Characters of Metal Gear

Solid Snake

Solid Snake is a man with not a lot known about him around 1995. He joined the military in 1991 and was inducted into the Green Berets where he was trained in the arts of CQC (Close Quarters Combat). As a Green Beret he joined FOXHOUND during the Gulf War just after an infiltration mission to western Iraq gone perfect. As all new recruits, his trainer in FOXHOUND was Master Miller.

Snake doesn't talk much about his childhood, only specifying that he was raised by more than one group of people and that his name since his childhood has been David. It's believed that he gained the codename of Solid Snake during the Green Berets.

It was Operation Intrude N313 that was his first mission for FOXHOUND. Just like his first mission with the Green Berets, this mission was an infiltration. This time it wasn't Iraq, it was the military nation led by a feared and legendary mercenary. The mercenary was revealed at the end of the mission to be Commander of FOXHOUND, Big Boss. The infiltration was bundled with a rescue mission as Operative Gray Fox was on a reconnaissance mission when they lost communication with him. Snake had to find and rescue his friend.

Snake entered Outer Heaven via river passage and while keeping in touch with Big Boss (with no idea he's behind Outer Heaven) he was able to skillfully pass guards and security measures before coming to Gray Fox. Fox told him the truth behind what's called Metal Gear; a bi-pedal, nuclear-equipped battle tank that could tip the balance of power in favor of Outer Heaven.

Snake was in awe learning all this. This whole time, Fox kept his cool and precise demeanor and attitude. Fox, was the highest ranking in FOXHOUND, and Gray Fox was the second to achieve it. Snake proceeded through the fortress and rescued prisoners as well as assist the local resistance cell fighters.

As he approached closer to the Metal Gear, things began to go wrong. All information from Big Boss was either poor or completely wrong. He was led into compromising and dangers situations left and right. Despite the slowdowns he was able to destroy Metal Gear and learn the truth behind Big Boss' sabotage. Big Boss met with Snake and wouldn't let him escape without a fight and they engaged in combat. Snake defeated Big Boss and the fortress fell apart as Snake left him behind for death to capture him. His mission was a success. Snake quit FOXHOUND afterwards and was recruited then by the CIA. He spent six months as a deep cover agent but was dissatisfied after a while and left that too. He was then a mercenary until he gained enough money to retire into Canada.

Gray Fox

Only little information is known about Gray Fox's childhood. He was born from German-American and Vietnamese parents. They both died during the Vietnam War while he was still a child and thus lived a grunting childhood. He was discriminated due to his half-Caucasian hertiage and was forced to work hard labor for the effort of the war. It was during his time in Mozambique that he was well known. Known for his cruel war tactics. He'd act with the frank-ness of a young boy and then trick enemies into letting their guard down as he would be allowed to kill them "with the ruthlessness of a hunter." This is where his nickname "The Frank Hunter" came from. Because of his ability to speak German, his fellow comrades gave him the name of "Frank Jaeger," (Jaeger is Hunter in German).

Big Boss found him during 1966 in Mozambique and they befriended each other. Big Boss didn't like seeing such a young child work in an anti-communist guerrilla group thus he took him and left him at a rehab center where he assumed he'd be safe.

Frank would later get into more trouble (with the CIA and FOX unit) and have to be saved once more by Big Boss. It was after this second rescue that he decided to join the armed forces and be a soldier for the Renamo during the Civil War of Mozambique. He was captured during a mission by Frelimo soldiers and was brutally tortured. Big Boss saved him for a third time just days later. Afterwards, Frank hit a time of depression and killed a couple in Rhodesia before discovering they had a child. Guilt built up inside and so he adopted the girl and named her Naomi and took care of her as if he was her older brother.

In 1988's Winter Olympic Games held in Calgary, Jaeger used the alias of Frank Hunter once again. During the Olympics he became romantically involved with Gustava Heffner, the Czech figure skating champion. As they tried to get married, the Czech and American authorities denied her any immigration rights and she was sent back to her home country after being stripped of her competition rights. This is what drove Jaeger to develop resentment for his superiors.

Frank used this emotion to join Big Boss' FOXHOUND unit around 1990. He was sought over due to being acquainted with Big Boss. It was due to his extraordinary soldiering skills that he was the only active field agent to receive the codename FOX; the highest commemoration given to any member of the unit.

Five years later he was assigned to Operation: Intrude N312. He was to gather data on a top-secret nuclear weapon that Outer Heaven was secretly developing. He was captured days later, only leaving one last message with the words "Metal Gear...". Fox was rescued during Operation: Intrude N313 by rookie Solid Snake and Fox told him all he knows about Metal Gear. It was his knowledge of the bi-pedal tank that helped Snake destroy Metal Gear TX-55.

After the destruction of Outer Heaven, Fox left FOXHOUND and disappeared with no trace.

Big Boss

Big Boss' real name is Jack. Jack's military career dates way back to 1950 where he joined the Green Berets became the legendary soldier, The Boss' apprentice. In 1956, Jack was involved in the Bikini Atoll testing of the hydrogen bomb. Jack learned everything about combat, weaponry, survival, espionage, destruction, psychology and foreign languages such as Russian from The Boss. These two together created CQC (Close Quarters Combat). The pair went their own ways on June 12th, 1959.

Jack fought alongside a guy by the codename of Python during the Vietnam War. Jack has stated that Python was one of the few soldiers he could completely rely on in battle. During a top secret mission, Python was shot and Jack left believing he was dead and re-joined the Green Berets where he was recruited by the newly formed FOX unit.

By the end of 1964, Jack retired from FOX and then participated in Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol with the teams of Green Berets and Army Rangers all as a part of the Vietnam Conflict. Here, is where he got the moniker of the "great legendary soldier." With the conflict over, Jack took part in over seventy missions as a part of many groups such as the SOG, the Wild Geese, and Delta Force. It was after these events he ran into Frank Jaeger in Mozambique and took him to an orphanage. Afterwards is when he finally found out that the Bikini Atoll tests made him sterile.

Outer Heaven Mercenaries

Shotmaker -

Served as the warden of the prison where Gray Fox was kept. He was a former Spetznaz agent and an expert of the riot gun.

Machine Gun Kid -

Was formerly with the SAS and well trained with of course...a machine gun.

Fire Trooper -

Was with the GSG 9 and well versed with a flamethrower.

Dirty Duck -

He used to be a sub-leader of the terrorist group named "Egg Plant." He is known to use boomerangs and will resort to hostage takings.

Bloody Brads -

A TX-11 cyberoid designed by Dr. Pettrovich who is invulnerable to all weapons except the Rocket Launcher.

Playstation3

Metal Gear

Outer Heaven...a heavily fortified state founded in the late 1980's by the world's greatest soldier and most legendary mercenary. It was an established mercenary company that aimed to create and control wars. This was thought to have increased the sphere of a soldier's usefulness and soldiers would be provided by Outer Heaven. Outer Heaven was a huge fortress that was 200km north of Galzburg, South Africa.

Supposedly a weapon of mass destruction was being created within Outer Heaven and the western world got word of this around the year 1995. This is where FOXHOUND comes in.

FOXHOUND was a high-tech Special Forces unit commanded by the legendary soldier called Big Boss. The government ordered them to infiltrate Outer Heaven and Big Boss complied. He sent in Operative Gray Fox to asses the situation and neutralize whatever threat the weapon posed. His mission was called "Operation: Intrude N312." All was not well, for a few days contact with Gray Fox was lost. They only got one clue as to what happened and it was his last two words: "Metal Gear..."

This is what fueled the next mission called "Operation: Intrude N313." For this one, Big Boss decided to send in Rookie FOXHOUND operative Solid Snake. Infiltration was not easy or clean for that matter as he entered the area through its sewer system. He was able to find Gray Fox within the base eventially thanks to help by prisoner of wars (POWs) and resistance leader Kyle Schneider. Snake had no idea what a Metal Gear was or what it did until Gray Fox filled in the details. That it was a bi-pedal tank able to launch nuclear missiles from any kind of terrain. Snake was lucky to find out activation has not been done yet and it was being stored in the hangar. Gray Fox informed him of one last information and that was on who to find to know how to destroy the Metal Gear. Dr. Drago Petrovich Madnar, the creater of Metal Gear.

Outer Heaven being the home for many soldiers, had few key mercenaries that attempted to stop Snake in his path. The first two were Shotmaker and Machinegun Kid. They both fell to Snake's might as he continued on his path before having to disguise himself as an enemy officer to get into the Second Building. It was in the Second Building's basement that Dr. Madnar was at. Or, so Snake thought. ~!~ IT WAS A FAKE! The fake was a trap that Snake nimbly avoided. Confusion arose as his search continued as the mercenary Fire Trooper was the next to fall before Snake.

Another member of the resistance helped Snake finally find the real Dr. Madnar and even told him where to find a Rocket Launcher to defeat the two robotic TX-11's named the Bloody Brads. Two mercenaries that no gun could penetrate seemingly. These two machines were the guards to the area where Dr. Madnar was held.

Once freed, Madnar wouldn't tell Snake how to destroy the Metal Gear until Snake finds his daughter and brings her to him. So, snake had to get back to that basement with the trap in the Second Building. He was contacted by Diane, another resistance member, who helped Snake locate Ellen in the First Building's basement. He was able to use an underground tunnel that connected both buildings to reach her. She informed Snake that her father didn't create the Metal Gear on his own free will, he was forced!

Heading back to where he was before, Dr. Madnar tells Snake that the Metal Gear's model is called the TX-55 and that it's located on the 100th floor basement of the Third Building, and that he'd need Plastic Explosives set on it's feet in set order. Once in the Third Building, Snake is ambushed but slips past into the elevator.

Once at the basement door, Snake realizes he doesn't have the correct card key. But, thanks to Jennifer Snake finds he can blow up a wall to get an Oxygen Tank to go through a sewage duct to where the right card key is.

At the other side of the sewage ducts, the mercenary Coward Duck was waiting to challenge Snake. If Snake was to defeat him, he'll be able to get the card key he needs. Duck used boomerangs to attack Snake and for defense Duck used POWs. Snake just used his time and at the right opportunity he defeated Duck and rescued the POWs. One told Snake hes Jennifer's brother and that the ladder nearby would be needed to escape Outer Heaven.

Back at the 100th floor basement, Kyle Schneider contacted Snake on his CODEC and was going to let him know the truth behind Outer Heaven's leader. He was cutoff however before finishing. Confusion arose as Snake found another POW who was able to let Snake know of the truth Schneider attempted to tell: FOXHOUND commander and Outer Heaven's leader are one in the same...BIG BOSS!!!!!

Snake was devastated even as he made it to the Metal Gear's hangar. he planted the explosives as Madnar said and it was finally destroyed. Mission successful...as he thought! Outer Heaven's self destruct sequence was initiated and Snake was on a race to escape. The escape came short as the Legendary Soldier confronted Snake himself.

Snake then found out the truth behind his mission. He was a rookie, Big Boss never thought Snake would get this far and that with his failure comes false information to the public. But, he learned too much and by knowing what he knew, Snake has crushed Big Boss' ambitions. They battled to the end as the self-destruct sequence ticked down. Snake won the battle and quickly made his escape as he left Big Boss behind to his death.

Once finally out and the explosion behind him, HQ was informed of the destruction of Metal Gear and that "Operation Intrude N313 had been a success..."

Little did Snake know that this was just the beginning into the creation of his legacy. Stay tuned for the next post on the biographies of Solid Snake, Gray Fox, Big Boss and others up until after the events of Metal Gear and before Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake.

Metal Gear
Solid Snake

To start off...

This here marks the beginning of the end of the illustrious legacy of Solid Snake. His story began on the MSX2's Metal Gear made back in 1987 and is still continuing with the release of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for the PlayStation 3, slated for a world wide release on June 12th, 2008.

The character of Solid Snake has spanned through five canon games; Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. He has also appeared in the non-canon games of Metal Gear 2: Snake's Revenge, Metal Gear Solid: Ghost Babel, Metal Gear Ac!d, Metal Gear Ac!d 2 and the recently released Super Smash Brothers Brawl. Solid Snake also appeared in the re-releases of the solid games: Metal Gear Solid: Integral (VR Missions and Special Missions in North America and Europe respectively), Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence. His cameo in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (and in Subsistence) is limited to the minigame of Snake VS Monkey.

My posts from here on out will be dedicated to giving a story overview on every game in the timeline of Metal Gear. Once the story overview of a certain game is over, I will post a biography of every major character in said game up to after that game. I will also update regularly on any new news I find. Thank you all, for following in this twenty-one year long journey of one of the most renowned franchises in video game history.

Metal Gear Solid 4
Metal Gear Solid