ORIGINALLY WRITTEN: December 2023
DISCLAIMER:
I may be misremembering some details! It happens. The canon at this point is free game to me, because uh… we saw the trashfire of the newest game + the fact genuine lore spoilers (re: Graves surviving, Alex surviving, etc) have been dropped through the game’s multiplayer. Because the company wants money and retention. Dubious canon or not, it is what it is. Also this is another writing piece of mine that got me anonymous hate, but instead of a simple complaint it included, but was not limited to: Transphobic slurs, threats to my life, a copious amount of pro-American imperialist propaganda, homophobic slurs, threats of doxxing, and more. Very cool and normal behavior from the Call of Duty fandom!
CONTENT WARNINGS: Mentions of Typical War Topics (Crimes, Killings, etc etc.)
Regarding Graves and his greater role, I really do think Makarov’s got him pinned under his thumb after the whole Shepard thing. Like. And besides the few offhand comments Makarov and his men make about a s/Shadow friend, because that could be a direct reference or just an allusion to an unknown player in the game.
I forget what mission in MW2 this is, but you can hear when some Russians attack a Shadow Company convoy, Graves flips the fuck out on Shepard for not sending resources to help them. Also, forgive the ugly ass TikTok embed. It is what it is.
@hana4pres They seemed so nice :( excuse my atrocious aim, i was trying to play through tears. #cod#mw2#mw2campaign#shadows#maskedmen#sad#men#mw3 ♬ Stargazing (Slowed + Reverb) - Marcelo De Carvalho
The way he is panicking and he begs Shepard to do something to help. And it’s brushed off as “well, I can’t get my hands more dirty than they already are, sorry”.
It’s also revealed after the deaths were covered up. Graves never got their bodies. They never returned home. His last memories of them are them screaming out his name before being executed. And Shepard simply said “move on from it and do what I need you to do.”
And then, if I remember the mission order right, giving Graves orders to assassinate the 141 and Los Vaqueros? *knowing* he didn’t have the manpower for it?
How fucked is that?
Sure, Shepard set him up cushy and helped him fake his death but… Fuck. He just lost a lot of men, and he lost even more during all that. And Graves genuinely cares for them. The Shadows are kinda a family for him. He wouldn’t let it slide and, as we saw in MW3 during the court hearing, didn’t. He threw Shepard under the bus so quick. He told them, on the record and under oath, that Shepard was the one to call the order. The one to set it all up for him and give it to him on a silver platter.
And sure, Graves is covering his own ass there, too. No doubt about it. But he knows that he can pin Shepard down, and he took full advantage of that opportunity.
And then like. In the Warzone part of the lore, graves is directly stated to be working with KorTac. Which.. They aren’t mentioned in the campaigns, but they’re the “Enemy” PMC group developed after the death of The Wolf, the one guy Farah’s brother, Hadir, was working with. And if we remember anything about Hadir, it’s that he was willing to use the Russian gas and shit to get back at everyone. So. Potential connections there, too.
Going back to the main bit though, it wouldn’t be surprising if Graves followed some sorta trail to end up in Makarov’s payroll.
That means, he’s more likely than Shepard to really hand graves what he wants, because he not only clearly has the resources, but also just… It’s all water under the bridge for him. He’ll eventually bite the hand that feeds him, but there isn’t any red tape for him or Graves to have to navigate.
And that’s really what cements the idea that there’s a lot more at stake, imho. The fact that Graves can have an opportunity to finally do what he needs to do without the tape.
That is why he formed Shadow Company to begin with. He got tired of the military’s hard rules and lack of care. And seeing it happen again, and again, might just be the thing to give him that push into dangerous territory.
EDIT: Of course (as some people have not so kindly mentioned in my ask box, hence the edits), there's the fact that Makarov has also killed Shadows. It’s the nature of war, especially with the circumstances put on the platter. But I feel like, in some way, he'd almost be quicker to understand (not forgive; don't twist my words) that, over Shepard's outright disregard. Graves is just... in a unique position, I feel.
EDIT: Of course (as some people have not so kindly mentioned in my ask box, hence the edits), there's the fact that Makarov has also killed Shadows. It’s the nature of war, especially with the circumstances put on the platter.
But I feel like, in some way, he'd almost be quicker to understand (not forgive; don't twist my words) that, over Shepard's outright disregard.
Graves is just... in a unique position, I feel.
Whether or not that means truly switching sides, or simply going rogue, who knows?
Of course, I doubt after MW3 that any of this will actually come to fruition. But I like to give characters actual and complex arcs.