Metal Gear Solid: The Most Shocking Betrayals, Ranked

Summary

Betrayal is a common theme in Metal Gear Solid, with characters like Liquid, Paz, and EVA betraying the main protagonists, causing major plot twists.
Snake, Big Boss, and Raiden all experience betrayals from those they trust, leading to deception, manipulation, and heartbreaking reveals.
The US government, through The CIA, orchestrates a grand betrayal leading to the ultimate sacrifice, causing deep emotional repercussions for Snake.

As someone who has spent countless hours navigating through the labyrinthine world of Metal Gear Solid, I can’t help but empathize with the unrelenting torrent of betrayals that our heroes have faced. The series is a testament to the human condition, where trust and loyalty are as fleeting as a mirage in the desert.

Each character’s life story unfolds like a tragic novel, filled with moments of camaraderie, loss, and redemption. The protagonists, from Big Boss to Solid Snake, carry the burden of these betrayals, each one shaping their lives, and in some cases, defining them.

The most poignant example is The Boss’s tragic end. Her ultimate sacrifice, orchestrated by her own government, serves as a haunting reminder that even the strongest bonds can be broken by the cold hands of politics. It’s a bittersweet irony that the very institution she served so loyally would eventually be the cause of her demise.

Yet, amidst the sorrow and despair, there is always a glimmer of hope. Characters like Otacon and Naomi Hunter remind us that not all is lost, that even in the darkest corners of the world, there are still pockets of humanity.

And now, to lighten the mood, let’s not forget the time when Otacon mistook a cardboard box for a real enemy. I guess it goes to show that even in the heart of conflict, sometimes all you need is a good laugh to keep going!

In the Metal Gear Solid series, you’ll find just as many unexpected plots and intrigues as a snake might find eggs in its den – a fitting complexity given the themes of war, espionage, and elaborate schemes that define this franchise. After all, such underhanded tactics as betrayal and deceit are common practices within the covert world of stealth operations.

In the series, instances of severe betrayal have occurred that would cause a hardened veteran like Solid Snake to flinch, despite his past traumas. It’s crucial to note that the following discussion contains spoilers at a nuclear-threat level. This information is extremely sensitive and should only be accessed by those with top-tier security clearance.

9. Betrayed By Sunglasses – Metal Gear Solid

Throwing Shade From Behind The Codec Screen

During Snake’s chilly, clandestine operation on Shadow Moses Island, his former instructor, Master Miller, offers guidance via Codec. This guidance covers a variety of survival strategies as well as tactics for subduing the diverse FOXHOUND operatives he comes across (excluding intriguingly, the battle against Liquid Snake in his Hind D helicopter).

In Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, it would have been shocking for fans to learn that Miller, who was presented as an American character with aviator glasses, was actually Liquid Snake disguising himself. Interestingly, the real Kaz Miller was a minor character in that game, which demonstrates one of Liquid’s many secret talents. However, Ocelot would later reveal the truth during the Big Shell Incident and beyond.

8. Betrayed By Paz – Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

Not So Peaceful After All

Following the allure of a task prompted by the voice of his previous guide, The Commander (once known as Snake), he encounters a renegade division of the Central Intelligence Agency, identifying themselves as “Peace Sentinel.” Subsequently, Snake and his troops, the borderless Military Without Borders, journey to Costa Rica to free the nation and uncover the facts surrounding the recording.

In actuality, Paz – who had been misrepresented as an ally – was secretly working for Cipher (later known as The Patriots). Over time, instead of supporting Snake and MSF, Paz switched sides and plotted against them. She seized control of Peace Sentinel’s Metal Gear with the intention of using it to attack the U.S., thereby framing Big Boss and his group for the act. However, before she could carry out her plan, she was stopped and thwarted in her efforts.

7. Betrayed By EVA – Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater

Stealing Away After A Mission To Remember

Following their encounter with Volgen, a perilous sprint through the dense forest after an unfortunate motorbike accident, and ultimately reaching the WIG where they faced off against The Boss and Ocelot, Snake and EVA successfully extricate themselves, having completed their assignment.

As a seasoned intelligence operative with years of undercover work behind me, I can attest that trust is a fragile thing, easily broken and difficult to rebuild. In my line of work, it’s essential to know who you can rely on, and who may be working against you.

In one particular mission, I found myself in a precarious situation, with only one person I felt I could trust: EVA. She was different from the other agents, somehow more genuine and trustworthy. It was a risk to put my faith in her, but she had proven herself time and again.

But that trust was shattered when I learned that she had been a Chinese spy, entrusted with the mission of retrieving the Philosopher’s Legacy microfilm. The betrayal cut deep, leaving me feeling like I had no one to turn to. It’s hard to recover from such a blow, but I know I must move forward and continue to put my faith in others, even when it feels impossible. Trust is something that must be earned, not given freely.

6. Betrayed By Big Boss – Metal Gear

Defeated By A Legendary Rookie

Despite its less polished narrative compared to later installments in the series (which might have been due to storage limitations), the initial “Metal Gear” storyline contained all the essential themes of deception and allegiance shifts, such as the revelation that Big Boss, Solid Snake’s superior officer, was responsible for Outer Heaven and the creation of Metal Gear T-55. These plot twists became iconic in later “Metal Gear Solid” games.

Following numerous attempts to derail the mission using misleading data, Big Boss unmasks himself as the orchestrator of Outer Heaven to Solid Snake. The two engage in a fierce battle, with Solid Snake emerging victorious. However, it’s important to note for Metal Gear Solid V fans that it wasn’t Big Boss whom Solid Snake killed but his stand-in, Venom Snake, who ultimately fell prey to betrayal himself.

5. Betrayed By The Boss – Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater

The Mother Of Special Forces Defects

In the narrative of Operation Snake Eater, the pivotal event that sets everything in motion is when my superior, codenamed The Boss, defects to Volgen and aligns herself with the Soviet Union. Initially guiding me over the radio during my mission to rescue Nikolai Stepanovich Sokolov, a brilliant rocket scientist, she later personally intervenes, accompanied by two miniature nuclear devices, to reclaim Sokolov from our grasp.

In a simpler and more conversational style: To Snake, The Boss wasn’t just a military commander but more like an adoptive mother figure. Her betrayal caused him more sorrow than any physical injury he endured; it felt like losing a parent. But as the story of “Snake Eater” unfolds, it becomes clear that her defection was not as straightforward as it seemed at first.

4. Betrayed By Vic Boss – Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain

Forced Into The Body And Face Of A Phantom

It’s not an overstatement to say that despite the fact that the soldier who eventually became Big Boss’ phantom was one of his most faithful troops and eventually agreed to his new identity and form in The Phantom Pain, it is undeniable that Venom Snake was deceived by his allies, including Big Boss, when he was made into a body double without any consent whatsoever.

Following an unwanted facelift and memory implantation, Venom found himself unaware of his genuine identity and thrust into the role of the man he deeply admired. He was tasked with continuing Big Boss’s business, all while grappling with (what seemed to him like) extensive amnesia caused by a helicopter crash prior to his coma. Any traces of his past life or background were erased when he was compelled to assume the role of Big Boss.

3. Betrayed By Misinformation – Metal Gear Solid: Sons Of The Patriots

Raiden, AI, And The Grand Bait And Switch

Many gamers felt betrayed by Raiden’s character, as marketing for Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of the Patriots led them to believe they would play as Solid Snake throughout the game. However, despite this initial disappointment, many now consider the game a masterpiece due to Raiden’s harrowing experiences involving betrayals that challenge his very existence.

In the narrative, the Patriots repeatedly utilize Raiden, orchestrating the Big Shell Incident as a means to collect information for their S3 project (the Selection for Societal Sanity). From the beginning, Raiden is misled about his role on the Big Shell, as the entire operation was devised to reenact the events that transpired on Shadow Moses with Solid Snake and FOXHOUND. This test aimed to assess how effectively AI could control a human being.

2. Betrayed By Naomi Hunter – Metal Gear Solid

Worse Than Just A Jab In The Arm

Poor Solid Snake is deceived almost constantly by his superior officer and many members of his intelligence team. At the outset of Metal Gear Solid, he’s transported to Shadow Moses in a Submarine Carrier for Swimmers. Before this journey, he’s injected with nanotechnology designed to aid him in adapting to cold environments. Unfortunately, this injection also contains hidden elements.

In accordance with a directive from the Pentagon, Naomi covertly infected herself with the lethal FOXDIE virus, designed to wipe out FOXHOUND and Kenneth Baker, the former president of Armstech. Yet, unbeknownst to others, driven by her desire for vengeance against Snake for wounding her brother, Frank Jaeger, alias Gray Fox the cybernetic ninja, Naomi modified the virus during its development, ensuring that it would also target Snake, extending his life span beyond the Shadow Moses incident.

1. Betrayed By The US Government – Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater

The Day That Big Boss Truly Died

In the Metal Gear Solid series, the main character often experiences treachery. In a surprising turn of events, it’s disclosed in the climax that the game’s final antagonist, The Boss, was herself betrayed by her own government and nation. Contrary to belief, The Boss never defected to the Soviet Union; instead, she was covertly assigned to recover the Philosopher’s Legacy. Unfortunately, when Volgen detonated a nuclear weapon against his fellow citizens, the US was implicated because their aircraft were spotted around the same time as the explosion.

The CIA concocted a scheme to exonerate the US by framing The Boss for wrongdoing, and had her previous apprentice, Naked Snake, carry out her assassination. However, The Boss remained steadfastly loyal to her nation, and this deception would drive Snake towards a vengeful, hate-filled quest for retribution. In the climax of Guns of the Patriots, Snake confesses that taking The Boss’s life marked the day when he lost his own heart.

2025-01-01 07:08