Who Is ‘Case’ in Black Ops 6? – Lore Explained

The Black Ops series is well known for its mind-bending Campaigns. However, few get as truly out there as Black Ops 6. This is mostly due to the mystery around the playable character “Case.” Here’s what you need to know about Case in Black Ops 6.

Case’s Backstory and Identity in Black Ops 6

With the new character Case, Treyarch and Raven took the route of the last Black Ops protagonist, “Bell” from Black Ops: Cold War. Bell is customizable in name, gender, and psychological traits, allowing players to skew the protagonist to their liking. Bell’s identity was also shrouded in mystery, with the player almost never appearing visually and being covered by a mask when they did.

While Case is similar to Bell in this faceless mystery, there are some more concrete details about the character. For starters, we know this man’s real name: William Calderon. Per the Call of Duty Wiki, little is known about Case’s early life. However, we do know what he was up to about a decade before Cold War and where his callsign comes from.

Where Was Case Before Black Ops 6?

In the mission Emergence, players finally start to get some answers about who Case truly is. The Rogue Black Ops team goes to investigate a covert CIA facility buried deep underneath a front company in Kentucky, where Russel Adler was briefly employed. Before they can properly infiltrate, Case falls down an elevator shaft and becomes separated from Marshall.

The place is abandoned, due to a failure to contain “The Cradle,” a biochemical weapon that becomes the focus of the Black Ops 6 Campaign. The fall results in Case’s gas mask being broken and him being exposed to The Cradle. This causes violent hallucinations, as well as makes him hear a woman’s voice, which speaks to him about his past secrets and ensures that he doesn’t share them.

It is here we learn that the case has been exposed to The Cradle before, and it was not developed initially as a biochemical weapon. Rather, the drug was initially created by the fictionalized Advanced Technologies and Applications Division within the CIA. Its aim was to develop a drug that would enhance the performances of operators, essentially creating super-soldiers. William Calderon volunteered to be the first human test subject, which is where he got the title “Test Subject Case One.”

Related: How To Build the LTG in Black Ops 6 Zombies

What Did The Cradle Do to Case?

The Cradle caused Case to have terrifying hallucinations, which, in turn, made his behavior erratic and hyper-aggressive. Thankfully, he was later rehabilitated. However, his erratic behavior would occasionally flare up again at the mention of The Cradle. Additionally, the voice in his head won’t allow him to share what he knows about the program.

As a result of this failed trial, the program was deemed ineffective for its intended purpose. After the experiment on Case went wrong, the program would shift development into using The Cradle as a biochemical weapon. A particularly disturbing tape found by the Rogue Black Ops team shows trials of the weapon where subjects become uncontrollably violent in fits of rage and fear.

What Happens To Case At the End of Black Ops 6? Explained

While Case was believed to have been recovered from The Cradle, the finale of the Black Ops 6 Campaign makes it evident he is still affected. The game ends on a cliffhanger, where Case and Harrow are fighting in a sinking helicopter that’s filling with water. A sample of The Cradle is on board. Case uses it to smash Harrow, which breaks the container and exposes him to the gas. At this point, he becomes more violent than ever, viciously strangling Harrow in a fit of fear and rage. Then, the game cuts to black.

From here, there is a post-credit scene where Daniel Livingstone gives the Rogue Black Ops team their status as a legitimate team back, offering them a blank check to help stop The Pantheon at all costs. Case is missing from this scene, meaning one of a few things could have happened.

Option one is that Case died along with Harrow in the sinking helicopter. With The Cradle taking over his mind and causing him to lose all self-control, it’s entirely possible that he lost his sense of self-preservation and prioritized killing Harrow. However, as we know, Black Ops narratives are seldom straightforward, and there is always a chance that Case could have survived with a sample of The Cradle and could be a villain at large in the Black Ops 6 post-launch seasons.

And that’s who Case is in Black Ops 6.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is available now on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.