Who is Roach in mw2?
Introduction
SAS Sergeant Gary "Roach" Sanderson is a British special forces operative and playable character that first appears in 2009‘s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Serving under Captain John "Soap" MacTavish in the elite Task Force 141, Roach takes part in dramatic raids and high-risk missions across the globe.
Known for his resiliency in even the most perilous situations, Roach builds a reputation as a survivor – much like the resilient insect he‘s nicknamed after. But his fortunes ultimately run out when Roach falls victim to one of the most shocking betrayals in Call of Duty history at the hands of his own commanding officer.
Task Force 141‘s Go-To Field Operative
As the field operative carrying out Task Force 141‘s most daring assaults, player is right there as Roach for over five levels of Modern Warfare 2‘s campaign. This puts you directly into the boots of someone that Captain MacTavish entrusts with their squad‘s most crucial objectives.
Backing up Soap and other senior operators like Ghost, Roach quickly establishes himself as an integral part of this Tier One British special operations outfit. His main specialty comes in the form of carrying out the most dangerousfacet of the squad‘s high-risk missions:
- The initial frontal assaults
- Securing key positions
- And clearing the ways for the senior-ranking operators
According to in-game lore, Roach enlisted in the British Army at age 16 before undergoing selection for the elite Special Air Service two years later (Table 1). His advanced combat skills and specialization in operating behind enemy lines makes him the perfect operative to spearhead Task Force 141‘s operations against Russian ultranationalist Vladimir Makarov.
| Age Enlisted in British Army | 16 years old |
| Age Selected for SAS | 18 years old |
| Years Service in SAS Before Task Force 141 | At least 5 years |
Table 1 – Overview of key details around Roach‘s military background
With well over five years service within the legendary British SAS, Roach is far from fresh-faced when he joins Task Force 141. This makes him a battle-tested veteran special operator despite his youth – trusted to take point on infiltration missions most soldiers could scarcely imagine.
Roach‘s Key Missions in MW2
As a playable character, players directly experience Roach‘s critical role across several of Modern Warfare 2‘s most memorable levels:
The Gulag
Roach is central to the dramatic raid of a Russian gulag to rescue prisoner #627 – who reveals himself as Captain Price following his incarceration after Call of Duty 4. Clearing out guards and control rooms with lethal efficiency, this feels like Roach‘s coming out party as a force to be reckoned with in Task Force 141.
The Favela
Retrieving a fallen ACS module from the favelas of Rio De Janeiro, this mission once against thrusts Roach into the chaotic, kinetic environments that allows him to shine. Battling through tight urban terrain against well-armed militias, Roach‘s SAS training makes him pivotal in missions against entrenched adversaries.
The Estate
Infiltrating the heavily guarded estate of arms dealer Alejandro Rojas, Roach has a very personal stake here after Rojas‘ assistant sparked the events leading to former leader Ghost‘s disfigurement (see "Relationships in Task Force 141"). Roach clearly relishes the chance to bring the operation crashing down around Rojas‘ head.
Loose Ends
Roach joins the raid on Vladimir Makarov‘s safehouse to gather intel on his operations. Little do they know that Makarov is one step ahead of them – catastrophically compromising Task Force 141 in the process. This eventually leads to…
Just Like Old Times
After most of Task Force 141 is massacred thanks to Makarov, Roach and Soap attempt to fall back and meet with their commander Shepherd. This merely leads to the shocking betrayal where Shepherd executes Roach at point blank range before trying to do the same to Soap.
Roach‘s Relationships in Task Force 141
While less explored than Soap and other playable characters, there are insightful tidbits peppered throughout MW2 hinting at Roach‘s relationships and importance within Task Force 141"
Captain "Soap" MacTavish
Roach clearly admired his captain, maintaining an almost hero-worship-like reverence for Soap‘s legendary status from Call of Duty 4‘s events. As Soap‘s key operative out in the field, a deep mutual trust also developed. Their bond culminates in the final desperate fight side-by-side when Shepherd betrayed them.
"Ghost" Riley
The disfigured Lt. Simon "Ghost" Riley initially seems to take sadistic pleasure from hazing Roach, including humiliating jokes about Roach‘s namesake. But their banter held undertones of a mentor/student relationship, with Ghost molding Roach into an increasingly deadly operator in his own right.
"Royce"/Rojas‘ Assistant
Fatally wounded during the infiltration of Rojas‘ estate, Royce sparks particularly strong reactions in Roach. Seeing Royce die angrily uttering "…you‘ll all pay for this someday" likely made the mission personal for Roach – explaining his drive to wreck utter havoc once inside.
The Impact of Roach‘s Death
Once Shepherd executed Roach in Makarov‘s safehouse, Soap watched his protégé die before him while barely surviving his own wounds. This sparked a relentless quest for vengeance with Price against Shepherd.
But Roach‘s death revealed darker themes about the shadow wars he‘d dedicated his life to fighting within Task Force 141. In the end, Roach fell prey not to their foes but dubious, ever-shifting alliances and morally compromised commands.
In this sense, some speculate Roach‘s demise highlighted the inherent nihilism awaiting special operatives that embraced the life of a "ghost" lurking the underworld of espionage. Like the carrion his namesake feasts on, Roach met his end surrounded by duplicity and death within Makarov‘s grim safehouse.
Ultimately, Roach‘s shocking betrayal by Shepherd serves as the pivotal narrative twist catapulting the second half of Modern Warfare 2‘s story. And the repercussions sparked by his death, both in Soap‘s fury and what it exposed about shadow wars against enemies like Makarov, gave players much to contemplate within MW2‘s complex moral universe.
Conclusion
In the Call of Duty universe, Roach serves as the daring British spec ops operative willing to carry out Task Force 141‘s most dangerous assignments on little more than his captain‘s word. His importance to the franchise mythos rests not so much on personality or emotions conveyed on-screen, but through playing as his role for much of Modern Warfare 2 – seeing this world directly through his eyes.
Roach gave his life for a commander that ultimately betrayed the very ideals 142 supposedly stood for. But Roach lives on as a symbol for the grit necessary to plunge headfirst into the breach of battle, confronting overwhelming odds most could barely comprehend. Roach represents the courage of the men outflanking and outfighting global threats from the shadows, making the world safer without most civilians even knowing their names or sacrifice.
And while his death sparked some dark revelations in MW2, Roach gave his life trying to stop an adversary that clearly posed a threat to the freedom of nations worldwide. In that sense above all, SAS Sergeant Gary "Roach" Sanderson represented the duty and honor that soldiers stand for in the face of tyranny – making him a character that won‘t soon be forgotten.
