Summary
There’s no denying that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been one of the most important and influential things to happen in the entertainment industry in the last decade. While it’s definitely going through a bit of a rough patch at the minute and it’s a little unclear if Marvel will be able to really bring things back on course in a satisfying way, there’s no taking away from what came before it, withAvengers: Infinity WarandEndgamebeing two of the biggest pop-culture moments of all time - moments that have even seemingly influenced games likeCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
Having been around for two decades now,Call of Dutyhas already forged itself a unique identity, and a well-established place in the gaming landscape. But that doesn’t mean thatCall of Dutyhasn’t been influenced by various movies or TV shows over the years. And while the comparison may seem a little out-there at first,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3actually shares a lot of similarities withAvengers Infinity War. However, whileInfinity Warstuck the landing,Modern Warfare 3unfortunately doesn’t.
RELATED:Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Review
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Should Have Been the Series' Infinity War
Over the course of the last four years, theCall of Duty: Modern Warfarereboot serieshas been gradually building up its cast of fan-favorite characters, with each entry bringing back at least one or two legacy heroes or villains. 2019’sModern Warfareincluded Captain Price and Ghost, thenModern Warfare 2added Soap and General Shepherd, and nowCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3takes things one big step further by bringing Vladimir back into the fold, alongside teases of Yuri and the return of Nikolai, Alex Keller, and Farah.
Much likeAvengers: Infinity War, a lot ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s pre-release marketing centered around all of these characters coming together once more, and the looming threat of this long-teased villain. And without spoiling too much aboutCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s ending, it even sees the villain emerge (sort of) victorious, managing to strike a major blow to the heroes of the series, just like Thanos did inAvengers: Infinity War.
All the puzzle pieces were there forCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3to be an absolutely massive game in the franchise, and potentially the most important game inModern Warfarehistory. Not only that, butModern Warfare 3sets up a sequel that fans shouldn’t be champing at the bit to see, with villains still at large and the heroes dealing with monumental loss. But instead,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3fumbles the bag in almost every way.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Feels More Like Ant-Man 3
Rather than feel likeAvengers: Infinity War,Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3feels more like this year’sAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, a movie that had so much hype behind it, but one that was practically forgotten overnight due to its disappointing critical reception and its unwillingness to take some risks. Though everything was set up forModern Warfare 3’s campaign to be a home run, it instead relies much too heavily on the usualCall of Dutycampaign formula, but in the process forgets what made the series so beloved in the first place. So much ofCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s campaignfeels like it’s just going through the motions, trying to imitate the greatness that came before it but paling in comparison, and much likeAnt-Man 3, it’s left the franchise in a precarious spot.
