I’m still fully invested in the Dark Aether story, despite its higgledy-piggledy storytelling over the past few years, but one thing has been clear for a while: we need answers. Not to the extent of a Zombies Chronicles-style timeline, but resolutions to at least some of the threads that have been dangling in obscurity since long before Black Ops 6 went off the rails. Those of us clinging to hope have sounded mad for the past four or five maps, insisting, “This will be the one!” Eventually it will be, but I’m confident this time – this has to be it. Paradox Junction. Cards on the table time, Treyarch! Show us your hand. Pull the trigger. Do what you have to do.
The title Paradox Junction may sound a little clunky for a map name at first glance, but I like it a lot. It’s evocative; I can’t have been the only one who instantly imagined a location tied to several important time periods. The Warden has been pulling people and places out of their eras and throwing them into the Dark Aether like it’s a Pick ‘n’ Mix bag. Is Paradox Junction his base of operations? Could the map even feature the zero point where spacetime tore apart?
My tweet above was a little tongue-in-cheek. I know better than to expect every fragment of the Dark Aether story from Cold War, Vanguard, MWZ, BO6 and BO7 to suddenly snap into place after one map. However, I do think we’ll finally get some important answers in Paradox Junction.
Too many things are lining up. The first time we heard mention of the Shadowsmiths was in Modern Warfare Zombies. We had no idea who or what they were (we still don’t fully). Black Ops 6 kept MWZ references to a minimum, and it wasn’t until Ashes of the Damned that we were finally introduced to the weavers of the Loom.
It makes sense, then, to expect Ava Jansen to pop up in this map – doubly so when the 115 Day teaser shows a blonde-haired girl. She was last seen in MWZ’s final moments investigating Liberty Falls, before being yanked into the mirror by a figure we now know as The Warden. Why did he want Ava? Hopefully, we’ll soon find out.
From what we know of the map, the crew has been pulled out of time by The Warden and his Rampagers. Could this Junction be where The Warden goes in Ashes after announcing his departure? Maybe he’s enslaved people there, or perhaps it’s the way he protects himself from the Dark Aether? We’ve seen what it did to Zykov and countless others, yet The Warden has kept his flesh in surprisingly good condition.
We’re no strangers to paradoxes and time loops. While I don’t think Paradox Junction is going to bring back the cycle, the blood vials, or anything like that, it might be worth keeping the past (and its rules) in mind as we explore the map, especially factoring in its location.
All Roads Lead to Nuketown
Given that the map includes Nuketown, I can’t help wondering about the possible lore implications. Of course, the simple answer is that Treyarch might be reusing assets from multiplayer to ensure it can deliver on the promise of five post-launch maps, but for the sake of discussion, let’s suppose there’s a narrative reason for Nuketown appearing in Paradox Junction. Which version of Nuketown will we get?
Alpha Omega is the obvious candidate. The penultimate map of The Aether Saga saw Primis and Ultimis team up to secure the Elemental Shard (the same Elemental Shard Richtofen used to bind the souls of the original four to the Aether). This would be the perfect opportunity to go back and explain the repercussions of Nikolai’s Grand Scheme at the end of Black Ops 4. Realistically, I doubt that’s what Treyarch is doing, but I will continue to bang the drum that we need an explanation for how these versions of our crew exist after Tag Der Toten. I adore what’s been done with them so far, but until their existence makes sense, it’ll follow them around like a bad smell.
It’s harder to find a satisfying way to fit Nuketown Zombies into the narrative. The map infamously takes place at the same time as Moon, where Treyarch kicked the Aether story up a notch as we freed Samantha from the MPD and Richtofen took control. The events at Griffin Station are ancient history at this point, though. If Treyarch does return to Aether to explain the events of Dark Aether, it’s more likely to focus on the Black Ops 4 era of the story.
Another option is that we’re getting a new iteration of Nuketown tied to Dark Aether Richtofen’s origins. It’s been teased that he may be the man responsible for ending the war in his universe by creating a devastating weapon. We already know he’s a staunch member of the Reich, but we’ve yet to see just how influential and cutthroat he was. That may be about to change.
Dear Diary
Beyond the inclusion of Nuketown, we don’t have much to go on regarding Paradox Junction, but Astra Malorum’s intel gives us a firsthand account of the map.
…have to wait. In all my dreamings in this place of dark wonder, none have captured my imaginings as do those of the dwellings that cower under the malevolent glow of that demon cloud. It seems ‘distended’ in time, offering tantalizing glimpses if one peers from the edges of one’s eyes. Surely no such place was ever in the material, no it was pulled from the imaginings of the void, I am sure of it. The plurality persists in the voices of its guardians, who laugh and mock, when I draw…
When I first read this around the time of Astra’s launch, I thought it might be hinting at the first phase of the Caltheris boss fight. However, the “distended in time” description matches what we’ve now been told twice about Paradox Junction existing outside of time. The “demon cloud” could well be the mushroom cloud of a nuclear blast.
While there’s space to fantasise about what Thurston saw that sent him spiralling into disbelief, it’s important to remember that he’s from the early 1900s. A sports car would blow his mind, nevermind a nuclear facility. That said, I’d love it if Treyarch doubled down on the Dark Aether being the “dustbin of history” and created a map that is Revelations-level bonkers.
What’s also interesting is that Thurston journaled about Paradox Junction, yet ended up in cryogenic slumber aboard his Planetarium in Astra Malorum. Perhaps the Warden invites all of his “visitors” to the Junction, as if he’s running his own tourist information centre. Then again, maybe it’s simply the time-bending nature of the Dark Aether at work.
Warning: Ventilation Unsuccessful
I already had to rewrite this article once, so what’s one more pass? A Call of Duty Instagram post prematurely delivered our first true glimpse of Paradox Junction.
The destruction isn’t entirely new for a Nuketown Zombies map, but the charred amber visuals certainly are. It suggests we’re in for another visual feast, as if the gorgeous Astra Malorum wasn’t enough. That nuke in the background… a “demon cloud” indeed! I can’t take much credit for predicting that because it was obvious; a skybox like that is too good an opportunity to miss.
While the image confirms Nuketown, we’re still surprisingly in the dark. All we see is the iconic middle section of the map with a Mystery Box spawn. It’s low-quality, so I’m hesitant to give a solid answer about the face in the cloud. It would make sense in reference to Thurston’s Journal entry, but who would the face belong to? Is it even a face at all?
Honestly, I think I’m more excited for Paradox Junction than I was for Astra Malorum. The map’s unpredictability is exciting. I get a completely different vibe from the story this year. Where Black Ops 6 felt unsure of itself, Black Ops 7 feels confident. I’d never advise putting money on my predictions, but I cannot see this map being a narrative dud like The Tomb.
I keep circling back to Kevin Drew’s ominous tease on the COD POD that a “pretty big twist” is coming. There are a lot of pieces on the board, and personally, I’m suspicious of all of them: The Entity, the Shadowsmiths, Richtofen, Takeo’s mysterious friend… I get the sense that lines are soon to be drawn.
How deep the map goes is impossible to tell from a single image, but of course, people can’t help themselves, and new leaks have arrived in a flurry of confusion. I won’t mention them because the map is imminent, and I’d rather experience it as Treyarch intended. Everyone’s entitled to handle leaks however they like, but I prefer not to discuss them here unless it’s something like the MWZ report, which draws on historical information and offers insight into development, instead of spoiling future surprises.
Personally, I won’t be judging Paradox Junction until I play it for myself, but I know this: it’ll have things I like and things I don’t, just like every Zombies map (yes, I‘ll concede even Die Rise has a few positives). The more we actually engage with a map instead of branding it as “PEAK” or “GARBAGE” and moving on, the better.
And with that, I officially grant Treyarch permission to release the intro cinematic (I was genuinely dreading a third rewrite…). Based on the snippet we’ve seen so far, I have a feeling it’s going to be a good one.
