The Flesh

[MixMasterNut]

I can't help but point out this similarity....

This piece of the Verruckt wall texture shows a man with sharp teeth eating a severed arm

Flashback image of Stuhlinger bearing his teeth, eating a severed arm

Coincidence???

- Mix

[InfestLithium]

Coincidence that Richtofen could have done the same thing that Samuel has done? Nope. That image is really toying with my mind now. You'd think that it could refer to the zombies eating the humans, but I'm fairly certain that the zombies were not around then during the creation of the drawings.

[PINNAZ]

That's an awesome memory/find Mix! I had completely forgot about that.

As Mr Lithium said, I always thought it was a Zombie eating a human arm when it fact, it's probably a human eating a zombie arm!

I've been going back through alot of old posts here on CoDz & going back through the old maps aswell as the campaigns & MP maps. I think we will see alot more things tieing everything into each other aswell as the involvement of the countries we are about to travel to.

[MixMasterNut]

Here's another Samuel Stuhlinger quote from Tranzit I missed:

Hey, what if I just joined them?

Ya, become a Fungus Gummer.

I'd definitely know who's behind it then!

Let's examine this term, Fungus Gummer for a moment. Fungus only grows on dead, decaying matter. Gummer I assume means a person eating with missing teeth. Zombies only eat fresh meat. So is Samuel suggesting eating dead flesh (ie zombie flesh) instead? So could his reference to "them" be a reference to The Flesh?

The mythology of cannibalism being used to absorb the powers / lifeforce of the person being consumed I believe deeply relates to why Sam and The Flesh rep are the way they are. I believe they have consumed the zombie flesh in order to gain a direct line of communication with Richtofen. This would explain how Richtofen controls the zombies, and only speaks directly to Sam and The Flesh. However there is a negative side-effect with consuming the zombie flesh too. The side-effect is that the consumer will inherit the zombie's primal rage, insanity, and unquenchable thirst for eating flesh. This is apparent in the sporadic voice and personality changes Samuel demonstrates, as well as why the rep from The Flesh has changed his demeanor between the radio messages found on Tranzit and Die Rise.

- Mix

[zombo187]

I believe that initially certain people could just hear Richtofen without consuming the flesh. After all, I have trouble wrapping my mind around the idea that people would get so hungry they choose to eat zombie flesh. Regardless of desperation it just seems out there. I completely agree that people at some point began eating zombie flesh specifically to have the connection with Richtofen. However, I believe this connection is not as cut and dry. I think that when the flesh is ingested with the 115 radiation that they become irradiated and their mind becomes susceptible to third parties. So it makes sense that the more 115 you ingest that the stronger the connection gets. Probably to the point where Richtofen is dictating your moods or decisions. I believe this is the point where Stu is heading. Richtofen is not only in his head but under his skin.

Could even be a situation where those who eat the flesh need to keep eating the flesh to not become zombies themselves. Seems backwards though now that I think about it. We have humans eating zombie flesh and zombies that attack but don't necessarily eat us.

[bagel_]

I believe that initially certain people could just hear Richtofen without consuming the flesh. After all, I have trouble wrapping my mind around the idea that people would get so hungry they choose to eat zombie flesh. Regardless of desperation it just seems out there. I completely agree that people at some point began eating zombie flesh specifically to have the connection with Richtofen. However, I believe this connection is not as cut and dry. I think that when the flesh is ingested with the 115 radiation that they become irradiated and their mind becomes susceptible to third parties. So it makes sense that the more 115 you ingest that the stronger the connection gets. Probably to the point where Richtofen is dictating your moods or decisions. I believe this is the point where Stu is heading. Richtofen is not only in his head but under his skin.

Could even be a situation where those who eat the flesh need to keep eating the flesh to not become zombies themselves. Seems backwards though now that I think about it. We have humans eating zombie flesh and zombies that attack but don't necessarily eat us.

Very true, and I agree with pretty much all of that. After all, the other characters can hear Richtofen say stuff like "Max Ammo" and such. He could convince them to eat the flesh, and grow closer to him, and eventually act like how the original created zombies were supposed to act; Obedient, strong, and function like an army.

It could explain why we constantly hear Richtofen's new beastly voice in Die Rise. Richtofen's powers on him are changing slowly but surely.

[gabbehhh]

I'm not the best at this whole theorizing bit >.

So basically, at first, the original zombies would listen to Samantha because at that point she was controlling things in Aether and they (the zombies) were contaminated with 115. To connect with the person or being who is currently in control, in this case Richtofen, you need 115 in your system, correct? But as we already know or assume to know "the active ingredient" in the perk colas is 115 right? So is that why the other three are able to hear the power drops? Perhaps the consumption of the perk colas, which are to assist in survival, are also in some ways the first step to comensing the bond (which ultimately ends with submission) with Richtofen? What if that's how The Flesh started out? What if Stu was first able to hear Richtofen because perhaps he had had previous contact with the perk colas before the other three? Or maybe he was just more vulnerable to the element than the others.

Perhaps I'm overthinking but those are just my thoughts. :)

[MixMasterNut]

The picture has become clearer with the release of Origins. My theories about individuals gaining powers/traits from consuming zombie flesh, has been strengthened with new evidence from Origins.

In Origins we have a new power-up, called Zombie Blood. While under the influence of Zombie Blood, your character receives additional dialog from Samantha to help guide you through the Easter Egg steps. She says something about "secure the keys" where she's referring to obtaining the four staves.

You only hear this extra dialog from Samantha (the controller of the zombies) while under the influence of Zombie Blood. This is similar to why Stuhlinger is the only one in his group who can hear Richtofen's voice (when he's in control), because he has consumed zombie flesh.

- Mix

[AlphaSnake]

I agree mix.

District 9.

You are what you eat.

I've really only just started to play all the maps.

Stuhlinger quotes are off the chart.

I wish I'd have paid more attention at the time.

I'm looking to do a new thread soon on some of his abduction quotes.

Regards Alpha.

[ALANDRETONGI]

It's well detailed but lacked some common sense. They don't control or manipulate the zombies. They just eat them like zombies. I'm pretty sure they'll become zombies too. Common sense first but good theory

[MixMasterNut]

It's well detailed but lacked some common sense. They don't control or manipulate the zombies. They just eat them like zombies. I'm pretty sure they'll become zombies too. Common sense first but good theory

I believe you missed the major point of my theory. My point is that if these characters consume the blood or flesh of a zombie, they take on traits of the zombie, including primal aggression and a line of communication with the zombies' controller.

- Mix

[PINNAZ]

Fleshy Brains to you on this thread Mix. There are some great replies too.

Rereading this thread reminded me if the Aztec Pyramid. During the Aztec cycle, the tribe would sacrifice someone by cutting off their head at the top of the pyramid. This is (I think) a "Day of the Dead" ritual. It reminds me of Shangri-la.

[Tattoo247]

It's definitely looking like the Flesh are followers of Mictlantecuhtli, the evil third power that we rarely get any information on.

They believe you eat your enemies, get their powers right? Well if you want to say zombies have the power of cross dimension communication that would be what The Flesh are obtaining, or were trying to.

 

To me, the Die Rise radio with the Flesh speaker, is gathering more members to join his NEW group of the Flesh. "He has abandoned us" stands out to me, some people think the "He" means God himself, some think it means Richtofen, I think it means Mictlantec(my new nic name for this guy). They ate the flesh of zombies, were granted the voice of Michlantec and then something happens, what happens exactly I don't know, but it was enough to kill their faith. "We alone are your salvation" "We alone can light the way", perhaps their vision on what they were expecting from Michlantec was not what they got, afterall they perform cannibalism, to appease their god, and yet they still fight for survival, I may be a little disheartened too.

 

This is all off the top of my head, and I will think deeper into it but maybe Stulingers departure from The Flesh was around the time they became broken by losing their faith in the evil god? Maybe it broke the group and they are trying to reassemble another group of the same name in another image, with the only similar trait being using zombies for food. Like Stulinger, they could be ashamed of what they do, but either have developed some sort of addiction, or it's just one of the only means to eat and there is no choice, nonetheless they still do it. 

 

"The other voice cannot be heard by HUMANS who have not Partaken/Eaten undead flesh ..." Would be my guess to the inaudible radio.

[Zombiefaces]

Sucks that we did not get to find out more about this part of the story. This was a great part of interest to me in the N4 story. Shame.

[Prince Lolz]

I love this old theory... and its a shame people complain about the lack of story in the bo2 maps, when simply its the same pick apart hints given in shi no numa and der riese, just different subjects. The flesh idea was almost completely dropped in buried which is very upsetting (at least for me) as i was loving the idea. I did have a theory (not a posted one mind you) that the minions on die rise were either A. members of the flesh who took it too far and essentially "overdosed" on zombie flesh and became those creatures, or B. as one radio talks about experiments, were children or teenagers given blood transfusions with a zombie to try to achieve an ascended human being. The flesh seemed to believe that the 115 was sacred...so who is to say that they didnt attempt to make a godly being by forcing zombie blood into a healthy young humans veins...and I know this is a sensative topic but maybe even a human fetus? Like into a pregnant women who stayed alive due to being in the sweatshops, safe from people..so they experimented on the baby, and it became that creature and ripped its way out of its mother. Sorry to be so dark about this but its quite plausible. Hmm...off to make a thread i suppose  

[Cheesegrater28]

I love this old theory... and its a shame people complain about the lack of story in the bo2 maps, when simply its the same pick apart hints given in shi no numa and der riese, just different subjects. 

 

 

I don't think people complain about the story because the new things weren't interesting. I think they were (or at least I was) just let down with the fact that the N4 maps didn't progress any story line at all. I like the mystery of the Flesh and Broken Arrow. And as you said, like the WaW story line, they leave a place to go and explore in a future game. But BO1 was able to add things to the old story and still keep some things a mystery, while adding new mysteries like the pyramids and the Vrill. The problem with BO2s story is that we learn nothing from it. We are just introduced to small details of newer things and the old story doesn't progress at all. Origins makes no sense to the old games and Buried's ending is pretty much the same cliffhanger as Moon. The EEs of the N4 maps were a waste and didn't teach us anything new like BO1s EEs did. And we learned very little about the new characters. I love to theorize and read other's ideas, but its hard to do those things for so long, or at least to fill the down time between games, when you have very little to discuss. Especially when Treyarch is willing to leave it open that the whole story is fake and dead now. 

 

But as far as your theory goes, its not a bad one. I would link the minions to the Nova crawlers from Kino, and then link that to the Nacht loading screen that showed all the communist countries receiving crates from 935. So China probably did take part in experiments with 115 and Nova Gas. And there is the Kino message on the Wii version that talks about "The Great Leap Forward" along with the work power having a magical force, and the female workers shaving their heads. So that makes it seem like the Chinese government might have been behind the minions being made. But whose to say The Flesh didn't steal the experiments, or maybe even that The Flesh were a cult made up of the remaining members of the existing 935 branches still around. So your theory is as good as any out there. Crazy cult scientists still testing Nova and 115 on their followers would allow for a lot of interesting creatures in the next game. 

[The Clay Bird]

Anybody catch the Walking Dead season 4 finale last night?

 

When they get to Terminus, it certainly appears that the residents are very religious (with the candles and pentagram looking stuff in that one room) and offer new arrivees a plate of meat. It seems apparent, that the citizens of terminus are either eating the people or waiting for them to die and turn then eating the zombie meat. I was just waiting for Stuhlinger to show up

just thought it was a neat tie in to the flesh, since that seemed to be a cult from what i understand and terminus appears much the same. (sorry i havent read the comics, so i don't know much from the walking dead story other than the tv show

[STOTTINMAD]

I've been wondering about the Flesh, and I agree with what's been said in that it's a shame they didn't go  any further with that particular group. They may yet be explored in the next game, but Bo2 to me felt like a filler, Mob of the Dead offered something that really piqued my interest and made me wonder in Weasel would play a pivotal role later on. I could be wrong there. It also suggested the possibility of a 'devil' as prior mentioned in Five, and many previous maps. The Flesh could perhaps be sacrificing people to this 'being'. Other than that. what else do have to go on.

[Dobis]

Where are the radios on Die Rise?

[PINNAZ]

There are no radios on Die Rise. All audio transmissions come from the TV outside the power room.

The Flesh was first mentioned in the Tranzit TV

[Guest]

I appreciate all the comments on the Topic! I'm just looking back on my old content and this one took me awhile to make 

[Guest]

It was in fact from the TV that you here it from I believe 

[MixMasterNut]

These are all the sections from the official zombies timeline mentioning The Flesh.
 

 

March 27th, 2027

A society of survivors who eat the undead is formed. They are The Flesh.
 

 

May 12th, 2027

Samuel J. Stuhlinger joins The Flesh.  

 

June 28th, 2027

Through the consumption of the undead meat, the Flesh begin hearing Richtofen’s voice.  He tries to persuade them to build global polarization devices for him in pursuit of his new plan: to mend the Rift in space time and acquire full control over the aether.  

 

April 4th, 2028

The Flesh broadcast their message across all frequencies.  They tell others to “heed our call” and the “path to enlightenment” can be achieved by consuming the undead.

 

August 15th, 2029

A broadcast is sent out confirming the fall of “The Flesh” and Maxis’ followers.  With each group hearing the voice of Richtofen or Maxis, a battle broke out between them.  As they fought, a zombie horde moved in and destroyed all who remained.  Stuhlinger is one of the few to escape.  Richtofen and Maxis are left with no one to communicate near Green Run ,where the first polarization device must be constructed.  

 

Zombies Chronicles Timeline can be found here.:

https://www.callofduty.com/zombieschronicles/timeline

 

 

- Mix

 

[anonymous]

The fourth date is not 2025, I guess, since the Flesh was formed in 2027

[MixMasterNut]

6 hours ago, anonymous said:

The fourth date is not 2025, I guess, since the Flesh was formed in 2027

 

Double-checked with Tac and Liz, and there was a slight typo in the timeline doc they put together that I copy/pasted from.  It's been fixed now.

 

- Mix