About

Ghost is the commonly used name for the character Simon "Ghost" Riley in the 2022 video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. The character is recognizable for his skull face mask, which he never removes in the series. Though the character had appeared in previous Modern Warfare titles, his 2022 iteration developed a significant fandom on social media, as well as a presence in memes such as Ghost Gaze.

Origin

Simon "Ghost" Riley appeared in the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare titles released in the 2000s and returned in the 2020 reboots, first as a playable character in multiplayer modes of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and as one of three playable protagonists in the 2022 reboot of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II.^[1] A compilation of popular scenes featuring Ghost, seen below, was uploaded to YouTube^[3] by Major Alex on October 22nd, 2022, earning 469,000 views in just over two weeks.

Spread

Ghost quickly developed a fandom among Modern Warfare II fans on social media. On TikTok] a remixed audio clip featuring Ghost talking with Soap about his mask posted by @momentsofgaming has gained over 1 million likes in three weeks (shown below, left). The audio has been used in over 200 videos as of November 10th, 2022, with many commenting the pair sound like they're flirting. Another example posted to TikTok^[5] by @tophathunni gained over 136,000 likes in one week (shown below, right).

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7157332067003436294

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7162018744942726402

The dialogue exchange, particularly when Ghost says he's "quite the opposite" of ugly, also prompted parodies where people imagined what Ghost was doing at that exact moment. For example, user @bigyuyu17 posted a TikTok^[6] imagining Ghost squatting in a sexual pose, gaining over 515,000 likes in three days (shown below, left). User @jeshurunchen posted a similar TikTok,^[7] gaining over 335,000 likes in six days (shown below, right). The audio for these TikToks has been used in over 54,000 videos as of November 10th, 2022.^[2]

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7163041745654058283

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7161981429667122474

Some Call of Duty fans were unhappy with the trend. For example, TikTok^[8] user @thecubancrusher lamented the sexualization of Ghost, remembering the iconic Shepherd's Betrayal scene in Modern Warfare 2, gaining over 389,000 likes in one week (shown below).

https://www.tiktok.com/embed/v2/7161114533543644458

General Shepherd's Betrayal

General Shepherd's Betrayal or Ghost Death refers to a moment in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in which the player-character Roach and Ghost are shot by General Shepherd, thought to be an ally, at a critical point in the game's plot. The moment is one of the series' most memorable for Call of Duty fans, and has been parodied in various memes.

Ghost Staring / Ghost Gaze

Ghost Staring, also known as Ghost Gaze or Ghost's Dreamy Eyes, refers to several images of the 2022 video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II character Simon "Ghost" Riley looking at the player (Soap) from behind his skull mask. Online, the images gained virality shortly after the game's release as reactions in memes, inspiration for fan art and for simping purposes, with one clip also spawning a Bruh Moment video caption format.