Brothers".

Trivia

 * Soap seems to be a designated marksman, as he often starts with a sniper rifle in the Modern Warfare series. In Call of Duty 4 he is given an M21 in Blackout, Heat, and an R700 in The Sins of the Father. He starts with the M14 EBR in "Cliffhanger" (with which he provides Roach with fire support), "The Gulag," and "The Enemy of My Enemy," and is given an Intervention in "Just Like Old Times."
 * Soap's scar on his left eye changes in different missions. On the level "Cliffhanger" it is straight down, where as on other missions it goes straight down and then turns and cuts in towards his nose.
 * In Modern Warfare 2, he is referred to as "Captain MacTavish" in the subtitles until "Contingency", where he is referred to as "Soap."
 * In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, whenever C4 needs to be set up or detonated, Soap always refers to it as "Plan B."
 * In the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 E3 2009 Preview, Soap had an English accent.
 * Soap's line "Dogs... I hate dogs" is a reference to Indiana Jones' saying "snakes... I hate snakes.". This is also a humorous reference to the multiple encounters with attack dogs in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.
 * In the trailer of Modern Warfare 2, Soap is shot down and killed immediately in the mission "Cliffhanger."
 * Soap has killed Imran Zakhaev and Lieutenant-General Shepherd, two of the three main antagonists in the Modern Warfare series.
 * Soap has been rescued while close to death both times by the Loyalist Russians, and flown away by helicopter.
 * Soap has a tattoo of a revolver on the back of his neck.
 * After Soap's death in "Blood Brothers" Captain Price pulls out his Colt M1911 pistol and lays it on Soap's chest. (This was the same pistol that Price had slid to Soap in order to kill Zakhaev, but was later given back to Price during "The Gulag.")
 * As seen in the cutscene for "Stronghold", Soap had received the three highest decorations available to British Commonwealth military personnel during his career. These awards are (in order of rank) the Victoria Cross, the Conspicuous﻿ Gallantry Cross and the Distinguished Service Order. Soap most likely attained these decorations during/after the events of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, before his inclusion in Task Force 141.