Captain Soap’s top 5 Call of Duty moments of all-time

Andrew Highton
modern warfare soap

One of Call of Duty’s greatest ever characters and the man who truly began the Call of Duty that we know today. Here are 5 of his most impactful moments that still resonate in the CoD community to this day.

People always identify Captain Price as Call of Duty’s most iconic figure, and yet it was Soap who paved the way for much of the historic franchise’s success. His no-nonsense badass approach to everything made him a memorable and endearing figure, particularly once he became a Captain in Modern Warfare 2.

John “Soap” MacTavish’s accomplishments and legacy have been honored with a new Soap Operator Bundle in Warzone. But we thought we’d take it one step further and pay tribute to one of the best first-person shooter protagonists in recent memory.

“What the hell kind of name is Soap?”

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is now very much a seminal piece of craftmanship that paved the way for the future of FPS games. But before CoD descended into a game of one-upmanship on the multiplayer front, the game’s campaign used to be a must-play component.

The game’s first mission was the famous assault course where Price first laid eyes on Soap. As a lowly recruit, you had to run the course in the quickest time possible and people are still trying to perfect it to this very day. It was an introduction to the game’s mechanics, a solid time to be had, and Soap was officially on his way.

ssdd training mission in cod 4

The student becomes the teacher

Fast-forward a few years for Soap and he’s no longer a newbie finding his feet, he’s a Captain of the SAS and a true leader. The snowy “Cliffhanger” mission reintroduces us to an old flame and it’s now Soap leading the player in a mission.

It’s a terrific juxtaposition with COD4 and a sign of how far Soap has come along from knifing fruit in a training course and being ridiculed.

soap guiding roach in modern warfare 2 cliffhanger

Never forget your roots

Soap may be a teacher in MW2, but a student doesn’t forget the person who taught them. This leads to a rather brief but touching moment in a suicidal Gulag rescue operation.

The team is tasked with freeing a prisoner, but not knowing the identity of the person. It turns out to be Captain Price and those one or two seconds when Captain MacTavish is taken aback by seeing his old mentor is about as emotional as Call of Duty storytelling gets. The moment is also enhanced by Worm asking “Who’s Soap?”.

soap rescues captain price in modern warfare 2

Soap kills Shepherd to save Price

In the scintillating climax to Modern Warfare 2, the traitorous General Shepherd has severely wounded Soap with a military knife and is now pummeling Captain Price to death.

Soap seems to be on the brink of death when his instincts and adrenaline kicks in and he performs the most incredible knife throw imaginable. It kills Shepherd, he saves Price, who then saves him by getting Soap extracted.

price rescuing soap in modern warfare 2

Captain “Soap” MacTavish’s final hour

A truly tragic and somber moment that still ranks as one of Call of Duty’s most emotive and impactful to this day. Soap is fatally wounded from a combination of an explosion and falling several stories through a host of metal and construction.

Given that several of the moments on this list basically document the father/son relationship between Captain Price and Soap, it’s only fitting its ends with this. Soap, a soldier at heart, even manages to divulge major information with his final words which sets up a fascinating premise in Modern Warfare 3.

soap dying in cod modern warfare 3

That concludes our list of Soap’s 5 greatest and finest moments in CoD history. It’s a testament to the makers of the game that they keep bringing him back because he’s been such a vital part of the Call of Duty franchise.

Did we miss any out? Be sure to let us know.

Image credits: Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games

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About The Author

A content creator for Charlie INTEL / Dexerto that earned a degree, wrote for PlusXP, Twinfinite, and Keengamer, before finally securing his dream job of being a professional video game writer. When not writing about games, he's very busy playing every game in existence and adding to his 11,000+ PlayStation Trophies and 150+ Platinums. You can contact him at [email protected].