The story ofCall of Duty: Black Ops 6was one of its highest-praised features around the time of its launch, with many players enjoying how the game’s campaign blended high-octaneCoDcombat with slower spy-like sequences. While discussion around the game’s campaign has waned as time has passed, the in-game multiplayer seasons ofBlack Ops 6are still offering some great insights into the narrative future of the subseries.
The end ofCall of Duty: Black Ops 6’s second season was marked with its own cinematic, featuring appearances from fan-favorite characters like Frank Woods and Russell Adler. As expected, this cinematic loosely sets up the story beats ofBlack Ops 6’s third season and beyond, with long-timeBlack Opsfigure Jason Hudson being mentioned as a driving force in this upcoming narrative. While it is almost certain that Hudson will not appear in the flesh during the ongoing storyline ofBlack Ops 6, the character has built a reputation over the years that is deserving of more representation within futureBlack Opsreleases.
There is Still Room For Jason Hudson to Have a Narrative Presence in Black Ops Going Forward
Jason Hudson first appeared in theBlack Opsfranchise from its very beginning in 2010, being a central driving force of the game’s story alongsidethe likes of Frank Woods and Alex Mason. Hudson would go on to play an even more important role in the fan-favorite narrative of 2012’sBlack Ops 2, with the character famously dying at the hands of Raul Menendez.
While Hudson’s mysterious nature and ulterior CIA motives often painted him as a stand-offish figure, his ultimate sacrifice inBlack Ops 2cemented him as a revered character among many fans, with his important contribution to the sub-franchise’s earlier narratives being undeniable.Hudson would go on to appear in the early-1980s story ofBlack Ops Cold War, although some players felt his inclusion in the game felt unrepresentative of the driven and relentless version of Hudson that fans had come to love from previous titles.
The ending cinematic forBlack Ops 6’s second season is the most direct mention of Hudson that fans have seen for some time, beyond brief references to the character in the game’s campaign, and this is hopefully setting up a big future involvement for Hudson in the sub-franchise’s future. While it may be possible for Hudson to appear in flashback cinematics or as a non-canon operator forBlack Ops 6’s multiplayer, there is a better case to be made for the figureto appear in 2025’sCall of Dutyrelease.
2025’s Call of Duty Release Might Be the Perfect Stage For a Partial Hudson Return
This year’sCall of Dutyproject will reportedly also be aBlack Opsentry, with all signs currently pointing towardthe game being a direct sequel toBlack Ops 2. This would place the bulk of the game’s narrative around the year 2030, following on the story of David Mason, but it seems likely that the game could feature its own flashback gameplay sequences in the same way that the 2025-set story ofBlack Ops 2did.
While most rumors and reports point towards 2025’sCall of Dutyrelease being aBlack Ops 2sequel, nothing about the project has been officially confirmed by Activision, meaning that this is subject to change.
There still seems to be plenty of missing links between Jason Hudson’s involvement in the CIA, the enigmatic Pantheon group, and the plans of Raul Menendez himself, and it only seems right that fans are given more than bits ofBlack Ops 6dialogue to reveal this part of Hudson’s story.Hudson’s ties to the widerBlack Opsnarrativeare so strong that he could even be deserving of a featured protagonist role for some of the flashback missions in this year’sCoD, assuming it has them, with the recent cinematic reference to the character inBlack Ops 6hopefully just being the start of a more fitting send-off going forward.
