Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 — Raúl Menéndez returns, but is he real or an AI?
The next Call of Duty installment has revealed its main antagonist, but his presence raises even more questions.
The Xbox Games Showcase 2025 ended with the official reveal of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, confirming that the game will be a direct sequel to both Black Ops 6 and Black Ops 2.
The biggest surprise? Raúl Menéndez is back—but given the multiple endings of Black Ops 2, fans are wondering: Is this the real Menéndez, or an AI?
A digital nightmare—Black Ops 7’s psychological warfare
Set in 2035, Black Ops 7 follows David Mason, the protagonist of Black Ops 2 and son of Alex Mason.
The first teaser, released on June 8, 2025, shows Mason trapped in a warped digital simulation, where gravity and geometry defy logic: a clear nod to Inception.
In the shadows, Menéndez whispers ominously:
“Fear is a powerful thing… David Mason.”
But is this Menéndez in the flesh, or just a ghost in the machine?
The truth behind Menéndez—A legacy of AI manipulation
Menéndez first appeared in Black Ops 2 (2012), leading Cordis Die, a revolutionary group that hacked the U.S. drone fleet, nearly destroying Los Angeles.
At the end of Black Ops 2, players could either kill or imprison Menéndez—but the canon ending confirms that David Mason killed him.
Menéndez later resurfaced in Black Ops 4 (2018), but only as an AI construct within Project Blackout, alongside other deceased characters like Viktor Reznov, Alex Mason, Frank Woods, and Jason Hudson.
Since Black Ops 7 takes place before Black Ops 4, and the canon ending of Black Ops 2 confirms Menéndez’s death, the Menéndez we see now is almost certainly an AI.
Savannah Mason and the ethics of digital immortality
One of the key figures behind Project Blackout is Savannah Mason, David’s daughter.
Her experiments in AI resurrection have digitally preserved Menéndez, granting him eternal life as a virtual entity.
If Savannah plays a role in Black Ops 7, it could lead to a tense father-daughter conflict, as David struggles with the morality of her work.
A return to psychological horror
The teaser suggests Black Ops 7 will lean heavily into psychological horror, much like Black Ops Cold War and Black Ops 6.
Expect a mind-bending campaign, where technology is weaponized to manipulate reality.
Release date and platforms
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is set to launch in late 2025, likely in November.
Confirmed platforms:
- PC
- PS4, PS5
- Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S
No Nintendo Switch 2 version has been announced yet, but that could change.
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