Call of Duty has a weird habit of reinventing the wheel every time a new developer takes the reins. When Sledgehammer Games stepped up to the plate in 2017, they didn't just give us another round of arcade-style undead slaying. They went dark. Like, genuinely disturbing dark. The CoD WW2 zombies characters weren't just quirky caricatures shouting one-liners about beans or vodka; they felt like people trapped in a meat grinder.
I remember the first time I loaded into The Final Reich. You aren't just a nameless soldier. You’re part of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program. History nerds will know them as the "Monuments Men." That tiny bit of historical grounding makes the horror that follows feel so much heavier.
The Crew That Made CoD WW2 Zombies Characters Different
Most players just see the faces on the screen, but the voice talent here was actually insane. You had Ving Rhames, Elodie Yung, David Tennant, and Kathryn Winnick. That’s a "Doctor Who" lead, a Marvel ninja, a Viking queen, and Marsellus Wallace. Sledgehammer didn't just hire voice actors; they hired personalities that could carry a narrative that felt more like Band of Brothers meets Hellraiser.
Jefferson Potts, played by Rhames, is the muscle, sure. But he's an educator. He’s a guy with a PhD who happens to be a captain. That contrast is everywhere in this game. Drostan Hynd, voiced by Tennant, is a cynical art thief who was basically blackmailed into the mission. He’s grumpy, Scottish, and provides the exact kind of levity you need when a "Wüstling" is trying to cave your skull in with a club made of human spinal columns.
Marie Fischer is arguably the real protagonist. Played by Winnick, she’s a German engineer working for the OSS. Her stakes are personal. Her brother, Klaus, is missing in the very town they’re investigating. It’s not just about "stopping the Reich"—it’s a rescue mission. Olivia Durant (Elodie Yung) rounds them out as a former Louvre specialist. They aren't "zombie killers" by trade. They are historians and thieves forced to become killers.
The Horror of the Mittelburg Four
What most people get wrong about these CoD WW2 zombies characters is assuming they are invincible. In the Treyarch games, the characters feel like gods by round 30. In WW2, the dialogue reflects a descending spiral of trauma. As the rounds progress, their bickering turns into genuine exhaustion.
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Sledgehammer used a "scare system" that was revolutionary for the series at the time. Shadows would move. Random jump scares would trigger based on your character’s proximity to certain objects. This made the characters feel reactive to the world. If you stand still as Marie, she doesn't just cycle through idle animations; she looks genuinely terrified.
Why the "Monuments Men" Angle Worked
The MFAA was a real thing. These people actually existed during World War II to protect cultural treasures from Nazi looting. By placing the CoD WW2 zombies characters in this specific historical unit, Sledgehammer gave the gameplay a purpose beyond high scores. You’re trying to recover the Sword of Barbarossa. It’s an occult twist on a real-world tragedy.
Honestly, the chemistry between Drostan and Jefferson is the highlight. You have a guy who wants to save the art for history (Jefferson) and a guy who wants to steal it for a paycheck (Drostan), both forced to fight literal Franken-corpses. It’s a dynamic that modern Call of Duty titles, with their sterile "Operator" skins, completely lack. Modern skins have no soul. These characters had blood under their fingernails.
The Villains and the Madness of Dr. Straub
You can’t talk about the protagonists without mentioning Peter Stormare’s Dr. Peter Glücksbringer Straub. He is the architect of the "Geistkraft" energy. Straub is a terrifying villain because he isn't a cartoon. He believes he’s saving Germany. He thinks he’s an artist.
The way he taunts the CoD WW2 zombies characters from balconies in the early rounds adds a layer of psychological warfare. He treats the zombies—the Unstoppable—as his children. When Marie calls out for Klaus, and Straub responds with a lecture on the "new German man," it’s chilling. It makes the eventual boss fights feel like a personal reckoning rather than just a bullet-sponge encounter.
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Hidden Depth: The Unlockable Characters
Here is where the game got really hardcore. Most casual fans don't realize there are dozens of other CoD WW2 zombies characters you can play as, but you have to earn them through "Hidden Challenges."
These weren't easy. We’re talking about things like "Reach Round 30 without turning on the power" or "Defeat the Pests using only traps."
- The Mountaineer: One of the hardest to get. Requires surviving the "Prologue" map for an absurd amount of time.
- The B.A.T. Agent: Requires specific Easter Egg steps completed in record time.
- The Survivalist: Tests your ability to play without Perks (Blitz).
- The Slayer: Usually tied to high-round efficiency and flawless boss fights.
This added massive replayability. If you saw someone in a lobby playing as the "Deathraven Hunter," you knew they were a literal god at the game. It wasn't about buying a bundle in the shop for 2,400 COD Points. It was about skill. It was a badge of honor that showed you mastered the mechanics of the characters and the maps.
The Narrative Evolution Across Maps
As the DLC season progressed—from The Final Reich to The Shadowed Throne and finally The Frozen Dawn—the characters changed. Literally. Their models became more haggard. Their clothes were torn. Their dialogue became increasingly grim as they realized the "Geistkraft" was an ancient, corrupting force that went way beyond Nazi science.
By the time you get to the frozen wastes in the final map, the CoD WW2 zombies characters are facing down literal gods and ancient kings. The jump from a small Bavarian village to an underground city of the Thule Society is a wild ride. Drostan’s sarcasm starts to fade, replaced by a weary acceptance of the supernatural. It’s a character arc you rarely see in a seasonal horde mode.
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What Most People Miss About the Gameplay Mechanics
The characters weren't just skins; they were vessels for the "Special" abilities. Unlike the "Gobblegums" in Black Ops 3, which felt like cheats, the abilities in WW2—like "Shellshock" or "Camo"—felt like tactical gear.
- Camouflage: Essentially lets you disappear from the undead's sight. Perfect for the medic-style player.
- Freefire: Infinite ammo for a short burst. The heavy hitter's dream.
- Frontline: You draw all the aggro. It’s a tank move that requires actual bravery in high rounds.
- Shellshock: A massive AoE burst that knocks everything back.
This "Class" system meant that your choice of character (or at least your loadout) actually dictated the team's survival. In a four-player co-op session, if you didn't have a balance of these roles, you were basically dead by round 25.
The Legacy of the Mittelburg Four
Why do we still care about these CoD WW2 zombies characters years later? Because Sledgehammer took a risk on tone. They didn't go for "zany" or "epic." They went for "gritty" and "disturbing."
The zombies in this game aren't just rotting people. They are stitched-together abominations. You can see the bolts. You can see the wire holding their jaws shut. When your character screams in pain after a hit, it sounds visceral.
There's a lot of debate in the community. People love the "Aether" storyline with Richtofen and the gang because it’s nostalgic. But in terms of pure atmosphere? WW2 wins. It treats the characters like survivors of a horror movie, not superheroes. That vulnerability is what makes the gameplay loop so addictive. You feel lucky to survive every wave.
How to Master the Characters in 2026
If you're jumping back into Call of Duty: WWII today to experience these characters again, don't just play the main Easter Egg. The real meat of the game is in the character challenges.
- Prioritize the Mountaineer: Go into the "Prologue" map. Don't open the door to the upstairs area. Stay in the tiny starting room as long as possible. It will force you to master the "slide-jump" and "train" mechanics in tight spaces.
- Focus on the "Hidden" Objectives: Every map has a set of hidden challenges that aren't listed in the menu until you complete a piece of them. Use a tracker or a community guide to find the specific requirements for the "Slayer of Casablanca" or the "Hunter."
- Listen to the Audio Logs: The characters' backstories are hidden in the environment. Finding the "Dosser" records in The Final Reich fills in the gaps of why Marie is so desperate and why Drostan is so bitter.
- Experiment with Loadouts: Don't just stick to "Freefire." Try a "Medic" build using "Camouflage" with the "Sustain Zone" mod. It changes the way your character interacts with the team and makes you the MVP in boss fights.
The CoD WW2 zombies characters represent a time when Call of Duty was willing to be uncomfortable. They aren't there to tell jokes; they're there to survive the unthinkable. That's why they'll always have a seat at the table of the best characters in the franchise.