Shadow Company

The Shadow Company is an enemy faction encountered at the end of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in the last four levels. Soldiers of this unit are distinguished by their black uniforms with both US Flag - and spade patch belonging to the USSOCOM, black balaclavas, as well as tactical goggles or night vision goggles attached to their Delta Force style helmet (the only difference is the color) they appear to have other various equipment such as extra mags, gas masks, flares, grenades, etc.

The Shadow Company appears to be either a US black ops unit or possibly even a Private Military Company (PMC) operating directly under the command of General Shepherd, serving as his personal security detail and operations force that carry out his orders without question, even when these orders involve treason (such as when he betrayed the 141). Shepherd however, holds no regard for their lives and considers them all expendable, an example of which was an artillery bombardment called in by Shepherd directly upon their location and blowing up his own base with soldiers still inside it in a failed attempt to kill Soap and Price during "Just Like Old Times". Their strongest opposition appear to be the Russian military itself, as they have been severely hit hard during their war.

Named members/units

 * Shepherd AKA "Gold Eagle"
 * Oxide - Command base communications officer
 * Disciple - Patrol for Site Hotel Bravo
 * Butcher - Patrol for Site Hotel Bravo


 * Carnival - Unit for Site Hotel Bravo


 * Vinson - Squad leader of Butcher Seven


 * Lambert - Squad Leader of Butcher Seven
 * Avatar One - UAV operator
 * Warhorse 5-1 - Pave Low helicopter ( shot down by Price)
 * Excalibur - Artillery commander for Site Hotel Bravo

Weapons
Shadow Company soldiers are heavily armed, well trained and extremely dangerous. Their choice of weapons consist of mostly modern weapons. Their arsenal includes:

Assault rifles

 * ACR
 * SCAR-H
 * M16A4

Machineguns

 * M240
 * MG4
 * RPD (Spawn as MG4's)

Submachineguns & machine pistols

 * MP5K
 * UMP45
 * TMP
 * Vector
 * G18

Shotguns

 * M1014
 * AA-12
 * SPAS-12

Handguns

 * M9
 * Desert Eagle

Launchers

 * AT4

Others

 * Riot Shield
 * WA2000

Vehicles
Shadow Company has a variety of vehicles, most of them used by the US Military. These include:
 * Pickup truck
 * Up-armored SUV
 * HMMWV
 * M1 Abrams
 * UH-60 Black Hawk
 * Pave Low
 * Little Bird
 * Zodiac
 * Predator UAV

Trivia

 * They are the first singleplayer enemies in the Call of Duty series that are American.


 * Shadow Company is also a documentary about private military companies and mercenaries.


 * Shadow Company was also the name of the antagonists in the film Lethal Weapon.


 * On the crates in Hotel Bravo on the level Just Like Old Times, there is an emblem with a chess piece, lightning bolts and the words UMBRA CATERVAE written on it. This is Latin for Shadow Company. No symbol like this exists in the US military adding to the possibility that they are mercenaries. This is also seen on the bombs in Sabotage, Demolition and Search and Destroy.Emblem-umbracatervae.jpg
 * The Shadow Compant "chess piece" emblem can be obtained in Multiplayer by completing the "Tango Down" challenge.
 * The spade symbol Shadow Company wears is very similar to the spear like symbol of the United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) as well as the symbol of the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM).


 * The "spade", visible on their arm patches, can also be seen in the Task Force 141 logo.


 * The up-armored SUVs used by Shadow Company are possibly based on BAE Systems' Armored Commercial Vehicles - specifically the Armored Chevrolet Suburban - because of the look and function of the vehicles.


 * On the license plates of Shadow Company's up-armored SUVs, it is written "G 2009IW4 V". 2009 is the game's year and IW4 is that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is the fourth title of Infinity Ward.


 * In "Just Like Old Times", an endless stream of Humvees and M1 Abrams tanks can be seen driving along a roadway on the other side of the river. Being the supreme commander of all US military forces at this point, it is possible that Shepherd could have requisitioned these vehicles in order to support the infantry of his newly formed company.


 * Many people simply refer to them as "traitors" due to their name never being explicitly stated.


 * In Just Like Old Times if a player waits and listens to the group of Shadow Company soldiers in the cave, a conversation can be heard where a Shadow Company member and his team kill 3 "Left Over" Russians, for being aggressive after breaching Site Hotel Bravo's perimeter.
 * Strangely, many weapons sometimes can't kill them with one headshot (Possibly because of the armor on there helmets).
 * In "Just Like Old Times", Shadow Company soldiers on the catwalk uses RPDs. This is quite strange as Shadow Company use mostly American weapons and weapons used by Task Force 141. Also when the Shadow Company soldiers die they don't drop the RPDs. Instead there is just a MG4 lying on the floor.
 * The most common weapons used by the Company are the ACR, SCAR-H, SPAS-12, and M240.
 * Shadow Company is the only faction not used in the multiplayer.
 * In "Just Like Old Times" the Shadow Company soldiers using riot shields use same character models as the Navy SEALs using riot shields in multiplayer.
 * Oddly, if you kill a Shadow Company Soldier, he will grunt with a Russian accent.