# Ghost Staring Ghost Staring, also known as Ghost Gaze, captures the intense, mask-shrouded look of Simon 'Ghost' Riley from the 2022 shooter Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. After the game shipped in late October 2022, cutscene stills and short clips of Ghost looking at Soap flooded Twitter and TikTok as reaction fodder, thirst edits and the base for a mid-November TikTok caption format set to a somber tune. ## Origin Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II launched on October 28th, 2022 as a sequel to the 2019 franchise reboot[1]. Simon 'Ghost' Riley appears throughout the campaign in his signature skull-print balaclava, and a night-search cutscene holds on his eyes while he speaks to Soap, with the rest of his face hidden by the mask[4]. Infinity Ward and Activision made the game and the character; no single fan is confirmed as the originator of the meme format. Five days before the game's full release, Tumblr user vvh1sk3y posted a screenshot roundup of MWII characters on October 23rd, 2022 that included the eyes-only still of Ghost from that cutscene, drawing more than 2,100 likes and reblogs within two weeks[2]. A day earlier, on October 22nd, TikToker @gotouchgrassboz0 uploaded a Ghost fancam that featured the car-ride shot set to a somber tune[5], giving the character two early seeds that would later converge into separate meme formats. - **Platform:** Tumblr / Twitter and TikTok (viral spread) - **Creator:** Unknown - **Date:** 2022 ## Overview Fans typically use the eyes-only still as a flat reaction, often slotted into the 'My Reaction to That Information' template on Twitter[3]. Beyond the joke posts, the look also became a cornerstone of the Ghost 'sexyman' fandom, with Tumblr and Twitter artists drawing him in soft, longing portraits that reference the eyes-only shot from the night-search cutscene[7]. A second strand of the meme comes from the car-ride scene set in the fictional Mexican city of Las Almas, where Ghost blankly stares at Soap from the passenger seat. On TikTok, that clip is layered under a slow, melancholic audio while on-screen text describes an awkward confession, a petty workplace grievance or a heartbreak scenario[5]. Together, the still and the clip gave the character two distinct meme lives, one for quick-fire Twitter reactions and one for longer TikTok and Twitter captioned bits[4]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Ghost Staring? Ghost Staring, also called Ghost Gaze, is the viral still and clip of Simon 'Ghost' Riley looking at Soap from behind his skull mask in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II[4]. ### Where did Ghost Staring come from? The look comes from cutscenes in the 2022 Infinity Ward title Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, including a night-search scene and a car ride through Las Almas[1]. Early viral posts included a Tumblr screenshot set from vvh1sk3y on October 23rd, 2022[2]. ### What does Ghost Staring mean? Online, the image reads as a flat, deadpan reaction, often slotted into the 'My Reaction to That Information' template, while the video version plays as a melancholic deadpan over captioned confessions or embarrassments[3][5]. ### How do you use Ghost Staring? People typically pair the mask-and-eyes still with reaction text on Twitter, or use the car-ride clip on TikTok and Twitter with the somber audio and on-screen captions describing an awkward or emotional situation[6]. ### Is Ghost Staring still popular? Peak virality was in late October through mid-November 2022, when posts like @ItsSomjuu's November 14th tweet hit over 1.5 million views in a day[6]. Usage has cooled since, though Ghost 'sexyman' fan art stayed common on Tumblr and Twitter into 2023[7]. ## References 1. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_of_Duty:_Modern_Warfare_II_(2022_video_game)]() 2. [https://vvh1sk3y.tumblr.com/post/698956007312867328/johnny-soap-mactavish-simon-ghost-riley]() 3. [https://twitter.com/BKTOOR_/status/1585345837114470400]() 4. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/ghost-staring-ghost-gaze-mw2]() 5. [https://www.tiktok.com/@gotouchgrassboz0/video/7157318616247995654]() 6. [https://twitter.com/ItsSomjuu/status/1592283077715304450]() 7. [https://twitter.com/JFrazzles/status/1589066581338095616]() 8. [https://twitter.com/blurryspirits/status/1587237866991915008]() 9. [https://twitter.com/ImNOODLEZ05/status/1587242333392830466]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/ghost-staring-ghost-gaze-mw2 Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library