MW3 campaign ending explained: Post-credits scene, sequel, more

Rajarshi Acharya
viktor makarov in modern warfare 3 reboot 2023

The ending and post-credits scenes of the MW3 campaign are quite abrupt and can be difficult to interpret. So here’s a quick rundown of what happens in Modern Warfare 3’s ending, and whether it hints towards a sequel or not.

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 campaign has 15 missions in total, with the final mission being Trojan Horse. The mission ends quite abruptly, with the story not getting any real closure. Players are left with cutscenes that reveal what happens next that could set up another sequel.

The Modern Warfare 3 reboot has Task Force 141 (TF141) take on Makarov, the primary antagonist from the original MW2. There are both linear and semi-open missions in the game. If you’ve completed the campaign, you may be trying to make sense of MW3’s ending.

With that in mind, here’s a complete breakdown of the ending and post-credit scenes in the Modern Warfare 3 campaign.

Warning, there are Modern Warfare 3 story spoilers ahead.

MW3 campaign Trojan Horse mission story recap

In MW3’s campaign, Vladimir Makarov is the main antagonist who immediately after being released from prison devises a sinister scheme. The Konni Group, Makarov’s personal army, was able to execute several terrorist attacks to mark his return. The plot centers on TF141 working with characters like Farah and Laswell to foil Makarov’s schemes and capture him once more.

captain price in daytime mission in mw3
Price was unable to kill Makarov during Trojan Horse.

After tracking down General Shepherd’s information, Captain Price discovers that Makarov is planning another terrorist attack on London. In MW3’s Trojan Horse mission, TF141 pursues Makarov and eventually discovers the bomb he planted to destroy the tunnel. However, just as they are about to deactivate the bomb, Makarov appears and kills Soap in a direct confrontation with him and Price.

Makarov was also attempting to kill Price, but Ghost arrives with Gaz to save the Captain. You’re given a handgun to shoot Makarov down, but you fail, and he escapes. Following this, Price and Gaz deactivate the bomb, and the game concludes with two different cutscenes before and after the credits.

MW3 campaign post-credits scene explained

After the MW3 campaign ends, the first cutscene you see features Ghost, Gaz, and Price standing somewhere, giving their friend John “Soap” MacTavish their final words. They scatter Soap’s ashes in the air and declare that the fight will go on.

In the second post-credits scene in MW3, Captain Price kills General Shepherd. Shepherd attacked TF141 in MW2, leading to this retaliation by Price.

captain price in nighttime mission in mw3
Price ends up killing Shepherd after the credits.

Why did Price kill Shepherd in MW3 campaign post-credits scene?

Price and the rest of TF141 have recognized Shepherd as an adversary since the MW2 incident at the Mexican Special Forces base, but in MW3, they strike a deal in which Shepherd tells everyone the truth in court. However, he leaves out that he gave the order to Graves to attack the base.

It was Shepherd who stopped Price and Soap from killing Makarov and in the final mission in MW3, Makarov teaches Price not to bury enemies alive by killing Soap. This is why Price does the same thing with Shepherd, by shooting him in cold blood.

The Modern Warfare 3 campaign ends on a cliffhanger, with Makarov escaping from TF141. As a result, it leaves the door open for a sequel in which we get our closure and TF141 exacts their revenge.

That was all you need to know about MW3’s ending. For more on the game, check out:

How to get MGB Tactical Nuke Killstreak in Modern Warfare 3 | When is Ranked Play coming to Modern Warfare 3? | Can you slide cancel in Modern Warfare 3? | Modern Warfare 3 War mode explained | Modern Warfare 3 Zombies Zones explained | Modern Warfare 3 Cutthroat game mode explained | Modern Warfare 3 PC requirements | Does Modern Warfare 3 campaign have co-op? | Does Modern Warfare 3 have Hardcore mode?

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