Mateo Hernandez

Aviation Machinist's Mate 3rd Class Mateo Hernandez is a character featured in Call of Duty: Vanguard, first appearing in the campaign missions The Battle of Midway and Numa Numa Trail. Mateo was later released as a playable Operator of the Harpy faction in Vanguard and Call of Duty: Warzone on April 27th, 2022 with the Season Three update as part of the Battle Pass.
==Biography==
===Early life===
Mateo Hernandez was born in January 1919 in Texas, growing up among a large family of immigrants from Mexico. Mateo dreamed of becoming a civil engineer but joined the Navy when the war broke out in 1941.
===War in the Pacific===
As an Aviation Machinist's Mate 3rd Class, Mateo became the tail gunner of Wade Jackson and his S-17. In June 1942, both participated in the Battle of Midway where the US Navy engaged the 1st Air Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Along with other squadrons, Mateo and Jackson successfully defended the American fleet against the Japanese but also managed to sink both Soryu and Kaga aircraft carriers.
In November 1943, Mateo and Jackson's S-17 was shot down above Bougainville. Severaly injured after the crash, Wade was lifted by Mateo who then hid him and left to find help. However, with no sign of Mateo's return, Wade went out looking for him. Shortly after, Wade tried to save Mateo from Japanses soldiers but both ended up getting captured. They were rescued by James "Booker" Washington and his unit from the of the Army. Booker asked both Wade and Mateo to help his unit secure a ridge nearby, held by Japanese soldiers. The team succesfully took the ridge and made their way to an airfield located on the other side. They secured a D3A Type 99, allowing Wade and Mateo to fly away but not before assisting the rest of the 93rd Division in their assault against the Japaneses.
Still deployed at the in 1944, Wade and Mateo were having an argument over the former's recklessness while he complained about the ruined paint job on their plane when a plane crashed near their location. From behind cover, they watched a British soldier exiting the plane unscathed, calling out for Wade. Both men drew their gun at him, demanding to know who he was. The man introduced himself as Carver Butcher and was looking for the "the best pilot in this goddamn war". But after the two men discussed, Butcher began to doubt about recruiting Wade which prompted Mateo to step in and convinced Butcher of Wade's capabilities. Butcher and Wade then left on Wade's plane as Mateo watched, praying that they would bring an end to the war soon so that he could go home to his family.
===Caldera===
At some point, Mateo would also be recruited by Butcher and the SOE into Task Force Harpy alongside Florence Carter and Kim Tae Young. Harpy was tasked with intercepting a convoy of Nebula V bombs on the island of Caldera before they could be detonated.
===After the war===
After the war ended, Mateo witnessed firsthand the prejudice and racism against Mexicans and decided to speak out against the injustice while also helping families reunite across the border. https://www.callofduty.com/blog/2022/04/call-of-duty-vanguard-warzone-classified-arms-operators-task-force-harpy
==Personalization==
===Skins===
Name 	Rarity	Image	How to obtain
Battalion 	 	 	Operator Level 10
Desert Rust 	 	 	Operator Level 20
Sunbreak 	 	 	Reach Max Level with All Operators in the Harpy Unit
Night Filter 	 	 	Reach Max Level with All Operators in 4 Units
Chingon 	 	 	Battle Pass Season Three Tier 0
Groundskeeper	 	 	Go Touch Grass Bundle
Madcap 	 	 	Battle Pass Season Three Tier 0
Noonslayer 	 	 	Quickdraw King Bundle
===Quips===
Name 	Rarity	Quote 	How to obtain
No Next Time 	 	"No next times for you, pendejo." 	Operator Level 2
Go Big 	 	"If you can't go home, go big!" 	Operator Level 14
Head In The Clouds 	 	"Feet on the ground. Head in the clouds."	Go Touch Grass Bundle
Just Like I Planned	 	"Just like I planned, carajo!" 	Quickdraw King Bundle
My Warmup 	 	"Let's call that my warm-up." 	Go Touch Grass Bundle
Trouble Finds Me 	 	"Trouble just has a way of finding me." 	Quickdraw King Bundle
===Finishing Moves===
Name 	Rarity 	Preview 	How to obtain
Rack It 	 	 	Unlocked by default
No Escape 	 	 	Operator Level 17
Universal Finishing Moves	Universal Finishing Moves	Universal Finishing Moves	Universal Finishing Moves
===Highlight Intros===
Name 	Rarity 	Preview 	How to obtain
Press Check 	 	 	Unlocked by default
Thrown Off 	 	 	Operator Level 15
Playing With Planes In Planes	 	 	Go Touch Grass Bundle
Universal Highlight Intros 	Universal Highlight Intros	Universal Highlight Intros	Universal Highlight Intros
===MVP Highlights===
Name 	Rarity 	Preview 	How to obtain
Pistol-Whip 	 	 	Unlocked by default
Back Heel 	 	 	Operator Level 5
Universal MVP Highlights	Universal MVP Highlights	Universal MVP Highlights	Universal MVP Highlights
==Gallery==
Battle of Midway Promo CODV.jpg|Mateo in The Battle of Midway.
Mateo Gunner CODV.png
Mateo Jammed CODV.png|Mateo's plane gun gets jammed.
Mateo Close Up CODV.png
Vanguard Promo2 CODV.jpg|Mateo in a D3A Type 99 shooting at the Imperial Japanese Army.
Mateo Hernandez Operator Card VG.png|Mateo's operator card in Multiplayer.
Mateo Operator Default CODV.png|Mateo in-game.
Mateo Madcap in-game CODV.jpg|Mateo wearing the "Madcap" skin in-game.
Mateo Chinagon in-game CODV.jpg|Mateo wearing the "Chingon" skin in-game.
MateoHernandez Cutscene CODV.jpg
TaskForceHarpy Trailer CODV.jpg|Mateo, Florence and Tae Young in the Season Three cinematic.
MateoHernandez 1945 CODV.jpg
MateoHernandez SeasonThree Promo CODV.jpg
MateoHernandez SeasonThree Promo2 CODV.jpg|Mateo with Lewis Howard.
MateoHernandez SeasonThree Promo3 CODV.jpg
MateoHernandez SeasonThree Promo4 CODV.jpg
MateoHernandez SeasonThree Promo5 CODV.jpg
MateoHernandez SeasonThree Promo6 CODV.jpg
Sphere Promo CODV.jpg|Mateo with Padmavati Balan, Florence Carter and Beatrice Mercier in Sphere.
Sphere Promo2 CODV.jpg|Mateo executing Florence.
TaskForceHarpy Promo CODV.jpg|Task Force Harpy.
MateoHernandez OperationMonarch WZ.png|Mateo in the Operation Monarch Launch Trailer.
Kong OperationMonarch Promo1 WZ.jpg|Mateo in a Chopper Gunner attacking Kong.
ShiNoNuma Promo10 Zombies CODV.jpg|Mateo as seen during Season Four.
ShiNoNuma Promo2 Zombies CODV.jpg|Mateo in Shi No Numa.
Machinist Calling Card CODV.jpg|Mateo as shown in the "Machinist" calling cad.
==References==
Category:Call of Duty: Vanguard United States Navy Characters
Category:Call of Duty: Vanguard Operators
Category:Call of Duty: Warzone Characters
fr:Mateo Hernandez