Metal Gear, the game that revolutionized the stealth genre. Arguably considered one of the greatest video game franchises ever made, it has been largely defined by its stealth-oriented gameplay and its deep, convoluted commentaries. However, arguably the one that shaped the entire series is its main protagonist: Solid Snake. This gruff and cynical soldier has captivated many fans all over the world and has since been in numerous crossovers and universes all over gaming. But there are some things that newcomers might not know about the man who makes the impossible possible.
Here are the 10 facts about Solid Snake that only true fans know about.
10 Solid Snake Is A Mixture Of James Bond And Snake Plissken
As Solid Snake was the original main character of the franchise, there have been heavy influences that have been added to the character. The most notable examples are James Bond and Snake Plissken who are essentially at the core of his DNA.
Just like James Bond, the character is a super spy who is incredibly skilled and is suave with different love interests. However, just like Snake Plissken, he is gruff and a loner. Always asking unnecessary questions despite being a legendary soldier in his own right.
9 Solid Snake Is The Inferior Clone
Solid Snake is one of three clones of Big Boss, who is considered the greatest soldier of the 20th century. Just like his brothers Liquid and Solidus, he is designed to essentially replace Big Boss as insurance and create the ultimate soldier. However, what some may not know despite Liquid's whiny rant, is that Solid Snake is actually the weakest clone. Having all of Big Boss's dominant but inferior genes, making everything Solid Snake did even more impressive because he uses pure skill rather than pure gene theory to win.
8 Solid Snake Is The Only One To Follow The Boss's Will
The Boss's will or dream is a meta concept that basically shaped the entire conflict of the Metal Gear franchise. The Patriots believed that in order to have a world of peace that the Boss envisioned, they must have full control over information and thus the world. While Big Boss believed in a world where Soldiers will always have a place in history and have no government dictate their lives.
However, Solid Snake believed in neither principle as he thought both ideologies were insane. Instead, he fought for peace and leaving the world be, ironically becoming the living legacy of what the Boss truly wanted despite never meeting her.
7 Solid Snake Facial Features Are Based On Christopher Walken In MGS1
Fun fact, while Solid Snake has been inspired by so many films, the character design for MGS1 is surprising distinct. Having the body of Jean-Claude Van Damme and having the facial features of the enigmatic and meme-worthy Christopher Walken. While this might be surprising to some, it is important to note that Christopher Walken played soldiers that have deep trauma in the past which is something Solid Snake truly shares out of all of his influences.
6 Solid Snake Is Mentioned In The Tom Clancy Universe
Funny enough, Solid Snake actually has a place in the Tom Clancy universe. While he hasn't been seen in a mainline Metal Gear since 2008, his presence has still been felt in both his universe and other universes all over video game history. A fun yet bittersweet mention was Sam Fisher's description of the character during the events of Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands where he mentions another person like Sam. When he hears that he "finally retired" he got incredibly solemn by the fact that he is the only one left.
5 Solid Snake Could've Died In MGS4
In the original pitch of Metal Gear Solid 4, Old Snake and Otacon were gonna get executed at the end of the game. Thereby explaining why the song "Here's To You" was implemented in MGS4. However, the staff of Konami was so insistent that he didn't die that Kojima instead created a new ending. This ending is a giant love or hate thing for many fans. Although it could be argued that Snake should've died at the end, there is still something so peaceful knowing that Snake didn't. An ending even he thought wasn't possible.
4 Solid Snake Had A Crossover With Ape Escape
One of the wackiest things to ever happen to the Metal Gear franchise, there was a brief moment where Solid Snake actually crossed-over with the Ape Escape franchise. There is even an Ape imitation of Solid Snake that players can actually control which is pretty nuts. Sadly this fun easter egg of a game is only available in Ape Escape 3 in conjunction with the Snake vs. Monkey mini-game in PS2 releases of Metal Gear Solid 3. Sadly the fun crossover hasn't been seen since.
3 Solid Snake Hates War
Despite the accusations that Liquid Snake has claimed to his brother, the fact that he is designed as a super soldier and that he partly admits that his place is on the battlefield. He fights his hardest to fight for world peace. He did retire and wanted it to stay that way only to be dragged by circumstance. It was only after fighting for others for almost all of his life and after talking with his father that he eventually decided to live peacefully once again. That's the key there, Solid Snake is happy to put down his gun, but he doesn't because he had a job to do.
2 Solid Snake Nerfed Himself Throughout His Saga
In Metal Gear Solid 4, it was established by Old Snake that he stopped using CQC ever since Big Boss betrayed his unit. Refusing to use something a traitor used, plus the fact that it was ahead of its time. This meant that Solid Snake relied on standard CQB for the majority of his career.
This meant that throughout the majority of his Metal Gear entries, he purposely nerfed himself. Considering what he was capable of when using CQC, it's actually incredible what he was truly able to do. In a sense, he freed himself from the shackles his fathers and genetic legacy placed on him.
1 Solid Snake Used To Be A Dog Musher
Before he was roped into the Shadow Moses Incident, Solid Snake lived a quiet life in Alaska. Not only that, but he was also the owner of a bunch of Huskies. Being a dog musher, he planned to participate in the Alaskan Iditarod.
However, thanks to the events of the game, Solid Snake wasn't able to achieve this. Although if it wasn't for the events of the game, players wouldn't be able to play one of the greatest super spies in all of fiction.