Mateo Hernandez

Aviation Machinist's Mate 3rd Class Mateo Hernandez is a supporting character in the 2021 video game Call of Duty: Vanguard, a featured character in the Vanguard comic, and a playable operator in the battle royale Call of Duty: Warzone.
He was a Naval tail-gunner during the height of the Second World War, was partnered with the daredevil Wade Jackson for the Battle of Midway. Towards the end of the war, Mateo was recruited into Task Force Harpy by Carver Butcher, who tasked him and the group to locate a weapons cache on Caldera.
He was voiced by Christopher Rivas.
==Biography==
===Early Life===
Mateo Hernandez was born in 1919 in Texas to a large family, and spent his youth dreaming of becoming a civil engineer. During the height of the Second World War, Hernandez joined the United States Navy to fight against the Empire of Japan in the Pacific, and reached the rank of aviation machinist's mate third class by 1942. He also became the tail gunner of Wade Jackson, whose thrill-seeking and stunts annoyed him.
===Call of Duty: Vanguard===
In June of 1942, Hernandez and Jackson were assigned by Sam Davis to protect American fleets from the Imperial Japanese Navy's planes and carriers. The two manage to fend off several zeroes to reach the Japanese's carrier, the Soryu and destroy it, but many of the American bombers are destroyed when the Imperial Navy retaliates. Jackson and Hernandez then volunteered to do a second run to destroy the second carrier, the Kaga, and managed to do so. Mateo and Wade's success protected the American fleets, and allowed United States to declare victory over the battle of Midway.
A year after the battle of Midway, Hernandez and Jackson were chasing down zeroes around Bougainville, but they were shot down and forced to crash on the island. Though the two survived, Jackson was injured in the crash, leaving Hernandez to patch him up and hide him under several bushes while he looked for a radio. During his search, Hernandez reunited with Jackson after killing an Imperial officer, but the two were immediately captured. Taken to an enemy camp, Mateo and Wade were interrogated until the 93rd Infantry Division arrived and rescued them. Seeing they have no other options, Hernandez and Jackson work with the 93rd in their mission to assist the 23rd Infantry Division in reclaiming the island.
Hernandez and Jackson assisted the 93rd despite the unit losing several men, and reach an airfield where the two claim an enemy dive bomber to assist the 23rd Infantry. Once the runway was cleared, the two helped the infantry claim the island, and presumably returned to a naval fleet.
===Vanguard Comics===
During Operation Watchtower, Hernandez and Jackson landed on British the Solomon Islands after their plane was hit with bullet holes by the enemy. The two briefly argued until they saw a plane preparing to crash near their location, and the two went to cover. A pilot then came out of the cockpit to them, and revealed himself to be S.O.E. Captain Carver Butcher, who wanted to recruit Jackson to Task Force Vanguard. Jackson argued with Butcher, but Jackson told the captain that though Wade had an attitude, he was one of the best pilots he knows. Wade agreed to join the task force and left with Butcher, as Mateo watched and hoped that the war would end soon.
===Call of Duty: Warzone===
At some point towards the end of the war, Mateo was recruited by Butcher into his new task force named "Harpy", and assigned him with Kim Tae Young and Florence Carter to locate a cache on Caldera that held Nebula V bombs. 
===Post War===
After the war, Mateo returned home and became an activist, helping people of the Hispanic community reunite with their families and spoke against discrimination.
==Gallery==
Mateo-VG.png|Mateo in Call of Duty: Vanguard.
Mateo-WZ.png|Mateo in Call of Duty: Warzone.
==Trivia==
*He is the second non-playable character in Vanguard to become a playable operative, the first being Lewis Howard.
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