Black Ops 6: Here's Why Woods Is In a Wheelchair

Sergeant Frank Woods' return in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has left some fans wondering how he found himself bound to a wheelchair.

Woods is an icon of Call of Duty's Black Ops sub-franchise, taking on a starring role in four of the six games. 

While he was once seen going all-in on the action, his latest role in Activision's 2024 outing Black Ops 6 leaves him wheelchair-bound in a supporting role.

Woods' Wheelchair in Black Ops 6 Explained

The sight of Frank Woods in a wheelchair is nothing new to longtime Call of Duty players, as the Vietnam veteran was found crippled in his twilight years in the Black Ops 2 campaign, which takes place in 2025.

By the time Black Ops 2's near-future storyline began, Woods was 95 years old and living in a CIA retirement home called "The Vault."

It was from "The Vault" that Woods was visited by David Mason—the son of his military comrade Alex, whom he raised after his father's death—to recount his past encounters with the Black Ops 2 villain Raul Menendez. 

Interestingly enough, it was this very past with Menendez that left Woods crippled during a mission to capture him in Panama in 1989 - depicted in the Black Ops 2 campaign level "Suffer With Me."

At age 59, Woods traveled to Panama with Alex Mason to capture Manuel Noriega, a high-value target with ties to Menendez's arms dealing operations.

It was during this mission that Woods was able to blind Menendez with a gunshot to the eye before being tricked into shooting and killing Mason.

Ultimately, in a mission gone wrong, Menendez shot Woods in both knees, leaving him paralyzed for life, thus explaining why he can be seen wheelchair-bound during his scenes in Black Ops 6.

After his crippling injury, Woods was offered a desk job at the CIA where he would meet Black Ops 6 characters Troy Marshall and Jane Harrow, both of whom he went on to work closely with across different missions (read more about the Black Ops 6 campaign here).

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is available now on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC.