13 years later, lost MW3 cutscene reveals a mysterious villain

The OG Call of Duty campaigns are ingrained into the memory of FPS fans everywhere because they told some brilliant stories. Among fans, Black Ops 1, CoD4 and MW2 (2009) were voted as the best narratives, but MW3 (2011) closely follows behind all of them.

At the end of Modern Warfare 3 years ago, Captain Price can be seen staring at the dead Makarov, who is hanging by a rope. Price lights up a cigar and simply observes the deceased villain as we hear sirens in the distance. Roll credits.

This official ending led us to believe that Captain Price survived his dual with Makarov and lived to see another day. However, over 13 years later, an end-of-credits cutscene that was never added to the game has surfaced, completely changing the ending of MW3.

Rare MW3 end-of-credits cutscene uncovered 13 years later

A post-credit scene for MW3 (2011) that was never used has finally been posted, and it presents an alternative ending with a mysterious figure at the end.

The scene picks up right after the ending, with Price waking up from falling unconscious due to ominous footsteps in the distance. Makarov is still hanging from the ceiling, but in the background in the hallway, a mysterious figure appears who seems to be dressed up in a suit.

As the scene is so dark, it's impossible to see who this person could possibly be, but they stare at Price for a moment before walking away. It's at this point that Price drops the cigar, and the sparks go out on the floor, implying that he died from his wounds before help could arrive.

This bittersweet ending answers a lot of questions MW3 fans had at the end of the campaign, which is probably why the devs opted to scrap it. Leaving the conclusion open-ended led to speculation about whether Price could survive the dual with Makarov. 

Who is the mysterious figure in the MW3 post-credit scene?

Click to enlarge

Unfortunately, this is an impossible question to answer as there are not enough details to identify anyone from the clip. This hasn't stopped the Call of Duty community from speculating, though, and there are a few interesting theories.

One is that the writers were attempting to tease a new future villain, but in the end, decided it was not an appropriate time to give them an appearance.

The other (and more popular) idea is that the figure is a representation of "Death appearing to Price" in his final moments, as he passes away almost instantly after the mysterious entity appears.

All of these theories are valid but ultimately, the cutscene isn't canon as it was never added to the game. Either way, it's unbelievable that it's taken over 13 years for this to surface, it's definitely a must-watch for any CoD fan.