For conspiracy theorists, Morden represents the "manufactured enemy." In the game's lore, Morden launches a coup d'état against the regular army. The player controls the "Peregrine Falcons," a special forces unit sent to stop him. The narrative structure—a small, elite American unit dismantling a large, faceless army in a desert environment—mirrors the real-world Gulf War (1990-1991), which had concluded only five years prior to the game's release.