Konami announced MGS3 Delta during Sony’s State-of-Play on May 24th, 2023. Since then, the developers have cooperated with David Hayter to discuss and host the Metal Gear Solid: Legacy series. Suddenly, on Nov. 6th, Hayter brought in two guest voice actresses for Part 3. He introduces Lori Alan who voiced The Boss and Suzetta Minet, the voice of Eva. Minet decided to show her real identity as famous Disney voice actress Jodi Benson.
Suzetta Minet: Konami’s 20-Year Secret
When Hideo Kojima released Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater in 2004, players were introduced to Eva. She became Naked Snake’s love interest and is an agent of the KGB (Komitet Gotsudarstvennoy Bezopansnotsi). The community fell in love with her caring, determined nature, and gorgeous soldier design. Yet, Eva’s voice actress Suzetta Minet remained unseen and became one of Konami’s mysteries. Now revealed as Jodi Benson, she shared with her co-stars, David Hayter and Lori Alan about the name’s origin.
In Metal Gear Solid: Legacy Part 3, Benson said her alias was Kris Zimmerman Salter’s idea. Salter was the American voice director for Snake Eater and suggested Benson to have an alias. Suzetta Minet would be based on her dog’s name, Suzette Monet named after the artist. Benson explained it was known for voicing in family-friendly projects including for Disney.
Jodi Benson’s Voicing Career
In 1986, Jodi Benson became well-known as Ariel for Disney’s The Little Mermaid. She was praised for her singing and emotional performance in the film. She went on to voice in other projects including Thumbelina, Barbie (Toy Story 2), and Aquagirl (Batman Beyond). Benson also stepped into video games with Disney Interactive’s PC games that featured Ariel.
Her first experience with dubbing began with Sega’s Grandia II in 2000. Benson’s character, Millenia brought out her devious side with a hint of playfulness. Her role in Grandia II was to complete Valmar with Ryudo’s soul for she is The Horns. She soon reunited with Ariel when Disney and Square Enix collaborated on Kingdom Hearts. It’s unknown if Benson’s connections with these two game companies attracted Konami to voice Eva.
Searching for Eva
For the past 20 years, the Metal Gear Solid community has been searching for Suzetta Minet. Jodi Benson hid her secret identity well until her son Mckinely walked into her basement. She did not specify when he found it, but she did mention owning a copy of Snake Eater. Mckinley found it in a box and somehow connected Benson’s involvement with the game.
Then, a fan of MGS3: Snake Eater came and walked to Benson’s convention booth 7 years prior. He brought his game case in hoping she would react. Here’s what she told Hayter and Alan: “I asked him, “Why did you bring me that?” And he said, “Because you are in it.” Benson was shocked that a Metal Gear Solid player identified her voice as Eva. After the discovery, she kindly asked the fan to keep it a secret.
The Metal Gear Solid Reddit also had fans sharing their thoughts on Jodi Benson and Suzetta Minet. In a 2020 post, Heinsberg399 told them they recently replayed MGS3: Snake Eater and asked if Jodi Benson voiced Eva. He brought up videos of her voice roles and compared them to hers. If you listen closely, Eva sounds similar to Ariel’s range with a hint of roughness. Half of them argued it was Meryl’s voice actress, Debi Mae West.
Final Thoughts
The Metal Gear Solid Legacy shared an almost well-kept secret. Fans endlessly tried to find what Suzetta Minet looked like. It’s strange to know Ariel was assisting Naked Snake on his mission during the Cold War. Benson is very excited to see how MGS3 Delta will play after watching the new scenes. She feels welcomed and thankful for being a part of Konami’s history. The Metal Gear Solid Reddit has even honored a parody jingle for Eva’s voice reveal.
