Russell Adler

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Special Officer Russell Adler is the deuteragonist to antagonist featured in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and the main protagonist of the post-launch seasonal story in Warzone of the same game. He is also a major character featured in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. He is a CIA agent charged with stopping the mysterious Soviet agent codenamed Perseus. Adler is described as "America's monster" with a "dark charisma".Black Ops Cold War arrives with cross-generation, cross-platform play on November 13 - venturebeat.com He later serves as the protagonist of the post-launch seasonal narrative for Black Ops Cold War, going up against Vikhor "Stitch" Kuzmin. Adler returns in Black Ops 6 as a major character who joins Frank Woods' team after being framed for the deaths of Alex Mason and Jason Hudson.
In Black Ops Cold War and Call of Duty: Warzone, Adler is a playable Operator of the NATO faction. In Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0, he is also available as an Operator of the Rogue Black Ops faction.
==Biography==
===Background===
Russell Adler was born on February 12th, 1937 in San Diego, California. During his education at the high school that he entered, he played American football as a linebacker. At some point, after finishing his educations, Adler enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1955 and qualified for U.S. Army Special Forces in 1957. He was recruited into Central Intelligence Agency in 1959. 
Adler later joined the Special Activities Division in 1966 and was assigned to the MACV-SOG in 1967 to investigate Soviet activity in Vietnam. On 26 January 1968, during Operation Fracture Jaw, Adler found minor intel that hinted towards the existence of legendary KGB agent Perseus. Shortly afterwards, he defended Firebase Ripcord alongside Lawrence Sims and other MACV-SOG operatives until they were able to extract the nuclear device from the base. Bell's supposedly false memories in "Break on Through" are Adler's memories of his combat in Vietnam.
After Vietnam, Adler disappeared from and only sporadically appears in the CIA's records but continued to be affiliated with a number of clandestine operations. His deep knowledge of covert tactics, fluency in Russian and German, and mastery of espionage make him one of the few key operatives that the CIA can consistently rely upon.Black Ops History: Adler and Park - treyarch.com One such operation was the raid of Rebirth Island, in which he was responsible for capturing and interrogating Vikhor Kuzmin, a Soviet operative in charge of overseeing Nova 6's production on the island. Despite his interrogations, Adler was unable to force Kuzmin to disclose any critical information; in retaliation for what Lev Kravchenko did to fellow CIA operative Grigori Weaver back at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Adler stabbed Kuzmin's left eye with a knife.
===1981===
On January 13th, 1981, during a mission with Frank Woods and Alex Mason in Turkey, Adler discovered that the Soviet agent Perseus became active and four days later Jason Hudson tasked Adler to build a team to track down and eliminate Perseus. During the mission in Turkey, Adler came across an injured operative of Perseus, who he subsequently captured and brainwashed into falsely believing they were a CIA agent who served with him in Vietnam, alongside nicknaming the operative "Bell". Sometime later, Adler would find himself in Eastern Kentucky where he would join a black ops program known as, Advanced Technologies and Applications. After becoming an employee, Adler would uncover the remnants of the Cradle Program.
Despite breaking through the conditioning, Bell still managed to assist Adler and his allies in stopping Perseus' plot to detonate nukes across Europe. Adler would take Bell to a cliffside, telling them they were a hero for making sacrifices to stop Perseus. Adler would then tell Bell that they had to make one last sacrifice, and that it wasn't personal before both individuals drew their pistols on each other. The fate of Bell remains unknown, but Adler managed to survive the encounter and return to the CIA.
===1984===
Adler would soon find himself confronting Kuzmin again, where he would be lured into coming to the Mall at the Pines after a raid on a CIA base in West Berlin. Alongside a strike team, Adler arrives at the mall and discovers Nova 6 only to be ambushed by Kuzmin and Perseus soldiers. Under the pseudonym "Stitch", Kuzmin would give the order to kill all of the NATO operatives - save for Adler. A firefight ensued, which ended with Adler being captured by Stitch and transported onto a helicopter. 
By April 19th, 1984, Adler was reported by Kapano "Naga" Vang to be headed to Verdansk. At the same time Frank Woods, Karla Rivas, Terrel Wolf and a small strike team chased after Naga and his men near a camp in Laos. 
Weeks later, Hudson contacted Wolf for a sit-rep and news on Adler. The team was overwhelmed, but managed to survive the assault. They found a safehouse where Nova 6 barrels were being stored, but discovered that they were empty decoys used to draw in Adler. The team interrogated the remaining Perseus operatives and searched for additional intel, indicating activity in Verdansk. Hudson ordered the strike team to move to Verdansk and "bring our boy home".
On June 2nd, Stitch ordered Perseus operatives Freya "Wraith" Helvig and Roman "Knight" Gray to retrieve Dragovich's data on brainwashing from a base in Mount Yamantau. With the data, Stitch attempted to brainwash Adler with the same method used by Dragovich and Steiner on Alex Mason. Adler was rescued on June 10th and brought back into NATO's fold. 
On June 26th, two satellites collectively known as the "Jumpseat Constellation" were crashed by Perseus operative Owethu "Jackal" Mabuza. One lands in Verdansk, while the other lands in . A day after, Adler alongside Jabari Salah and other NATO operatives head to the crash site in Algeria to secure a data recorder from the satellite. Adler charged into the firefight, acting of his own accord by stealing the data recorder and lying that it must have burnt up on re-entry.
After his outing in Algeria, Adler began working off the grid on an unknown project in Verdansk. During a private meeting between Woods and Hudson, the two came to the conclusion that Adler had been compromised. With this in mind, Hudson ordered Woods to have Mason capture Adler.
On August 2nd, 1984, Mason apprehended Adler and brought him to the same interrogation room that Hudson and Grigori Weaver put Mason in after killing Fredrich Steiner 16 years prior. While there, Mason managed to snap Adler out of his Perseus brainwashing. Along with Woods and Hudson, Mason and Adler traveled to Verdansk to investigate a series of explosions in Verdansk.
On August 19th, the team found Stitch at Perseus' grave in the woods of Verdansk. Adler, now free of his brainwashing, confronted Stitch at gunpoint with a 1911. Stitch attempted to activate Adler's conditioning, but failed as Adler revealed that the brainwashing was broken. Adler demanded the whereabouts of Perseus, but Stitch explained to him that the original spy Perseus had died years prior in 1983 due to cancer, and that he was survived by the Perseus spy ring. Adler resolved to executing Stitch, which he accepted before adding that he already changed the world. Adler executed Stitch with a shot to the back of the head.
Five days later on August 24th, Adler and his team entered an abandoned Nazi bunker in Verdansk, where they encountered now-retired Captain Carver Butcher of the SOE. Explaining his presence at the bunker, Butcher went on to explain how after World War II, the Allies hunted down whatever Nazi forces remained – starting in Caldera.
===1989===
On December 13th, 1989, Adler was alerted by Hudson to suspicious activity from a paramilitary group known as Pantheon, which had reportedly infiltrated the CIA. A week later, on December 20, during Operation Just Cause, the mission was compromised by Raul Menendez’s moles and likely Pantheon agents within the agency. This breach resulted in the unintentional death of Mason at Woods's hands and the murder of Hudson by Menendez. Though later recovered by U.S. forces, Woods was left paralyzed by Menendez and forced into semi-retirement. 
In March 1990, anonymous CIA sources revealed documents detailing encrypted financial transfers from Menendez's account to Adler. While on a mission in Morocco, Adler received orders from Langley to return to Washington, D.C. Suspecting a trap, Adler swiftly fled, going on the run from both the CIA and Pantheon agents.
Nearly ten months later, Adler made contact with Iraqi Defense Minister Sayeed Alawi. He initially agreed to meet the defecting minister in Kuwait before transporting him to Europe. However, Pantheon operatives within the CIA uncovered the plan and began orchestrating their own move to capture the defense minister for their purposes.
===1991===
On January 23rd, 1991, Adler's investigation led him to Iraq with a mission to extract Sayeed Alawi. After tracking a CIA team led by Jane Harrow, Adler discovered that they had intercepted Alawi's convoy. With limited options, he eliminated the team's driver, Faraj, and assumed his role to aid their extraction. Amid the ensuing confusion, Adler successfully executed Alawi but was briefly detained by Troy Marshall and Harrow. Revealing Pantheon's infiltration of the CIA, Adler urged Marshall to reach out to Woods for assistance. He then aided the team in evading Iraqi reinforcements before being apprehended by the CIA and transported to a covert black site deep beneath Capitol Station in Washington, D.C.
On February 2nd, Pantheon agents received intelligence from their moles within the CIA, pinpointing the black site where Adler was being held. Mobilizing a large covert strike force, they aimed to silence Adler permanently and eliminate the entire black site staff. However, the Rogue Black Ops team, led by Troy Marshall, intervened, enabling Adler and his team to escape.
After his recovery on February 3rd, Adler joined the team in furthering their investigation into the Pantheon conspiracy. He briefed them on the intelligence provided by Alawi, revealing Pantheon's deep ties to Saddam Hussein and their newly developed bioweapon, codenamed "The Cradle." Knowing the bioweapon's location in Saddam's palace, Adler reached out to his former associate, Helen Park, requesting her help in securing access to the palace.
In the early morning of February 5th, the Rogue Black Ops team assisted Park and the SAS unit, Chainsaw 3–2, in eliminating Iraqi Scud and anti-aircraft sites that threatened Coalition forces. With these objectives achieved, the combined Black Ops-SAS force launched a frontal assault on Saddam's palace. Inside the bunker, they uncovered an intact canister of "The Cradle," along with documents revealing the involvement of former Soviet bioweapons expert Matvey Gusev. As waves of Pantheon reinforcements attempted to stop them, the Rogue Black Ops-SAS team held their ground and successfully evacuated before British forces leveled the palace.
Having pinpointed Gusev's location, Adler met up with Lawrence Sims and requested his help with the capture operation on February 13th. Although tensions had risen between them following the Perseus Manhunt, Sims reluctantly agreed, but he made it clear that this would be his final mission with the CIA. Adler accepted, and Sims mobilized his task force for an assault on Al-Makheel International Airport. Fighting through entrenched Pantheon forces, the team was initially drawn into a feint. However, with Marshall's assistance, they tracked down Gusev, who was attempting to flee in a Pantheon cargo plane on the terminal. Determined to prevent Gusev's escape, Adler led the team through a heavy onslaught of Pantheon forces and seized an Iraqi tank to bolster their efforts. The team ultimately captured Gusev, allowing Adler to begin his interrogation of the Pantheon scientist. Upon uncovering Pantheon's plans, Adler deemed Gusev's usefulness over and ordered Case to execute him. However, Sims, furious, intervened and took Gusev into custody himself. This act marked Sims’ final break with Adler, as he cut ties with the team permanently and departed with Gusev in his custody.
On February 15th, Adler joined the team to investigate Pantheon activity in Vorkuta. After confirming Harrow's presence, Adler aided in fending off Pantheon forces before splitting from the team to block Harrow's escape routes. Once Harrow was captured, the Rogue Black Ops team regrouped at their safehouse in Bulgaria.
Nearly a day later, on February 16th, Adler provided a compound known as Phenosorazine, or "Separation," for Harrow's interrogation. Initially involved in the questioning, Adler then took command as Pantheon forces launched an assault on the safehouse to reclaim Harrow. To buy time for Woods to complete the interrogation, Adler and the team used the safehouse's extensive arsenal to defend the location, deploying automated sentry guns at one point against the attackers. Despite their efforts, Pantheon forces breached the safehouse and freed Harrow. Adler continued to assist as Case pursued the rogue agent, culminating in a confrontation where both Harrow and Case were presumed dead after their helicopter crashed into a nearby river.
Following the unraveling of the Pantheon conspiracy, Adler joined Marshall and Woods for a debriefing with Director Livingstone. Although the team was officially considered rogue, Livingstone offered his support in exchange for their continued efforts to expose Pantheon operatives within the U.S. government.
==Personalization==
===Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War===
====Skins ====
Name 	Rarity	Image	How to obtain
Mountain Drab 	 	 	In Multiplayer, get 10 kills with Scorestreaks or Killstreaks.
Beirut 	 	 	Part of "Renegade" SkinOperator Mission:In Zombies, spend 50000 Essence.
Boarding Party 	 	 	Battle Pass Season Four Tier 50
Bright Star 	 	 	Part of "Renegade" SkinOperator Mission
Globetrotter 	 	 	Part of "Traveler" SkinOperator Mission
Iron Delta 	 	 	Part of "Renegade" SkinOperator Mission
Lighthouse 	 	 	Part of "Renegade" SkinOperator Mission:In Zombies, get 50 kills with lethal equipment.
Navigator 	 	 	Part of "Boarding Party" SkinOperator Mission
Renegade 	 	 	Battle Pass Season Two Tier 20
Spotter 	 	 	Part of "Boarding Party" SkinOperator Mission
Summit 	 	 	Part of "Traveler" SkinOperator Mission
Traveler 	 	 	Battle Pass Season One Tier 1
Agent Zero 	 	 	Battle Pass Season Six Tier 0
Base Jumper 	 	 	Battle Pass Season One Tier 90
Confidential 	 	 	Black Ops Cold War Starter Pack Bundle
Dapper 	 	 	Agent Adler Bundle
Detective 	 	 	Double Agent Bundle
Duress 	 	 	Part of "Agent Zero" SkinOperator Mission
Gauntlet 	 	 	Field General Bundle
Glitz 	 	 	Part of "Base Jumper" SkinOperator Mission
Miami 	 	 	Miami Nights Bundle
Ranger 	 	 	Scout Team Bundle
Razor Wire 	 	 	Platoon Sergeant Bundle
Red 	 	 	Shamrocked Bundle
Retrieval 	 	 	Part of "Agent Zero" SkinOperator Mission:Deal 10000 total damage.
Stalker 	 	 	Part of "Base Jumper" SkinOperator Mission
Sterling 	 	 	Silver Fox Bundle
Wetlander 	 	 	River Slasher Bundle
Ambassador 	 	 	Game Fuel's Exclusive Content (US only)
Free Spirit 	 	 	Tracer Pack: Poison Sky Mastercraft Bundle
Gunslinger 	 	 	Most Wanted Bundle
Life Guard 	 	 	Tracer Pack: Fireworks Bundle
Tortured & Rescued	 	 	Complete all Black Ops Cold War or Warzone challenges for Hunt for Adler event (initially)Log into Warzone during Season Three (Between April 30th, 2021 and June 16th, 2021)Raven Software on Twitter
Cipher 	 	 	Tracer Pack: Brain Washed Reactive Bundle
===Call of Duty: Black Ops 6===
====Skins====
Name 	Rarity	Image	How to obtain
Umbra	 	 	Hunters vs. Hunted Operator Pack (Black Ops 6 Vault Edition Bonus)
==Call of Duty: Warzone==
Adler is mentioned in several intel pieces in Call of Duty: Warzone. The intels relate to his investigation into Perseus, who had ties with Imran Zakhaev. He is also playable as an Operator with the purchase of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
==Gallery==
===Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War===
Adler BOCW.png
Adler Smoking BOCW.png
Adler Planning BOCW.png
RusselAdler BOCW.png
Reveal Promo 6 BOCW.png
Adler Illuminated BOCW.png
Adler Bio BOCW.jpg|Adler's bio from Treyarch's website.
Adler full body shot BOCW.png
Adler profile terminal BOCW .jpg|Adler's profile from CIA terminal.
Adler find Bell BOCW.png|Adler discovers a Perseus operative who would become "Bell".
Adler threatens Bell if he does not cooperate BOCW.png
Adler NoShades BOCW.png|Adler without his sunglasses, seen in the opening cutscene of The Final Countdown.
Adler Woods victory BOCW.png
Adler ending BOCW.jpg
Adler vs Bell BOCW.png|Adler pulls a 1911 on Bell as they do the same.
Adler Select BOCW.png|Adler's Operator Card.
Adler Operator Bio BOCW.jpg|Adler's bio in Black Ops Cold War.
Adler Operator Bio WZ.jpg|Adler's bio in Warzone.
Adler OperatorCard BOCW.gif|Adler Operator Intro.
Alder Operator Intro Still BOCW.png|The still used for the Operator Intro Thumbnail.
Adler Operator Default BOCW.png|Adler in-game.
Adler MP Op BOCW.jpg
Adler war machine BOCW.jpg
Multiplayer Promo21 Fireteam Ruka BOCW.jpg
Adler and Farah WZ.jpg|Adler and Farah Karim in Warzone.
Adler stabs Stitch S1 BOCW.png|Adler stabs Vikhor "Stitch" Kuzmin in the eye, stating "This is for Weaver".
Adler s1 cinematic bocw.png|Adler appearance in the Season One cinematic.
Adler S1 Cinematic Surprised BOCW.png|Adler is surprised at the sight of Nova 6.
Adler Illuminated S1 Cinematic BOCW.png
Onslaught Promo5 BOCW.jpg|Adler in Zombies Onslaught.
RebirthIsland Promo 4 WZ.jpg
RebirthIsland Promo 6 WZ.jpg
Dropkick Promo2 BOCW.jpg|Adler carrying the bomb in Dropkick.
Adler Pissed S1 Outro BOCW.png
Adler vs Perseus Operative S1 Outro BOCW.png
Adler is captured S1 Outro BOCW.png|Perseus operatives capture Adler.
Adler brought onto helicopter S1 BOCW.png|Adler is brought to a helicopter.
Alder Missing Teaser BOCW.png|Message of the Day teaser on Adler's kidnapping by Stitch.
Adler in pain S1 Outro BOCW.png
Adler as prisoner with Naga BOCW.png|Adler held prisoner by Naga.
Adler dragged BOCW.png
Adler S3 Intro BOCW.png|Adler in the Season Three intro.
Adler Promo CODWZ.jpg|Adler in Verdansk.
Adler ClusterStrike CODWZ.jpg
Adler Airstrike CODWZ.jpg
Adler Sabotaging The Satellite.png|Adler sabotaging the Satellite.
Adler and Salah Algeria Season 4 1984 BOCW.jpg|Adler and Salah in Algeria.
Adler's Team Discussing Perseus BOCW.jpg
Adler With Salah BOCW.png
Payload Promo1 WZ.jpg|Adler defending the Payload.
Adler SeasonFour Promo BOCW.jpg
Adler SeasonFour Promo2 BOCW.jpg
Zoo Promo BOCW.jpg|Adler in Zoo.
Adler Collateral Flashback BOCW.png
Adler freed 1984 BOCW.jpg|Adler after being freed from the numbers programming.
Woods, Adler, Mason, and Hudson Season 6 BOCW.jpg|Woods, Adler, Mason, and Hudson deployed in Verdansk.
GhostsOfVerdansk Promo3 TheHaunting WZ.jpg|Adler in the Ghosts of Verdansk game mode.
Deprogram Promo BOCW.jpg|Adler and Woods sneak up on Ingo Beck.
Deprogram Promo2 BOCW.jpg|Adler next to a statue of his head.
Fuze Adler Promo BOCW.jpg|Adler fighting Benito "Fuze" Ortega.
Mason supports Adler BOCW.png|Adler is given support by Mason.
Adler Final Brainwashing BOCW.png|Adler resists Stitch's attempt to re-trigger his brainwashing.
Stitch the New Perseus BOCW.png|Adler hears from Stitch that Perseus is not a single individual.
Adler M1911 S6O BOCW.png|Refusing Stitch's truth, Adler still demands to know where Perseus is.
Stitch at Gunpoint BOCW.png|Adler suggesting to capture Stitch for what he has done.
Adler S6 Outro BOCW.png|Adler suggests killing Stitch aloud.
Stitch Life BOCW.png|Adler moments before executing his nemesis.
Forsaken Promo6 BOCW.jpg|Adler in Forsaken.
Rebirth Iron Trials Promo3 WZ.jpg|Adler in Rebirth Iron Trials.
WMD Promo BOCW.jpg|Adler with Woods and Zeyna in WMD.
Caldera SeasonFour Promo WZ.jpg|Adler shooting at Ghost.
===Call of Duty: Black Ops 6===
Russell Adler Manhunt Order BO6.jpg|A CIA manhunt order for Adler.https://x.com/CallofDuty/status/1798447972122030095
Campaign Promo BO6.jpg
Campaign Promo5 BO6.jpg
Campaign Promo16 BO6.jpg
Campaign Promo18 BO6.jpg
Campaign Promo19 BO6.jpg
Russell Adler Promo BO6.jpg
Russell Adler Promo2 BO6.jpg
Russell Adler Promo3 BO6.jpg
Adler Sims BO6.png|Adler and Sims.
CentralCommandHuh BO6.png
Sims Adler Discussing Gusev BO6.png|Adler and Sims discussing Matvey Gusev.
Adler Confronts Gusev BO6.png|Alder confronts Gusev.
Gusev Interrogation BO6.png|Adler, Sims and Case interrogating Gusev.
Adler TheRook BO6.png|Adler in the Rook.
Adler Select BO6.png|Adler's Operator Card.
Adler Operator Default BO6.png|Adler's "Umbra" skin.
Multiplayer Promo3 BO6.jpg
Multiplayer Promo14 BO6.jpg
Multiplayer Promo40 BO6.jpg
Multiplayer Promo46 BO6.jpg
Warzone BlackOps6 Promo3 WZ2.jpg
File:Russell Adler's CIA file BO6.jpg|Adler's CIA file found in The Rook's evidence board
==Trivia==
===Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War===
*Adler's blood type is AB-.
* If asked by Bell about the origin of his facial scars, Adler will come up with one of three lies:
**He may cryptically answer that he was once in with the wrong crowd when he was younger, and will vaguely mention that an unnamed girl "wasn't worth it".
**Another story told by Adler is that he was chasing a target when he tried to make a jump off the roof of a building and failed to stick the landing. He then gives Bell advice to always know where utility poles are.
**He also may state that he was attacked by a tiger during a mission in 1973.
***Following up, Adler will ask Bell if they've ever been attacked by a tiger. Notably, a tiger design is seen on the back of Arash Kadivar's jacket when he betrays Bell.
*When discussing the archival of Soviet intel recovered in Vietnam, Adler tells Bell about his ex-wife. It is not clear whether he is joking or not.
* The "Bright Star" skin is a reference to the exercises, a multinational military exercise held every two years in Egypt since 1980.
*The "Beirut" skin is a reference to the , an event where two suicide bombers attacked two buildings being used as temporary barracks for the , primarily that of the USMC and French Army.
*The "Wetlander" skin is a reference to the character Crocodile Dundee from .
*The "Razor Wire" skin is a reference to the character Sergeant Barnes from the 1986 movie , who also sports similar facial scars to Adler's.
*The "Red" skin is a reference to the character Matt Hunter from the 1985 movie .
*The "Free Spirit" skin is a reference to the character Pete "Maverick" Mitchell from the 1986 movie .
===Call of Duty: Black Ops 6===
*In Zombies mode, if the player equips Adler as their operator, he will deliver remarks when certain actions are performed:
**When a zombie is turned with the Brain Rot ammo type, Adler will remark: "Mind if I call you 'Bell'?" or "You and me - we got a job to do," with the first quote referencing how he and Helen Park brainwashed Bell, using the CIA's , while the second one references the phrase that Adler uses to trigger Bell's programming.
**Alder will sometimes remark: "Train go boom" along other lines of his when the player scores a critical kill. This is a reference to the same quote that John Taylor said to the Player during the mission Life in Call of Duty: Black Ops III.
**When a perk can is consumed, Alder will sometimes say: "Drinking on the job - feels like Berlin all over again." along with other lines of his. This is a reference to the segment in the mission Brick in the Wall from Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War where Bell meets with Greta Keller inside a bar in East Berlin.
*In Hunting Season, Marshall may ask Adler about his scar. Similar to his conversation with Bell, Adler will respond differently each time:
**He claims that he got hit by shrapnel at Hue City in 1968. This is a reference to the Tet Offensive attack, which Adler participated in.
**He simply tells Marshall to "never engage in a staring contest with a bull shark".
**He claims to have gotten the scar 20 years ago after jumping out of a building from the third-story window.
==References ==
Category:Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Central Intelligence Agency Characters
Category:Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War NATO Operators
Category:Call of Duty: Warzone Characters
Category:Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 Characters
Category:Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Central Intelligence Agency Characters
Category:Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Rogue Black Ops Operators
Category:Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile Characters
Category:Antagonists