Summary
A huge wealth of information is starting to be released around the upcomingCall of Duty: Black Ops 6, with the game being set for a full Direct presentation following the Xbox Games Showcase on June 9. A few teaser trailers and pieces of promotional art have already surfaced in anticipation for this big reveal, with fans getting a fantastic glimpse into the kinds of themes and settings that the Treyarch-led title will portray.
The early images and videos concerningCall of Duty: Black Ops 6all share one key piece of imagery, with that being a logo depicting Cerberus, a three-headed dog from Greek mythology. TheBlack Opsfranchise has a history with Cerberus-related imagery, which could explain this logo forBlack Ops 6, but it is more likely that it has a much deeper narrative meaning for the upcoming game’s campaign.
The Story of Cerberus May Be Key To Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Story
The Cerberus logo forCall of Duty: Black Ops 6was one of the first glimpses players got at the game, being the centerpiece of the promotional image forthe title’s Direct presentation on June 9. This originally redacted image was later modified to reveal the title for the upcoming project, with the Cerberus imagery already acting as the defining logo for the game’s story. The logo bears the same black and orange color scheme that has become synonymous with theBlack Opsfranchise, with the central dog’s head wearing a beanie of some sort.
This kind of headwear was seen throughout covert operations inBlack Ops’past, worn by the likes of Alex Mason, and it is clear thatBlack Ops 6is going to feature similar under-the-radar excursions. It has finally been confirmed that much ofBlack Ops 6will take place during the Gulf War, with a focus on the hidden truths and government-led narratives of the conflict, and it is likely that the Cerberus logo is a symbol of a group at the center of this.
The ARG ‘The Truth Lies’ trailer forBlack Ops 6showed a resistance group defacing Mount Rushmore to expose hidden truths, and the Cerberus logo could be the symbol of this organization. Alternatively, it could even be the symbol of the combat unit that carried out the top secret Gulf War operations that are seemingly at the crux ofBlack Ops 6’s narrative.
If the Cerberus logo belongs tothe main protagonist faction ofBlack Ops 6, or even potentially an antagonist faction, the use of the mythical creature surely has deeper meaning. In Greek mythology, Cerberus guarded the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead from leaving, with its three vicious heads being controlled by a single body. This could mean that the Cerberus group is safeguarding secrets of excess deaths during the war, or simply that the faction is controlled by three equally-powerful figures.
The recent “open your eyes” teaser saw a distorted voice telling players to “reject being sheep” to “become wolves,” supporting the idea that Cerberus is a new faction.
Cerberus' History in Call of Duty Runs Deeper Than Black Ops 6
Interestingly, the name Cerberus has appeared in pastBlack Opsreleases,appearing in the Zombies maps Mob of the Deadand Blood of the Dead inBlack Ops 2andBlack Ops 4respectively. Cerberus was also the name of a memorable killstreak in 2015’sBlack Ops 3, being an AI-controlled vehicle that would patrol the map and engage any enemies in its line of sight.
Various factions in the form of top-secret military units and fanatical resistance groups have always been a staple ofnarratives within theBlack Opsfranchise, and it appears that the upcomingBlack Ops 6will be no different. While more information will become available on June 9, it already seems that Cerberus will be the face of one of the game’s most important organizations, for better or for worse.
