Simon Riley

Lieutenant Simon "Ghost" Riley is a major character in the 2009 video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and its 2020 campaign remaster, and the titular protagonist of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 graphic novel comic series Modern Warfare 2: Ghost. He also appears as a supporting character in Call of Duty: Online, a playable skin in Call of Duty: Ghosts, a customizable option in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, and a playable character in Call of Duty: Heroes and Call of Duty: Mobile (and also appears as a main character in Mobile's comic storyline). He was a British special forces operator who is is the second-in-command of Task Force 141, and is seen wearing dark red sunglasses and a skull-patterned balaclava along with headphones with a mic. Ghost was tasked with finding Vladimir Makarov after the terrorist leader enacted World War III via the Zahkhaev Airport massacre, but would be betrayed and killed by General Shepherd. His death would be avenged by Captain Price and Soap MacTavish, who then went on to end the war and later eliminate Makarov.

Simon Riley was born in Manchester, England to unnamed parents and has an older brother named Tommy, who would often scare him when he slept. During his childhood, he was frequently tormented by his father, whom at one point forced Simon to laugh at a prostitute's corpse at a Bone Licker's concert. While working as an apprentice butcher, Simon saw the 9/11 attacks and joined the British military, and later became a member of the Special Air Service. He returned home in 2003, and refused to return to the military until he fixed his family, as his father was cheating on his mother and Tommy became a drug addict. Simon managed to help Tommy break from his drug addiction, and made him marry a woman named Beth as he kicked his father out of their home. Modern Warfare 2: Ghost The first mission depicted in the series has a captured Special Ops soldier wearing a skull-patterned balaclava in a classroom filled with children of a Ukrainian school that has been taken over by terrorists (who threaten to kill one child each hour if their demands are not met). The soldier passes the time by telling a story of his friend, Simon "Ghost" Riley on a mission in Mexico. The SAS loaned "Ghost" to USSOCOM to bust a heroin cartel that has recently begun smuggling terrorists into the U.S. This mission takes place on the Mexican holiday, "Day of the Dead", when Riley and the others wear skull face-paint and skeleton costumes to blend in with the celebrating crowd at the party that the leader of the Heroin Cartel is throwing. During the operation, Riley is betrayed by Major Vernon, revealing that he was Roba's spy and kills Cumberland after learning that was possibly working for the CIA. Simon, Sparks and Washington are captured by Roba and endure continuous torture and brainwashing techniques. Throughout this ordeal, Riley recalls his childhood trauma he received from his father while being tortured by Roba and abused by Gilberto. While Sparks and Washington escape, Riley is buried alive with Vernon's corpse, but is able to escape by the major's lower jaw bone to break through his coffin. He was later found by a Texas sheriff, and later debriefs with his superiors about his experience.

Despite being physically fine, his superiors worry about his mental state and want him to speak with a psychiatrist named Halloway to clear him for duty. His superiors fears are shown to be correct, as Riley suffers nightmares involving Roba with a skull painted on his face. While spending Christmas with his family, Riley gets a surprise visit from Sparks. While having a beer together at a local pub, Sparks and Riley rehash old times and their experience during those hellish months in Mexico. Sparks tells Riley that he and Washington are getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan. As they are walking back home Sparks approaches a young woman he previously saw at the pub and tries to sweet talk her into bed, the young woman is not impressed. Angrily, Sparks knocks the woman out, and orders Riley to help him get her inside her house so that they can rape her. Riley secretly calls the police, and they arrive just before any harm could be done to the woman, forcing Riley and Sparks to retreat. Once they both arrive at Sparks' hotel room, Riley suspects that Sparks is up to something, and by the time he finally pieces the clues together, Sparks points a gun at Riley's head. Riley immediately disarms Sparks, and interrogates him. Sparks reveals that he and Washington have been working for Roba, showing that they had been successfully brainwashed, but before Riley could get any more information Washington arrives from a task and attempts to gun down Riley. Riley escapes by jumping through Sparks' hotel window, slightly injuring his leg, and steals a cab to make his getaway. Remembering what Roba said about his family, Riley speeds towards his family's home and witnesses a shocking display. His mother; Tommy, Tommy's wife, Beth; and his nephew Joseph have all been executed, no doubt by Washington himself. Upon seeing this sight, Simon begins to laugh before vomiting and calls for his superiors. After learning of his superior's death, Simon leaves and receives a phone call from Sparks, whom hints that they're framing him for the murder of his psychiatrist. Later on, Simon visits his father at the Christie Cancer Hospital and asks him why he laughs anytime he sees corpses. Mr. Riley reveals that while attending a Bone Lickers concert, he murdered a prostitute in the bathroom and forced Simon to laugh with him.

Learning what he needed, Simon leaves and moments later, Sparks and Washington enter and ask Mr. Riley for his son's whereabouts. Mr. Riley refuses and taunts them, resulting in his death while Simon hears the gunshots and refuses to give into the urge to laugh. Following his father's death, Simon infiltrates a military base, kills Washington and kidnaps Sparks. After torturing Kevin, Riley kills him, switches dogs tags and burns down the house to fake his death. Afterward, he interrogates Gilberto for Roba's location and learns that he's staying at his summer house. Simon then confronts and kills Roba and while leaving the compound, encounters General Shepherd. In the present day, Ghost kills the terrorist with his military aid and saves the civilians and children. Joining Task Force 141 Simon accepted General Shepherd's offer to join Task Force 141, working alongside Captain John Price, John "Soap" MacTavish and Gary "Roach" Sanderson. At some point, he started going by the name "Ghost", which was questioned by Soap in his journal. Operation Kingfish Ghost worked alongside Captain Price, Soap, Roach and Delta Force officers Sandman and Derek "Frost" Westbrook on Operation Kingfish in 2013 to hunt down Vladimir Makarov. The operation went awry, as it was ambush set up by the terrorist leader and ended with Price sacrificing himself to get an injured Soap to evac. Unbeknownst to the team, Price was captured and sent to a Russian Gulag while Makarov remained at large.

Lt. Simon "Ghost" Riley is first seen in the level Takedown talking to Cpt. John "Soap" MacTavish via radio while they search for Alejandro Rojas's assistant. After John "Soap" MacTavish and Sgt. Gary "Roach" Sanderson begin pursuing the assistant, Ghost meets up with them at the Hotel Rio and joins the chase. Once the assistant is taken down by Roach, he is seen with MacTavish preparing to interrogate him. Ghost is then heard via radio for the rest of the mission as he attempts to pursue Rojas through the Favela. After the capture of Rojas, Ghost is heard requesting extraction from Command but to no avail. Ghost appears in the mission "The Hornet's Nest" with Task Force 141. He manages to escape with Captain MacTavish and Roach aboard Nikolai's helicopter. Infiltration of the Russian Oil Rig He then takes part in the infiltration of the Russian oil rig, which is being used as a makeshift SAM (Surface-to-Air-Missile) site in "The Only Easy Day...Was Yesterday" to rescue hostages. Rescuing Prisoner 627 After clearing the oil rig, Ghost takes part in the operation to rescue Prisoner 627 from a Russian gulag. He takes control of the gulag's security systems and guides Soap and Roach to the prisoner, revealed to be Captain Price, imprisoned following his capture during Operation Kingfish. Infiltration of a Russian submarine Base Ghost also appears in the level Contingency, where he helps Captain Price infiltrate a Russian submarine base along with other Task Force 141 members. However, he is shocked when Price launches a SLBM at Washington D.C. where the Russian-American war rages on. Ghost contacted command of Code Black, the statement that a threat of a nuclear weapon has been launched and must be disposed of immediately. It is possible that he retracted this though after he learned of Price's intention.

Ghost's final appearance is in the level "Loose Ends" where he leads a strike-team to search for Vladimir Makarov at his safehouse on the Georgian-Russian border. However, Makarov is nowhere to be found but the safehouse is loaded ("a bloody gold mine" as Ghost said) with intel. Ghost along with Roach, Ozone, and Scarecrow with sniper support from Archer and Toad, protect the DSM while it downloads information regarding Makarov's operations. As the team head to the LZ set up by Shepherd, Ozone and Scarecrow are killed by enemy mortars and Roach is injured. Ghost manages to get Roach to the LZ, but Roach and Ghost are betrayed by Shepherd, who initially appears to help Ghost get Roach into his MH-53 Pave Low to escape, but instead fatally shoots Roach in the gut, and Ghost in the head/chest at point-blank range with a .44 Magnum before he could use his ACR in retaliation. Ghost's body is then thrown into a ditch and set on fire along with Roach's by Shepherd and his Shadow Company forces. Legacy Ghost's death was later avenged by Soap after the latter threw a knife at Shepherd's left eye in Afghanistan, and when Price killed Makarov after ending World War III.

In Call of Duty: Heroes, Ghost became a playable character in an update where he can purchased with a thousand Celerium. Call of Duty: Mobile Ghost appears as a playable operative in Call of Duty: Mobile, and as a supporting character in the Mobile comics. In the game, he guides the player through various tutorials. In the comics, he is a a member of the United Ant-Terrorism Coalition, a group was founded by Captain Price, and they act as a countermeasure to the Five Knights and later the Dark Covenant. In the comic, the Ghost character is the original, as his Jawbone costume given to him by Captain Price is purely cosmetic. Ghost would soon come across Vladimir Makarov, who somehow survived being killed by Mace, and the latter explains each member of the Five Knights. When Makarov explains that the leader of the Five Knights is unknown unless he takes him in, Ghost agrees but the two are stopped by Templar. Ghost battles the operative until he is stabbed and left for dead by Templar, but Riley is recovered by Makarov, who gives his body to the Ghosts.

In the 2019 reboot of the Modern Warfare series, Ghost is mentioned at the end of the campaign by Captain Price. Price tells Kate Laswell that he's creating of team called Task Force 141, and Simon Riley is part of his recruitment, alongside Kyle "Gaz" Garrick and Johnny "Soap" MacTavish. In addition, Laswell notes there's no picture for him, and Price simply replies "never." He appears as a playable character for the Armistice and the Coalition for Modern Warfare's season two DLC. Towards the end of the season, Ghost works with "Alex" and later joins the task force to stop Victor Zahkaev. The character also appear in the sequels, aiding Captain Price on missions since his recruitment into Task Force 141.

• He is the announcer of multiplayer (for TF 141), and most of the Spec Ops missions. • According to two Army Rangers in "S.S.D.D.", Ghost has the second highest score in the pit. • Despite having blue eyes in the game, he has brown eyes in the titular comics. • In Call of Duty: Ghosts, the Walker family's dog Riley, is a reference to Ghost. • Possibly, the title of Ghosts is a reference to the character due to his popularity. • Another reference is the use of Ghost mask, as they have skull patterns on them as well. • Additionally, Ghost's model can be used as a multiplayer skin, and will cause the player's character to become mute.

Lieutenant Simon "Ghost" Riley is the tritagonist of the Call Of Duty Modern Warfare sub-series reboot. He is a SAS operative who is recruited into John Price's task force, and is sent to Verdansk to cease tensions against the Al-Qatala, and later the Armistice and Coalition soldiers. When Victor Zakhaev threatened to use a missile, Ghost and 141 performed a joint operation with Demon Dogs to stop him. In 2022, Ghost continues his service with 141 to stop Hassan Zyani from launching American ballistic missiles against the west with the help of Sgt. Johnny "Soap" MacTavish. However, Ghost, Soap, Alejandro, Rodolfo and Los Vaqueros were betrayed by General Shepherd and Shadow Company when Task Force 141 and Vaqueros were close to learn the secret of the stolen American Missiles. Due to Shepherd and Shadow Company's treason, Ghost, Soap, Alejandro, Rodolfo, Price, Gaz and the Los Vaqueros also defeated Shadow's CEO Phillip Graves for their betrayal. Later on, Ghost, Price and the others went on a mission to hunt down Makarov. They were reluctantly allied with Shepherd and Graves although he and the others will never forgive them for their betrayals at Las Almas. However, Ghost and his team lost Soap when Makarov killed him and escaped. After Price kills Shepherd, Ghost continue his mission to assist Price to kill Makarov.

Simon Riley was born in Manchester, England and joined the Special Air Service at an unknown time, and managed to reach the rank of lieutenant. Riley would spend his service on classified assignments, and became an expert in tradecraft, sabotage, ambushes, and infiltrations. He would eventually earn the nickname of "Ghost", and would wear a skull mask to conceal his identity to be anonymous, and maintain a mysterious persona. At one point during his service, Ghost worked in the same unit and shit with the operative Mace, an ex-U.S. Army Ranger turned mercenary.

Ghost is mentioned at the end of the campaign by Captain Price when he meets with Kate Laswell after stopping General Roman Barkov. Price tells Laswell that he's creating of team called Task Force 141, and Simon Riley is part of his recruitment, alongside Kyle "Gaz" Garrick and John "Soap" MacTavish. In addition, Laswell notes there's no picture for Ghost, and Price simply replies "never."

In April of 2019, Ghost joined Captain Price, Soap and General Shepherd in stopping the terrorist attack in Verdansk's national arena, and the team encountered the Inner Circle's leader Vladimir Makarov. Despite the terrorist succeeding in detonating his bombs, he was brought to the Russian authorities, where he was sent to the Zordaya prison complex. When the Al-Qatala invaded Verdansk in 2020, Ghost was assigned to the city to assist the Armistice, and later helped the Arm-4 team infiltrate the Verdansk airport to collect a nuclear core. The Al-Qatala then released a toxic gas in the city, and Ghost saw the Armistice operatives turned on each other to survive. Seeing that the situation was becoming dire, Ghost asked Captain Price to send him operatives and reinforcements he could trust. Though the city was lost due to the gas, Ghost managed to escape as the sole survivor, and the Armistice was crippled and immediately disbanded. Once regrouping with Price, he was informed that the invasion of Verdansk was part of Victor Zakhaev's plan, and was sent to a location with the CIA operative "Alex". Ghost worked with the Coalition on fighting the Al-Qatala, but they returned to Urzikstan while Zakhaev's forces stayed in the city, and the conflict continued even when Shadow Company was called in to eliminate Victor. Ghost managed to gain intel to learn that Zakhaev was evading the operatives by using the metro subway system underground, and Nikolai and Farah Karim were called in to power them up. Afterward, the group learned that Zakhaev's plan was to have the operatives turn on the power in all of the bunkers in Verdansk, and was prepared to launch a ICBM missile in bunker ten. Ghost worked with Gaz to hack into Zakhaev's communications, and with the assault on Zakhaev's forces from Demon Dogs, Captain Price managed to abort the launch and kill Victor. Regrouping with Price, Gaz, "Alex", Farah and Nikolai, they are informed by John "Soap" MacTavish that something is happening off the coast of the city, and the team head to him.

Gathering intel of General Ghorbrani's arms deal with the Russians, Shepherd tasks Ghost and Shadow Company commander Phillip Graves to eliminate the target. Following the assassination, Quds Force Major Hassan Zyani retaliates by allying with the Al-Qatala, intending to get revenge against the United States. Months later, Ghost and Soap are assigned to capture or kill Hassan in Al Mazrah with the MARSOC Marines, but instead discover that he has American ballistic missiles. Shepherd ordered Ghost and his team to destroy the missile, which he obliged. Upon this revelation, Laswell works with Price and Gaz in Amsterdam, where they learn that Hassan is working with the Las Almas Cartel and is being smuggled into America. Kate contacts Los Vaqueros Colonel Alejandro Vargas to stop Zyani, but he and his right-hand Rodolfo Parra fail to capture him. Afterward, Ghost and Soap are sent to Las Almas to work with Los Vaqueros to capture Zyani, and are later assisted by Shadow Company in reaching the major's location. Taking Hassan to the desert, Ghost watches the interrogation until Shepherd and Laswell order them to let him go. Despite having to let him, the team decide to capture the cartel's leader "El Sin Nombre" to learn the location of the two missiles. With Soap and Alejandro infiltrating the cartels' base, where they capture their leader, whom is revealed to Valeria Garza. She agrees to get them the location of a missile in exchange they let her go and never return to Las Almas, and Graves accepts the terms despite Alejandro warning him not to.

Valeria reveals to Graves that the missile is in the Gulf of Mexico on an oil derrick, and 141 performs a joint operation with Los Vaqueros and Shadow Company to stop the launch. After a delay when learning that the launch codes are on a cargo ship, Soap is able to change the missiles target to the oil derrick. Returning to the Vaqueros' base, Graves betrays Ghost, Soap and Alejandro by having taken over the base, detaining Vargas' men, and revealing that Shepherd is given him command of the operation. Ghost and Soap escape from Shadow Company, but Vargas and his Vaqueros are captured during the confrontation. Ghost rushed his way to the church waiting for Soap to rally to him and complete escaped from Shadow Company to Alejandro's safehouse. Reuniting with Rodolfo, the trio break Alejandro and his men from prison before being helped by Price and Gaz during the escape. Contacting Laswell, she explains that Shepherd and Graves performed an illegal operation to transport ballistic missiles, but the the missiles were taken by Konni when they ambushed Graves' unit. Realizing that Shepherd and Graves covered up the failed operation and betrayed their allies since they getting too close, Price warns the general that he will come for him next once they dealt with Zyani. Needing to locate the last missile, Price forms Joint Task Force - Ghost Team with Los Vaqueros to help them retake their base and kill Graves. Ghost takes part in the assault against, but leaves the battle to help Price after the latter's helicopter was shot down by the Shadow Company commander. After Soap supposedly kills Graves, 141 and Vargas interrogate Garza, learning that Hassan is in Chicago with the final missile. In Chicago, Task Force 141 works with MARSOC to infiltrate the building Zyani is hiding in, but are unable to stop the missile from being launched. Soap is then able to destroy the missile with Laswell's assistance, and Ghost eliminates Hassan before the terrorist can throw MacTavish off the building. After the operation, General Shepherd goes off the grid while Shadow Company is weakened due to the lost of its leader. Ghost, Price, Soap and Gaz meet with Laswell at a bar, where she shows them a picture of the Ultranationalists' new leader, Makarov.

While preparing for another mission, Price is informed by Laswell that Makarov has escaped from prison, prompting the captain to reassign 141 to stop the terrorist leader. The team is deployed to stop Konni, a private military group under Makarov's leadership, from taking over a nuclear power plant. However, they discover that Konni was sent there to retrieve gas from General Barkov's era for Makarov's plans. Konni succeeds in leaving with the gas, which nearly costs Price's life when he attempts to stop them from taking it. After John's recovery, 141 is informed that ULF Commander Farah Karim placed trackers on missiles that Konni stole in Urzikstan. Learning that Konni has stationed themselves in a abandoned nuclear complex, 141 joins forces with Farah to clear the complex to stop them. Once inside, they learn that Konni has stationed the missiles to hit the Arklov Military Base, which Laswell has infiltrated to speak with her contact. The team fail to stop two of the missiles from launching, sending Price to contact Laswell to get out of the area. After the operation, 141 make a reluctant alliance with General Shepherd and Graves, having survived the task force's attempt to kill him in Las Almas, to stop Makarov. The two give them information on Konni's financer Milena Romanova, sending Ghost and Soap to infiltrate her private island and retrieve information. After convincing her to get them intel, Price and Gaz travel to St. Petersburg to assault Konni's safehouse, ultimately capturing Makarov's right-hand Andrei Nolan. Learning that Makarov is moving cargo in Siberia, 141 and Farah ambushed the convoy and discover that the cargo is General Shepherd himself. Despite their anger, 141 decides to regroup with Laswell and make a deal with him - give them vital information to stop Makarov in exchange he returns to the United States to speak to congress. Reluctantly accepting the deal, Shepherd gives then intel that the terrorist leader sent Konni to destroy the Gora Dam to kill the region's citizens. Ghost and Soap then work together to deactivate the bombs around the dam, succeeding in stopping the private military group's plans.

After watching Graves and Shepherd turn on each other to congress, Laswell informs 141 that MI6 has found evidence of Konni's presence in London. The team move to interrogate a Konni hacker, but fail to stop Makarov from planting a virus into London's train system so he can commit another terrorist attack. Despite this, the team work with the Metropolitan Police Service and battle Konni to deactivate a bomb within the tunnels. During the mission, Makarov ambushed Price and Soap, killing the latter in process before escaping. Price and Gaz then disarm the bomb and join Ghost in mourning Soap, and later attended his funeral by spreading his ashes in Scotland.

Ghost appears in Call of Duty: Mobile, being added in the season twelve "Going Dark" pass, and only appears as a uniform for the original Ghost.

• In season two, Ghost could be seen in the background of lobbies, following and stalking the player. • According to himself, Ghost is coldhearted. He would even cut off his enemies' hands when he was about to do it to Milena Romanova if she doesn't do her hand scan.