Actual ex-dictator Manuel Noriega is suing Activision for making him look bad in 'Call of Duty'

Actual ex-dictator Manuel Noriega is suing Activision for making him look bad in &#039;Call of Duty&#039;

(Image credit: Activision)

last updated 8 January 2015

As Chevy Chase might have said, Generalissimo Manuel Noriega is still alive — and he's suing Activision Blizzard. On Tuesday, Noriega — the 80-year-old former strongman of Panama whom the U.S. deposed and arrested for drug trafficking in 1989-90 — filed suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against the video game giant for including his name and image in its hit game "Call of Duty: Black Ops II."

Noriega, out of prison and living in Panama, says that "Black Ops II" paints him as "a kidnapper, murderer, and enemy of the state." Activision is profiting from the heightened "realism" his virtual presence (and "numerous fictional heinous crimes") brings to the game, the lawsuit argues. Noriega is seeking a cut of the profits — the game raked in $1 billion in its first two weeks alone — and damages of at least $25,000.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.