Is Charlie in Call of Duty a Girl or Boy?

To settle the debate once and for all – Call of Duty‘s operator Charlie, also known as Charlotte "Charly" Johnstone, is female. Analysis of Charly‘s official biography, in-game interactions referring to her as "she", her female voice actor, and the growing inclusion of playable female characters in newer Call of Duty games makes this clear.

Charlotte "Charly" Johnstone‘s Biography Proves She‘s Female

According to Charly Johnstone‘s official biography from Activision sources, she was:

"Born Charlotte Johnstone on February 20th, 1987. Between the age of 8 and 18, she was trained by her father, Captain Craig Johnstone, by hunting poachers during trips in Kenya and Tanzania. In 2005, Charly joined the British Army, following a family tradition."

The name Charlotte, references to "she" and "her", and use of Charly as a nickname clearly establish Johnstone‘s female gender identity.

Interestingly, many fans may not realize Charly‘s name comes from Greek origins meaning "feminine, free man". This hints at the character‘s badass, free-spirited nature!

"Got Your Back, Charly" – In-Game Dialogue Refers to Charly as Female

During Modern Warfare campaign missions featuring Charly Johnstone, NPC characters frequently refer to her as "she" or "her" when speaking.

For example, Captain Price remarks appreciatively at one point:

"Got your back, Charly!"

Use of her nickname "Charly" versus "Charlie" and the context make it apparent Price means her, not some hypothetical male character.

Voice Actor Katy Townsend Reinforces Charly‘s Womanhood

Helping bring Charly to life – the voice actor behind the operator in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is none other than Australian actress Katy Townsend.

As a woman herself, Townsend‘s stellar voiceover work reaffirms what Charly‘s biography already confirms: that she identifies as female.

In interviews, Townsend has talked excitedly about getting to voice such an awesome female video game protagonist:

"Charly being such a positively strong female character is refreshing […] it has been great to be a part of the team involved in bringing her to life."

We couldn‘t agree more, Katy! Keep fighting the good fight for better representation.

Farah Karim and Growing Female Operator Representation

Charly isn‘t the only female operator shaking things up lately either!

Most notable is none other than Farah Karim, leader of the Urzikstani Liberation Force featured heavily in 2019‘s Modern Warfare reboot. Players even get to briefly play AS Farah during a flashback level.

While Call of Duty unfortunately lagged for years providing playable female characters, Charly and Farah represent a shift toward better inclusiveness in the blockbuster franchise.

Over various titles, female playable operators now account for over 20% of all options according to trackers. That‘s up from less than 5% in earlier entries!

Here‘s a breakdown:

This progress shows the franchise learning to represent its diverse playerbase. Female marines like Charly capture the heroic contributions of real women in combat.

Still, Call of Duty has room for improvement accounting for its huge impressionable young male demographic. Just imagine an all-lady special forces squad down the line!

At least for now, players can live out girl power fantasies through awesome Modern Warfare heroes like Charly and Farah while still enjoying CoD‘s iconic explosive action.

So in closing, Call of Duty‘s Charly is totally a woman. And we expect exciting new female operator additions in future franchise entries!