Who is Bell, an introduction to Black Ops brand new protagonist?

The Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War campaign sees the return of the classic characters of the franchise, alongside some American heroes. Alex Mason, Sergeant Frank Woods, and Special Agent Jason Hudson all return in the campaign to embark on a new adventure by protecting the world from the Soviet threat during the scales of the Cold War.

The team, under the command of President Ronald Reagan, enlist the help of “Bell”, a completely customisable protagonist controlled by you. For the first time in Call of Duty history, the main character of the campaign is you, and players can choose the gender, appearance, and personality traits of Bell.

But who is this character that you take control of, under the alias of Bell?

Mild spoilers ahead...

Entering their prime years, Bell has a wealth of experience in the armed forces, but not for the side that you think. 

Within the campaign, you find out that Bell is one of the soldiers who is shot in the first mission by Arash Kadivar. As Woods and co. head to an airport strip in Amsterdam, they attempt to assassinate Kadivar. He can be seen shooting two colleagues in the back seat of his car, before escaping with his life after a failed snipe.

It’s not until the final mission that you find out Bell’s true identity. 

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Bell operated under Kadivar for the Soviet Union forces, until he disposed of the agent who seemingly knew too much information. Bell survived the gunshot wound and was subsequently made a prisoner of war by the American forces. Here, the American army brainwashed Bell to become their own special agent, and forget the betrayal of the Soviets.

The campaign then focuses on Bell unlocking their mind, akin to the Black Ops 1 storyline where Mason fought with his own mind to remember the numbers and overcome the delusion of Victor Reznov to save the world from the threat of Nova 6.

Read more: Black Ops Cold War Campaign Alternate Endings

After learning about the brainwashing and understanding about their past, Bell then faces morality choices in order to decide the fate of the world in the Cold War. In the final mission, Bell will decide whether to give up the Soviet Union's plans or to set up an ambush on the American soldiers and put an end to the likes of Woods and Mason.

From the Soviet forces to an American secret agent, Bell’s story within Black Ops is just unfolding, although they’re likely to end going down a separate path as they do not feature in any other Black Ops prequels.