John Price (Original)


 * "Prisoner 627" redirects here. For the achievement/trophy, see Prisoner 627.

"This is for the record..."

- Captain Price leaving the vocal record of their truth.

Captain John Price, callsign Bravo Six, is a British character featured in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, a member of the British SAS. He often carried a modified M4A1 and wore a boonie hat during field operations. In Modern Warfare 2 (set five years after the first game), Price was incarcerated in a Russian gulag. He is later rescued and becomes a field commander of Task Force 141. He is voiced by Billy Murray, who is known for playing gangster Johnny Allen in Eastenders.

Due to similarities with a previous Call of Duty character of the same name, appearance and other apparent overlaps, some fans have conjectured a possible relationship between the two Prices, the most common being that they are father and son.

SAS Lieutenant
Fifteen years prior to the events of Modern Warfare, Price held the rank of Lieutenant (often pronounced "Leftenant" in the British armed forces) in the 22nd SAS Regiment, and was under the command of Captain MacMillan on a covert operation to assassinate Imran Zakhaev near Chernobyl, Ukraine. While Price was believed to have killed Zakhaev with an M82, Zakhaev survived with a severed arm. The duo were then swarmed by Zakhaev's forces, and in the ensuring firefight, MacMillan was crippled by a falling Mi-28 helicopter. Price then carried MacMillan to the extraction point, where they were rescued after holding their ground against many enemies.



SAS Captain
In the events of Modern Warfare, Price held the rank of Captain and led a SAS squad, designated "Bravo Team", from the Bering Strait to Russia, to Azerbaijan and finally back to Russia. Under his command throughout the events were Gaz and then-Sgt. "Soap" MacTavish, in addition to others such as Mac, Arem, Barton, Wallcroft and Griffen.

After meeting MacTavish, Bravo Team assaults a cargo ship containing a nuclear device, and are attacked by MiG-29 fighters. They escape to the helicopter and Price saves Soap from falling to his death. Their next mission takes them to Russia, where they work with Sgt. Kamarov's loyalists to rescue their informant Nikolai. They extract Nikolai on a chopper, only to get shot down. They fight their way to the extraction point with the help of an AC-130H Spectre.

After getting valuable intel from Nikolai, Price leads the team to capture Khaled Al-Asad in Azerbaijan, fighting through numerous Ultranationalist forces. The team captures Al-Asad, where Price tortures him for info. Price then learns that Zakhaev is still alive, and executes Al-Asad. After telling the rest of the team about his former mission to assassinate Zakhaev, the team is extracted by U.S. Marines led by SSgt. Griggs. After escaping the Ultranationalists, Price leads a joint task force (SAS, Marines, Loyalists) in capturing Victor Zakhaev. The mission fails when Victor Zakhaev commits suicide, prompting an enraged Imran Zakhaev to launch missiles at the United States. The SAS and Marines then fight through the facility, deactivating the nukes.

Eventually, at the conclusion of Modern Warfare, Price is severely wounded by Zakhaev's men during the exfiltration following a raid on a Russian nuclear missile silo. Shortly before losing consciousness, Price managed to slide his M1911 to MacTavish, who kills Zakhaev and his bodyguards when they are distracted by the arrival of a Loyalist helicopter gunship. Afterwards, a Russian medic can be seen trying, seemingly in vain, to revive Price.

Task Force 141
Between the events of Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Price has been apparently incarcerated in a gulag in Russia, only to be rescued by Task Force 141. Initially, Price ends up pointing a gun at Roach, but after recognizing MacTavish, he relents and joins the unit and MacTavish returns the M1911 pistol used to kill Zakhaev in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (when Soap returns the pistol, he says "This belongs to you, sir.", a reference to the first Modern Warfare).

After his rescue from the gulag, Price reprises his role as a Captain, and is present in Task Force 141's mission briefings. He joins the Task Force as a specialist in the mission Contingency seemingly to destroy a submarine, only to launch a missile towards the United States with the purpose of using an EMP on Washington D.C. The missile launch saves the lives of Sergeant Foley, Corporal Dunn, and James Ramirez. Price later investigates an arms deal in Afghanistan with MacTavish, only to be attacked by Shepherd's men. Price attempts to warn Ghost and Roach about Shepherd, only to figure out that they were killed by Shepherd. Intent on revenge Price asks Makarov for intel on Shepherd's location, on the premise that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". Makarov gives up information that Shepherd uses Site Hotel Bravo, and telling Price that he'll "see [him] in hell" to which Price replies "Looking forward to it. Give my regards to Zakhaev if you get there first." Price and MacTavish evacuate the aircraft graveyard with the help of Nikolai and head to Site Hotel Bravo. They fight their way through the facility, and pursue Shepherd on a Zodiac though a river.

Price eventually shoots down Shepherd's Pave Low, but the Zodiac he and MacTavish are on falls down a waterfall. MacTavish is separated from Price and attempts to kill Shepherd, only for Shepherd to counter that attack and stab MacTavish with his own knife. Just as Shepherd is about to kill MacTavish, Price tackles Shepherd, engaging him in a lengthy hand-to-hand fight. Price is close to being overpowered by Shepherd, but is saved when MacTavish pulls the knife out of his chest and throws it at Shepherd's eye, killing the treacherous general. Price wakes up and starts to patch up Soap's injuries as much as he can. The two are then evacuated by Nikolai, who informs them of a potential hiding place. During the course of the betrayal, Price and MacTavish are labeled as wanted war criminals.

Quotes

 * See John Price/Quotes.

Trivia
- They are both Captains in the British S.A.S. - They were both imprisoned without trial. - They both are of old age, have white/gray beards, and wore a beanie hat. - Both are well-trained in hand-to-hand combat. - They both use an M4A1 rifle in shootouts.
 * His serial number at the end of "Endgame" is 9051210.
 * Like the tandems Soap-Price (in Call of Duty 4) and Roach-Soap (in Modern Warfare 2), Price and Captain MacMillan were close partners, one always having a higher rank than the other. In the beginning of One Shot, One Kill, MacMillan says to Price - "Remember what I've taught you."
 * When the player looks at him, his name is "Captain Price" - the only name featured to have an unabbreviated rank. In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Soap seems to inherit this distinction, as he is similarly titled without abbreviation, as "Captain MacTavish". Price retains his unabbreviated rank in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 except in the level Endgame. General Shepherd is also given an unabbreviated rank at some points.
 * In the fake review of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare by Putin (made by Infinity Ward),at 0:31, we can see Cpt. Price in the Middle East among the Marines in his "usual" outfit (with the boonie hat) camouflaged with desert MARPAT (digital pattern of the USMC).
 * When Kamarov, Soap, Price and Gaz are sniping on the bridge in Blackout, if the player shoots a group of terrorists fast enough, Price will say something like "Nice shooting. MacMillan would've been proud," or, "MacMillan would be impressed." In the way that Price talks to Soap, it implies that he somehow either knew/knows MacMillan or just simply heard about him. Price could also just be reminiscing of his past missions with MacMillan.
 * Price's time in the gulag seems to have physically aged him, as when Roach find him in The Gulag, his mustache and beard is made up of mostly gray hairs.
 * Price shares some similar traits with The Rock's Sean Connery as John Mason.
 * In Endgame, just before the player gets on the Zodiac, if the player looks at Price's name, his rank is abbreviated. The abbreviated rank can also be seen just before Soap and Price fall off the waterfall.
 * In Game Over, Captain Price is lying on his side with his feet towards Zakhaev looking at the player, however after Zakhaev is shot and the player's view moves back to him, he's facing the opposite direction, his feet facing inwards to the bridge crash lying on his back, he wouldn't have been able to do that without standing up and then going back down again.
 * Captain Price is never seen without some form of head wear, even in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 despite his boonie hat's strap being behind his head it remains on after falling down a waterfall and a vicious fight with General Shepherd. Or even while he was a prisoner in the gulag, he was wearing a beanie (or toque.) However, his hair, or partial lack of it, is visible in Crew Expendable.
 * Price seems to be an excellent fighter considering his age. We know his assassination attempt on Zahkaev was 20 years ago and he must have been in his 20s then making him at least 40, and unlikely to reappear if we have another time skip in MW3. SAS recruits are usually in their early 20s, since he was a lieutenant during the flashback missions in COD4 that would suggest he had been with the SAS for a while, though he could have ranked up fast given his talent, and was probably in his mid to late 20s. 20 years later he would most likely be in his mid to late 40s.
 * In the artbook for Modern Warfare 2, it says Price was originally going to be the leader in Cliffhanger and the player would play as Soap, not Roach.
 * Before Endgame, in Price's profile, it says he was a former SAS captain and former TF141 specialist. This is because he is a wanted man along with Soap, who may also not have a rank during the time
 * Even in the SAS pictures of Price he has the beard from The Gulag even though he had only a mustache before.
 * His Callsign, Bravo Six, is a direct reference to the 1986 war movie Platoon, Where Cpt. Harris' Callsign is exactly the same as Price's.
 * Price shares many similarities with famous real world SAS operative, John 'Mac' MacLeese, who was involved in the Iranian Embassy siege by the SAS in May 1980. They share the same first name, signature handle-bar mustache, and similar amount of combat experience and years of service in the SAS. Price may have been based on Mac.
 * Price may have been scripted to die in Game Over, however Infinity Ward decided to keep him alive and have a role in the sequel. If the noclip cheat is turned on while the Loyalist is trying to revive Price, one can see that the Loyalist just stops trying to revive him after a few seconds.
 * In the last intel piece found in Black Ops the fate of Mason after the events of the game is elaborated upon, it is stated that as of 1978 the CIA sent out a "burn notice" (a blacklisting where an agent is fired from his organization and his legal identity and bank assets are removed) on Mason and have assigned a joint American/SAS team to assassinate him as a threat to national security. A young SAS recruit by the name of Jonathan is listed as an energetic and motivated soldier suitable for the task, and curiously his last name is blanked out but noticeably is five letters long implying this man to be a young John Price. If so Price is far older than originally thought.
 * To clarify the above point, for a British soldier to join the SAS they first have to have served 3 years in the British military, which at the earliest you can only join at age 17, meaning that at the very least Price is 20 years old as of his job to kill Mason in 1978, 38 as of the Zakaev assassination attempt in 1996, 53 in 2011 during COD4, and 58 in 2016 as of MW2. It seems highly unlikely that any soldier, SAS or otherwise, would stay a foot soldier well into their old age and would rather retire if they weren't going to become a higher ranked officer. Given the age discrepancy it is likely that Treyarch just put this tidbit in the game as a reference to Infinity Ward's games rather than canonically placing their Call of Duty games in the same story as Modern Warfare.

Videos
thumb|left|300px|Captain Price's speech during the intro to Endgame

thumb|left|300px|Captain Price's speech during the cut scene in Just Like Old Times