After a successful operation in Kabul ( "Team Player" ), Shepherd pulls Allen aside. Recognizing the young Ranger’s potential (and perhaps his expendability), Shepherd recruits him directly into an elite sub-unit of Task Force 141. Allen’s mission changes drastically: he is no longer a frontline soldier. He is going undercover. Shepherd gives Allen his most dangerous assignment: infiltrate the Russian ultranationalist circle led by Vladimir Makarov. Allen is given the alias "Alexei Borodin" and is ordered to earn Makarov’s trust.
All of this—the burning suburbs, the fight for the White House, the battle of the D.C. ruins—happens because of one dead Ranger. Shepherd, obsessed with revenge for the 30,000 soldiers lost in the original Modern Warfare , orchestrated the false flag operation to provoke a war that would allow him to rebuild America’s military power. Allen was simply the pawn sacrificed to move the board. Joseph Allen is a tragic figure because he dies a traitor in the eyes of the world, yet he was nothing but a patriot. He followed orders that felt morally abhorrent because he believed in his commander. He walked into the lion’s den, and the lion (Shepherd) set him on fire. call of duty modern warfare 2 joseph allen
This leads to the most controversial mission in Call of Duty history: "No Russian." After a successful operation in Kabul ( "Team
Allen joins Makarov and three other terrorists in an elevator at Zakhaev International Airport in Moscow. As the elevator doors open, Makarov utters the infamous line: "Remember, no Russian." What follows is a brutal, unrelenting massacre of unarmed civilians. He is going undercover
"Your Lieutenant Shepherd… sends his regards."
When players control Private Allen in "No Russian," they aren't playing a hero. They are playing the fuse to a bomb. In the end, Joseph Allen isn't remembered for his bravery in the streets of Afghanistan. He is remembered as the American who shot up an airport. That irony—that injustice—is the dark heart of Modern Warfare 2 .