Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Campaign Has a Funny Mascot Easter Egg
Though the “Flashpoint” mission in the Call of Duty: modern warfare 3 campaign is one of its more harrowing levels, it manages to include a silly mascot Easter egg. Specifically, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 players can pay their respects to a mascot if they stumble upon it.
Considering its premise, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 fans may not be expecting any levity when playing through “Flashpoint.” Second only to the “Passenger” mission in terms of dark subject matter, as that level contains MW3's reimagined version of No Russian, “Flashpoint” takes players to a stadium in Verdansk that is reeling from one of Makarov's terrorist attacks. With civilians running through the arena as Task Force 141 tries to fight disguised police officers, many will likely take the mission seriously – though one secret could have them chuckling.
As pointed out by Reddit user milo301109, if players take a break to look for a dead mascot near the stadium's guardrail, Soap MacTavish will salute it when he goes nearby. Players can do this while standing up despite the post title suggesting they have to be prone, and while it is certainly sad that the innocent person has died due to Makarov's actions, the sight of a serious soldier like Soap gesturing at what looks to be a giant fuzzy honey badger is hilarious. This is enhanced by the fact that any sort of moment where someone pays respects in the Call of Duty series will forever be funny, as the infamous “Press F to Pay Respects” meme is still referenced all around the internet to this day.
Intriguingly, this is not the only time the franchise has included a mascot-related Easter egg. Not only did the Exo Zombies map Infection bring the Burger Town mascot Bubby to life at the end of its main quest, but Bubby returned during the Black Ops Cold War campaign with another secret. If players interacted with him during the campaign mission “Redlight, Greenlight,” Bubby would poop out a grenade launcher. Players could then use this grenade launcher to blow up their foes throughout the level, making for one of the more absurd Call of Duty Easter eggs in recent years. For whatever reason, it seems like Call of Duty's developers love adding funny mascot moments to the games, as they keep showing up.
While the “Flashpoint” mission also contains an incredible Makarov detail that reveals he was present before players capture him later on in the level, this detail is equally memorable due to its weirdness. Next time players go through this mission, they should make sure to say their goodbyes to the Verdansk mascot.