[The 5th Anniversary of Black Ops Cold War: A Small Fan Column]
The Man Who Embodied the Cold War, Russell Adler— And Why the Existence of Bell Beyond Gender and Ethnicity Was 'Possible'
I never imagined I would end up writing a piece like this. Yet here I am, reflecting on two questions:
Why is the player character, Bell, given an ambiguous identity in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, allowing for choice regardless of gender or ethnicity?
Why should the story of Adler and Bell be understood not merely as the actions of one individual against another, but within the broader historical context of the Cold War itself?
This post is a modest attempt to explore those questions and to carefully share my thoughts.
The Soviet Union Was More Than Just "Russia"
We often think of the Soviet Union simply as "Russia," but in reality it was a vast federation of states. Being Soviet did not necessarily mean speaking Russian or living within Russian territory. The Union consisted of 15 republics and numerous autonomous regions, making it a truly multiethnic federation.
This diversity is reflected even in Black Ops Cold War. Characters such as Qasim Javadi and Arash Kadivar carry names far removed from Russian tradition, reminding us that the Soviet sphere encompassed people of many different backgrounds. Given that the Middle East and Latin America were major battlegrounds for Cold War rivalry, it is hardly surprising that even more diverse names appear in the narrative.
In the early Soviet period, Stalin forcibly relocated certain ethnic groups within the Union sometimes controlling or even erasing them. Yet by the time of World War II, the Soviet Union mobilized soldiers regardless of gender or ethnicity. One striking example is the famed female sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko, underscoring the mobilization of human resources regardless of traditional gender roles.
Lyudmila Pavlichenko
As warfare modernized, gender became less of a barrier. And during the Cold War, direct military clashes gave way to information warfare. As intelligence agencies like the CIA emerged, the nature of conflict shifted. In undercover operations and espionage, gender often became less of a barrier, or even an advantage, due to the ability to blend in more easily.
The Perseus group in the game, though clad in Soviet uniforms, is portrayed not as a formal military unit but as a kind of "black ops" within the Soviet system. Such a force could plausibly include members far more unconventional than those in a regular army.
In the end, Bell's ability to embody diverse identities—different skin colors, genders, and backgrounds—was not just a matter of game design. It resonates with the historical context of the Cold War itself.
2. The Cold War Era – How the System Inflicted Itself on Human Beings
The intense rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union was not limited to military conflict. Each side sought to prove that its system was stronger, more advanced, and more livable, and this competition extended into many areas of life.
Sputnik
The space race is one example: the launch of Sputnik shocked America, and Valentina Tereshkova's historic flight, which circled the Earth 48 times, symbolized Soviet ambition.
Even the dog Laika, often referenced in Black Ops feeds, reminds us how the Cold War system experimented on living beings to demonstrate its superiority.
Heidi Krieger (https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/the-price-of-gold-the-legacy-of-doping-in-the-gdr-a-644233.html)
This competition also reached into sports. To secure victories, Soviet and Eastern Bloc authorities subjected female athletes to anabolic steroids, and in some cases even manipulated pregnancies. KGB agents were reportedly involved in swapping urine samples to conceal doping.
The justification of human suffering for the sake of national goals was not unique to the Cold War. During World War II, soldiers across both Axis and Allied forces were supplied with addictive stimulants such as methamphetamine. The Cold War simply carried these practices forward.
Netflix's documentary Wormwood illustrates how even CIA employees turned on one another, experimenting with LSD under the infamous MK-Ultra program. In BOCW, Adler's use of drugs on Bell echoes this historical backdrop.
When we look at Adler and Bell's relationship, it is easy to focus only on Adler's direct actions against Bell. But that is too narrow a view. The Cold War itself was a harsh era for the human body and mind, and the Black Ops series has woven these realities into its narrative.
From Alex Mason's ordeal in the original Black Ops to Bell's experience in Cold War, the threads connect. Each story reflects how systemic rivalry left deep scars on individuals.
3. Conclusion: Bell as the Embodiment of a Wounded Era, and Russell Adler as the Man of the Cold War
This post is not an attempt to glorify any particular act, but to examine how such acts are narratively reflected and rendered coherent within the game's context.
There are many who argue that MK-Ultra was a poorly understood and chaotic project, and the latter part of BOCW's storyline does feel somewhat rushed.
Yet despite these shortcomings, Bell stands as a character who embodies the scars and atmosphere of the Cold War, functioning as a device through which we can better grasp that era.
Adler, too, is not simply "America's monster."
He is the personification of the Cold War system itself.
He represents one of Treyarch's most striking examples of character design—Adler is, quite literally, the Cold War.
And crucially, this includes not only the ambitions of the era but also its mistakes and moral failures.
In the end, Bell and Adler are fictional characters who nonetheless carry the weight of nonfictional history. They are vessels of the Cold War's tensions and traumas.
That is why I find them so compelling, and why BOCW continues to resonate with me as a creative attempt to capture the wounds and anxieties of its time.
In summary, I believe that Treyarch's attempt in BOCW—to offer players diverse choices regarding identity—was a deliberate decision that reflects the backdrop of the Cold War.
Marking 5 years of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War…
