Throughout most of the Metal Gear series, there’s always a character named Snake. However, not all of these Snakes are the same person, which can be a little confusing to those new to the series. From Big Boss to Solid Snake, there have been a few different operatives that have bore the ‘Snake’ codename, or a variation of it. Even series veterans sometimes have trouble keeping track of all the different Snakes. In this guide, we will go over all the Snakes in the series, and how they fit into the overall timeline. So tune your Codec to our frequency as we unbox the fascinating legacy of Snake.
Metal Gear: Naked Snake/Big Boss
Big Boss was the first clandestine operative to be given the codename ‘Snake’. His real name is John, but more commonly referred to as Jack, he began his military career in the 1950s. During this time, he found himself under the tutelage of The Boss, his mentor and mother figure. The Boss trained Jack in weaponry, survival, espionage, and foreign language. The two also developed CQC (close-quarters combat) together, a highly versatile fighting style that allows the user to easily transition between ranged and close combat. After fighting together in the Korean War, they went their separate ways in 1959.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is a prequel to the series, chronologically taking place before the first Metal Gear game. Set during the Cold War in 1964, we are introduced to a younger Big Boss during Operations Virtuous Mission and Snake Eater. Working for the CIA’s FOXHOUND unit and given the codename ‘Naked Snake’, Jack infiltrated Soviet territory to rescue a Soviet weapons scientist who was defecting to the U.S. During Virtuous Mission, Jack fails to rescue Sokolov, whom the Soviets, led by the villainous GRU officer Volgin, recapture and put back to work on the very first Metal Gear, Shagohod. This prompts the CIA to commence Operation Snake Eater.
During this mission, Jack uncovered a global conspiracy that greatly affected the Metal Gear universe for decades to come. After the defeat of The Boss and her Cobra unit, Jack discovers that The Boss’ mission was to save the world from nuclear war and that she would be branded a traitor in the process. Operation Snake Eater was orchestrated to get the Philosopher’s Legacy into the hands of the U.S. government while The Boss would be killed by Snake for being a so-called traitor. The Boss knew what her sacrifice would entail, and Jack grew to resent his government for the cover-up and tarnishing of his mentor’s reputation.
After the events of Snake Eater, Naked Snake was given the Distinguished Service Cross and the codename ‘Big Boss’ by President Johnson. Big Boss eventually left Foxhound and worked as an independent mercenary before forming his own military organization, Militaires Sans Frontieres (Soldiers Without Borders). With the MSF, Big Boss strived to better embody the final wishes of The Boss and stay true to her legacy. The MSF took part in many conflicts throughout history, and Big Boss made a name for himself as a legendary soldier. Big Boss’ DNA was also used for Zero’s Les Enfants Terribles project, which aimed to create a new generation of cloned super-soldiers.
Solid Snake
Solid Snake, also known as David, is the first protagonist we play in 1987’s Metal Gear. Solid was created out of the Les Enfants Terribles project, making him a clone of the “Greatest warrior of the 20th Century”, Big Boss. Initially, two twin clones were made, one with the dominant genetic traits of Big Boss and one with recessive traits. They were given the names Solid and Liquid, with Solid thought to carry the dominant traits of their “father”. Solid was eventually given the name David and bounced around foster homes before joining the military, where he became a Green Beret.
Solid joined FOXHOUND when it was still being run by Big Boss in the 1990s. Solid further developed his skills as a soldier while undergoing FOXHOUND’s training regimen, and was taught CQC by Big Boss himself. Solid’s first mission for FOXHOUND was in 1995 when he was assigned to infiltrate Outer Heaven, a mysterious military organization in South Africa. However, the enemy commander of Outer Heaven turned out to be Big Boss himself. Big Boss had sent his subordinate in to feed him misinformation, but Solid accomplished too much in his mission resulting in a faceoff between the two.
After Outer Heaven, Solid left FOXHOUND to work as a mercenary but was called upon by new FOXHOUND commander Roy Campbell to deal with a situation in Central Asia. Solid worked undercover for the CIA for six months before he became disillusioned with the agency and retired to the Alaskan wilderness. Here he became a dogsled racer, caring for huskies and competing in the famous Iditarod race. Solid used his retirement to recover from PTSD he had from fighting in countless conflicts, and the belief that he had killed his father in Outer Heaven.
Solid Snake took part in the Shadow Moses Incident, after being contacted again by Campbell, where he confronted rogue members of FOXHOUND who were threatening a nuclear strike if Big Boss’ remains were not delivered to them. Solid discovered that he was infected with FOXDIE, an artificial programmable virus, to deliberately infect the members of FOXHOUND and any others that might be loose ends. The virus remained dormant in Solid Snake for decades. Solid returns to Metal Gear Solid 2, where he is a secondary character assisting new protagonist Raiden. Everything comes full circle for Solid when he is reunited with his ‘father’, Big Boss, in MGS4.
Liquid/Solidus
Liquid Snake is the twin ‘brother’ of Solid Snake. He was the primary antagonist behind the Shadow Moses Incident in Metal Gear Solid, and Solid battles him multiple times throughout the game. Liquid, real name Eli, became a leader of a group of child soldiers in Africa in 1979, after escaping his handlers from Cipher. In 1984, during the events of MGSV: The Phantom Pain, he is encountered by Venom Snake and taken back to Mother Base with the other child soldiers. The plan was to educate the young Eli and make him into a productive member of society. However, his headstrong and rebellious nature led him to escape Mother Base with the help of a young Psycho Mantis.
Eli had a lot of hate for his father, Big Boss, and his brother Solid; a good portion stemming from the belief that he was given the inferior genes. It is later revealed by Revolver Ocelot that Liquid was the one with the superior genes. Though killed by Solid on Shadow Moses Island, Liquid’s consciousness lived on through his arm, transplanted onto Ocelot. He became Liquid Ocelot and set his sights on destroying the Patriots. Liquid Ocelot continues his plans in MGS4, and with Snake’s help, finally puts an end to the Patriots. He fights Solid/Old Snake one last time at the end of the game before he is killed by his brother.
Solidus Snake was the third brother created by the Les Enfants Terribles Project, created with the perfect balance of Big Boss’ dominant and recessive traits. Solidus worked as a paramilitary operative for the CIA before joining the Patriots, who he later grew to resent. With the Patriots’ help, Solidus became the 43rd President of the United States under the alias George Sears. Solidus was secretly behind the Shadow Moses Incident, seeking data on the Metal Gears to use against the Patriots in the future. He feared what the Patriots would become and the rising of the war economy, strongly supported individual freedom and wanted to return power to the citizens.
In Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Solidus is revealed to have been behind the Big Shell takeover. He sought to gain control of Arsenal Gear, a highly advanced warship, and detonate a nuke over New York City, causing an electromagnetic pulse that would cripple Wall Street. This plan would loosen the digital hold that the Patriots had on the financial sector, and Solidus would be free to establish a new Outer Heaven to oppose the Patriots. This plan was foiled by Ocelot’s infiltration as a double agent and Solidus being killed by his adopted son Raiden. Though Raiden had unpleasant memories of Solidus, his ‘father’ inspired him to take control of his own destiny.
Venom Snake
Venom Snake, aka The Man Who Sold The World, is the protagonist of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Referred to as Big Boss throughout the game, he oversaw operations on Mother Base and led the Diamond Dogs. Venom was a combat medic in the MSF, and during the Ground Zeroes incident, along with Big Boss, was critically injured. Venom and Big Boss went into a nine-year coma, during which Zero and Ocelot began working on an elaborate plan to make a body double of Big Boss. They used induced hypnagogia to implant the mind of Big Boss into Venom and performed plastic surgery to alter his face accordingly.
When Venom awoke from his coma, he believed he was, in fact, Big Boss. When Skull Face and his XOF forces arrive at the hospital to kill Snake, Venom and fellow patient Ishmael escape. Ishmael had his face covered with bandages and was later revealed to have been the real Big Boss. The whole plan was a ruse so the real Big Boss could continue his work in secret while Venom would carry out operations as the face of the organization. Venom executed missions for years with the Diamond Dogs, all the while believing he was the real Snake. Toward the end of the game, however, Venom finally realizes the truth about who he really is.
After his memories return, Venom finds a cassette tape left by the real Big Boss. Big Boss explains the reasoning for his actions and thanks Venom for enabling him to continue his work in the shadows. He tells Venom that they are both Big Boss and that Venom is his own man as well, and reminds him that together, they can change the future. He ends the tape by saying, “Thank you… my friend. From here on out, you’re Big Boss.” This sort of meta-commentary utilized in MGSV shows how an individual can be manipulated into doing another’s bidding with the right stimuli, which is a recurring theme throughout the series.
Kept You Waiting, huh?
Metal Gear lore is extremely extensive and can be difficult to navigate, even if you have finished every game in the series. All the characters with the codename ‘Snake’ don’t help with the confusion either. We hope this guide has shed some light on the different Snakes and the roles they play in the games. With a remake of one of the best PS2 games ever on the way, more gamers than ever will be diving into Big Boss’ story for the first time. Understanding who he is as well as his motivations will help players get a decent grasp of his overall character arc and his later appearances in the series.
From Big Boss to Solid, the legacy of Snake is one of the most integral parts of the series as a whole. The Snake family has had a troubled history, with genetic modification, countless betrayals, and endless warfare. Whether you see a hero or a villain when looking at any of the Snakes, especially Big Boss, depends on where you are standing. In the end, every Snake believes that what they are doing is right, regardless of how they achieve it. The player can make these judgments for themselves, but no one can deny the impact that Snake’s legacy has had, both in the series and the world of gaming.
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