He’s been locked up since 1990 for smuggling drugs, laundering money and murdering political rivals, but former Panamanian dictator and one-time CIA rat Manuel Noriega says a video game makes him look bad.
Lawyers for the ex-military strongman filed suit against the makers of “Call of Duty: Black Ops II” for the unauthorized use of his notoriously pockmarked face in the popular shoot-’em-up game.
The Los Angeles Superior Court suit says Noriega is “readily identifiable in the video game,” in which he’s “portrayed as the culprit of numerous fictional heinous crimes.”
He’s also repeatedly referred to by name and as “Pineapple Face,” the nickname given him by fellow Panamanians due to his acne scars.
Noriega’s suit says his character was illegally included to “heighten realism” and boost sales of “Black Ops II,” the ninth installment in the “Call of Duty” franchise.
“Black Ops II” rang up $500 million in sales on the day it was released in 2012 and was the year’s best seller. In the game, Noriega — whose voice is provided by “The Shield” actor Benito Martinez — gets badly beaten by a drug lord and punched out by a CIA operative.
Court papers say Noriega has “the sole and exclusive right of publicity with regard to the use of his name and likeness,” and he’s “suffered harm, including but not limited to damage to his reputation.”
Noriega accuses publisher Activision Blizzard Inc. and subsidiary developer Treyarch of violating his “common-law right of publicity,” as well as unjust enrichment and unfair business practices.
His suit, filed Tuesday, demands unspecified compensation and profits from the game, which has sold more than 12.7 million copies worldwide.
Other real-life figures in “Black Ops II” include retired US Army Gen. David Petraeus, whose cameo came shortly after he resigned as CIA director over an extramarital affair.
Noriega, 80, ruled Panama from 1983 through 1989, when he was ousted during an invasion by American forces following his racketeering indictment in Miami.
He fled to the Vatican embassy in Panama City. Noriega surrendered after 10 days and was convicted in 1992. He was later extradited to France, then sent to Panama in 2011 to serve time for murder and other crimes.
Activision didn’t return a request for comment.
Additional reporting by Sean Daly