#that's some classic ocelot fate

[fancyshooting]

Do have any theories about possible meanings of Ocelot' black armband, or do you think it's just a design choice? I'm personally leaning towards the latter, but it seems mildly interesting to me that they chose for him to keep that accessory in every game he's in, particularly since it seems pretty insignificant in terms of identifying him when they also carried across the red scarf/gloves, which stand out so much more. From a quick search it seems to usually be worn as a sign of mourning, which could lead to some interesting implications if he only had the band in the later games (i.e. post BB supposed death) but since he wears it in Snake Eater too that somewhat dampens that idea a little and makes me lean again towards just design...

I've seen the idea put forward that in mgs3 the black armband could be for the boss but he was wearing it during the virtuous mission too, before her assassination was ordered. there doesn't seem to be any reason for him to be wearing a mourning band back then but I have a theory that I hope stands up, even though it's based on implicit information and offscreen events:

I think ADAM could be mourning EVA

there was definitely a defection in 1960. zero and snake briefly discuss it over the radio during operation snake eater:

Zero: There was a defection in September 1960... do you remember it?

Snake: You mean the two NSA code breakers who went over to the Soviet Union?

Zero: Precisely. Since then, they've apparently been training with the KGB for exactly this kind of situation. Their code names are ADAM and EVA. I've been told that ADAM has infiltrated Volgin's ranks.

the nsa part could possibly be a cover story but it's irrelevant here - all we need to know is that ADAM and EVA really did defect. there's no information on how close they were but they would have made a difficult, daunting journey from the US to the USSR together. ocelot was only 16 at the time. I imagine EVA to be older because ocelot is exceptional and spies are not typically so young. maybe he played something of a mentor role to him

ADAM and EVA both joined the kgb but only ADAM infiltrated the gru. tatyana (going to refer to fake eva as tatyana to avoid confusion) appeared to have ties to the kgb which ocelot picked up on in the helicopter. she had been captured at the sokolov research facility. sokolov later tells snake that she had arrived just before the virtuous mission, i.e. had already started her own mission for the chinese philosophers

although in that quote up there ^^^ zero refers to both ADAM and EVA in the present tense, as if they're both still alive, it could just be that the kgb has not informed the cia about his death. it's not necessary information (they can continue cooperating because they still have ADAM) and also, an unsolved assassination would likely cause the cia to become suspicious about the security of the operation. tatyana had probably already killed EVA before we see ocelot for the first time. this is heavily implied in the tape she leaves snake:

The two NSA code breakers who defected in 1960 were actually both men. The real ADAM never showed up at the meeting place, saving me the trouble of having to eliminate him. I sneaked in by pretending I was EVA.

the sokolov research facility was guarded by the kgb. it could be that EVA was a target of tatyana's, which would explain how she knew so much about snake's mission and how she was even able to meet him at the rendezvous point in the first place. ADAM might've been wary to meet at the arranged time and place after EVA was killed, which could be why he was late

ocelot would have been informed of the death of his defection partner via radio and so began to wear a mourning band to silently honour him. ocelot doesn't connect often with people so for him to wear this for EVA suggests genuine respect/care/grief