Vladimir Makarov

"''Revenge is like a ghost...It takes over every man it touches...Its thirst cannot be quenched...Until the last man standing has fallen..."

- Vladimir Makarov Vladimir Makarov is one of the main antagonists in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Early military/terrorist career
According to Modern Warfare 2 info; Vladimir Makarov graduated from the Frunze Military Academy as an officer in the Russian Army first serving as a paratrooper. Later on in his career he made it into Spetsnaz and served two tours in Chechnya. It is believed that a company under his command were involved with some of the most brutal "cleansing" raids.

As a SOP to western governments complaining about human rights abuses inquires were promised, Makarov's name was at the top of the list presented by an EU Investigation panel. An army inquiry into the allegations of abuse was dropped when Makarov opted for discharge from the armed forces. At this point he harbored a pathological hatred to the West for interfering and the Russian Government for giving him no other option but to leave the armed forces. He then puts his skills to murderous use, being the mastermind and taking part in many criminal and terrorist activites, such as kidnapping, human trafficking of women, hijackings, money laundering, terror bombings of military/civilian targets, drug trafficking, assassinatons, etc.

In-game
Vladimir Makarov has been stated to fill the position as the main antagonist in the upcoming game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. He is said to be a former associate of Imran Zakhaev. A brutal leader with his own nationalistic ambitions, he was kept in check by Imran Zakhaev. However, following Zakhaev's death, he has since gained popularity within Russia and used Zakhaev's death as propaganda, claiming him to be a martyr. In several aspects he diverges from his predecessor; in Russia, he favors terrorism over open war (though like Zakhaev, easily kills his own countrymen for his own gain). While Zakhaev desired the conquest of Russia, Makarov is only in it for the money. He has contacts in many locations, including an arms dealer named Rojas in Brazil, a base in Khazakstan, and possibly some terrorist sleeper cells worldwide. Most of all, rather than attack the U.S. by launching Russian ICBMs, he orchestrates a catastrophic attack on Washington, D.C., burning down several monuments and seizing control of the White House.

Spoilers follow
Makarov is revealed to be a secondary antagonist later in the game, as the focus shifts to Shepherd. He is responsible for giving Captain Price and "Soap" MacTavish the coordinates of the desert base in which Shepherd's is hidden. It is presumed that he survives the events of Modern Warfare 2, but no official conclusion can be reached as the outcome of his battle with Shepherd's men is never revealed.

Quotes
During the May 24th trailer, a male voice with a rather feminine but definitive Russian accent is heard narrating during the initial flasback sequences. This could very well be the voice of Makarov.

"The world's men of action...will look in wonder...how it came to this..."

- Vladimir Makarov

"He may be able to destroy me...but the beast will eventually come for him..."

- Vladimir Makarov

"If you fight, I will fight back."

- Vladimir Makarov

Makarov's most infamous appearance in the game is during a terrorist attack on Zakhaev International Airport, where he directly participates and leads the attack along with Alexei Borodin. He deliberately makes it look like an attack by American soldiers, and apparently the Russians bought the ruse, as one American commented, "This appears to be the work of the Ultranationalists. The Kremlin, however, sees it differently."

In the October 4th "Infamy" trailer, the same voice is heard. Here, "you" seems to refer to the United States.

In the leaked video of the level No Russian, Makarov shoots CIA Undercover Operative Joseph Allen/Alexi Borodin.
 * "That was no message...This is a message."
 * — Vladimir Makarov

Associates

 * Rojas (Captured by Captain MacTavish)
 * Major Petrov (deceased, killed in Cliffhanger)
 * Imran Zakhaev (formerly, now deceased)
 * Faust (Shot in the leg by Roach and captured by Task Force 141)
 * Alexei Borodin (Former squad member, executed when found to be a CIA infiltrator)
 * Viktor is one of the terrorists in the airport, in No Russian.
 * Anatoly is also another terrorist in No Russian.

Trivia

 * Makarov is the name of a pistol used by Russia. It is the successor of the TT-33
 * Ken Lally is his voice actor.
 * Vladimir is suspected of being one of The Four Horsemen, the unnamed "First Horseman" from Modern Warfare.
 * It is possible to notice that his left eye is green and his right is blue.
 * He resembles Muse lead singer Matthew Bellamy