bonds with as they escape Las Almas. The two men, alongside Rodolfo Parra, manage to break Alejandro and the rest of Los Vaqueros out of detainment while rendezvousing with Price and Gaz. In a warehouse owned by Alejandro, Riley unmasks himself and forms a "Ghost Team" with the 141 and Vaqueros to eliminate Graves before being alerted of a plot to fire a missile from Chicago into Washington D.C.. The team thwarts the plot and Riley kills Hassan just as he is about to throw Soap off of a building. Riley is last seen masked in a cafe where Price identifies the leader of the Russian Ultranationalists as Vladimir Makarov. Other appearances Riley was featured as a playable character on the 2014 mobile game Call of Duty: Heroes. The original Riley appears as a playable character in Call of Duty: Mobile and a protagonist of its comic book storyline, being added as a part of the Season 1 Battle Pass, while his reboot version appears as a costume. Reception and legacy Simon "Ghost" Riley is considered to be one of the most iconic characters of the franchise. Ranking him as the best character of the series, Jorge Aguilar of Dot Esports describes him as "one of the best soldiers in the game" and that "his cool mask, sunglasses, and badass style caught fans’ attention." Riley's death in Modern Warfare 2 is often cited as an example of an impactful plot twist in gaming, with his betrayal at the hands of his own superior shocking players and solidifying Shepherd's role as the game's central antagonist. The reboot version of Riley has been praised for Roukin's portrayal, though the campaign of Modern Warfare II has been criticized for his increased characterization compared to the original. His popularity has led to speculation of a spin-off game focused on his character, as well as being the namesake of Riley, a playable German Shepherd in Call of Duty: Ghosts. The presence of Riley, along with other male characters in fan fiction of the series has been the subject of scholarly attention. Riley's depiction in Modern Warfare II has led to him becoming the subject of homoerotic fan art and shipping with series protagonist Soap MacTavish. Critics noted his sex appeal and voice as having attracted users on TikTok to the game, considered to be outside the game's usual target demographic of heterosexual men. The trend