- "Trained as a Green Beret, Adler entered the CIA's Special Activities Division in 1959, after which he only appears sporadically in the Agency's records. While an undisputed leader, he is an enigma to all that serve with him."
- — In-game biography
Special Officer Russell Adler is the deuteragonist to antagonist featured in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. He is a CIA agent charged with stopping the mysterious Soviet agent codenamed Perseus. Adler is described as "America's monster" with a "dark charisma".[1] He later serves as the protagonist of the post-launch seasonal narrtive for Black Ops Cold War, going up against Vikhor "Stitch" Kuzmin.
Adler is also a playable Operator of the NATO faction in Black Ops Cold War and Call of Duty: Warzone.
Biography[]
Background[]
Born on February 12th, 1937. Russell Adler enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1955 and qualified for U.S. Army Special Forces in 1957. He was recruited into Central Intelligence Agency in 1959.
Russell Adler later joined the Special Activities Division in 1966 and was assigned to the MACV-SOG in 1967 to investigate Soviet activity in Vietnam. On 26 January 1968, during Operation Fracture Jaw, Adler found minor intel that hinted towards the existence of legendary KGB agent Perseus. Shortly afterwards, he defended Firebase Ripcord alongside Lawrence Sims and other MACV-SOG operatives until they were able to extract the nuclear device from the base. Bell's supposedly false memories in "Break on Through" are Adler's memories of his combat in Vietnam.
After Vietnam, Adler disappeared from and only sporadically appears in the CIA's records but continued to be affiliated with a number of clandestine operations. His deep knowledge of covert tactics, fluency in Russian and German, and mastery of espionage make him one of the few key operatives that the CIA can consistently rely upon.[2] One such operation was the raid of Rebirth Island, in which he was responsible for capturing and interrogating Vikhor Kuzmin, a Soviet operative in charge of overseeing Nova 6's production on the island. Despite his interrogations, Adler was unable to force Kuzmin to disclose any critical information; in retaliation for what Lev Kravchenko did to fellow CIA operative Grigori Weaver back at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Adler stabbed Kuzmin's left eye with a knife.
1981[]
On January 13th, 1981, during a mission with Frank Woods and Alex Mason in Turkey, Adler discovered that the Soviet agent Perseus became active and four days later Jason Hudson tasked Adler to build a team to track down and eliminate Perseus. During his mission, he came across an injured operative of Perseus, who he subsequently captured and brainwashed into falsely believing they were a CIA agent who served with Adler in Vietnam, alongside nicknaming the operative "Bell".
Despite breaking through the conditioning, Bell still managed to assist Adler and his allies in stopping Perseus' plot to detonate nukes across Europe. Adler would take Bell to a cliffside, telling them they were a hero for making sacrifices to stop Perseus. Adler would then tell Bell that they had to make one last sacrifice, and that it wasn't personal before both individuals drew their pistols on each other. The fate of Bell remains unknown, but Adler managed to survive the encounter and return to the CIA.
1984[]
Adler would soon find himself confronting Kuzmin again, where he would be lured into coming to the Mall at the Pines after a raid on a CIA base in West Berlin. Alongside a strike team, Adler arrives at the mall and discovers Nova 6 only to be ambushed by Kuzmin and Perseus soldiers. Under the pseudonym "Stitch", Kuzmin would give the order to kill all of the NATO operatives - save for Adler. A firefight ensued, which ended with Adler being captured by Stitch and transported onto a helicopter.
By April 19th, 1984, Adler was reported by Kapano "Naga" Vang to be headed to Verdansk. At the same time Frank Woods, Karla Rivas, Terrel Wolf and a small strike team chased after Naga and his men near a camp in Laos.
Weeks later, Hudson contacted Wolf for a sit-rep and news on Adler. The team was overwhelmed, but managed to survive the assault. They found a safehouse where Nova 6 barrels were being stored, but discovered that they were empty decoys used to draw in Adler. The team interrogated the remaining Perseus operatives and searched for additional intel, indicating activity in Verdansk. Hudson ordered the strike team to move to Verdansk and "bring our boy home".
On June 2nd, Stitch ordered Perseus operatives Freya "Wraith" Helvig and Roman "Knight" Gray to retrieve Dragovich's data on brainwashing from a base in Mount Yamantau. With the data, Stitch attempted to brainwash Adler with the same method used by Dragovich and Steiner on Alex Mason. Adler was rescued on June 10th and brought back into NATO's fold.
On June 26th, two satellites collectively known as the "Jumpseat Constellation" were crashed by Perseus operative Owethu "Jackal" Mabuza. One lands in Verdansk, while the other lands in Algeria. A day after, Adler alongside Jabari Salah and other NATO operatives head to the crash site in Algeria to secure a data recorder from the satellite. Adler charged into the firefight, acting of his own accord by stealing the data recorder and lying that it must have burnt up on re-entry.
After his outing in Algeria, Adler began working off the grid on an unknown project in Verdansk. During a private meeting between Woods and Hudson, the two came to the conclusion that Adler had been compromised. With this in mind, Hudson ordered Woods to have Mason capture Adler.
- "Oh god, what have I done?"
- — Adler, upon having his mind restored
On August 2nd, 1984, Mason apprehended Adler and brought him to the same interrogation room that Hudson and Grigori Weaver put Mason in after killing Fredrich Steiner 16 years prior. While there, Mason managed to snap Adler out of his Perseus brainwashing. Along with Woods and Hudson, Mason and Adler traveled to Verdansk to investigate a series of explosions in Verdansk.
On August 19th, the team found Stitch at Perseus' grave in the woods of Verdansk. Adler, now free of his brainwashing, confronted Stitch at gunpoint with a 1911. Stitch attempted to activate Adler's conditioning, but failed as Adler revealed that the brainwashing was broken. Adler demanded the whereabouts of Perseus, but Stitch explained to him that the original spy Perseus had died years prior in 1983 due to cancer, and that he was survived by the Perseus spy ring. Adler resolved to executing Stitch, which he accepted before adding that he already changed the world. Adler executed Stitch with a shot to the back of the head.
Five days later on August 24th, Adler and his team entered an abandoned Nazi bunker in Verdansk, where they encountered now-retired Captain Carver Butcher of the SOE. Explaining his presence at the bunker, Butcher went on to explain how after World War II, the Allies hunted down whatever Nazi forces remained – starting in Caldera.
Personalization[]
Skins[]
| Name | Rarity | Image | How to obtain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain Drab | Base | 
|
In Multiplayer, get 10 kills with Scorestreaks or Killstreaks. |
| Beirut | Rare | 
|
Part of "Renegade" Skin Operator Mission: In Zombies, spend 50000 Essence. |
| Boarding Party | Rare | 
|
Battle Pass Season Four Tier 50 |
| Bright Star | Rare | 
|
Part of "Renegade" Skin Operator Mission |
| Globetrotter | Rare | 
|
Part of "Traveler" Skin Operator Mission |
| Iron Delta | Rare | 
|
Part of "Renegade" Skin Operator Mission |
| Lighthouse | Rare | 
|
Part of "Renegade" Skin Operator Mission: In Zombies, get 50 kills with lethal equipment. |
| Navigator | Rare | 
|
Part of "Boarding Party" Skin Operator Mission |
| Renegade | Rare | 
|
Battle Pass Season Two Tier 20 |
| Spotter | Rare | 
|
Part of "Boarding Party" Skin Operator Mission |
| Summit | Rare | 
|
Part of "Traveler" Skin Operator Mission |
| Traveler | Rare | 
|
Battle Pass Season One Tier 1 |
| Agent Zero | Epic | 
|
Battle Pass Season Six Tier 0 |
| Base Jumper | Epic | 
|
Battle Pass Season One Tier 90 |
| Confidential | Epic | 
|
Black Ops Cold War Starter Pack Bundle |
| Dapper | Epic | 
|
Agent Adler Bundle |
| Detective | Epic | 
|
Double Agent Bundle |
| Duress | Epic | 
|
Part of "Agent Zero" Skin Operator Mission |
| Gauntlet | Epic | 
|
Field General Bundle |
| Glitz | Epic | 
|
Part of "Base Jumper" Skin Operator Mission |
| Miami | Epic | 
|
Miami Nights Bundle |
| Ranger | Epic | 
|
Scout Team Bundle |
| Razor Wire | Epic | 
|
Platoon Sergeant Bundle |
| Red | Epic | 
|
Shamrocked Bundle |
| Retrieval | Epic | 
|
Part of "Agent Zero" Skin Operator Mission: Deal 10000 total damage. |
| Stalker | Epic | 
|
Part of "Base Jumper" Skin Operator Mission |
| Sterling | Epic | 
|
Silver Fox Bundle |
| Wetlander | Epic | 
|
River Slasher Bundle |
| Ambassador | Legendary | 
|
Game Fuel's Exclusive Content (US only) |
| Free Spirit | Legendary | 
|
Tracer Pack: Poison Sky Mastercraft Bundle |
| Gunslinger | Legendary | 
|
Most Wanted Bundle |
| Life Guard | Legendary | 
|
Tracer Pack: Fireworks Bundle |
| Tortured & Rescued | Legendary | 
|
Complete all Black Ops Cold War or Warzone challenges for Hunt for Adler event (initially) Log into Warzone during Season Three (Between April 30th, 2021 and June 16th, 2021)[3] |
| Cipher | Ultra | 
|
Tracer Pack: Brain Washed Reactive Bundle |
Call of Duty: Warzone[]
Adler is mentioned in several intel pieces in Call of Duty: Warzone. The intels relate to his investigation into Perseus, who had ties with Imran Zakhaev. He is also playable as an Operator with the purchase of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
Call of Duty: Mobile[]
Adler could be unlocked for Call of Duty: Mobile as a playable character by playing the Multiplayer Open Beta of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.[4] He was later added in the Season 13: Winter War Battle Pass.[5] Adler is also a character in the Comics.
Adler first appears in the Season 11 Anniversary comic. Ghost, who has met up with the rest of his fellow operators in The Club after an EMP attack launched by the Five Knights, is introduced to Adler by Captain Price after he admits that they have no way to combat the new threat presented by them. Adler says that they do have ways to combat the new threat, and then inducts the operators into the United Anti-Terrorism Coalition. He ends off the statement by saying "Ladies and gentlemen, we're going dark."
Adler and the rest of the team start to plan out their assault on Five Knights locations. When asked on how they would coordinate or even reach those locations, Adler presents the team with Swiss mechanical watches, which are unaffected by EMPs. Price also notes that Adler is not the only Cold War relic in operational state in the bunker, indicating an old helicopter. During all of this, a character named Templar is preparing himself, and he appears to have a personal grudge against the operators of the Coalition. The Coalition begins striking 3 key sites of the Five Knights simultaneously; Price and Soap lead an assault team on the Communication Centre, Mara and her team storm in at the Command Center in Alcatraz, while Ghost and Tank strike a production facility in Hackney Yard.
Later, Price, Ghost and Adler discuss the aftermath of their joint operation; Mace is in a Black Site facing interrogation, Templar and Hidora are in the wind, Soap is injured but will be battle ready within a few weeks. It is further revealed that Mara made it out alive, but was wounded badly and is in a coma. Ghost admits that they won the battle and takes an oath that he will "Win the War."
As Ghost expresses grief for not being able to save Tank and the fact that they don't have enough time and intel, Adler comforts him by saying that they do have intel and mentions that there is a place in Siberia from where Makarov possibly got the Nova Gas from. He then says that it's coming all around the same way like it did during his days, and narrates his story. Some time during the Cold War, Adler led a small team into a Soviet facility in Siberia along with his friend Stansfield. They had found out crucial information about something that the Five Knights could also have gotten their hands on, and eventually carried out. However, when tried to exfil, they were surrounded by a large group of enemies, and Stansfield stayed behind to cover their escape, only to be shot dead, which Adler could do nothing but watch in horror. Back in present day, Adler finishes his story by saying that both Stansfield and Tank knew what they were doing, and so should Ghost. When Ghost questions if the research facility is of any more importance, Adler says that there might be something left in there, although it will be a long shot. Ghost agrees and says that he will take it, to which Adler responds that they will have to wait, and Ghost must not rush for revenge. Ghost in response says that this is not about revenge, and they must get the intel before the Five Knights do. Adler replies that they cannot risk to lose any more men as the Five Knights already hit other bases hard, and tells Ghost that he must be patient. Ghost takes it for an excuse to do nothing and walks away, much to Adler's dismay.
When Price cannot find Ghost, he comes to Soap asking for his whereabouts. Adler comes to them saying that he knows where Ghost is, and he is "doing something stupid". When Price asks what Adler has done, he replies that he told Ghost about the operation in Siberia.
Adler reappears again sometime later, arriving on the Ghosts' ship via helicopter. He suspects that as he hasn't heard from Price's team that has been dispatched to Texas to locate Templar, they may have most likely fallen into a trap. He discusses the matter with Captain Merrick, and then later visits their German Shepherd Riley.
Later, Adler is shown to have arrived in Texas, greeting Gabriel Rorke just as he was attempting to get his location out of Price. Rorke mocks Adler for coming to him so soon, to which Adler replies that he's brought backup, which Rorke scoffs at. Adler then says that he's brought an "old friend"--a statement that leaves Templar in denial, as he says "Impossible". The "old friend" is revealed to be Ghost, apparently alive and accompanied by Riley, who shocks everyone with his arrival as he says his famous line, "You can't kill a Ghost".
Adler attempts to prevent Rorke from escaping afterwards when he heads to an underground bunker to exfil via helicopter. He manages to graze him on the ear but fails to stop him from leaving as Dame thwarts him. Later on, when Adler leads the rest of his group outside, they stumble upon the dead body of Mara, leaving them all devastated.
Later on, Adler rendezvouses with Shepherd on his ship with Soap & Alex Keller. Rorke manages to escape despite his ship sustaining significant damage as he drops naval mines in the UAC’s path to delay their pursuit. Adler however, isn’t concerned about his getaway as he had apparently reached out to his contacts in South America, noting that there’s only one place where he could be headed.
Adler doesn’t appear for a period of time until the UAC’s mission into Blackout. Although it’s stated by Shepherd that Adler is coordinating their attacks from another location, he is ultimately revealed to be the 5th Knight, as Ghost encounters him in a surveillance room behind a bookshelf, via a key card that Templar had given him earlier. Ghost is enraged upon learning that Adler had apparently betrayed them, but he insists that everything he’s done was for the sake of his country. He goes on to state that the whole thing is a “false flag”; a scenario where a country launches an attack on itself disguised as an enemy to start a war.
Ghost asks if Adler wanted a war, to which he replies that a war was coming whether he wanted it or not, and that he created one that could be managed before the one that could tear down the US could start. He tells Ghost that the Soviets are still around; 14 months ago in the Texas black-site, the nuclear missile launches were actually an attempt to frame Makarov, that they could've gotten to him, his inner circle, the Russian extremist group, the hidden S.S.R. Ghost is appalled that Adler has killed thousands of his friends and sent civilization reeling, but he justifies it as it was so that they could build back better, quoting Thomas Jefferson's "the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
His attempt to frame Makarov worked as he took the blame, and later sent Mace to assassinate him. Although Mace succeeded in his mission, Makarov used a double and tricked them. Seeing it as an opportunity to get rid of multiple birds with one stone, he gathered extensive funds during his time in the C.I.A., millions of dollars of missing C.I.A. funds, as a gift from his friend Hudson. He had a new operation on his hand, and 4 more evils had to die: Rorke, Hidora, Menendez, Makarov.
Adler iterates that Mace was just a puppet, but a useful one, and had his fair share of war crimes stacked up against him; Rorke was an old C.I.A. asset who went rogue in South America and he had been trying to get rid of him for years; Menendez had been trying to start his revolution for years, and was a real threat to their democracy; Hidora had been moving billions of dollars for Makarov and the Soviets, with his death the Soviet funds would suffer in the long run; Makarov is the real threat to the world, and he tells Ghost that if they don't stop him, he will cause WW3 to occur.
As for Templar, Adler had promised to reunite him with his daughter. He also adds that when Ghost was sent to Siberia, he was supposed to kill Makarov. Had he failed, Templar would finish the job. But instead, Ghost and Templar ended up fighting each other.
Adler tells Ghost that it looks like it's the end, but it's in fact just the beginning. Ghost declares that there's no place left for Adler to run, and that he's taking him in. Adler states that he is too old to be put behind bars, but Ghost says he can't let him go, Adler does not expect anything less. Overlooking the island, he remarks that 30,000 men there are all heroes, and that Ghost himself is one too. He starts to take out something from his jacket, but Ghost shoots him before he can do so completely, revealing that he pulled out a lighter.
As Adler falls off the cliff, Ghost receives transmissions from Cpt Price, revealing that a nuke has been launched. Before Ghost can make sense of the situation, the surrounding island explodes into a mushroom cloud, horrifying Ghost. While he watches, Adler mutters the words "I won, Perseus..." in his final moments before dying. The resulting explosion kills all 30,000 men on the island, horrifying Shepherd as well.
Gallery[]
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War[]
Call of Duty: Mobile[]
Trivia[]
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War[]
- Adler's blood type is AB-.
- If asked by "Bell" about the origin of his facial scars, Adler will come up with one of three lies:
- He may cryptically answer that he was once in with the wrong crowd when he was younger, and will vaguely mention that an unnamed girl "wasn't worth it".
- Another story told by Adler is that he was chasing a target when he tried to make a jump off the roof of a building. The jump was successful, but the landing "not so much." He then gives Bell advice to always know where utility poles are.
- He also may state that he was attacked by a tiger during a mission in 1973.
- Following up, Adler will ask Bell if they've ever been attacked by a tiger. Notably, a tiger design is seen on the back of Arash Kadivar's jacket when he betrays Bell.
- When discussing the archival of Soviet intel recovered in Vietnam, Adler tells Bell about his ex-wife. It is not clear whether he is joking or not.
- The Bright Star skin is a reference to the Operation Bright Star exercises; a multinational military exercise held every two years in Egypt since 1980.
- The Gauntlet skin is a reference to Nathan Summers, otherwise known as Cable from Marvel Comics.
- The Beirut skin is in reference to the 1983 Beirut barracks bombings[source needed], an event where two suicide bombers attacked two buildings being used as temporary barracks for the Multinational Forces, primarily that of the USMC and French Army.
- The Wetlander skin is a reference to the 1986 movie Crocodile Dundee and its titular character played by Paul Hogan.
- The Razor Wire skin is a reference to 1986 movie Platoon's character Sergeant Barnes, whom also sports similar facial scars to Adler's.
- The Red skin is a reference to 1985 movie Invasion U.S.A character Matt Hunter portrayed by Chuck Norris.
- The Free Spirit skin is a reference to 1986 movie Top Gun character Pete "Maverick" Mitchell portrayed by Tom Cruise.
Call of Duty: Mobile[]
- In the comics, Adler tells Ghost "You're a goddamn hero kid." This echoes Adler's monologue to "Bell" following The Final Countdown in Call of Duty: Black Ops: Cold War.
References[]
- ↑ Black Ops Cold War arrives with cross-generation, cross-platform play on November 13 - venturebeat.com
- ↑ Black Ops History: Adler and Park - treyarch.com
- ↑ Raven Software on Twitter
- ↑ Get Adler in Call of Duty®: Mobile by Playing the Call of Duty®: Black Ops Cold War Beta - callofduty.com
- ↑ https://twitter.com/PlayCODMobile/status/1341173284600090625
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