John "Soap" MacTavish (Original)

"Right...what the hell kind of name is "Soap", eh? How'd a muppet like you pass selection?"

- Captain Price

Of Scottish background, Sergeant "Soap" MacTavish, is one of the main characters in the game, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. He plays a major role during the Ultranationalist crisis, a newcomer to the SAS and part of Captain Price's Bravo Team. Soap is one of the characters the player will assume the role of, and is the primary protagonist.

Biography
"Soap" begins his SAS Career hours before the six-day global conflict begins. He starts out as a Sergeant, unusual in that newcomers to the SAS are demoted to Trooper so that they must learn from the ground up. He is given a quick training session in weapons and techniques by Gaz, before being introduced to Captain Price and the rest of Bravo Team. Passing the Close-Quarter-Battle test (intended to be reminiscent of the real SAS "Killing Houses") he is placed on the team and 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, and Soap is just lucky enough to escape with his life, being forced to leap for the ramp of their helicopter just as it begins flying away which causes him to lose his grip just to be rescued at the last second by Price.

Upon completing the mission, Soap, Captain Price and Gaz move into Russia to extract the informant who supplied them with the intelligence for the Cargoship, a man codenamed Nikolai. Working in close conjunction with Russian Government Loyalists led by Sergeant Kamarov, they successfully extract Nikolai, though their helicopter is shot down by Ultranationalist anti-aircraft missile fire. Bravo Team, Nikolai and another SAS Operator are forced to fight their way through enemy lines, before being provided with support from an AC-130 Spectre Gunship, callsigned "Wildfire". They are extracted by helicopter under cover of heavy air support from Wildfire.

Soap's next mission would take him to Azerbaijan, with Bravo Team. Clearing through an abandoned village, Soap was witness to Khaled Al-Asad's execution by Captain Price. 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 Lines Bravo and Alpha.

MacTavish's final mission (that we know of) 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. He was in charge of destroying the electricity supply to the facility, and then, during the escape, provided all-around covering fire for their jeep as they made their way to the extraction site. Fighting fiercely at the bridge during the penultimate battle, he was thrown to the floor and severely injured by an exploding tanker. He was pulled into cover by SSgt. Griggs, moments before Griggs was killed, and was then witness to Gaz' execution at the hands of Imran Zakhaev. A heavily wounded Captain Price slid Soap his M1911 pistol, and Soap personally killed Imran Zakhaev and two of his bodyguards. Soap whites out as he is being extracted by helicopter. It is possible that he dies, despite barely escaping enemy forces, as Jackson also whites out when he dies.

Epilogue
After the end credits, the level Mile High Club loads where an unspecified SAS operative and his team (also known as the One-One Team) are storming a large jetliner attempting to rescue a hostage under a difficulty dependent time limit. The event takes place outside of the previous storyline and no briefing is given making it nothing more than an Easter Egg. The introductory monologue makes a reference to the film "Airplane!", and it has become something of a fan favorite.

Trivia

 * "SAS Soap" is a medical cleaner comprising of "Salisylic acid and Sulfur". It's used to get rid of bacteria and fungus on skin complaints.

After you finish the Mile High Club mission, there is a picture. It says Heart Breakers and Life Takers. Thanks for Playing! Semper Fi. Underneath there is a picture of 4 people most likely Vasquez, Gaz, Price, and Griggs.

Fate
After receiving wounds during his escape in Game Over, and having lost most- if not all -of his team in combat shortly before the level ended, it is often argued amongst players whether or not Soap survived the war, or died at the end of it.

The following facts influence said conversations.


 * Kamarov says to Soap "You are going to be all right, my friend" so Soap might not die. Although it is also likely as a note to comfort him as he passes away.
 * Despite MacTavish 'whiting out', he whites out differently to Jackson, (who's vision slowly erodes, whilst Soap's just turns white.) He may have just been losing consciousness, rather than dying.
 * After Zakhaev is killed, the players objective of surviving the escape is completed, which could imply that Soap survived.
 * It can be thought that Mile High Club was Soap's next assignment after surviving the Ultranationalist campaign, since it is the following level after Game Over, but many others have thought that the level had no relevancy to the rest of the game, and was included purely for fun.
 * The news reporter at the end commenting on the Ultranationalist party and the ship could be on a television in a hospital as Soap is recovering from his wounds.
 * At the end of Game Over you don't feel the heartbeat vibrate throught the controller as you do with Jackson.
 * Even though you do also play as Jackson, he does not have as much of a prominent role in the game, therefore, this could give a more likely chance of Soap's survival.