What do you think about when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II gets mentioned? Could it be that gentle, loving side-eye gaze that Ghost gives you cutscene after subscene through the game, his probably rugged but canonically beautiful face hidden by a skull face mask, his eyes windows to his soul? Or maybe it's his "bruh" stare from that car cutscene?

Whatever your answer is, here is a little bit more information about who Ghost is and how he managed to become the internet's number one sexyman of November 2022.

Who is Simon "Ghost" Riley?

Simon "Ghost" Riley is a character in Call of Duty franchise who first appeared in the 2009 game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and is one of three playable protagonists in the 2022 reboot of the same name. A commanding officer in the special operations Task Force 141, Ghost is a British soldier who wears a skull balaclava and red-tinted sunglasses. In the 2020 Modern Warfare reboot and its 2022 sequel, Ghost wears a skull mask rather than a balaclava, with his eyes being the only visible part of his face.

When Did Ghost Become Popular?

Following the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in late October 2022, Ghost became a popular subject of fan art, fancams and other fan content, with the character being sexualized. This is in part due to some of his dialogue and also due to his side-eye gaze in several cutscenes. In late October and in November 2022, pieces of fan art dedicated to Ghost went viral on social media.

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What Is the Ghost Gaze / Staring Ghost?

In late October 2022, Ghost reaction images and videos gained virality on Twitter and TikTok. Initially, an image of Ghost looking at Soap from behind his mask as his face is slightly illuminated gained virality as a my reaction to that information type meme. Two weeks later, in mid-November 2022, a reaction image and reaction video of Ghost staring at Soap during a car ride also went viral, but that time conveying a bruh moment reaction, not unlike the Bruh Wazowski meme.

While the first image saw some use, it was the second reaction that really went viral, both with videos on TikTok in which it was paired with somber music, and with video caption and image caption memes on other sites.

When your Friends on overwatch says “WTF IS OUR DPS DOING” but that dps is you 😭 pic.twitter.com/Z3gl1yvJ5i

— Somjuu💫 (@ItsSomjuu) November 14, 2022

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For the full history of Ghost and Ghost Gaze reaction images be sure to check out our entry for more information.