A new Warzone cutscene shows Black Ops protagonist Frank Woods dishing out orders from a wheelchair, appearing to confirm a Black Ops 2 ending as canon and offering our first look at the character in the upcoming Black Ops 6.
The intro, added to the battle royale ahead of Microsoft’s big reveal of the upcoming Black Ops 6, sees fan-favorite character Woods talk about the discovery of a “mole”, presumed to be Russell Adler from Black Ops Cold War.
WOODS IS BACK AND THEY KEPT IT CANNON!!! pic.twitter.com/nPiMtMM4j9
— Inkslasher (@Inkslasher) June 3, 2024
But it is Woods’ appearance in a wheelchair that has caught the attention of the Call of Duty community, and sparked excited discussion about the storyline running through the Black Ops series.
First, some background: in 2012’s Black Ops 2, Woods is tricked into killing his best friend and fellow soldier Alex Mason during a mission set during the 1980s. Woods is then shot in both legs, consigning him to a wheelchair. The game later shifts to the year 2025 and we see an older Woods in a wheelchair.
This new intro suggests Woods will appear in the Black Ops 6 campaign, rumored to be set during the '90s Gulf War. The cutscene also acts as our first look at Woods in Black Ops 6. Perhaps Woods serves the function of being an ‘intel guy’ in the campaign, dishing out information to the player ahead of, and maybe even during, missions over comms.
Frank Woods in a wheelchair in #BlackOps6 in the 90s means Black Ops 2 is canon.
— Jon (@MrDalekJD) June 3, 2024
This means:
- Jason Hudson is no longer alive.
- Alex Mason may no longer be alive. pic.twitter.com/ZVN1EAfCxC
There are some unanswered questions, however. Black Ops 2 has two different endings, one in which Alex Mason survives, the other in which he is dead. Perhaps Black Ops 6 will resolve this by making one of the two endings canon.
As for the Woods intro, Warzone players are currently trying to work out what causes it to appear. It seems random, but there may be some mechanic underpinning its appearance. Meanwhile, there are a number of Black Ops 6-related challenges in Warzone right now, encouraging players to jump in to connect the dots between releases.
Microsoft will fully unveil Black Ops 6 during its Xbox Showcase event on June 9. Microsoft has confirmed Black Ops 6 is the first Call of Duty to launch straight into subscription service Game Pass.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
