Who is The 'Demonic Announcer'?

[LocoMofo85]

So we all know the voice. Creepy German fellow who sort of narrates our COD Zombies experience, calling the power ups, taunting us when the box jumps, even ordering Hellhounds to "fetch our souls".

 

Now ever since I can remember (particularly when we first started playing Blops 1) my younger brother had everyone we knew referring to this disembodied voice as Edward Richtofen. He was a German scientist, prominent character in the Zombies lore, I mean he just fit the part; no one thought twice about it.

 

But as time went on, and we replayed all the various maps, I began noticing small hints at this voice belonging to a little girl. Characters will say certain things here and there in response to power ups, or the mystery box.

 

There is a lot of speculation surrounding this as I have come to find out, but no one has any real hard evidence either way.

 

A lot of people tend to think this is Samantha Maxis, and that she has somehow been reduced to this malicious entity with a fucked up voice. I find that very hard to believe, for many reasons.

 

The other theory a lot of people have is that it is some form of demon, or the devil himself. I mean it sends hellhounds after us, there are tons of 666 references all over the place.

 

Honestly for this voice to belong to Samantha, I think she would have to be possessed by something.

 

What are your thoughts and theories on this? Do you know anything about it that others might not?

[anonymous]

It is Doctor Edward Richthofen, and some kind of demon at the same time. He is inhabited by the Apothicans, an ancient evil that originated of corrupted Keepers, ever since Richthofen touched the MPD. I guess that's the only explanation, if it even could be called an explanation, for the girl voice. Or it is Richthofen immitating Samantha.

[LocoMofo85]

I always thought it was him, mostly because my brother started that rumor around my local player circle, and we had no reason to doubt him. But I noticed a few strange things that I find puzzling to say the least.

 

Characters from Blops 1 often mention the "little girl", Richtofen even says her name at one point I believe in response to acquired power-ups.

 

Also the Hellhounds this voice controls, they come from Samantha's prized German Sheppard which Maxis attempted to teleport. Is it a coincidence these dogs are under the voice's employ?

 

Also Samantha actually entered the MPD when she was teleported to the Moon, and resided there for quite some time.

 

Also at one point Richtofen swaps himself with Samantha, taking her place in the Aether, and the Announcer voice changes to his. So I mean it's just so weird, lol.

 

Is it simple writer's remorse we're seeing here? Changes in the story as it evolved?

 

I still favor the Richtofen theory, I'm used to it, and it fits better in my opinion for some reason.

[Abel!]

I've always looked at it as Samantha. Since the loop has been going on endlessly, she would age and the fact that she has been completely corrupted.  I don't think it's German either, especially how much things have evolved. To me it sounds serpent-like, slithering when it speaks... and the same goes for the demon in the MPD scowling at Richthofen. Or maybe none of this. Not even the Shadowman. I am open to something bigger than them

[LocoMofo85]

The Blops 1 era voice definitely had a German accent.

 

"Excuse me, still getting used to ze Aether... Double Points!"

[Abel!]

 

The Blops 1 era voice definitely had a German accent.

 

"Excuse me, still getting used to ze Aether... Double Points!"

I'll give his ol' usurping skills the praise it deserves [Gives Praise] but in retrospect I don't think he was important to the larger scheme of things. 

[anonymous]

Wait. Are you speaking about the one who talks in TranZit and screams when you grab a power-up? Because that's for sure Richthofen. "Fetch me their souls", the quote that can be heard when the Hellhounds are teleported to Earth, is Richthofen too. It are Fluffy's puppies, stuck in the Dark Aether. Richthofen is able to teleport things from a location to another location, but also from the Dark Aether to Earth (Power-ups, jumping jacks, and yes, Hellhounds). The hounds don't really have a side they fight for. They are not loyal to someone and hate someone else. It are just by darkness corrupted animals, killing everyone on their path. So it does not matter if Samantha or Richthofen sends them, they do where they exist for: Hunting. And the voice is obviously the same as the TranZit and power-up voice: Doctor Richthofen.

 

If you are talking about the girl giggling when you roll the teddy bear...I don't know. It does not really sound like Richthofen, does it? But it could be an ancient evil, sadistic spirit within him: the Apothicans, or the Dark Aether

 

EDIT: or are you talking about the announcer in BO1 now?

[LocoMofo85]

Yes this is the voice of which I speak, and it goes back to blops 1 even.

 

Any little girl voice you hear is without a doubt Samantha.

[LocoMofo85]

 

EDIT: or are you talking about the announcer in BO1 now?

 

It's the same voice. 

[fagglebag]

Dude, you really need to catch up on your Zombies. These are questions from 2009...

[LocoMofo85]

WaW came out in 2008, Blops 1 in 2010, Blops 2 in 2012. People are still arguing over this tothis day, because was there was powerful evidence of it being Sam, characters have verbally addressed this entity as Samantha Maxis. So there's still confusion today, lol.

 

Edward Richtofen himself has referred to power-ups as "a gift from Sam."

[LocoMofo85]

 

I'll give his ol' usurping skills the praise it deserves [Gives Praise] but in retrospect I don't think he was important to the larger scheme of things. 

Who?

Who is usurping what?

What isn't important to the larger scheme of things?

 

 

This is my understanding of it, as it has always been, and given recent research into the plot itself, canon; what we know for certain.

 

 

This is all about the Apothicons, always has been, always will be. But they aren't the type of character you put front and center, hell, they never even make it on stage. We are talking about extra-dimensional beings here, and I'll get into that later.

 

The Apothicons distributed the Element 115, this entire situation is of their doing, and their doing alone. Maxis and Richtofen were merely the poor, unfortunate souls who discovered it.

 

The intentions of these beings are fairly unknown (again, canon, not speculation/fan theory), but we can safely guess it's nothing good, nothing that will benefit humanity.

 

When Richtofen was taken to the moon to interact with the MPD, this was no mistake, or MDT error. He was supposed to touch the MPD, supposed to hear the voices. The Apothicons chose Edward for his specific personality; weakness. A man who clearly demonstrates characteristics like paranoia, jealousy, anger, a self absorbed, arrogant man...

 

The perfect pawn to seduce and manipulate... And that's all he is, a pawn who's lust for power and knowledge lead to his corruption, and servitude to the Apothicons.

 

But before we get into all that, before Richtofen even swapped places with Sam to gain access to the Aether, Sam was there.

 

We all know Sam was teleported to the moon where the MPD awaited a human host. Scared, she went inside...

 

I believe the Announcer WAS Samantha Maxis up until Richtofen took her place. I mean, it's evident from a writing perspective, she was there, he was not, period. But this wasn't part of the Apothicon's plans. I believe they wanted Richtofen, not a little girl. Evidence of this is found from the character themselves, referring to this voice, and the power-ups it spawns as "little girl", Richtofen himself being quoted as saying, "A gift from Sam... but why?"

 

(MY own fan theory real quick. I think that, maybe, Samantha wasn't as good of a pawn, and therefor she never played along with the Announcer role. And that the voice we've heard from the very start, was actually Richtofen, transcending time to do the Apothicon's bidding.)

 

Later Richtofen swaps places with Samantha. Now he is the Announcer, and in control of the Element 115 zombies.

 

Getting back to the Apothicons and the nature of their existence. One thing we know for certain, they aren't from around here... Not this galaxy, or any in our own universe. They are extra=dimensional, they aren't necessarily going to be able to interact with us, on any level.

 

Now we get into my fan theory.

 

I believe the Apothicons chose Edward because he was easily manipulated and seduced, more-so than any of Group 935. He also possessed more capacity for evil than the rest. Based on this, he was chosen, and sent to the MPD. The voices he started hearing were not Apothicons, but rather the Apothicons using his own mind to interact with him. Because again, they are extra-dimensional. I believe this is the reason they needed/wanted a human host to enter the Aether in the first place, to act as an ambassador of sorts between the Apothicons, and our dimension. (Or perhaps a human conduit of sorts was essential to oversee the human subjects exposed to 115) It's the only logical explanation, and I do like to think Treyarch didn't just throw darts at a list of ideas in order to build this storyline, rofl.

 

Long story short, the Announcer has been both Sam and Edward. Edward is just a pawn, a weak, flawed man who was used by these beings. He's not some god of the undead, or evil genius.

 

 

[anonymous]

I definitely agree that Edward was rather a victim of the agenda of the Apothicans instead of a genius/god. A good observation of you, one I have never thought about, is that the Apothicans are in control of everything that's teleported (the MTD "tunnel" you see when teleporting, is the Dark Aether, home of the Apothicans). Basically, the Apothicans are able to teleport you wherever they want you, once you've used the MTD and you're inside the Dark Aether. Usually, though, they don't care where you teleport to. Except one time. Though, I don't think the Apothicans chose him for his personality. If you think about it, Richthofen was the very first living human that used the Matter Transference Device. Humans are easy to corrupt, and the Apothicans needed a physical, 3-dimensional host for their plans. The problem is that the MPD, the Apothicans pyramid, is hidden in a cave on Earth's Moon, far away from any humans. The first time a living person teleported himself, Edward Richthofen, and travelled through the Dark Aether, the Apothicans were able to send him to the MPD to start the "outbreak" of the Apothicans. So I don't think it was Richthofen's character that was the reason, but it was pure coincidence that he was the first who used the MTD.

 

What the Apothicans exactly are, and what they want, is indeed something vague. They originate from Keepers, an alien race from our 3th Dimension who someday "ascended to Agartha to become the wards of all universes". So the Keepers/Apothicans originate from the 3D, just like humans. But now they are extra-dimensional. The Apothicans are those Keepers who are corrupted by the Dark Aether, possibly a negative dimension. In WaW/BO/BO2 they were never able to directly enter our dimension, yet in SoE and Revelations, two maps who are set in a very extraordinary setting, the Apothicans ARE able to enter that particular dimension and directly face our characters. They enter that dimension with a small  explosion, possible antimatter from the Dark Aether (if that's really a  a negative dimension). So I would like to say that the Apothicans are besides extra-dimensional, also trans-dimensional. In the right circumstances, they are able to travel to other dimensions.

[LocoMofo85]

 

I definitely agree that Edward was rather a victim of the agenda of the Apothicans instead of a genius/god. A good observation of you, one I have never thought about, is that the Apothicans are in control of everything that's teleported (the MTD "tunnel" you see when teleporting, is the Dark Aether, home of the Apothicans). Basically, the Apothicans are able to teleport you wherever they want you, once you've used the MTD and you're inside the Dark Aether. Usually, though, they don't care where you teleport to. Except one time. Though, I don't think the Apothicans chose him for his personality. If you think about it, Richthofen was the very first living human that used the Matter Transference Device. Humans are easy to corrupt, and the Apothicans needed a physical, 3-dimensional host for their plans. The problem is that the MPD, the Apothicans pyramid, is hidden in a cave on Earth's Moon, far away from any humans. The first time a living person teleported himself, Edward Richthofen, and travelled through the Dark Aether, the Apothicans were able to send him to the MPD to start the "outbreak" of the Apothicans. So I don't think it was Richthofen's character that was the reason, but it was pure coincidence that he was the first who used the MTD.

 

This is very likely, far more likely than basing it on his personality, I totally agree. But even form the start you have Maxis, the father figure, brilliant scientist, but he is reluctant to create weapons for the Nazis. He sort of painted as the protagonist from square 1. Then you have Richtofen, hired by Maxis as his subordinate, which ticks Richtofen off. He also grows paranoid and suspicious of Maxis, thinking that he will betray them and claim their work as his own. He longs for power, longs to gain access to the Aether to become all-powerful.

 

I mean his character certainly fits those shoes to a T, whether the writers intended for it or not.