The Call of Duty: Black Ops series has demonstrated a remarkable dedication to long-term storytelling. It’s fair to say that no other first-person shooter franchise has built such a sprawling, interconnected narrative spanning decades. Across seven games, Black Ops has created an intricate web of espionage, betrayal, and conspiracy that continues to evolve.
With the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, now is the perfect time to revisit the saga – to see how it all began, how it’s evolved, and how the latest chapter connects to everything that came before.
NOTE: It goes without saying that the following article contains major story spoilers for the Black Ops series up to – and including – Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010)
Set during the 1960s Cold War, the original Black Ops follows Alex Mason, a CIA operative being interrogated about a mysterious numbers broadcast. The signal is part of a Soviet plot to activate sleeper agents and unleash the deadly Nova 6 chemical weapon on American soil.
Mason’s mission takes him from Cuba and Vietnam to the Soviet Union and Hong Kong. Along the way, he learns that the man behind the broadcast is Major General Nikita Dragovich, a rogue Soviet officer. With the help of Frank Woods and Jason Hudson, Mason escapes from a brutal Soviet prison, where he befriends Viktor Reznov, a key figure who reveals that Mason was brainwashed to assassinate the U.S. President. Reznov reprogrammed him to destroy Nova 6 instead, though his success was uncertain.
After Reznov’s death, Mason hunts down Dragovich and kills him, preventing the release of Nova 6. Yet, footage of Mason near President Kennedy’s assassination hints that Reznov’s programming may not have fully worked.
Call of Duty: Black Ops II (2012)
Black Ops II takes a bold narrative leap, spanning two timelines: the 1980s and 2014-2025.
In the 1980s, now-retired CIA operative Alex Mason and his handler Jason Hudson search for Raul Menendez, a Nicaraguan narco-terrorist with deep anti-American motives. During the mission, Frank Woods accidentally kills Menendez’s sister, sparking a cycle of vengeance. Menendez captures Woods, forces him to shoot Mason, and kills Hudson in rage. Woods survives but hides the truth from Mason’s son, David.
Fast forward to 2014, and Menendez has built a powerful populist movement called Cordis Die, orchestrating cyberattacks that plunge the U.S. and China into a new Cold War. David “Section” Mason, now a JSOC operative, tracks him down. Depending on the player’s choice, Menendez can be executed or arrested. In the canon ending, Menendez’s death triggers a global uprising that burns the White House and paves the way for Black Ops III and Black Ops 7.
Call of Duty: Black Ops III (2015)
Set in 2065 (40 years after Black Ops II), Black Ops III follows an enhanced soldier known simply as The Player. Alongside operatives Jacob Hendricks and John Taylor, The Player faces a third global Cold War, where cybernetics and artificial intelligence dominate the battlefield.
After a disastrous mission, The Player receives a Direct Neural Interface (DNI) implant, linking their mind to a digital network. Soon after, Taylor is infected by a rogue AI known as Corvus, which drives him and others to madness. The Player eventually kills Taylor, but the final revelation is stunning: The Player actually died during surgery, and everything afterwards took place inside a digital consciousness. Taylor regains control and purges Corvus, erasing both himself and The Player from existence.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (2018)
Unlike previous entries, Black Ops 4 features no traditional single-player campaign. Instead, it expands the series’ lore through cinematic cutscenes woven into its multiplayer mode.
Set around 2043, it centres on Savannah Mason-Meyer, the wealthy granddaughter of Alex Mason. She secretly funds Project Blackout, an experiment designed to resurrect or clone the minds of Mason, Woods, Reznov, and Menendez to guide humanity into a “new age.” Savannah’s sister, Jessica Mason-Green, was believed dead in a failed mission she financed. When Jessica reappears alive, she confronts Savannah over her reckless attempt to play god, exposing the dark consequences of Project Blackout.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (2020)
Taking place in 1981, Black Ops Cold War serves as both a sequel to the first Black Ops and a prequel to Black Ops II.
CIA operatives Russell Adler, Frank Woods, Alex Mason, and the mysterious Bell pursue a legendary Soviet spy known as Perseus, who aims to steal U.S. nuclear weapons and detonate them across Europe to shift the Cold War in the USSR’s favour.
As the story unfolds, Bell is revealed to have once been a Perseus operative before being brainwashed by the CIA through Project MKUltra. After helping to defeat Perseus, Bell is executed by Adler, who deems him too dangerous to live – a chilling reflection of the agency’s ruthless control over its agents.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (2024)
Beginning in January 1991, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Black Ops 6 follows Frank Woods and Troy Marshall, two ex-CIA operatives tasked with hunting down Russell Adler, who has been framed as a mole.
Adler’s investigation reveals the existence of Pantheon, a secret paramilitary organisation with deep CIA ties. Pantheon seeks to seize a powerful chemical weapon known as The Cradle, capable of destabilising entire governments.
CIA operations specialist Jane Harrow is exposed as a Pantheon double agent attempting a full CIA takeover. After Harrow’s death, Woods, Marshall, and Adler continue their pursuit, uncovering evidence that Pantheon’s reach extends far beyond what they imagined.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 (2025)
Serving as a direct sequel to the futuristic storyline of Black Ops II, Black Ops 7 returns to David “Section” Mason, now a seasoned JSOC commander in 2035.
When reports surface that Raul Menendez has somehow returned from the dead, Mason must stop him before he destroys the world within three days. Meanwhile, a shadowy megacorporation known as The Guild is also searching for Menendez, driven by its own agenda to uncover the secret of his resurrection.
In many ways, Black Ops 7 brings the saga full circle — blending the psychological warfare and political intrigue of the early games with the futuristic chaos of later entries. It closes one chapter while leaving plenty of room for future instalments to explore the events that lead into Black Ops III.
Complex? Definitely.
Compelling? Absolutely.
The post Call of Duty: Black Ops Story Recap – Every Game Explained appeared first on Green Man Gaming Blog.
