- For other characters, see Edward and The Doctor.
- "My name is Edward Richtofen, and I have been trying so very hard to do the right thing. Long ago, I made a promise. A vow to protect him. In order to keep my word, I have done bad things. VERY bad things. I do not regret the pain that I have caused because none of it really matters. This moment... this... me. All of it will soon be gone. I have lied, I have cheated, I have deceived. All for a purpose you could never understand. I would not change a single thing. He thinks I do not know, but I do. The blood will protect me."
- — Edward Richtofen
Doctor Edward Richtofen, also referred to as Primis Richtofen, was a major character in the Aether Story, serving as one of the protagonists from Call of Duty: Black Ops II until Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, and also a playable character in the Zombies game mode.
Introduced as an alternate reality version of his prime counterpart (better known as Ultimis Richtofen), Primis Richtofen first appeared in the Call of Duty: Black Ops II map Origins, and later also appears in Call of Duty: Black Ops III, in the ending cutscene of Shadows of Evil, and as a playable character in The Giant (which also features a variant of Ultimis Richtofen during the opening cutscene), Der Eisendrache, Zetsubou No Shima, Gorod Krovi, Revelations, and the Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 maps Blood of the Dead and Alpha Omega. Primis Richtofen also appeared as a non-playable character in Classified and Tag der Toten.
Biography[]
- "In a former life, the sadistic Doctor Edward Richtofen stood at the forefront of research into the mysterious Element 115 - and its potential applications for Group 935's Wonder Weapon program. Now, his grand plans for a brave new world guide him down a dangerous path toward an uncertain future..."
- — Richtofen's bio for Call of Duty: Black Ops III[1].
Losing his parents[]
On July 17th, 1898, Edward Richtofen's parents died. Guiding himself, on August 11th, 1906, Richtofen began his studies at Heidelberg University, under the tutelage of Doctor Ludvig Maxis. Having lost his parents, Richtofen came to view him as a father figure.
Joining Group 935[]
Years later, on July 3rd, 1912, Richtofen and Maxis joined Group 935, a organization dedicated to improving the human condition.
At some point after joining the group, Richtofen encountered a future version of himself, who gave him two blood vials and instructed him to keep it safe.
On August 25th, 1916, the journal of a Sir Pablo Marinus, Knight of the Great War between humanity and the Apothicons from the 13th century, is discovered by Group 935. In Pablo's journal, he documented The Great War, including all he had learned about the Keepers, Apothicons, and Element 115. Regarding Element 115's power, he noted that a site in Northern France contains massive deposits of the element.
On March 23rd, 1917, using information gathered from Pablo's Journal, Group 935 began work at a dig site in northern France, where they discover a series of underground tombs. A month later, after finding the main chamber, but unable to access it, soldiers listened to a Gramophone to alleviate their frustration. When listening to a recording of "La Source Noire", the entrance to the main chamber unexpectedly opens. The camp's exposure to Element 115 began. Using information from Pablo's journal and the tomb's main chamber, Maxis drew schematics for the creation of four Elemental Staffs and instructed Richtofen to begin their construction.
On September 22nd, 1917, Richtofen noted that in spite of Group 935's progress at the dig site, he was troubled by Maxis' growing obsession with Pablo's diary and with Element 115.
On May 13th, 1918, Richtofen learned from Pablo's journal that the northern France dig site may be the single largest deposit of Element 115 on Earth. He believes this explains why it has affected so many at the site. Maxis, who is now completely obsessed with a girl in his head named Samantha Maxis, who is his daughter from the Original Timeline who had traveled through a rift to gain his help in freeing her from Agartha, and on May 14th, 1918, swore he would not serve Group 935's mission in order to advance his own agenda with Samantha.
Freeing Samantha[]
On June 4th, 1918, Element 115 completely awakened the undead knights from The Great War and quickly consumed the camp. Maxis was rendered catatonic by the element. Richtofen removed his brain before he turned. American spy "Tank" Dempsey, Russian spy Nikolai Belinski, and Japanese spy Takeo Masaki unite with Richtofen on the battlefield and help free Samantha from her imprisonment in Agartha. The four uniting marks the return of Primis from the original Great War, as the group were reincarnated versions of them. Samantha, who had been freed and sent to the House, then sent Primis to their next destination. Maxis' brain arrived in Agartha and Doctor Monty, a Keeper, decided to step in. Monty brought Maxis' brain to the house and wiped the Maxis' corrupted by the Dark Aether from existence. Monty revealed his plan to build his perfect world and instructed Maxis to retrieve a book called the Kronorium, which contains the location of another artifact known as the Summoning Key. Maxis in turn relayed this task to Richtofen.
Securing a better tomorrow[]
- "I am so sorry, I really don't have time to explain. I have a universe to set right. Thank you, und goodbye."
- — Richtofen, to the Shadows of Evil crew
Richtofen, through unknown means, managed to make contact with his undead self in the original timeline, and instructed him to pursue a group of survivors: Abigail "Misty" Briarton, Marlton Johnson, Samuel J. Stuhlinger, and Russman, collectively known as Victis. Through a shared connection with his Ultimis counterpart, Richtofen was able to speak to Stuhlinger telepathically, due to the latter having consumed zombie meat and being able to hear Ultimis Richtofen initially. Using this, Richtofen convinced Stuhlinger to get the others to follow his plan. They jumped to a Broken Arrow base on June 24th, 1996 to acquire a shard of Element 115, then arrived at the Empty Earth, where an alternate Maxis built Zero Base to house various artifacts, including the Kronorium. Once the Kronorium was acquired, Richtofen then made his way back to Dimension 63 in July 4th, 1941, with the construction of the Alcatraz lab completed. At the same time, the Victis group arrives and hands him the Kronorium. He then read it, and discovers various excerpts documenting the fates of Richtofen and various other individuals. He then wrote "I know what I must do - E.R. 4/7/41" in one of the pages, then traveled briefly to Zero Base to meet his undead self and acquired four blood vials of Victis. He then jumped back to Alcatraz in Dimension 63 in 1934, 8 days before the execution of Billy Handsome, Salvatore "Sal" DeLuca and Michael "Finn" O'Leary, and acquired blood samples of the latter two, contained in 4 blood vials. He traveled further back in time to give two of them to a younger version of himself. He jumped back to July 4th, 1941, and then put the Victis group in cryogenic sleep, preserving them for when they are needed next. Moments after, a future version of Richtofen, along with Dempsey, Nikolai and Takeo arrived, and received blood samples of the Victis group from the younger Richtofen.
Acquiring the Summoning Key[]
Once the Primis group left, Richtofen then set off for his next destination: Morg City in Dimension 63, where he attempted to intercept a reporter who had just retrieved the Key, locked inside a crate sealed with magic. In self-defense, Richtofen killed the reporter, and placed the crate containing the Key in a truck in the back alley of Easy Street in Morg, due to being unable to break through the magic seal. Richtofen watched behind the scenes as four individuals residing in Morg City were manipulated by the Shadowman into using the Key to unleash the Apothicons upon the city, and their attempts to assist the Keepers in preventing the apocalypse. After the massive Apothicon in the sky was defeated, Richtofen arrived and swiped the Key from the Keepers, thanking the four Morg residents for their efforts, before leaving. With the Key acquired, Richtofen then jumped to Dimension 2210, and acquires an innocent Richtofen soul, which would be sent to the House and be known as Eddie. As Eddie's soul was collected, within the Summoning Key, the Shadowman whispered: "I'll be seeing you...".
Killing Ultimis Richtofen: Deceptio Fracture[]
- "What can I say Dempsey? Things change (...) I am no fool! For what I do... I do only to secure a better tomorrow."
- — Primis Richtofen explaining why he killed his Ultimis self to Primis Dempsey and Nikolai.
Primis Dempsey, Nikolai and Takeo, having been teleported to the original dimension in 1943 and somehow learned of Richtofen's travels, formed a plan to stop him. In the following two years, they traveled across dimensions, following Richtofen's trails and encountering various versions of himself at the same time. They return to the original dimension and meet at the Der Riese facility on October 13th, 1945, just moments after Ultimis Richtofen trapped Maxis and Samantha in the teleporter with Fluffy. Dempsey, Nikolai and Takeo confront Ultimis Richtofen, telling him that there is a chain of events that must be carried out, and prompt him to awaken the original versions of themselves.
As the zombie horde approach them from outside, Richtofen ignores the three's warning and turns on the teleporter, only to find Primis Richtofen inside. Primis Richtofen then shoots the Ultimis Richtofen in the head, killing him instantly. This triggers a fracturization across the original timeline. While the group expresses disappointment in Richtofen for tampering with history, he defends his action, believing that what he does will be to secure a better future. While the others fend off the zombies, Richtofen pretends to use the Summoning Key to acquire the original Richtofen's soul, which Dempsey notices. Eventually, the four activate a beacon in the facility, allowing Maxis from another dimension to locate them.
Killing Ultimis Dempsey: Deceptio Fracture[]
- "You should trust me Dempsey. You all should. This artifact has the power to contain and preserve the subject's soul. YOUR soul. But it can only be done after the moment of death, just as you saw me do to my other self. It is the only way."
- — Richtofen, to Dempsey, explaining why Ultimis Dempsey must die.
After acquiring a Giant Robot from the Der Riese facility, the four pursue the scattered remains of Group 935 to Griffin Castle, codenamed "Eagle's Nest", on November 5th, 1945. The Germans had captured Ultimis Dempsey's cryo chamber from being experimented on by Ultimis Richtofen and planned to bring him to Griffin Station, now fully ran by Dr. Groph in Ultimis Richtofen's "absence", with Primis close behind until a German soldier fires a Panzerschreck at the Giant Robot, disabling it before it could retrieve Ultimis Dempsey. After arriving at Griffin Castle, the young four watch as a rocket containing the Ultimis Dempsey launches to the Moon. After making radio contact with Dr. Groph, Richtofen masquerades as his Ultimis, older self in order to fool Groph. However, Groph becomes suspicious of Richtofen's change of personality and announces him as an imposter. Using the Death Ray, the young four manage to bring the rocket containing the Ultimis Dempsey back to the castle, much to Groph's anger, who activates a failsafe so they couldn't touch the chamber.
Using the Vril Device obtaining from the crash site, the young four awaken a ghost Keeper and help it return it to its physical form before it returns the favor and brings the M.P.D. from the Moon to the castle. However, the Keeper becomes corrupted, forcing the four to battle it, eventually defeating it. After defeating it, Groph expresses his extreme anger, vowing to destroy them and the castle itself. In order to tie up these loose ends, the four use the Summoning Key to launch several missiles towards the Moon, destroying it, ultimately destroying Griffin Station and killing any Group 935 scientist at the station, including Groph. After walking towards Ultimis Dempsey's cryo chamber, Richtofen activates the Summoning Key, forcing the others to levitate in the air.
Here, Richtofen's plan is revealed to the others. Richtofen plans to kill the Ultimis versions of themselves to be put in the Summoning Key like he supposedly did with his own at the Der Riese facility. When Dempsey himself sadly put his older self down, Richtofen briefly comforted him after it was done, showing that he had laid his previous dislike of Dempsey off to the side. Richtofen then captures the Ultimis Dempsey's soul in the Key.
Killing Ultimis Takeo: Proditione Fracture[]
Richtofen and the other three then travel to a different fractured timeline, to an island, arriving on a Japanese vessel heading for a Division 9 Facility on October 18th, 1945, before being caught and the Summoning key being taken away from him. A brief fight ensues with the Japanese soldiers with Richtofen burning one alive before he notices the Key rolling toward the ocean, luckily Takeo had managed to barely catch the Key by his fingertips much to Richtofen's relief. The four then are forced to swim to a nearby island after the ship blows up. Later, Richtofen was present when the Ultimis Takeo Masaki was cured from being a Thrasher to collect his soul.
Stop at Alcatraz[]
- "Call it... our insurance policy, in case we don't like where we end up."
- — Richtofen on the Blood Vials.
After the Ultimis Takeo honorably sacrificed himself for a better future, Richtofen then preserved his soul. Initially Dempsey suggested going after the Ultimis Nikolai but Richtofen said a "chain of events " must be set in motion. Realizing that he wants to save his three comrades from their eventual fate, Richtofen then takes them to Alcatraz on July 4th, 1941, where he meets his younger self and acquires the Victis blood samples.
Killing Ultimis Nikolai: Agonia Fracture[]
Primis then jump to another fractured timeline, in a war-torn Stalingrad on November 6th, 1945, to kill the Ultimis Nikolai and place his soul in the Summoning Key. Eventually the four are teleported out of the sky and parachute in front of Ultimis Nikolai's mech while he is distracted with vodka and listening to "The Ace of Spades" on his radio.
Upon seeing them the Ultimis Nikolai attempts to kill them until a dragon throws him into a building. After encountering SOPHIA, Richtofen and the group assist her in acquiring interdimensional travel knowledge, helping her to reunite with Maxis. Later, Richtofen and the others make a temporary truce with the Ultimis Nikolai in order to kill the dragon. Afterward, Richtofen and the other three demand Ultimis Nikolai to surrender to which he refuses and betrays them. After the Primis Nikolai kills his Ultimis self, Richtofen opens a portal in the sky with Maxis' help and lights a beacon from the Summoning Key which releases the Ultimis Nikolai, Takeo and Dempsey. After this, he calls to Maxis, telling him that they'll be meeting him soon.
Return to the House and the Final Battle: Agartha[]
Soon after the events of Gorod Krovi, Richtofen along with the rest of the Primis crew finally arrive at the house. There Richtofen reunites with Maxis, the two then destroy the MTD to ensure the house would remain safe. Letting his guard down Richtofen leaves the Soul key on a table unaware of who was trapped within. The voice inside calls out to Maxis and influences him due to his lack of soul making him easy to control. Maxis opens the Soul key releasing the Shadowman inside, exploring his new surroundings, he opens a portal to Agartha and unleashes an Apothicon invasion. Monty enlists the help of the Primis crew to defeat the Shadowman and save his perfect world from destruction.
With the help of Maxis and S.O.P.H.I.A, Primis manages to kill the Shadowman and banish the Apothicons to places unknown. As the world returns to normal Monty becomes concerned as Primis remains in front of him. Noticing the empty blood vials he becomes angered claiming that they are putting his realm at risk. Initially he decides to simply wipe them from existence but decides to instead send them somewhere else. The 4 then end up in the year 1299, in northern France just as the Great war comes to an end causing the cycle to continue.
Breaking the Cycle and Death[]
- "No! No, you can help me! You're a doctor! Wait! Don't you know who I am? I have been witness to miracles and calamities, dimensions born and collapsed! I walk a path no other can take! NO! I want to be me. THE ONE WHO DID ALL THE HARD WORK! I wanted to keep going. This me... I was the nicest one. And you won't even remember."
- — Richtofen pleads his older self to save him, moments before his death.
In a new iteration of the cycle, Primis enters the pocket dimension of Alcatraz to pick up the blood vials. Ending up far from their intended target, the group enters the underground lab and find another Richtofen. He gives the vials to the group and instructs Richtofen to re-read the Kronorium. Richtofen scans through pages exclaiming that pages have changed and that his blood is needed. He becomes enraged and throws the Kronorium before hearing a horde of zombies. The group then makes their escape but before entering the portal Brutus destroys it trapping the group within the twisted version of Alctraz.
Beside a mysterious machine known as the Dark Mechanism, The Primis crew battle against Brutus, Whom is being resurrected time and time again. Richtofen realized what the Kronorium meant and that the machine was intended to draw his blood, and stepped inside, sacrificing himself to free the others.
With Brutus finally unable to resurrect, the rest of Primis is joined by a post-Revelations Richtofen, who awakened from a cryogenic chamber which he had been sent to from the Great War, taking a moment to realize where he was, he would soon realize he was in the lab under Alcatraz and appeared to be excited at the situation, stating "Oh schiesse, mein head! Where? When am I? The Lab? Alcatraz! This is wunderbar! Let's investigate, shall we?" wanting to see what was occurring he would then run up to and enter the area in which the other Primis members were engaging the warden, using a gemstone to free the zombies spirits from Alcatraz and take down the warden. Post-Revelations Richtofen informed them that the future had changed, the future Richtofen handed Nikolai the Kronorium telling him he would need to read it to defeat Monty, and that Nikolai had to keep his soul to defeat Doctor Monty. The future Richtofen explained that the cycle was broken, and that he wished he could say he was sorry to his younger self. While telling him this, he would also be taking the Summoning key and blood vials from him. The remainder of the Primis members and the original Dimention 63 Richtofen entered through one portal each, leaving the new Richtofen alone and scared, the machine continuing to drain his blood.
Recruiting Ultimis: Original Timeline[]
In order to prepare for the coming battle; Primis makes a stop at Groom Lake to gain some allies. Within Hanger 4 the Ultimis crew were being held seemingly after the events of Moon, With Richtofen also retaining his body. As Ultimis Nikolai expresses glee at being able to drink uninterrupted, Primis Nikolai emerged from a portal asking his alternate self if drowning his sorrows in vodka is the best choice. The Primis crew rallies their alternate selves and recruit them to fight in the coming battle. Primis Richtofen, as well as the rest of the Primis members except for Nikolai appear silent during this meeting, he does all of the talking to their Ultimis counterparts. As they each face their alternate selves Ultimis Dempsey asks Primis Nikolai "What kind of war?" to which he replies "A war unlike any other that you have seen. A Great war."
Visiting Camp Edward: Original Timeline[]
Both the Ultimis and Primis versions of Richtofen, alongside their comrades, made their way to Camp Edward in Nevada in an attempt to gain access to the Elemental Shard. There, they were assisted by the Broken Arrow A.I Rushmore in crafting special variants of the Ray Gun Mark 2, as well as defeating Cornelius Pernell, who had taken control over the undead in the facility and renamed himself "Avogadro". Meanwhile, Eddie, the child version of Richtofen that was in Agartha was, along with Samantha, teleported to Camp Edward by Maxis in an attempt to save the children from a wrathful Doctor Monty. All three Richtofens were present when Samantha gave a speech regarding the group's plan to destroy the Aether and kill Monty.
The End[]
Sometime after their journey to Camp Edward, Ultimis and Primis made their way to a forest, where they celebrated the eventual destruction of Element 115 and the Apothicons. All of them unconscious, save for the children, Primis Nikolai, and Ultimis Richtofen. Later, Nikolai informed Samantha with Eddie nearby that she was the only person who is able to kill "the one who perpetrated all of this". After Victis retrieves the Agarthan Device, it is transported to Ultimis Richtofen and Primis Nikolai, with the rest of the crew having apparently poisoned and dead around them, including Primis Richtofen.
Journal Entries[]
Richtofen's first letter.
- "September 22, 1917
When we began the site excavation, our group could not have predicted the dark path down which our work would lead us.
The Doctor remains both adamant and optomistic (sic) that the potential applications for the new found element are worth the associated risks. I concur with the sentiment, but feel increasingly anxious as to the changes I am seeing in my oldest friend..." - — Edward Richtofen
Edward Richtofen's second letter.
- "May 13, 1918
The journal of Pablo Marinus has been a most valuable source of information... We now stand at the edge of a brave new world. Our survey of the site has led us to believe that this location may hold the largest single source of 115 yet discovered. We have been authorized to begin work immediately...
Maxis has become obsessed, he neglects the true focus of our mission and instead chases legends and myths. I fear that the girl's influence may have irrevocably poisoned his mind. It is with considerable regret that I must report his current mental instability to Group 935's leaders..." - — Edward Richtofen
- "Final entry
In just a few short months, Group 935's work with Element 115 has allowed the Wonder Weapon program to progress at a rate beyond our wildest expectation.
However, our work was not without consequence.
The ancient evil unleashed from the mound has carved a path of terror and destruction across the entirety of the camp. With Maxis too having succumbed to the sickness, I am forced to take drastic action to preserve what remains of his mind.
I now face an uncertain future, alone." - — Edward Richtofen
Personality[]
- Primis Richtofen: "You really should try to calm down, Edward. You're a bit... dramatic."
- Ultimis Richtofen: "Dramatic? *gasp* ME? Mein life is practically a Shakespearean tradgedy!"
- — Conversation between Primis and Ultimis Richtofen in Blackout.
With his sanity intact, Richtofen's personality is completely different from his Ultimis counterpart. He appears level-headed but paranoid possibly due to exposure to Element 115 in France. He appears more unskilled due to only being a field scientist and does not go into battle often, but attempts to keep focused nevertheless. He appears more fearful of the zombies and is more cautious for his own survival.
After some time staying in the House, Richtofen becomes more cheerful as evident when greeting Victis. However, throughout his journey in acquiring the souls for the Summoning Key, Richtofen takes on a more serious, grim personality, rarely ever smiling or cracking jokes. His sudden acquisition of knowledge from the Kronorium, along with repeated dimensional traveling, also made him mentally unstable at times, repeating phrases throughout and misremembering events. He makes attempts to comfort the others after their respective souls are secured, showing a much more human and empathic side than his Ultimis counterpart.
However, it becomes apparent in Blood of the Dead that, most likely due to dimensional bleeding, the Ultimis personality has an influence, as a good amount of Richtofen's quotes are very reminiscent of his more inhumane, World War II counterpart. This goes for all other characters in the Primis group as well, as their personalities are much more like their Ultimis counterparts when compared to their first appearances Origins.
In Classified's Round 150 ending cutscene, where Post-Revelations Primis Richtofen appears, he and the other members of the Primis group appear to be silent, and do not exchange any words with their Ultimis counterparts, except for Primis Nikolai. Richtofen does not respond to his Ultimis counterpart's reaction to reuniting after the comic's events.
In Alpha Omega, Primis Richtofen is seen to be extremely sarcastic and abrasive to his comrades. The exact reason for this is unknown, but his personality returns to what it usually was in Tag der Toten.
Appearances[]
Gallery[]
Call of Duty: Black Ops II[]
Call of Duty: Black Ops III[]
Call of Duty: Zombies Comic[]
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4[]
Call of Duty: Heroes[]
Videos[]
Trivia[]
Call of Duty: Black Ops II[]
- In the trailer for Origins, two vials of blood are seen on Richtofen's player model, one has Salvatore "Sal" DeLuca's serial number written on it, "386A", the other vial has Michael "Finn" O'Leary's serial number, "481B". He continues to carry these two vials in Black Ops III.
- In one of the ciphers in Origins, it is said that Primis Richtofen studied at Heidelberg University. It is unknown if he shares the same background with Ultimis Richtofen.
- In Origins, Richtofen's eyes are green even though his Ultimis counterpart's eyes are actually blue. However, this was fixed in Black Ops III.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III[]
- In Der Eisendrache, Richtofen will mention his favorite Wolf Bow painting is the third one.
- In the ending cutscene in Der Eisendrache, it is evident that Richtofen seems to no longer hate Dempsey; after Dempsey euthanized his Original timeline version, Richtofen briefly comforted him - showing that despite the long hatred throughout the series in both timelines, Richtofen has let go of these feelings along with Dempsey to achieve a common goal.
- However in Zetsubou No Shima, Dempsey and Richtofen mock each other in a joking manner a few times and Dempsey is still suspicious of Richtofen, showing that the two don't hate each other, but rather do not think too highly of one another.
- In Der Eisendrache, Richtofen's character model now has a small cut under his right eye, similar to the original timeline Richtofen.
- One of his quotes in Der Eisendrache states that he once put his hands in the Pack-a-Punch machine to enhance himself, which failed.
- Richtofen has a belt buckle with his name on it; this is not seen in Origins.
- According to a quote from Richtofen himself on Gorod Krovi, he is starting to develop back problems.
- According to Dr. Monty in Revelations, Richtofen has a desperate need to feel appreciated, and sleeps with a teddy bear.
- He also mentions that Richtofen's favorite song is "My Way", and that Richtofen does not enjoy spicy food.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4[]
- The jumpscare of Primis Richtofen in Classified originates from the ending cutscene of Shadows of Evil, albeit on last-gen consoles. This version of the cutscene was heavily ridiculed by the community for it's low-quality animation, and Richtofen in this version of the cinematic subsequently became a meme, known as "Last-Gen Richtofen".
- Throughout the rest of the Aether story maps, both Primis and Ultimis Richtofen describe themselves or are described as "the nicest one". This is a reference to the Blood of the Dead ending, where a dying Richtofen says that "[he] was the nicest one".
- Notably, Primis Richtofen has grown a hatred of Barriers by Blood of the Dead, cursing it as menial labour and fretting over the crooked angles of the boards - suggesting mild Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
References[]
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