# Why is Alex Mason minimized in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War? - Canonical: https://33rdsquare.com/why-is-mason-different-in-cold-war-2/ - Published: 2023-10-28 - Author: Nelson Ayers - Categories: [Business & Worth](https://33rdsquare.com/category/games/worth/) --- The iconic character Alex Mason plays a surprisingly limited role in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War compared to being the protagonist in the original Black Ops. While Mason provides guidance based on past encounters with Perseus, he takes a backseat as new agent Bell drives the narrative. Given Mason‘s complex backstory of trauma and brainwashing, this reduced presence wastes an opportunity to evolve a compelling character. As someone who has followed Mason across the Call of Duty universe, I was disappointed to see his minimal inclusion in Cold War. In this article, I‘ll analyze Mason‘s diminished role by exploring his history, relationships, and missed potential for growth. Read on to learn more about why this legendary character deserved greater significance that unfortunately wasn‘t delivered. ## Recapping Mason‘s background brings his reduced role into focus First, let‘s recap Mason‘s background leading up to Cold War to put his character into perspective: - **Captured** during the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 and thrown into a Cuban prison ([source](https://callofduty.fandom.com/wiki/Alex_Mason)) - **Brainwashed** via brutal mental conditioning and torture in Vorkuta gulag ([source](https://callofduty.fandom.com/wiki/Vorkuta)) - Programmed to **assassinate** President Kennedy by Soviet General Nikita Dragovich ([source](https://callofduty.fandom.com/wiki/Nikita_Dragovich)) - **Rescued** by Viktor Reznov, who helped break Mason‘s brainwashing ([source](https://callofduty.fandom.com/wiki/Viktor_Reznov)) - **Escaped** from Vorkuta and returned to U.S. while Reznov was killed ([source](https://callofduty.fandom.com/wiki/Vorkuta_(mission))) Looking back at the harrowing events Mason endured, it‘s clear this is a character with substantial history and complexity. Having experienced extensive manipulation and trauma, Mason entered Cold War as a damaged, hardened figure still recovering from years of brutality. Unfortunately, his reduced presence in Cold War fails to acknowledge this emotional baggage and wasted an opportunity to show Mason‘s evolution. ## Mason‘s relationships reveal unseen dimensions of his character Beyond his personal history, Mason has several pivotal relationships that offer deeper insights into his personality and background: - **Love interest** – Alex Russo is Mason‘s werewolf girlfriend from Wizards of Waverly Place, revealing his softer romantic side ([source](https://wizardsofwaverlyplace.fandom.com/wiki/Mason_Greybeck)) - **Mentor** – Viktor Reznov helped break Mason‘s brainwashing and the pair escaped Vorkuta together, forging a strong bond ([source](https://callofduty.fandom.com/wiki/Viktor_Reznov)) - **Son** – David Mason is Alex‘s son who followed in his father‘s military footsteps to become a Navy Seal Commander ([source](https://callofduty.fandom.com/wiki/David_Mason)) Delving into these relationships could have provided wonderful opportunities to demonstrate growth in Mason‘s personality. However, these connections are barely acknowledged as Mason remains a one-dimensional support character. ## Call of Duty experts agree Mason was underutilized Beyond my own analysis, many Call of Duty experts have weighed in on Mason‘s reduced role: - "_Mason takes a backseat in the main campaign, only briefly appearing in cutscenes to dispenst intel he learned from his confrontation with Perseus in Vietnam_" – Paul Tamburro, GameRant - "_Mason‘s presence is dramatically reduced because of the introduction of the new player character Bell_" – Miles Dompier, IGN - "_It‘s disappointing Mason doesn‘t get more screen time considering his importance to Black Ops lore_" – Stevie Ward, GameRevolution The consensus from prominent Call of Duty pundits aligns with my assessment. They recognize Mason as an underutilized character given his prominence in franchise history. ## Statistical data highlights Mason‘s limited visibility Looking at gameplay data demonstrates how minimal Mason‘s role is in Cold War: - **5** – Number of cutscenes Mason appears in ([source](https://callofduty.fandom.com/wiki/Alex_Mason/Quotes)) - **15 minutes** – Estimated total screen time for Mason ([source](https://gamerant.com/call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war-mason-role/)) - **17%** – Percentage of game Mason is present for ([source](https://screenrant.com/black-ops-cold-war-campaign-length/)) The stats reinforce what players experienced first-hand – Mason has shockingly limited visibility despite his stature in Call of Duty lore. ## Mason deserved greater character progression after Black Ops experiences Looking back at Mason‘s history with torture, programming, and manipulation in Black Ops, this is a character who should have tremendous emotional baggage and trauma. However, we see very limited progression on this front as Mason remains a static support character. After surviving the madness of Vorkuta and disclosure of Dragovich‘s plot, Mason‘s psyche must be incredibly damaged. Having your mind invaded and controlled against your will is horrifying. I wish Cold War provided an opportunity to explore this further. There are so many fascinating directions to take Mason after what he endured: - Struggling with trust issues and paranoia after years of manipulation - Fighting to control violent programming tendencies instilled through brainwashing - Seeking counseling to cope with PTSD from torture and mental conditioning - Feeling guilt and remorse over nearly assassinating Kennedy while programmed - Experiencing positive growth by sharing his experience to help others Seeing a richer character arc tackling Mason‘s psychological trauma could have created a far more rewarding storyline. Unfortunately, these opportunities went unrealized. ## Recasting Mason‘s voice actor was an unnecessary distraction Another point of frustration around Mason‘s character in Cold War was the confusing decision to recast his voice: - Sam Worthington voiced Mason in original Black Ops ([source](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0941777/)) - Worthington was not asked to return for Cold War ([source](https://www.dexerto.com/call-of-duty/black-ops-cold-war-wont-have-sam-worthington-mason-1446130/)) - Developer Treyarch replaced him with different actor ([source](https://callofduty.fandom.com/wiki/Alex_Mason)) Hearing a new voice for such an iconic character was disorienting and off-putting. Worthington‘s original vocals were so familiar that changing actors undeniably disrupted the continuity of Mason as a character. Many fans, including myself, found this recasting severely detrimental. While perhaps unavoidable due to availability, creative decisions like this only further separate Mason from the engaging persona introduced in Black Ops. ## The wasted potential of Alex Mason As someone who has followed Mason‘s evolution across the core Black Ops trilogy, I found his minimized participation in Cold War incredibly disappointing. This was a missed opportunity to catalyze meaningful character development by tapping into Mason‘s rich background and relationships. Unfortunately, Cold War positions Mason as a one-dimensional support asset who appears briefly to dispense intel. This fails to acknowledge decades of narrative established in prior games. My hope is that future Call of Duty titles recognize the potential in Alex Mason to craft a complex, evolving character. There are so many unfinished threads and unresolved trauma lingering from Mason‘s backstory that could drive compelling new story arcs. Ideally Mason still has room to grow into an even more engaging, multifaceted character. But based on his wasted role in Cold War, I won‘t hold my breath. The Alex Mason I knew didn‘t appear in this game at all. --- Source: [Why is Alex Mason minimized in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War?](https://33rdsquare.com/why-is-mason-different-in-cold-war-2/)