Pelayo

"You guys miss me?"

- Cpt. Pelayo

Captain "Deadly" Pelayo was an AH-1W Super Cobra pilot in the United States Marine Corps Aviation who worked with Keating. She is first heard in the level, Charlie Don't Surf while the Blackhawk Helicopter Sgt. Jackson is on is traveling to the coast. She is also seen in the level Shock and Awe where she is to cover Outlaw 2-5 and the ground forces advancing on the city. She is shot down by a Stinger missile right when the nuclear device is said to be probable by the NEST team. Vasquez volunteers to stay behind and help her out, and this unfortunately seals the fate of everyone in Jackson's squad and Pelayo herself. Vasquez leads Jackson and the other squad members out into the streets and Jackson helps Pelayo out of her helicopter. Her right leg is broken, and Jackson is forced to carry her. After helping her escape from the threats below, Al-Asad's nuke goes off, killing everyone on the helicopter and a couple other helicopters as well. When you stagger out of the crashed helicopter, she can be seen on the ground next to the crash site.

Pelayo is tied for the highest ranking USMC officer seen in the field, with the rank of Captain (tied with the apparent CO of the pinned down marines in the building). She is also the only woman found in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. She is voiced by voiceover actress Anna Graves and modeled after Infinity Ward employee Velinda Pelayo.

Modern Warfare

 * Pelayo uses an MP5 to stave off the enemies that are surrounding her while Jackson saves her. She is the one of the few Americans to use an MP5 in this game, along with the Marines that appeared in the SAS campaign.


 * In Jackson's squad, there is sometimes a Marine named Pvt. Pelayo. It is possible that this is a relative of "Deadly," although this is very unlikely, as the name is one of the randomly generated names of the Infinity Ward staff. Pelayo is also a randomly generated name in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.


 * The scene where she defends the Cobra could be a reference to the movie Black Hawk Down which mirrored the true events of Operation Gothic Serpent, in which Chief Warrant Officer Michael Durrant staved off swarms of Somalian insurgents with an MP5 until two Delta Snipers came to his aid and were subsequently killed. However, Durrant was also captured by enemy forces, while Pelayo was rescued.


 * Pelayo is the only female combatant to appear in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. The other females seen or heard in the game are civilians during Al-Fulani's car ride in The Coup and a female news reporter.


 * In the cutscene before Charlie Don't Surf, you can hear a snippet from her return on Shock and Awe in the background as the Blackhawks take off.


 * Ultimately, the choice to save "Deadly" cost Jackson, Lt. Vasquez and their squad their lives. There is a chance they could have survived if they had not remained in the area to retrieve Deadly.


 * Interestingly, "Deadly" is the last word in the Force Recon motto: "Swift, Silent, Deadly".
 * The Designers borrowed IW staff Velinda Pelayo's appearance for the character.
 * Jackson carries her in front of him, unlike how John Price carries MacMillian in a fireman's hold.
 * When carrying her, Jackson can take more damage than usual.

Modern Warfare 2

 * A "Pvt. Pelayo" of unknown relation may be seen in the Pit during "S.S.D.D.", and other locations as a randomly generated name.


 * There is a building named "Pelayo's" on the multiplayer map "Favela."


 * Her model can be seen in the mission "The Only Easy Day...Was Yesterday", piloting an MH-6 Little Bird, and also in the Pave Low killstreak along with Lt. Volker.