The Four Horsemen

The Four Horsemen is the name for a group of four men whose aims appear to become the dominant world power and usurp the Russian Federation. They are named after the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. It is the player's objective throughout Call of Duty 4 to uncover information on them and eventually eliminate all four. They all have some form of command role in their respective groups. Four Xbox 360 achievements are associated with them, as the player gets an achievement each time they complete a Veteran-level mission that a Horseman dies in, the only exception being The First Horseman, as it is not confirmed that he did die.

The First Horseman
The First Horseman is a somewhat mysterious individual who works for/with Al-Asad, though to what extent is unknown. He is apparently killed during the final fight in the capital, either during the battle or after the nuclear weapon detonates. The only visual reference to him is seen afterward in a photo, showing all Four Horsemen meeting and at the first cutscenes of Coup when he was driving the car with Zakheav`s son and president Al-Fulani (the person driving the car shares the appearance of the avatar of the OpFor when using a shotgun in MP). In the photo, the Fourth Horseman, Imran Zakhaev appears to be directly speaking to him. It is speculated that the First Horseman is a go-between for Al-Asad and the Ultranationalists, possibly also serving as a political or financial adviser to Al-Asad. "The First Horseman" is also the name of an achievement in the Xbox 360 version of the game. This achievement unlocks when the player beats the level Shock and Awe on Veteran difficulty. It is believed that this horseman didn't die as there has been assumed deaths before in this series, a good example is the fourth horseman. It is also possible that the 1st Horseman is the man who Zakheav negotiates with in "One Shot, One Kill". It is also possible that there are only three horsemen, and the first horseman is a decoy of the Second Horseman. It is also possible that President Al-Fulani, is the first horseman. Yet there is another possibility, that he was the man with Al-Asad in his hideout shack that was shot by Captain Price before he beat down Al-Asad, as they bear a resemblance, and only one guard being present would be strange. Another supporting possibility to this theory is that if the First Horsemen were a translator between Zakhaev, and Al-Asad, it would make sense for him to be there as they might have been expecting the call from Zakhaev that came moments later.

However, due to the time at which the player unlocks the achievement and the fact that the First Horseman is never explicitly stated or indicated to have been seen by the player, the strongest evidence appears to be that he was the one responsible for detonating the bomb in the level Shock and Awe. It is also possible that he is Vladimir Makarov to appear in Modern Warfare 2. It is most likely he is the White Horseman of pestilence and disease.

The Second Horseman
The Second Horseman is Al-Asad, the leader of an unnamed Middle-Eastern nation following a bloody coup. He is an ally of Imran Zakhaev. He detonated a nuclear bomb in the capital, killing many of the invading U.S. forces. Later killed by Captain Price in the twelfth mission Safehouse. Beating said mission on any difficulty unlocks “Wrong Number”, while beating it on Veteran awards “The Second Horseman”. It is most likely he is the Red Horseman of war.

The Third Horseman
The Third Horseman is Victor Zakhaev, the son of Imran Zakhaev. Victor is the commander of the Ultranationalist military forces on the ground in Russia. He committed suicide before he could be caught in the sixteenth mission, Sins of the Father. The achievement “Desperate Measures” is achieved simply for beating Sins of the Father on any difficulty, while “The Third Horseman” is achieved for beating Sins of the Father, and the previous mission “Heat”, on Veteran. It most likely that he is the Green Horseman of famine.

The Fourth Horseman
The Fourth Horseman is Imran Zakhaev, a Russian Ultranationalist and leader of the "Horsemen". He supplies Al-Asad with weapons, including a nuclear weapon. He was thought to be dead 15 years before the main events of the game, having been shot by Lieutenant Price and Captain MacMillan, however he survives this encounter and loses only his left arm. He is killed by Sergeant Soap MacTavish in the final mission Game Over. The Achievement “The Fourth Horseman” is awarded for completing said mission on Veteran. He is most likely the Black Horseman of death.

Trivia

 * The Four Horsemen is a reference to the Four Horsemen in the Bible, warning the world of the apocalypse. Their names were Pestilence, War, Famine, and Death, and their colours (in the same order) were White, Red, Pale Green, and Black, and the riders carry a Bow, a Sword, a Balance (Much like the one that represents Modern day Courts), and a Scythe, and their powers being that the first has a crown, it spreads disease throughout the world, the next being to take away peace from the world, the third being to bring famine to the world, and the fourth being "over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth". It is unknown if each character represents each one of these evils.


 * The three Horsemen that can be seen in the game are all killed by an M1911 pistol. It is possible that the mysterious 'First Horseman' was also killed with an M1911, as when questioned about it, SSgt Griggs states 'we got him', and Griggs' pistol is a silver M1911. This is, of course, only possible if the First Horseman is indeed dead.


 * Soap, Captain Price, & Gaz are the only ones who saw all three named horsemen in person