⚠️ Full campaign spoilers ahead. Read only if you’ve finished or don’t mind knowing what happens.
TL;DR
- Modern Warfare 4 has the highest character death count in Call of Duty history.
- Major deaths include Makarov, Graves, Gaz, Price, The Archer, Ri Seung-Ho, Ri Ju-Young, and Valeria.
- Minor deaths include Ju Kwon, Milena Romanova, and Pvt. Chow.
- Price dies at the very end — and unlike past CoD deaths, this one appears to be permanent.
- Ghost is the only original Task Force 141 member left standing when the credits roll.
All Major Deaths in COD Modern Warfare 4 Campaign
Modern Warfare 4 doesn’t hold back. From the opening mission to the final scene, the campaign kills off characters across both its storylines — Price’s shadow war and Private Park’s fight on the Korean Peninsula. Here’s every major death, in the order they happen.
Vladimir Makarov – Mission 2: Out in the Cold
Makarov’s death comes early and it’s brutal. Price tracks him down in New York through his financier Milena Romanova, and the two end up fighting in an alley in the snow. Price beats Makarov to death with his bare hands — no gun, no clean finish. It’s a fitting end for a villain who has been the face of the reboot since 2019, even if MW4 quickly reveals that Makarov wasn’t the top of the chain.
The real twist comes later. The Archer reveals in the final act that Makarov was his son. That turns the whole campaign into a father’s revenge story — and it reframes everything Price thought he was fighting for.
Phillip Graves – Mission 4: Hired Gun
Graves is back, and this time there’s no fake-out. In Modern Warfare II, he survived what looked like a killing blow. In Modern Warfare 4, Price shoots him in the head after a grueling juggernaut fight, and he stays dead. The game makes it very clear this is not another escape hatch. Graves had tried to negotiate, offered to come back from what he’d done — Price didn’t listen.
Valeria Garza – Mission 7: Gone Dark
Valeria is the wild card of the campaign. She works with Price, double-crosses The Archer, and ends up paying for it. On a Mumbai rooftop, The Archer’s team surrounds them. Valeria turns on The Archer during the weapon handoff, and he shoots her dead on the spot after realising she and Price were colluding against him. One source notes the scene cuts away without a confirmed on-screen death, but Laswell’s files and the broader story treat her as killed.
Ri Seung-Ho – Mission 8: Assassins
This is the mission where you play as the Supreme Leader of North Korea. Ri Seung-Ho is actually trying to pump the brakes on the war — he’s arguing against more violence when his sister, Ri Ju-Young, stages her coup. After surviving a harrowing palace escape that you control, Seung-Ho is eventually cornered and killed by his own sister in the bunker. The death confirms Ri Ju-Young as the real power behind the invasion, with The Archer’s backing pulling the strings from the outside.
Kyle “Gaz” Garrick – Prior to Mission 13: Escape
Gaz’s death is the most gut-punching moment in the whole campaign. After being captured alongside Price and Ghost, all three are locked up together. The Archer walks in calmly, mocks Gaz’s idealism, and tells them no rescue is coming. Then, while Gaz is still talking — still making his case — The Archer steps behind him and shoots him in the head at point-blank range.
No buildup. No last stand. Just gone.
Price lunges and gets shoved back into his chair. Ghost watches. The Archer orders them separated and leaves. It’s a cold, quiet scene that lands harder than any big action set piece in the game. Gaz was voiced by Elliot Knight, and The Archer is played by Mads Mikkelsen — making this one of the most talked-about scenes in MW4’s campaign.
Ri Ju-Young – Mission 15: Decapitation
North Korea’s self-proclaimed Supreme Leader meets her end when Private Park Hyun-Jun and Sergeant Kai breach her fortified war room in a North Korean bunker. It’s a direct mission objective — find and kill Commander Ri. After a firefight and a breach charge, Park and Kai confront her in the inner office, and she’s shot dead. This closes out the Korean Peninsula side of the story.
The Archer – Mission 16: Greater Good
The final boss and the campaign’s main villain. Price escapes captivity and hunts The Archer through a frozen landscape. The two end up in a brutal one-on-one fight on a frozen lake. Price gains the upper hand and drives a metal pipe through The Archer’s windpipe. The Archer dies on the ice — and the moment he does, Price collapses from his own injuries.
Captain John Price – Mission 16: Greater Good
Price kills The Archer, but he doesn’t walk away. His injuries are too severe. He lies on the ice beside The Archer’s body, and Ghost arrives just in time to be with him in his final moments. Price dies there, on that frozen lake, at the end of the same mission that ends the campaign.
This is the one that changes everything. Price has been the face of the rebooted Modern Warfare series since 2019. His death here — confirmed by Laswell’s files marking him as deceased — signals the end of an era. Task Force 141 is dissolved. Ghost walks away alone. The series closes the book on this cast.
Want to know how Price’s story ends in full detail? Our guide to beating Makarov in COD Modern Warfare 4 walks through the fights leading up to the finale.
All Minor Deaths in COD Modern Warfare 4 Campaign
Alongside the major characters, several smaller figures in the story also die throughout the campaign. Here’s who they are and when it happens.
Milena Romanova – Mission 2: Out in the Cold
Milena is a Russian oligarch and Makarov’s financier. Laswell sanctions a hit on her early in the campaign, calculating that her death would draw Makarov out. Price corners her in a nightclub, interrogates her, and executes her. She’s a stepping stone in Price’s hunt, but her death has real consequences — it exposes Price, derails the investigation, and starts the chain of events that pushes him further off the grid.
Private Ju Kwon – Mission 1: Mayhem
Ju Kwon is the first casualty of the campaign. He’s a private in Sierra-1, Park’s squad in Hajin City, South Korea. On the opening night of North Korea’s invasion, Ju Kwon is hit by cannon fire in the chaos. Dunn and Cho find him and try to help, but his wounds are fatal. He dies before anything can be done. His is the death that sets the tone — this campaign isn’t going to be clean.
Private Chow (Cho Han) – Mission 10: Stranded
Chow is another member of Park’s squad. He doesn’t die in a firefight — he dies off-screen from wounds sustained earlier, back at the safehouse while Park is in the field. The squad comes back to find him gone. It’s a quieter death than most in the campaign, but it adds weight to the cost of the Korean War storyline. Completing the Stranded mission — the mission where Chow dies — unlocks the Kal Base Operator. Ironically, Chow himself is also a campaign Operator unlock, earned from Mission 1.
For more on what each mission rewards you with, check out our full COD Modern Warfare 4 all campaign rewards guide.
Who Survives the Modern Warfare 4 Campaign?
With so many deaths, it’s worth knowing who actually makes it out alive.
- Ghost – The last original Task Force 141 member standing. He survives the campaign and disappears alone after Price’s death. His future is the biggest open thread the story leaves behind.
- Private Park Hyun-Jun – The South Korean protagonist survives the war and the campaign’s final missions.
- Sergeant Kai – Park’s squadmate survives alongside him.
- Lt. Ko Jin-Hyuk – The defector who joins Sierra-1 makes it through to the end.
- Kate Laswell – Still alive, though the post-credits scene hints that her days at the CIA may be numbered after the events of MW4.
With Soap dying in Modern Warfare III and Price and Gaz gone here, the old guard is essentially wiped out. Infinity Ward has made it very clear that this version of Task Force 141 is finished.
Does Price Really Stay Dead?
It looks that way. In Modern Warfare III, Graves got a fake-out death and came back. Price’s death feels very different.
Laswell’s file in the ending cutscene marks Price as deceased. Task Force 141 is formally disbanded. And the nature of Price’s crimes during MW4 — including killing fellow 141 members and going rogue — makes a simple resurrection extremely difficult to justify from a story standpoint. There’s no clean path back for this character.
Infinity Ward appears to be closing the chapter. Whether a future game revisits any of this cast is unknown, but the signs all point to Price staying dead.
Where Do These Deaths Fit in the Mission Order?
Here’s a quick reference for where each death lands across the 16 missions:
- Mission 1 (Mayhem): Private Ju Kwon
- Mission 2 (Out in the Cold): Milena Romanova, Vladimir Makarov
- Mission 4 (Hired Gun): Phillip Graves
- Mission 7 (Gone Dark): Valeria Garza
- Mission 8 (Assassins): Ri Seung-Ho
- Mission 10 (Stranded): Private Chow (Cho Han)
- Before Mission 13 (Escape): Kyle “Gaz” Garrick
- Mission 15 (Decapitation): Ri Ju-Young
- Mission 16 (Greater Good): The Archer, Captain John Price
If you’re working through the campaign and need help with the tricky parts, our COD Modern Warfare 4 campaign trophy and achievement list covers every challenge tied to these missions. And if you’re stuck on Stranded, check our Stranded puzzle codes and yellow crate guide to grab everything before moving on.
You can pick up the game on Steam, PlayStation Store, or the Xbox Store.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who dies in Modern Warfare 4?
The major deaths in Modern Warfare 4 are Vladimir Makarov, Phillip Graves, Valeria Garza, Ri Seung-Ho, Kyle “Gaz” Garrick, Ri Ju-Young, The Archer, and Captain John Price. Minor deaths include Milena Romanova, Private Ju Kwon, and Private Chow.
Does Price die in Modern Warfare 4?
Yes. Captain Price dies in the final mission, Greater Good. He kills The Archer in a knife fight on a frozen lake but dies from his injuries shortly after. Ghost finds him in his final moments. Laswell’s end-of-game files mark Price as officially deceased.
Does Gaz die in Modern Warfare 4?
Yes. The Archer executes Gaz with a point-blank shot to the head while Price and Ghost are held captive. It happens in a cutscene before Mission 13 (Escape), and it’s one of the most shocking moments in the campaign.
Does Ghost die in Modern Warfare 4?
No. Ghost survives the entire campaign. He is the last living original member of Task Force 141 after Price and Gaz die. The story leaves his future open.
Does Makarov die in Modern Warfare 4?
Yes, early on. Price beats Makarov to death in New York during Mission 2, Out in the Cold. However, the campaign then reveals that The Archer — Makarov’s father — is the true villain pulling the strings.
Who is The Archer in Modern Warfare 4?
The Archer is a Russian defense minister connected to the Konni Group. He’s also revealed to be Vladimir Makarov’s father, which is why he orchestrated everything as revenge against Price. He’s played in the game’s likeness by Mads Mikkelsen. He dies in Mission 16 when Price kills him with a metal pipe on a frozen lake.
Does Modern Warfare 4 have a post-credits scene?
Yes. The post-credits scene hints at the future of the series, with Laswell’s position at the CIA shown to be under threat following the events of the campaign. Ghost disappearing alone is also treated as a dangling thread for any future story.
Is Soap in Modern Warfare 4?
No. John “Soap” MacTavish died in Modern Warfare III. He does not appear alive in MW4, though his death casts a shadow over Price’s arc throughout the game.
