#mgs4 and mgsv combined guidebook post 2

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Character Bio’s: Big Boss

MGS4 &MGSV: The Official Guide

Character Bio’s

Transcription under the cut by: Nate

*Nate Note: Yes, the only images for Big Boss’s bio in the MGSV guide are Venom Snake. This is fully intentional on the books part here.

In the top left-hand corner, there is a heading: Big Boss

There is a small square headshot of Big Boss in the left-hand corner of his biography, as well as a full-bodied render of him in his Metal Gear Solid V sneaking suit uniform alongside the right hand of the page, from the top to the middle of the page. In his left hand he’s holding one of the tranqulizer pistols, aimed slightly in the direction of his own chest, angled downwards. His left hand is unarmed and open. He is donning the red bionic arm that is standard to his in-game appearance.

The text reads:            

An American special agent, real name John (nickname Jack), though almost exclusively known by his military designation of Naked Snake in his early professional career, Big Boss was forced to assassinate his spiritual mother and mentor, The Boss during Operation Snake Eater in 1964. Though his promotion and new appellation were of little solace in the immediate aftermath, Big Boss ultimately embraced the title as he joined Major Zero and Ocelot (among others) to establish Cipher in 1970- a secret intelligence organization that would later grow and mutate to become The Patriots.

Though still a firm friend of the organization’s leader, Major Zero, during Cipher’s early days, Big Boss’s gradual estrangement from Zero and dissatisfaction with his methods- which he regarded as a betrayal of the message of liberty bequeathed to them by The Boss-caused him to distance himself from active involvement in the clandestine agency’s activities. He later left entirely after discovering tht Zero had commissioned a project dubbed “Les Enfants Terribles”- an initiative that involved the theft of Big Boss’s genetic material used to create three clones that would safeguard the reproductive legacy of a man regarded as the greatest soldier of all time.

After spending a few years on his own gathering a mercenary force and establishing Mother Base on an offshore platform, Big Boss had his first direct confrontation with Zero during the Peace Walker Incident in 1974. Zero used a specifically trained triple agent named Paz to infiltrate Big Boss’s ranks on Mother Base and steal Metal Gear ZEKE their proprietary nuclear deterrent designed by Huey Emmerich. Big Boss defeated the Cipher spy and rejected the offer from Zero that she delivered-that Big Boss rejoin the fold and have his mercenaries become Cipher’s military wing-without hesitation.

Skull Face ordered that Big Boss’s Mother Base be razed during the Ground Zeroes Incident in 1975, leading to the events that left Big Boss in a coma. Upon awakening in 1984, Big Boss rejoined his former second-in-command Miller to build a new Mother Base with a mercenary force (the Diamond Dogs) that would exceed the strength of the predecessor destroyed by Cipher. With Major Zero presumed to be out of the game completely, the primary antagonist that Big Boss faced during the timeframe is Skull Face. Zero’s traitorous former XO had successfully manipulated and exploited aspects of the global Cipher organization to prepare a grand, world-changing plan.

Big Boss ostensibly makes a remarkable physical recovery (scars, lost body parts and physical disfigurements notwithstanding) in the aftermath of his long-term coma, but his mental state is less assured. Though his personality and incomparable military expertise are seemingly unchanged, he regularly experiences visual disturbances and distortions, and even participates in outright hallucinations (such as the instances where he believes Paz to be alive and on Mother Base).

Ultimately, Big Boss aspired all along to create a “warrior’s utopia”, a nation of mercenaries free from government influence, whose sole purpose would be to develop their military strength without restriction. This is what he attempted to do by establishing the governments of Outer Heaven in 1995 and Zanzibar Land in 1999. His goal was to remain free from the control of the rapidly encroaching influence of Zero’s artificial intelligence system: The Patriots. In both instances, The Patriots send his clone “son”, Solid Snake, to foil his plans. Gravely wounded after their second clash in Zanzibar Land, the body of Big Boss was retrieved by The Patriots and maintained in a permanent state of artificial coma.

Raiden, with the assistance of other protagonists, was eventually able to reclaim Big Boss’s body. Reconstructed with organs and limbs harvested from the carefully maintained corpses of Liquid and Solidus, Big Boss was restored to life in 2014. Finally comprehending the true sense of his former mentor’s legacy, he took the opportunity to pass the message onto his son, Solid Snake. The two share a poignant connection, more as two soldiers than as father and son, before Big Boss chooses to die on the grave of the woman he had worshipped throughout his adult life.

In the mid left-hand corner, there is a heading that reads: BIG BOSS (alias: Naked Snake)

Beneath the heading there are two headshots. The first is a small square headshot of Big Boss as he appears with his eyepatch in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Below that is a larger upper-body headshot as he appears in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. He’s visibly aged with pure white hair and beard, wearing a suit and tan overcoat. The image cuts off around the upper chest region.

To the right of the images there is text.

The text reads:

Originally known as Naked Snake, he was forced during Operation Snake Eater to assassinate his spiritual mother. The Boss, thus, becoming even greater than The Boss and earning the title Big Boss. After he prevented a nuclear strike on the US in the 1970 San Hieronymo Incident, Big Boss joined Major Zero and Ocelot (the conspirators behind the aforementioned episode) to found The Patriots. However, though a firm friend of the organization’s leader, Major Zero, Big Boss’s gradual estrangement from Zero and dissatisfaction with his methods-seen as a betrayal of the message of liberty bequeathed to them by The Boss-caused him to leave the group.

After secretly (and illegally) reforming the elite FOXHOUND special forces unit (formerly under his command), Big Boss aspired to create a “warrior’s utopia” by overthrowing the governments of Outer Heaven, and, later, Zanzibarland. His goal was to free himself from the rapidly encroaching influence of The Patriots, and to create a nation defined by a charter of total liberty for all citizens. In both instances The Patriots sent his cloned “son” Solid Snake, to foil his plans. Gravely wounded after their second clash in Zanzibarland, Big Boss’s body was retrieved by The Patriots and maintained in a perpetual artificial coma. His unique genetic code and biometric data would later be used as the sole key to a sophisticated AI system conceived by Major Zero. Though initially designed to filter the digital era’s free flow of information, this system would later develop and manage the Sons of the Patriots program.

The text continues into another text box. The text reads:

EVA, with Raiden’s assistance, was eventually able to reclaim Big Boss’s body. Reconstructed with organs and limbs harvested from the corpses of Liquid and Solidus, Big Boss was restored to life in 2014. Finally comprehending the true sense of his former mentor’s legacy, he took the opportunity to pass this message onto his son, intentionally contacting the lethal FOXDIE virus during this brief, yet significant reunion, before dying on the grave of the woman he had worshipped.