- "I am honored to be the first CEO of a private corporation to become a member of the United Nations Security Council. Unfortunately, my appearance today has been clouded by a flurry of speculation that my company is developing a weapon of mass destruction which would be capable of targeting specific ethnic groups. I want to address these allegations head on. Are we developing such a weapon? No we are not. Because we've already developed it. But with all due respect, the United Nations is a relic from a different time when nations were unique in their ability to solve the world's problems. But that just isn't the case anymore. Primarily because you have outsourced the job to me. I have sent people to die in your wars. So I feel uniquely qualified to tell you, your wars don't work! Which is why my priorities have changed; from profits to policy. Because politicians don't know how to solve problems. But I do. So let's be clear. I am here to solve the world's problems. And I believe the world's problems...begin with you."
- — Jonathan Irons, in the introductory cutscene for the campaign mission Collapse
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Jonathan "Jon" Irons is the founder and president of the private military corporation, Atlas Corporation, in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. He starts off as a supporting character for the player, but is then revealed to be the main antagonist throughout the rest of the campaign.
Early life
Little is known about his early life. At some point, Jonathan Irons founded the ATLAS Corporation which would become one of the largest PMCs in the world. Irons would also get married and have a son named Will, who, contrary to Jonathans' pessimistic views about the U.S. government, disappointed his father by joining the United States Marine Corps. Will joked about this by claiming that he enlisted in the Marines in order to stay away from his father.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
After finishing a funeral service for his son Private Will Irons who was killed during an U.S. operation to counter a massive North Korean invasion of Seoul, Jonathan Irons offers Will's close friend Jack Mitchell to join the ATLAS Corporation, the world's most powerful private military contractor, of which Jonathan is CEO. As compensation for his injuries in Seoul, Mitchell is given by Irons an advanced prosthetic arm to replace his severed arm.
Meanwhile, a terrorist group calling itself the KVA led by a Luddite terrorist named "Hades" begins staging numerous terrorist attacks, with the world turning to Atlas to stop them. Mitchell, a notorious Atlas member named Gideon and other ATLAS soldiers rescue the Nigerian prime minister and later rescue a technologist in Lagos during a technology summit. However, the KVA's attacks soon become more sophisticated, and Mitchell and his team fail to prevent the KVA forcing a nuclear reactor meltdown in Seattle.
The KVA launch similar attacks against nuclear power plants worldwide, irradiating numerous cities, killing thousands of people, and putting national governments and militaries in turmoil. ATLAS emerges as the dominant military force in the world, aiding civilians affected by the attacks, and holding back the KVA's rampage.
Four years later in 2059, Mitchell and Gideon search downtown in Detroit to find Dr. Pierre Danois, the KVA's second in command. After having the doctor interrogated by Ilona, an ex-Spetsnaz turned ATLAS, they are able to track Hades down to Santorini, Greece, where KVA leaders are having a conference. The mission is a success as Mitchell manages to kill Hades, finally "ending" the war. Before succumbing to his death, Hades utters "Irons knows", giving Mitchell a data chip with his last breath.
After Hades' death, Irons and Atlas receive international recognition and respect, with many even questioning if Irons would become a politician.
However, Ilona analyzes the data chip given by Hades, only to find the technologist they captured in Nigeria was killed by Irons after the latter learned of the KVA global attack, proving that Irons deliberately allowed the attacks to occur to improve ATLAS' reputation. Irons attempts to have Mitchell and Ilona arrested, but they escape ATLAS' headquarters in New Baghdad, guided by a mysterious man, while Gideon reluctantly stays by Irons' side. The mysterious man happens to beCormack, who reveals that he is part of the Sentinel Task Force, an international effort to prevent Atlas' rise to power.
In 2060, Mitchell, now a Sentinel, infiltrates Irons' private residence in Bangkok. He and Cormack discover that Danois is now collaborating with Irons on "Manticore", a biological weapon. They set up a tracker on the plane carrying the bioweapon bound for Argentina. Sentinel later intercepts the plane, which crashes in Antarctica and defeat the ATLAS soldiers after discovering Irons' intentions for the bioweapon. The team successfully retrieves the WMD, and they are able to take one sample of it. After analyzing the sample, they discover that Manticore is a weapon designed to attack and infect those who are not genetically encoded with Atlas' DNA implants, preventing the harm of their own operatives. The Sentinels, now with Gideon, infiltrate and destroy an Atlas bioweapons laboratory in Bulgaria, eliminating much of the Manticore samples.
With his plot revealed, Irons releases his ultimatum to remove all politicians, whom he thinks are the problem of the world, at the United Nations assembly and Irons declares war on the world. The Sentinels discover that Irons is planning a pre-emptive strike on the United States and try to stop ATLAS' attack on San Francisco. ATLAS destroys the Golden Gate Bridge, trapping the U.S. Third Fleet in the Bay area, and attempt to destroy the fleet in a single strike. The Sentinels use a railgun aboard an aircraft carrier to destroy the Atlas cargo ships that were attacking them. With the ultimatum and the attack on U.S. soil, the world declares war against Atlas and Irons retreats to his headquarters in New Baghdad, Iraq.
Seven months later, the Sentinels and the United States military launch an attack on New Baghdad to stop Irons and bring him to justice. However, ATLAS releases Manticore, killing most of the attacking troops except Mitchell, Ilona, and Gideon, as well as Cormack, who was outside the blast radius. The four are brought to an ATLAS prison camp, which also runs Manticore experiments on its inmates. The Sentinels escape but Cormack succumbs to an gunshot injury caused by Irons, who also damages Mitchell's prosthetic left arm as revenge, rendering it useless. As they escape the facility, they discover that Irons already has enough Manticore to attack every military base in the world, and will be launching a missile shortly.
Death
With the fate of the world at stake, the Sentinels launch a final attack on Atlas' HQ. Mitchell and Gideon successfully destroy the missile. They find Irons as the other Sentinels prepare to bombard the building. Irons disables their exoskeletal armor, forcing Mitchell to release the exoskeleton to chase Irons. An explosion throws Irons off the building, hanging on Mitchell's left prosthetic arm. Despite begging Mitchell to save him, reminding him that he gave him his arm and a second chance, Mitchell severs his prosthetic arm with his knife, causing Irons to fall to his death as he screams Mitchell's name.
Personality
After the death of his son Will Irons, Jonathan Irons had become obsessed with power and vengeance against anyone who he blames or anyone who stands in his way, including the governments that hired his company. Irons' menacing nature is further seen when Mitchell and Gideon discover the POWs who died of medical experimentation of Manticore at an ATLAS prison camp. Furthermore, he let thousands of people to die for personal gain in order to improve ATLAS' public image. He defended these acts by stating that he sacrificed those innocent people. Even in his last moments, Irons felt no remorse for the innocent deaths and died a power-hungry madman who believed he could solve the world's problems, and that he could save mankind from inevitable destruction.
Irons also enjoys a cult of personality as he holds New Baghdad as his personal haven and an exemplar of his philosophy. Propaganda posters of his image are plastered all across New Baghdad and after the defeat of Sentinel Task Force during the invasion, he broadcasts a victory speech proclaiming the perseverance and victorious nature of ATLAS and the city.
Before Mitchell's betrayal of Atlas, he seemed to hold Mitchell in high esteem and refers to him affectionately, calling him "my boy" and remarking the similarities between Mitchell and his deceased son, Will Irons. Furthermore, when Mitchell's prosthetic arm malfunctions during a simulation, he remarks that his arm "is worth more to me than this entire facility." In this way, he seems to treat Mitchell as his own son.
He is deeply insulted and angry when Mitchell defects to Sentinel Task Force.
Gallery
Trivia
- Jonathan Irons has a collection of antique guns that can be seen during Sentinel mission.
- The collectible intel unveil recordings personally made by Irons, detailing his commentary, beliefs, and his descent into madness.
Quotes
- "Ideas don't determine who's right. Power determines who's right. And I have the power. So I'm right."
- — In the Campaign Story Trailer.
- "ATLAS is an internationally registered private company. We don't need Congress."
- — Irons replying to Kingpin's objection.
- "ON MY AUTHORITY!"
- — Irons upon rejecting Kingpin's reasoning.
- "Politicians don't know how to solve problems. But I do."
- — In the Gameplay Launch trailer.
- "What you're seeing is Advanced Warfare. ATLAS has the single largest standing military in the world but we answer to no country."
- — Jonathan showing the Atlas HQ to Jack Mitchell.
- "Unlike the government we don't keep secrets of our capabilities. We don't sell policy, we sell power. We are a super power for hire!"
- — Jonathan Irons
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