Viktor Reznov

For other characters, see Viktor.

Template:Infobox/soldier

"You did it, Mason! You did what I could not!"

— Reznov to Alex Mason at the end of "Redemption"

Viktor Reznov (Russian: Виктор Резнов) is a major character featured in Call of Duty: World at War and the Black Ops series. He was a Russian squad leader of the Red Army in Call of Duty: World at War during World War II. His relationship and influence on Dimitri Petrenko and Alex Mason plays a major part in Call of Duty: Black Ops. He is a playable character in the flashback level "Project Nova" in Call of Duty: Black Ops. He makes a "return" in Call of Duty: Black Ops II. Reznov is heard in the Intel file "From Vorkuta with WTF" in the Specialist HQ mode, and is one of the "icons" characters of the Blackout mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. He is also the first of the four Archetypes.

Biography

Early History

"My father was a musician in Stalingrad. During the German occupation, the sound of his violin filled the air with magnificent music – Korsakov, Stasov – many of the great nationalist composers. To my countrymen, it was a symbol of hope. To the Germans, it was a symbol of defiance. Even now, his music still haunts me. The Nazis slit his throat while he slept. Collaborating with any Nazi is a betrayal, a betrayal against all of Mother Russia. Dragovich and Kravchenko were not troubled by such matters. They looked only to advance towards their own interests and agendas..."

— Reznov explaining his father's death and Dragovich.

Viktor Reznov was born on April 20, 1913 in Saint Petersburg, Russia (renamed Petrograd in 1914 and Leningrad ten years later), and joined the Red Army sometime before the start of World War II. According to Reznov, his father was a musician, who, during the Siege of Stalingrad, played music by patriotic composers with his violin. His music was a symbol of hope for his fellow countrymen, but a symbol of defiance to the Germans, and Viktor never forgot the sound of his music even years later. His father had his throat slit by a German while he slept, one of the many reasons Viktor hated the German soldiers.

Battle of Stalingrad

"The rotten cancer of the Fascist Reich ravages Europe like a plague. Their relentless drive into our motherland steals the lives of men, women, and children alike. The arrogance of their leaders is matched only by the brutality of their soldiers. These are the darkest days of the Nazi occupation of Stalingrad."

— Reznov explaining the Nazis' push into Stalingrad.

He is first seen in the mission "Vendetta", as a sniper trying to assassinate the German general Heinrich Amsel, the "Architect of Stalingrad's misery". As one of the only two survivors of a brutal German massacre near a fountain, he is saved from being executed by feigning death. It is here that he and Dimitri Petrenko first meet each other, with Reznov explaining his situation to Dimitri. Reznov, who can no longer snipe precisely as a marksman due to his injured hand and blown off trigger finger, gives Petrenko his scoped Mosin-Nagant rifle, and asks him to eliminate the general. Reznov guides Dimitri on killing a few German soldiers as German bombers fly overhead, to shroud out the noise of the gunshots. He leads him through Stalingrad, dueling against a German sniper, and then dispatching a whole German platoon with multiple soldiers equipped with flamethrowers.

Reznov in Stalingrad.

Then, they are saved by Petrenko's squad led by Daletski, and continue with them on an assault against a German communication post. After fierce fighting, Petrenko kills Amsel, which gives Reznov a hearty chuckle. They are soon attacked by German Panzers and soldiers. Reznov holds off numerous German soldiers before he jumps in a canal, with Dimitri soon following him. It is important to note that due to Reznov's injured finger he could not fire his rifle with perfect aim, and thus, his "character class" was changed to Submachine Gunner as he wields a PPSh-41 from then on. He is seen without his finger three years later.

Battle of Berlin

"Our grip tightens around the black heart of Berlin. The Führer demands all to shed their last drop of blood in it's defense. The old, the young, the weak. If they stand for Germany, they die for Germany. Building by building. Room by room. One rat at a time."

— Reznov to his troops, as they move farther into Berlin.

Three years later, on April 18, 1945 in Seelow Heights, Germany, Soviet troops are pushing towards Berlin. Sergeant Reznov along with a new recruit Chernov comes to rescue the captured Dimitri Petrenko from three German soldiers. Reznov often tells the other soldiers to follow Dimitri as an example, especially to Chernov, who seems to be shocked by the vengeful violence of his comrades against Wehrmacht soldiers. For example, in the level "Their Land, Their Blood", when a T-34 blows a hole in the house where Petrenko was, Reznov and his men kill a few German soldiers. The remaining German soldiers were extremely wounded and bleeding to death. Reznov hands Petrenko a Mosin-Nagant, and tells Petrenko to kill the dying German soldiers even though they are bleeding to death already. Then the player has the option to kill the wounded, or to leave. Two scenarios like this occur during the Soviet campaign. In the opening cutscene of the mission "Downfall," Reznov will read a passage from Chernov's diary. If the player kills the Germans at both sites, the passage will describe Dimitri as a monster; If the enemies are killed in one of the two sites, Chernov will be conflicted as to Petrenko's morality; and sparing them all will earn his admiration.

In the mission "Heart of the Reich", near the Reichstag, Reznov chastises Chernov for writing in his diary, stating that "no one will ever read this", upon after which he orders Chernov to at least prove

Reznov and Chernov in Berlin.

he can die for his country if he cannot kill for it, giving him the Russian flag that must be planted on the top of the Reichstag. When the Russian troops reached the final steps outside the Reichstag, Chernov was fatally wounded by a flamethrower and lay dying. Reznov takes Chernov's diary and states that "someone should read this," contrary to what he had said earlier. Another soldier carries the flag to the top of the roof but is killed before being able to plant it. Reznov then asks Petrenko to take the flag and plant it. When Petrenko gets shot almost fatally with a P-38 by a surviving SS trooper, Reznov jumps in and slices the unfortunate German twice in the torso and impales him in the back. After that, he helps Petrenko up, and tells Petrenko that he can make it, and that he always survives. He then cuts the rope holding the Nazi flag and tells Petrenko to plant the Soviet flag. He expects the two of them to return to their home as "heroes". Reznov mentions many times that the heart of the army cannot be broken as long as Dimitri lives.

Operation Olympus

"The men and I had fought through the most bitter of winters on the Eastern Front, but we were no strangers to the cold. Even now, the blood in my veins chills when I think back to the events of that day... Far, far from home..."

— Reznov telling Mason the story of Project Nova.

Six months after the Battle of Berlin, Reznov was promoted to the rank of Captain. Reznov continued to serve in the 3rd Shock Army alongside Dimitri Petrenko under the orders of Kravchenko and Dragovich, despite maintaining animosity with Dragovich for his failure to assist during Stalingrad. Reznov was incorporated with Petrenko in the Unit 45 and they deployed to Arctic Circle to capture the Nazi scientist Steiner, the mastermind behind Nova-6, a nerve toxin ordered in secret by Hitler to combat the imminent Allied victory. The Russians swept through the remaining SS troops and made contact with Steiner, who was expecting Dragovich. Reznov and Petrenko lead the way into the hold of the frozen vessel, discovering that the Germans were planning on using long-range V2 Rockets to send Nova-6 to Allied cities. The group finds and secures Nova-6, but Dragovich orders his troops to restrain Reznov and his soldiers to see the effects of Nova-6 himself.

Reznov in his cell.

Reznov witnesses Petrenko's horrific death when he and his comrades are gassed. Reznov escapes the same fate by the timely arrival of British commandos also seeking to capture or destroy the secret Nazi nerve toxin. He then decides that the weapon is too powerful for either side to wield. Reznov leads his small group of soldiers out of the vessel, killing both British and Russian soldiers in their escape. He manages to arm explosives to sink the ship under the ice, hoping to prevent anyone from using the toxin ever again.

Imprisonment in Vorkuta and Uprising

"Today, my comrades... Vorkuta... BURNS!!!"

— Reznov during the uprising.

Reznov was presumably captured and sent to a prison camp in Vorkuta, and had been there for the past 18 years. There, he became a companion to an American prisoner, Alex Mason, gaining his trust and protecting him during their time in the gulag. Because of this bond, Reznov was able to exploit Mason's resistance to Steiner and Dragovich's attempt to brainwash him by overriding their original mission with his own personal agenda: killing Dragovich, Kravchenko, and Steiner.

Reznov masterminds a massive uprising in Vorkuta's prison camp. He and Mason engaged in a mock fist fight to draw the guards' attention. Once Mason eliminated the guard and seized the keys, Reznov led the prisoners to the surface. The Russian prisoners expressed doubt over Mason's trustworthiness, but Reznov convinced them by explaining how they were both "soldiers without an army" and betrayed by their leaders. Reznov continued to lead the insurrection, securing a secret weapon for Mason to blow their way out. He pulled Mason out of a tear gas barrage and the two escaped on motorcycles. Mason managed to escape by leaping onto a train, however Reznov stayed behind. He had sacrificed himself to free Mason, stating that Mason deserved the freedom knowing he would carry on to go after Dragovich. When Mason told Reznov to jump onto the train to freedom, Reznov exclaimed, "For you, Mason. Not for me." He drove the truck to lure the pursuing soldiers away from Mason and leaving his fate unknown.

Reznov, the defector.

Mind Game and Legacy

"Mason! You did it Mason! You did, what I could not!"

— Reznov speaking for the last time to Mason.

Years later during the Vietnam War, the SOG was dispatched to Hue City to meet up with a Russian defector carrying an important dossier on Nova-6. To Mason's surprise, the defector turned out to be Reznov. Reznov gave Mason the dossier and revealed that Dragovich and Kravchenko are nearby. Reznov fought alongside Mason, but went missing during the American incursion into Laos. He reappeared after Mason's helicopter crashes, stating that Woods was a good man and that Mason had chosen his friends well. He met up with Mason again inside the Viet Cong tunnels. At this point, Swift turned around and asked what was wrong with Mason, seemingly oblivious to his contact with Reznov.

After Kravchenko's presumed death, Reznov accompanied Mason in his unauthorized assault on Rebirth Island. The two of them fought their way to Steiner, and Reznov proceeded to execute him with a pistol. Mason insisted that it was Reznov who killed Steiner. However, the real events were witnessed by Hudson and Weaver, who saw Mason executing Steiner with a pistol while proclaiming himself to be Viktor Reznov.

During Mason's interrogation, Hudson revealed that the real Viktor Reznov had been dead for five years, having been killed in the escape from Vorkuta. Having brainwashed Mason, Reznov was able to complete his personal objective of killing Dragovich, Kravchenko and Steiner; leading Mason to become obsessed with pursuing them in spite of his other objectives, inadvertently continuing Reznov's posthumous legacy. The Reznov witnessed by Mason was a guardian angel-like hallucination, possibly developed by multiple personality disorder.

Due to Mason's contact with the CIA throughout the operation in Vietnam, Reznov is listed in official CIA files as both the defector and a joined member of the SOG team; however, once Hudson and Weaver realized he was never there they marked him "Deceased". Yet it remained unclear how he had died.

After Mason finally killed Nikita Dragovich, he heard the voice of Reznov congratulating him for doing what he could not accomplish.

"Next thing you know, he starts talkin' to the Russian. Fuckin' Reznov. Good ol' Tricky Vik."

— Woods reminisces with David Mason about Alex Mason's interactions with the hallucinatory Viktor Reznov.

In 1986, Alex Mason was sent to Afghanistan along with Frank Woods to obtain intel on Raul Menendez from the Mujahideen. In exchange for the intel, the Mujahideen leader demanded that Mason help them fight off an invasion by the Soviet military. In the climax of the battle, Mason discovered Kravchenko was still alive and leading the Soviet attack from within a massive Soviet tank. As Mason fought Kravchenko on top of the tank, the numbers were retriggered inside his head, and he heard the voice of Reznov telling him that "Kravchenko must die."

Reznov, coming to save Mason.

After being captured by Mason and Woods, Kravchenko was interrogated for information regarding his connection to Raul Menendez. During the interrogation, Mason was compelled by his numbers brainwashing and the voice of Reznov to kill Kravchenko. The player is given the option of either resisting the brainwashing to hear what Kravchenko knows, or giving in and killing him (immediately). Regardless of their decision, Mason and Woods are betrayed by the Mujahideen, beaten and abandoned in the desert to die. After some period of time passes, Mason saw Reznov, dressed in desert garb, riding up on a horse. Reznov dismounted and offered Mason a drink of water.

In 2025, David Mason and Frank Woods discuss how Alex Mason credited Reznov with saving their lives in the desert that day. However, Woods dismisses the idea that it was really Reznov, stating that if he had really been there, he would have "stuck around" for them to regain consciousness in order to explain a few things.

Gallery

World at War

Reznov in the fountain.

Reznov during "Their Land, Their Blood".

Reznov standing on a T-34 during World War 2.

Black Ops

Mason as Reznov in Rebirth Island.

Reznov in Victor Charlie stabbing a Viet Cong guerrilla.

Dimitri and Reznov being forced to test Nova 6.

Reznov's official death certificate.

Reznov scolding Steiner.

Reznov during the escape of Vorkuta.

Reznov using the blowtorch on the main armory door.

A picture of Reznov found in the Central Intelligence Agency Data System under the name "thewolf.pic".

Reznov's model as of "Rebirth".

Black Ops II

Reznov dancing with Alex.

Quotes

Main article: Viktor Reznov/Quotes

Trivia

• According to the intel in Call of Duty: Black Ops, Reznov's birthplace was St. Petersburg, Russia. But in the CIA report, Reznov's birthplace was Moscow, Russia.
• Both Reznov and Hitler were born on 20th of April.
• According to the intel from Call of Duty: Black Ops, Reznov is 5'11, and 200 pounds, with a "heavy-set" build.
• If the player decodes the phonetic alphabet code names (X-ray, Sierra etc.) in the beginning of each level of Call of Duty: Black Ops into their first letters, changes the serial numbers into letters (A-1, B-2), and removes all the Xs, the player will get this message: "Reznov is dead, or is he dead, there was no body, is he who he says he is".
• He is the Red Army announcer for Call of Duty: World at War's multiplayer.
• In Call of Duty: Black Ops, there is no friendly fire penalty for continuously shooting at Reznov in any level other than "Vorkuta", obviously due to him being a hallucination.
  • Often times, the hallucinatory Reznov will have his right index finger. However, some missions such as "Rebirth" show his hand missing a finger, just like the real Reznov.
  • Due to being a hallucination, all enemies killed by him are most likely killed by Mason in reality and those who fired at Reznov are most likely firing at Mason.
• Reznov's name and birthdate are on the Dog Tags in Kill Confirmed in Call of Duty: Black Ops II.
• On the Wii version of World at War, Reznov's hand will always appear to be injured and will still be wrapped in a bloody bandage.
• Reznov also appears in the non-canonical after-credits dance party in Black Ops II once the game is finished. He can be seen dancing next to old Alex Mason; when the camera cuts away from them and returns, Reznov has disappeared, causing Mason to appear confused. At the dance party, Reznov is dressed as he was on Rebirth Island.
• The "Reznov's Revenge" is a usable weapon found in Mob of the Dead, a zombies map in Call of Duty: Black Ops II.
• In the end of "Vorkuta", the subtitles will say "Victor Reznov" instead of "Viktor Reznov" when the interrogator is speaking.
• The projectile launcher in Vorkuta's prison camp is inspired from an improvised weapon used by prisoners in Rod Lurie's film The Last Castle (2001) : (The film is about the story of Lieutenant General Eugene Irwin sentenced to prison because he was responsible for the death of 8 soldiers. He is going to set up an underground army in the prison like Reznov).
• In the zombies map Gorod Krovi there is an easter egg in the back of the tombstones that contain the trials has a message that says "Vengeance is MINE. V.R."
• Also in Gorod Krovi, there is a trophy/achievement called "Viktorious Revenge", another reference to Reznov.
• In Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Reznov appears along with Chernov on a calling card called "Downfall" in the World at War calling card set found in Supply Drops.
• There is an intel file in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 labled "From Vorkuta with WTF". In the audio clip, Woods had somehow located Reznov and brought him to see Alex Mason, who begins to freak out and believes he is hallucinating upon seeing him. Woods claims that Reznov is real, and that he made it out of Vorkuta, which Reznov confirms. Alex manages to calm himself down, but is still shocked at the sight of him.