Despite being a direct sequel to the original Black Ops game, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War introduces several new characters in its campaign. While Frank Woods, Jason Hudson, and Alex Mason are present, the trio is relegated to a supporting role for the story. As a result, the focus is placed on new characters like Sims, Lazar, and the fan favorite Park. Players also control a silent protagonist named Bell, with the reveal of his origin serving as the main twist of the game. Tying all these characters together is none other than Russell Adler, the mysterious handler for Bell and the team.
Willing to take risks and make morally reprehensible decisions to succeed in his mission, Adler is an interesting character for more than the mysterious scar seen across his face. His story has continued in the ongoing Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War narrative, with Season 1 seeing him encounter Stitch. An old enemy of the CIA expert, Stitch eventually captures Adler. While players do not know Stitch’s full plans for sure, there are some clear hints as to what the ally of Perseus is up to. If things do go according to plan for the villain, Adler’s fate could prove incredibly ironic — and is arguably well-deserved for his treatment of Bell.
Adler’s Role In The Campaign
While Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s campaign features fun easter eggs and callbacks as well as some intriguing subplots, Adler’s relationship with Bell is the crux of the story. Bringing the player-made character into the CIA, Adler is with them every step of the way, constantly reminding them that they “have a job to do.” It is this closeness between the two that makes Adler’s character so interesting, as one of the standout moments of the campaign is seen when players learn of his betrayal.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s “Break On Through” mission sees Bell working through their mind to narrow down the location of Perseus, with the mind-bending level also revealing that Bell was Russian all along. A brainwashed agent of Perseus himself, Adler had been using the same cruel techniques that were once used on Alex Mason in the 1960s. The process works, and while players can choose a bad ending where they get revenge on Adler, the canon ending sees Bell assisting the CIA until the very end. Together with Adler, Woods, and Mason, Bell stops Perseus’ plan.
However, Bell’s reward for this loyalty is a quick death in a remote location, with Adler needing to kill Bell to tie up loose ends. On the off chance that the mind control faded and Bell turned rogue, this was a must, though it does show a cruel side of Russell Adler. Taking advantage of Bell for the entirety of the story, and killing him off when he was no longer useful, Adler shows that he truly believes the ends justify the means. While his method was questionable and risky, and saw him doubted along the way, it ultimately proved successful. As such, it is hardly a surprise that Stitch’s plan in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s evolving story involves this same exact trick.
Stitch’s Plan For Adler
Following a confrontation in The Pines multiplayer map, Stitch captures Adler in the Season 1 epilogue. With one of his best agents taken hostage, Hudson wastes no time sending his best men and women to hunt down their ally. Led by Woods, the rescue mission sees the team heading to Laos, with the multiplayer map Apocalypse used as a backdrop. However, the mission does not go as planned, with Stitch being one step ahead. Using Laos as a cover for his real plan, Woods’ team survives an ambush before eventually tracking down Adler’s real location: Verdansk.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Call of Duty: Warzone’s Hunt For Adler event then began, and while it hints at Adler being found soon, the Season 3 trailer hides the more interesting reveal. In the footage, Stitch’s ally Wraith goes to the same Yamantau Numbers Station from the campaign. Also featured in the original Black Ops game's story, the area was essential to the brainwashing of protagonist Mason, as it contains the Numbers data used to break into his mind. Wraith successfully steals this Numbers data, destroying the facility and escaping the area.
At the same time, Adler is seen writhing in pain, having been tortured for weeks by Stitch. While Stitch eventually heads outside to further tease the new version of Verdansk seen in Season 3, and describe his vision for “Greater Russia,” it is this combination of a weak Adler and the Numbers that should clue fans in on what is coming next. Stating several times that Adler is a pawn in his game and has a role to play, what exactly that role will be has been unclear. Now, though, it is beginning to make sense, as Adler will likely be brainwashed by Stitch leading into Season 4.
Adler’s Fitting Punishment
Much like Alex Mason was brainwashed to kill JFK, Adler will likely be coerced into committing some kind of act against America. While it remains to be seen what this act will be, Adler becoming a sleeper agent makes sense, as it is hard to think of why else Stitch would want the Numbers data. With Adler also mentally exhausted from all the torture that he has received, he could be more susceptible to the conditioning. On top of this, Woods and whoever else finds Adler would never expect anything, unwittingly bringing him to wherever Stitch wants him to be.
After Adler carries out Stitch’s plan, it is hard to imagine that he will be able to recover. In the best-case scenario, he would likely be permanently sidelined by the CIA. However, it is even more likely that Adler will be killed, either by someone like Woods who has no other choice or by Stitch himself. Regardless of who pulls the trigger, this is the ultimate case of revenge for Stitch, and it also fits with the rest of the Black Ops timeline. With the events of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 quickly approaching, and Adler never mentioned after Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, writing him out in this way would make perfect sense.
If Adler is used by Stitch in such a way, it would be incredibly ironic. Prior to these post-launch Seasons of content, seeing karma come for Adler in such a way seemed unlikely. Now, though, his fate is seeming more certain, with serious potential in place for Adler to fall victim to his own methods of torture and mind control. Adler being brought down by the same cruel brainwashing that he did to Bell is strong writing, and it could serve as a solid way to close out his arc. After all, while Adler ultimately had good intentions, the path he took included one of the worst experiments of the Cold War. In turn, having it turned against him seems fair, and if it results in his death, the parallels between him and Bell will be even clearer.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.