Who is Makarov in CoD MW3? Villain character & actor explained
He's back!
Only a year after the hugely successful Modern Warfare 2 remake, Activision are dropping a remake of the third in the classic Call of Duty sub-series.
The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 remake will drop on 10th November 2023, so we'll get a chance to relive the classic story before the end of the year!
The new game was announced in a reveal trailer earlier this month, which seemed to focus on the villain Makarov more than anything else.
Fans of the original trilogy will remember Makarov well, but this trailer is his first appearance for those who only know the remakes.
So what's his deal, exactly? We'll provide a bit of a character study below.
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Who is Makarov in CoD MW3? Villain explained
In the original trilogy, Makarov was a disciple of Imran Zakhaev, the original antagonist. He existed in the background of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, became a secondary villain in Modern Warfare 2, and graduated to the main bad guy in Modern Warfare 3.
In the remake, he looks to be a similar bloke, despite making a slightly later entry to the story. His gnarly tattoos are grabbing people's attention, which makes sense. They each represent one of the harrowing atrocities of his past, such as his time in an ultranationalist terrorist cell.
We've got a feeling Makarov is going to be just as memorable the second time around, especially when we consider the acting talent behind him.
Who plays Makarov in CoD MW3? Voice actor revealed
Roman Varshavsky, who played Makarov so memorably in the originals, won't be returning this time. It's a shame, but this is a remake, so there's a lot of merit to providing the character with a new interpretation.
This time, the villain will be played by Julian Kostov. He's already proven his video game acting chops as Godfrey in Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and Alexander Steiner in CrossfireX.
He's also appeared in other media. You might recognise him as Fedyor Kaminsky in Shadow and Bone, or as Luca in the UK sitcom Back.
With these eclectic bunch of roles behind him, and his terrifying performance in the trailer, we're confident this new iteration of Makarov is going to be a quality one.
Check out his first appearance as Makarov in the reveal trailer below!
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Authors
Ben Huxley is a freelance contributor to Radio Times, with bylines also in TechRadar, WhatCulture, GAMINGbible, and Live Science. A writer of fiction, too, he has a few short stories published and a novel on the way. He has a BA in English Literature, and an MA in creative writing.
