Big Boss

Big Boss (ビッグ・ボス) was the codename of the legendary soldier who founded the U.S. Army Special Forces Unit, FOXHOUND. He was also the founder and commander of Militaires Sans Frontieres, the "military without borders", which led to the creation of Outer Heaven in South Africa. Big Boss later helped the small nation of Zanzibar Land achieve independence in Central Asia, becoming its head of state. Big Boss was considered by many to be "The Greatest Warrior of the 20th Century" and a brilliant military leader and was hailed as a war hero by admirers and feared as a tyrant by his enemies. As a result of the Les Enfants Terribles project, he was the genetic father of Solid Snake (his subordinate and later nemesis), Liquid Snake and Solidus Snake.

Prior to earning the codename of Big Boss, he served as a field operative for the CIA black ops unit FOX (Force Operation X) which was founded by Zero and the apprentice of The Boss under the codename of Naked Snake (ネイキッド・スネーク Neikiddo Sunēku) during the Cold War.

Early Years
Born in 1935, John was more commonly known as Jack during his early years. Jack's military career dated back to the 1950s, when he participated in the Korean War as a teenager and joined the Green Berets. During his tenure, he became The Boss's apprentice. In 1954, Jack was involved in the Bikini Atoll testing of the first airborne detonation of a hydrogen bomb. However, unlike most of his friends who were present during the testing who had gotten at least leukemia or thyroid cancer, or worse died from the radiation, he had not developed any symptoms at all. However, he did admit that he would eventually start showing symptoms sooner or later. This was later confirmed when it is revealed that his exposure to radiation resulted in him becoming sterile and unable to reproduce naturally. During Jack's time under the tutelage of The Boss, she taught him everything about combat, weaponry, survival, espionage, destruction, psychology and foreign languages like Russian. They also developed CQC together. The Boss and Jack went their separate ways on June 12, 1959.

In 1961, Jack carried out covert operations alongside Python during the early stages of Vietnam War, before America officially participated. He later stated that Python was one of the few soldiers he could completely rely on in battle. The two were involved in a mission together, where Python was shot and presumed to have been killed.

In 1964, Jack took part in the Virtuous Mission as a member of the CIA's FOX unit, in which he was to rescue a defecting Soviet scientist (Nikolai Stephanovich Sokolov). It was during this mission that he was given the codename Naked Snake in honor of The Boss's former unit, the Cobra Unit. It was also during this mission that he participated in the world's first High Altitude-Low Opening (HALO) jump. However, this mission failed, due to the defection of The Boss. As a result of the events that followed the failure, he was also imprisoned by the U.S. Government while in intensive care, with the government considering executing Snake because they thought he might have had involvement in The Boss's defection.

A week later, the government decided to pardon Snake of any involvement in The Boss's defection, under one condition: the FOX unit and Snake were to participate in Operation Snake Eater, in which the objective was to eliminate The Boss and her new Soviet ally, Colonel Volgin, rescue Sokolov and destroy the Shagohod. It was during this mission that Snake came across the prototype designs for the Metal Gear TX-55 and Metal Gear REX from Aleksandr Leonovitch Granin, who was sending them to a colleague in America.

During this mission, Snake had to fight off members of The Boss's former unit, the Cobra Unit. He also attempted to disguise himself as Major Raikov and knock out the real Raikov to infiltrate the production facility of Groznyj Grad, rescue Sokolov and find out how to destroy the Shagohod. However, the rescue attempt backfired when Volgin, being Raikov's lover, saw through his disguise easily and resulted in his capture. Snake had his right eye accidentally damaged by Ocelot's Colt Single Action Army, while in captivity for torture, in order to save EVA's life. However, he succeeded in completing the mission, and killed The Boss. For this, he was awarded the codename Big Boss and the Distinguished Service Cross by Lyndon B. Johnson.

Big Boss, however, was heavily affected by the events of Operation Snake Eater. He had been forced to kill The Boss (his old mentor) and discovered that the whole operation (including The Boss's supposed defection) was a ruse set up by his government, to avoid taking the blame for a nuclear attack, while secretly getting their hands on the Philosophers' Legacy. Big Boss lost sight of what he was fighting for, and with it, his patriotism for his country. Because of this, he decided to retire from FOX. He was mentally discouraged and alone. Unbeknownst to him, his disposing of Colonel Volgin had also made him a hero to the people of the Soviet Union.

Post-Snake Eater
In 1966, Big Boss encountered a war orphan dubbed Frank Jaeger during his time as a mercenary in the Mozambican War of Independence. After defeating him in battle and nursing him back to health, he rescued the child and escorted him to a rehab facility where he could be taken care of.



Although he had been labeled Big Boss and became a legend in the Black ops world due to his exploits, he continued to refer to himself as Naked Snake, as he did not yet feel that he had surpassed The Boss's skill. On November 1970, the FOX unit was considered rogue after its members organized a revolt and took over a Soviet base in South America, on the San Hieronymo Peninsula. Big Boss was captured by FOX and taken to the peninsula, where he was imprisoned and interrogated.

He met fellow prisoner Roy Campbell, a member of the Green Berets who had originally been sent to take care of FOX. The two managed to escape and went on to persuade former Red Army soldiers, along with disillusioned FOX operatives, to join forces with them and rise up against the renegade members (forming the early beginnings of what would become FOXHOUND). Para-Medic and Sigint also helped in defeating FOX and clearing their names, as well as Major Zero's (they were all partially blamed for the uprising).

During this time, Big Boss met Null (Frank Jaeger) and the two fought on a number of separate occasions. He also met Python once again, who had not died during the Vietnam War, but was kept alive by the CIA and trained as an "anti-Snake" because of his knowledge of Big Boss's fighting style. Despite Python knowing this information, he was defeated. He also learned near the end of the mission from Cunningham, who initially seemed like he was trying to get the other half of the Legacy from Snake, that his actual mission from the United States Department of Defense was to force Gene to launch Metal Gear to tarnish the CIA's reputation, and to do that, they had Snake recruit many people in Gene's army into resisting Gene. However, Snake fought and killed Cunningham so he can destroy Metal Gear. Big Boss then went on to kill the renegade FOX unit's leader, Gene, although not before learning that, contrary to what was told to him, The Boss's death was actually planned from the very beginning by "a single deviously-cunning strategist".

Afterwards, with the help of the Red Army soldiers he had recruited, destroyed Gene's nuclear missile that FOX was threatening to launch into the United States. Gene left Big Boss with a large cache of funds and supplies that he intended to use in the creation of Army's Heaven. The official press, however, had changed it to his going to San Hieronymo to take down the base. After the incident, Big Boss officially formed FOXHOUND, to carry on the tradition of the FOX unit and to give a home to the soldiers he had recruited during the San Hieronymo Incident. Also, he had received another medal for his service.

The Patriots and Les Enfants Terribles
After San Hieronymo, Ocelot and Zero extended an invitation to Big Boss to join them in the formation of a new organization known as "The Patriots". This organization was to be set up in honor of The Boss's last wish. Big Boss, who knew her better than anyone else, was chosen by Zero to be an icon and hero to the world (although he was also chosen in part to get Ocelot to help him with a project). Some time after Big Boss joined the Patriots, he participated in a rescue mission in 1971 in Hanoi to rescue EVA and recruited her into The Patriots. Zero started spreading stories about him. Some of these tales were true, some exaggerated, and others were outright lies. Big Boss later became infuriated with Zero's lust for power, and was sick of playing the role of a puppet.

Afraid of losing Big Boss, Zero planned to finish up a secret project started in the late 1960s called the Les Enfants Terribles project, initiated by then-President Lyndon B. Johnson. In 1972, while Big Boss fell into a coma from being gravely wounded from a battle, Zero brought his unconscious body to a lab where his genes were extracted to make genetically enhanced soldiers. Solid Snake, Liquid Snake, and Solidus Snake were produced in this program, and were known as the "Sons of Big Boss". However, Big Boss eventually found out about the project. This was the final straw between the two, and Big Boss left The Patriots with a determination to oppose them. He left the United States and FOXHOUND, drifting from country to county as a lone soldier.

Big Boss returned to Vietnam as a mercenary to participate in Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols (LRRP), and later served alongside SOG (Studies and Observation Group), Green Berets, U.S. Army Rangers and the Wild Geese. Afterwards, he established his own guerilla group known as Militaires Sans Frontieres. Sometime in late 1972, Big Boss met Kazuhira "Kaz" Miller, and Kaz becomes MSF's second in command.

Operation Peace Walker
Main Article

On November 4, 1974, Big Boss stationed the Militaires Sans Frontieres in the Barranquilla Coast of Colombia, where he was approached by Ramón Gálvez Mena and Paz Ortega Andrade from Costa Rica, a "Nation without a Military". Since the Cuban Missile Crisis, Latin America had become a key to maintaining the power balance between East and West, though Costa Rica had miraculously managed to maintain its peace and neutrality. However, in various regions of the country, a mysterious armed force seemed to be engaged in specific activities, claiming to be an "international police force" hired by the Costa Rican Development Agency (known as CODESA). However, Gálvez doubted this was the case as they were shipping in a lot of advanced equipment. He also told Snake that he believed that the armed force was actually employed by "la cia".

When Gálvez attempted to hire Big Boss and the Militaires Sans Frontieres to hold back the invasion, Big Boss was reluctant, as he did not want his unit to become a "dogs of war" group, and suggested that Gálvez try to get a negotiator whom he knew to the Costa Rican government to settle the dispute. Big Boss eventually agreed when Gálvez revealed that he knew who Big Boss really was, as well as learning from a Sony Walkman bird recording from Paz's missing friend that The Boss had apparently survived their fight at Rokovo Berej.

Six days later, to preserve peace in the region, the Militaires Sans Frontieres moved into action. After infiltrating the shipping facility in question, he learned from interrogating a radioman that cargo was going to a facility in Mount Irazu. He and Miller also suspected from the unusual amount of film badges and the fact that the radioman referred to the cargo as "spears" that the CIA was apparently bringing nukes into Costa Rica. He later enlisted the help of a FSLN unit led by Amanda Valenciano Libre to find out more information about the situation in Costa Rica and the cargo route while under the cover job of a Colombian Ornithologist. He later got Amanda to Mother Base after an encounter with Chrysalis while trying to save Chico left her injured.

Big Boss later saved Chico from the prison and learned the exact route of the cargo from the coast to Mount Irazu. After finding the exact truck in the parking garage of the underground base, he discovered they already taken out the cargo, and encountered Pupa after overhearing an arguement between Dr. Huey Emmerich and Hot Coldman. Big Boss then learned about the Peace Walker project, as well as an AI facility in a Mayan Pyramid, and recruited Huey to the Militaires Sans Frontieres. Afterwards, he managed to help out Cécile Cosina Caminades, the missing friend of Paz, as well as learning the disturbing truth that "The Boss" was actually the mammal pod programmed in her image.

He later encountered Strangelove, who hated Big Boss due to killing The Boss. He then took out Chrysalis after failing to shut down mammal pod. He then traveled to an underground base disguised as a Mining Facility and took out Cocoon. Unfortunately, while talking to The Boss's AI, he ended up captured by the Peace Sentinels. He attempted to stop Basilisk from reaching Nicaragua, but ultimately failed and had to euthanize The Boss's horse, who was mortally wounded from tumbling off the natural border, and also was forced to relive the painful and tragic memory of him killing The Boss 10 years prior during Operation Snake Eater.

He eventually traced Paz, who was captured by Coldman earlier, as well as Basilisk, at a United States Missile Base, and noticed that the personnel were of Soviet origin. He also learned Basilisk's true capabilities, and that the Professor was actually using Snake so the Soviet Union could conquer Central America with ease. He was then forced to stop Basilisk from not only firing at Cuba, but also causing a nuclear war after Coldman activated the launch sequence. After the end of the fiasco, Snake decided to formally identify himself as Big Boss after feeling betrayed by The Boss putting down her gun, which he viewed as betraying herself as a soldier. Big Boss also, under Kaz, Huey, and Strangelove's suggestion, commissioned the creation of Metal Gear Zeke using parts salvaged from the AI weapons.

While Zeke was nearing completion, Big Boss had to capture Vladimir Zadornov six times in Costa Rica, having escaped from his cell. After it was completed, he went to the shooting gallery aboard Mother Base only to find Vladimir waiting for him, and he was forced to shoot Vladimir in self defense. However, he deduced with Kaz from Vladimir's final words that he had an accomplice onboard the Mother Base. Before they could think of what this could mean, Big Boss received word that Zeke was hijacked, and rushed to the Zeke deck to confront the hijacker.

To his shock, he learned that the hijacker was actually Paz, or rather, Pacifica Ocean. It turned out she was actually an agent of Cipher, and the entire mission was planned by Cipher in order for him to rejoin them. After refusing to rejoin Zero, he was forced to fight and defeat Zeke, as Paz was going to launch a nuke towards the East Coast to frame the MSF as being an extremist cult. He later learned after Paz's death that Kaz was also involved with Cipher as a businessman, working with Cipher solely to expand MSF. However, he forgave Kaz when he apologized, and told him to "assemble the men" as they were going to be hunted down. In time, they would come to be known as the founders of "Outer Heaven".

Later Career
By the early 1980s, Big Boss had completed more than 70 missions, and went on to participate in several regional conflicts and ethnic liberation wars. He fought in the Mozambican Civil War, during which point he rescued Gray Fox (Frank Jaegar) for the third time, this time from a FRELIMO POW camp (as Gray Fox was a RENAMO operative during that point).

After taking part in the Rhodesian Civil War, Big Boss took Frank Jaegar and Naomi Hunter to the United States after the end of that war in 1980. Afterwards, Frank and Big Boss returned to Africa to continue fighting, leaving Naomi behind in America.

Big Boss achieved near-mythical status due to his extraordinary military career, earning him the "Legendary Soldier" moniker. He was heralded as a true hero and made the front covers of popular magazines in many countries.

Afterwards, he served as a combat instructor and worked to reintegrate former child soldiers into society and saved a young Kurdish girl.

Creating Outer Heaven
Using Gene's large cache of funds and resources, along with the funds he amassed as a mercenary, Big Boss began to bring about his vision of Outer Heaven. He created a military fortress to use as the main base of his personal mercenary dispatch company, the group formerly known as MSF, deep in South Africa. In the early 1990s, he returned to the U.S. to once again take command of FOXHOUND, the special forces unit he had founded almost two decades earlier. While serving as FOXHOUND commander, he planned on secretly building up his mercenary company into a larger military establishment.

Big Boss then kidnapped Russian scientist Dr. Drago Pettrovich Madnar and his daughter, forcing him to develop Metal Gear TX-55, baesd on Granin's designs. It was a weapon system designed to give Outer Heaven military supremacy over the West, and thus giving Big Boss the power he needed to confront Zero and The Patriots.

At some point before 1995, he taught Solid Snake the techniques of CQC as well as the importance of having the will to survive on the battlefield.

In 1995, when FOXHOUND was commissioned by the U.S. to infiltrate Outer Heaven and destroy Metal Gear, Big Boss first sent in his most trusted soldier, Gray Fox, in a mission codenamed Operation Intrude N312; once Gray Fox was captured, Big Boss had briefed Solid Snake, FOXHOUND's least experienced member, on the events of N312, and supplied him with a classified chart detailing how Gray Fox infiltrated Outer Heaven before FOXHOUND lost contact with him. He then sent in Solid Snake in the follow-up mission codenamed Operation Intrude N313. Upon Snake's arrival in the general vicinity, Big Boss, through Solid Snake's wireless radio, wished him luck and warned him that what Solid Snake will experience is nothing like he had ever experienced before in his service in the Gulf War. Secretly, however, Big Boss figured that there was no way that a rookie like Solid Snake could fulfill such a mission, that his efforts would delay further action by the West and buy Big Boss enough time to complete Metal Gear's development.

However, much to Big Boss's surprise, Solid Snake succeeded in infiltrating Outer Heaven and was planning to destroy Metal Gear itself. Faced with the failure of his plans, Big Boss attempted to get Solid Snake to delay the mission, including setting up ambushes, luring him into a room in Building 3's ground floor that had a pit-trap, and even telling Solid Snake to abort the mission. When Metal Gear TX-55 ended up being destroyed, Big Boss confronted Solid Snake in the heart of Outer Heaven, and revealed his identity as Outer Heaven's mastermind. He then told him the truth behind his mission. After Big Boss activated the base's self-destruct countdown, the two of them engaged in one-on-one combat, with Big Boss dodging between crates and firing at Snake with some kind of machine gun. Even in his advanced age, Big Boss proved fast and dangerous, but Solid Snake eventually managed to defeat him.

However, Big Boss managed to survive and escape Outer Heaven. After NATO had conducted an air raid to bomb all of the refugees and war orphans within the area (regardless of their ties to Outer Heaven or not), he managed to save many of the refugees, war orphans, Outer Heaven mercenaries and Resistance members (whom he forgave). He later fled with the survivors to the Middle East.

In 1997, Big Boss and his followers had participated in the Mercenary War and helped give a fledgling nation on the border of the former USSR, Pakistan, China, and Afghanistan, Zanzibar Land, formerly known as the Zanzibar Province of the Soviet Union, its independence. After Zanzibar Land's independence was granted, they elected him to be the President of the new country. Recruiting war orphans from across the Third World and raising them as soldiers, Big Boss hoped to create a nation by and for soldiers, where soldiers were honored and not treated as political tools. Big Boss also recruited Gray Fox to his cause, and to ensure Zanzibar Land's success, he once again commissioned the creation of Metal Gear D, a more advanced Metal Gear prototype. This time, Dr. Madnar developed the new model of his own free will, after being branded a madman in the US. It was rumored that Dr. Madnar also provided Big Boss with cybernetic body parts to compensate for the injuries he received in Outer Heaven.

In 1999, Solid Snake once again managed to infiltrate the enemy nation's stronghold and destroy Metal Gear. Snake eventually defeated Gray Fox, hand-to-hand, in the middle of a minefield. Injured and unarmed, Snake was once again confronted by a machinegun-wielding Big Boss. Having spent his entire life on the battlefield, Big Boss could not conceive of a world without war. Big Boss paraphrased his mentor's final words to Solid Snake before challenging his son to one final battle.



"Whoever wins, our battle does not end. The loser is free from the battlefield, but the winner must remain there and the survivor must live his life as a warrior until he dies."

- Big Boss to Solid Snake, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake

Snake managed to cobble together a makeshift flamethrower which consisted of a can of lacquer spray and a cigarette lighter. He used it to incinerate Big Boss, although not before Big Boss revealed to Snake that he was, in fact, his father.

After Zanzibar Land, Big Boss's body was recovered by the Patriots. Despite suffering major injuries, he was still alive. He was then injected with nanomachines by Zero in order to induce an artificially induced cryogenic coma as an irreplaceable icon and (in Zero's view) an irreplaceable friend. Big Boss's genome was then used to identify the so-called "soldier genes", for the Next-Generation Special Forces via gene therapy.

Big Boss's body was said to be in cold storage to preserve his remains. A grave was laid next to The Boss's grave, which read: "A Hero Forever Loyal to the Flames of War, Rests in Outer Heaven. 193X - 1999." This was in order to reaffirm Zero's lore that Big Boss was indeed dead.

In 2005, the now renegade FOXHOUND (Revolver Ocelot, Psycho Mantis, Sniper Wolf, Vulcan Raven, Decoy Octopus, and the Genome Army) led by Liquid Snake incited an insurrection on Shadow Moses and demanded the Pentagon (the Patriots) hand over Big Boss's "remains" and one billion dollars or they'd launch a nuclear weapon via Metal Gear REX. A fatally wounded Sniper Wolf told Solid Snake how Big Boss indirectly inspired her. However, Liquid expressed extreme hatred to Snake when he described their father. Atop the damaged REX, Liquid revealed to Snake his plans: recreating Big Boss's dream of Outer Heaven in order to surpass Big Boss.

Sometime prior to 2014, Big Boss's DNA and biometric data was used for the Patriots's ID recognition system, the use of which allows access to their AIs (also an earlier version or the Patriots's SOP system) and declassified documents relating to Big Boss's exploits during the 1960s, which evidentally contributed greatly to his legend to the populace, and his CQC was also being taught in the military (although not to the extent of how Big Boss used it).

Although badly burned, his body was later recovered by EVA and Raiden before 2014. EVA had her rebel group was able to rebuild him using body parts of his sons, Liquid and Solidus. When they were finished, Big Boss was restored to his former appearance. In 2014, when GW was properly destroyed, it led the way open into JD, which, in turn, revealed the location of Zero. Big Boss, now fully revived, proceeded to find him.

After Solid Snake had attempted suicide in Arlington National Cemetary, Big Boss emerged from behind with Zero; telling his son that there was no hatred between them. Despite his age, Big Boss was still a formidable fighter and was able to disarm Snake with ease then embrace him in a fatherly hug.



Big Boss told Snake about the history of the Patriots and the struggle between Zero and himself. He also told Snake that Ocelot had used hypnotherapy and nanomachines as part of his plan to become Liquid Snake's doppelganger. Big Boss was informed of the switch from a video that Naomi had left him when he awoke. As Zero was sitting in his wheelchair in a vegetative state, Big Boss commented that, although there was bad blood between him and Zero, all he felt now was "a deep sense of longing, and pity". He pondered on whether Zero hated or feared him. Big Boss then switched off Zero's air supply machine, killing him and finally ending their conflict. Soon after that, Big Boss started to feel the effects of the new FOXDIE virus that was injected into Snake. While in pain, he requested Snake to take him over to The Boss's grave. He stood and saluted, echoing to his salute 50 years beforehand. He said that ever since he killed The Boss, he "was already dead". Sharing one final smoke, Big Boss finally made peace with his last-living son, and, as a last request, pleaded with Snake to spend his final days in peace and not waste them fighting, and both agreed. Moments later, Big Boss, the greatest soldier who ever lived, passed away at the grave of the woman whose life and death had made him into the person he was.

"This is good... Isn't it?"

- Big Boss's last words.

Legacy
Big Boss's influence on the world could be compared only to The Boss. He inherited her dream of a unified world free from the short-sighted ambitions of nations, soured by the senselessness he perceived in her death. Though he stated during the Virtuous Mission that he would die in the service of his country if that was necessary, the death of The Boss showed him there was no purpose in doing so. This realization led him to create Outer Heaven; a nation where, in his words, "every soldier will have his place, and where they will answer to no government". This ideal would persist decades into the twenty-first century.

He thus spent many of his later years in conflict with The Patriots, individuals who followed a different interpretation of The Boss's will - that of a world ruthlessly unified by the age-old methods of intrigue and espionage. Lacking their economic resources and popular support, Big Boss believed there was no way that he could change the world, even if he was the world's greatest soldier. However, he still chose to fight for what he believed in. This determination earned him many admirers and followers, even long after his "death". Over and over again the standard of "Outer Heaven" would be raised in defense of those who suffered due to the machinations of The Patriots.

Big Boss also saw Solid Snake as a soldier rather than a son, but he always knew his eldest son was loyal to the end, as The Boss was. As a last chance to prevent him from making any more terrible mistakes, Big Boss told his son to spend the rest of his life not as a soldier, but as a man. Spending his entire life fighting and experiencing sorrow, Big Boss made it clear that no one needs to die for another person's cause. People must believe in themselves and fight for what they feel is right, for in the end they alone can judge their own deeds.

Trivia

 * Big Boss was, presumably, afraid of vampires. He stated that thinking about them gave him nightmares, during a radio conversation with Para-Medic regarding vampire bats. For this reason, he'd rather she didn't utter the name "Dracula" when speaking to him (as she was quite a movie buff).
 * It is also revealed in a conversation with Chico in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker that Big Boss is afraid of zombies.
 * Prior to Operation Snake Eater, Big Boss had been awarded the Army Achievement Ribbon, the Good Conduct Ribbon, and the Distinguished Service Cross Ribbon, along with several others. He wore these during the award ceremony in which he was bestowed both the Distinguished Service Cross Medal and his title of Big Boss by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
 * According to a radio conversation with Major Zero during Operation Snake Eater, Big Boss doesn't have any brothers. In the same conversation, Zero is perplexed by this revelation saying that he thought Big Boss had several brothers (Solid, Liquid, and Solidus). Interestingly, Big Boss's rivaly with Ocelot throughtout Operation Snake Eater is something like that of a sibling rivaly. Also, Gene refers to himself and Big Boss as being "like brothers" during the San Hieronymo Takeover.
 * During the San Hieronymo Takeover, Big Boss told Para-Medic (if he recruits her) in a radio conversation that he wanted to be an instructor after the events of Operation Snake Eater. In his later years, Big Boss did eventually serve as a combat instructor and worked to reintegrate former child soldiers into society. Ironically, he ended up believing that soldiers on the battlefield could never be reintegrated into society.
 * In the early 1970s, sometime after joining the Patriots, Big Boss received a snake-shaped scar across his chest similar to that of his mentor, The Boss. How he had gotten the scar was unknown, although it was assumed to be self-inflicted due to his own grieving. However, Kaz and Snake's radio conversation immediately after escaping the Torture Chamber/Prison implied that the scar was actually fake, and that it was used to store a Jigsaw on himself in case he needed it. Nevertheless, the shape and placement of the scar serves as a visual testament to Big Boss's passion, and even obsession, with The Boss.
 * Big Boss was remarked on by several members of Amanda's FSLN unit as resembling El Che, during the events of the Peace Walker project.
 * Ironically, in a conversation with Huey Emmerich, Big Boss is asked if he would fight a clone of himself, to which he says no. Huey uses this question as a metaphor for nuclear deterrence.
 * During another conversation with Huey Emmerich, Big Boss reveals that he believes in Santa Claus and argues over his existence.
 * After reassuming command of FOXHOUND in the 1990s, Big Boss was responsible for the wild and instinctive strategies utilized by the unit during operations, which often appeared to be planned with little caution and detail. This somewhat alluded to his true motivations in preventing FOXHOUND from interfering with his plans for Outer Heaven.
 * According to some of the children in Zanzibar Land, Big Boss doesn't like adults, referring to his hate for the world's politicians and, by extension, the Patriots.
 * Interestingly, despite his dream of wanting to create a world in which soldiers were honored and not treated as political tools, Kyle Schneider implied that Big Boss seemed to want Snake to succeed in his mission to rescue Kio Marv from Zanzibar Land.
 * Coincidentally, one of Big Boss's names, Jack, is also the acronym for Joint Advisory Commission, Korea, which was even reflected upon in a radio conversation with Major Zero during the Virtuous Mission.

Alternative History
Some of the details of Big Boss's background were elaborated upon in the Metal Gear Solid'' official strategy guide. As such, their canonicity in regards to the Metal Gear saga are unconfirmed.''

Big Boss was born of Japanese-American descent, in Hawaii. The entire American side of his family perished during the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor, while his Japanese relatives were locked up in internment camps. Big Boss's loss of patriotism for America was contributed to by the prejudice he endured, due to his being of Japanese descent, and he participated as a mercenary for France in the Congo Crisis, during the 1960s, later serving in wars in Asia, Africa, and the Middle/Far East.

Metal Gear Series
The Japanese MSX2 manual of Metal Gear displays Big Boss's eyepatch on his left eye, although his in-game character model displays it on his right. The eyepatch itself may have been influenced by the appearance of Snake Plissken in the film Escape From New York, much like Solid Snake was. The same manual also describes Big Boss as having been a previous member of SAS and GSG 9. However, this information was disregarded in the MSX2 manual for Metal Gear 2, and later Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and the Metal Gear Solid 4 Database, so it is assumed to no longer be canon.

In the instruction manuals for the NES version of Metal Gear and its sequel, Snake's Revenge, Big Boss was identified as Commander South, Colonel Vermon CaTaffy, and Higharolla Kockamamie for his roles as Solid Snake's Commanding Officer, the Commanding Officer of Outer Heaven, and his role as the enemy leader in Snake's Revenge, respectively. The names are a reference to Marine Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, Libyan Dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi, and Ayatolla Khomeini, respectively.

Big Boss's appearance in the MSX2 version of Metal Gear 2 was modeled after actor Sean Connery. Like other characters, this image was updated during later releases of the game to reflect his look in official artwork of Metal Gear Solid, which was also carried over to his appearance in Metal Gear Solid 4. In the original manual, Big Boss was stated to have lost his eye on the battlefield, during the late 1980s, which caused him to retire from active duty. During this time, he began to focus on military education and training. This information was later retconned in Metal Gear Solid 3. It was also stated that he had actually been nominated as the international planning commander of FOXHOUND in the early '90s, where he became transformed by greed and dreams of absolute power, resulting in his creation of Outer Heaven. One of the mercenary units that he was said to have fought with, after serving in Vietnam, was the Wild Geese, a reference to the novel and 1978 war film of the same name, about a mercenary group participating in African conflicts. The novel itself was named after a 17th-century Irish mercenary army.

Metal Gear Solid Series
In the Metal Gear Solid Official Mission Handbook, it is stated that Big Boss's first taste of battle was during World War II, where he served in his teens and was drafted into the 442nd Infantry Regiment, where he participated in freeing French towns from Nazi control in 1944. However, the release of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker established that Big Boss was too young to have done so, having been born in 1935. The guide also stated that he fought in the Congo Crisis from 1961 to 1968, which is contradicted by his membership of FOX in the early '60s.

In the non-canonical Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, it was stated that Big Boss was originally under orders by the US Government to form Outer Heaven as part of Project Babel, but he broke ties with the project, resulting in Operation Intrude N313.

Prior to the release of Metal Gear Solid 3, Big Boss was originally to have learned the art of warfare from Dead Cell strategic master Old Boy, in Hideo Kojima's Grand Game Plan for Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. In the game itself, Big Boss appears opposite both Solid Snake and Liquid Snake in a cutscene, during Solidus Snake's explanation to Raiden of the similarities of their connection to the one shared by the Twin Snakes and Big Boss.

Naked Snake in the Olive Drab uniform is very similar looking to the appearance of Iroquois Pliskin. In early testing versions of Metal Gear Solid 3, Pliskin's model served as a placeholder for Naked Snake, as can be seen here. During the game, Snake mentions that he can't smell, in a radio conversation with The Boss; it is actually the player that cannot use their sense of smell to help play the game. A conversation with Zero, regarding Big Boss's brothers (or lack thereof), is a subtle reference to the three future clones: Solid, Liquid, and Solidus.

In Metal Gear Solid 4, Big Boss's gravestone revealed that he was born sometime in the 1930s (confirmed to be 1935 in Peace Walker), retconning him to be at least a decade younger than stated in previous games. In the Japanese version, Big Boss is voiced by Chikao Ōtsuka, the real-life father of Akio Ōtsuka, who plays Solid Snake (and in the case of Metal Gear Solid 3, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Naked Snake/Big Boss himself). According to Outcast Podcast and Famitsu, this was intended as Akio Ōtsuka and Chikao Ōtsuka had fallen out years before so Hideo Kojima had arranged for Chikao Ōtsuka to play the role of Big Boss so they could work together. Interestingly, the targets in MGS4 's Virtual Range are named "John Doe" (one of Big Boss's aliases, and later the name of the Patriots' head AI).

Naming Controversy
Much controversy and debate surrounds Big Boss's real name. When Metal Gear Solid 3 was released, players safely assumed his real name was Jack, as The Boss and Zero called him by this name on several occasions.

However, early on in the game, Big Boss is asked by Para-Medic what his real name is, to which he responds "John Doe" with Para-Medic replying "and they call you Jack for short?" Due to slightly tongue-in-cheek nature of the conversation most initially thought it was nothing more than a joke. However, at the end of Metal Gear Solid 3, Big Boss also tells Ocelot that his name is John, and in Japan, a Limited Edition release of Metal Gear Solid 3 included a book called R which stated Big Boss's real name was John Doe. The master Patriot AI, which is accessed via Big Boss's biometric data, is also named John Doe (although it is to be noted that it is also possible that JD was named as such as a reference to the fact that the current leaders of The Patriots are "no one" (IE, AIs)). In Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, when Snake tells Galvez that Big Boss is just a codename the CIA made up, Galvez then asks if he would prefer it if he called him John.

To further add to the confusion, the Metal Gear Solid 4 Database listed Big Boss's name as simply "John". However, both names can be applicable as the name "Jack" in English is the diminutive form of the name "John".

Also, Hideo Kojima was asked in session 08 of the Kojima Productions Report podcast which helped celebrate the North American release of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops whether Big Boss' real name was Jack or John. Kojima answered by saying that it could be both since both names can be applicable as the name "Jack" in English is the diminutive form of the name "John".

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Big Boss appears (as Naked Snake) in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as both a trophy and sticker. His trophy description is as follows:



"As a member of the special-forces unit FOX, Naked Snake assassinated The Boss and ruined the Shagohod, a Soviet nuclear weapon. Years later, he was used to plant the seeds of Les Enfants Terribles, a project designed to create cloned super soldiers. The three Snakes - Liquid, Solid, and Solidus - were thus born. He would then embrace his name, Big Boss, and duel Solid Snake."

His appearance as a sticker grants the highest possible Flinch Resistance of +160 in the Subspace Emissary Adventure Mode.

During a codec conversation about Toon Link, Solid Snake mentions to Mei Ling that "there's been more than one Snake." He is referring to his father, Big Boss, his two brothers, Liquid Snake and Solidus Snake.

Also, several of Naked Snake's camouflage uniforms appear as alternate costume options for Solid Snake, and Solid Snake himself also has certain characteristics that originally belonged to Naked Snake (such as the green bandana and the beard).

Snake's Revenge
Big Boss also appears as the second-to-last boss in the NES sequel to the original Metal Gear, Snake's Revenge. He guards the final fortress where Metal Gear 2 is located. Big Boss reveals that he survived his injuries from Outer Heaven through surgeries that turned him into a cyborg. At first, he fights with a machine gun, but after being shot several times, he then transforms into a giant RoboCop-like robot, and proceeds to chase Solid Snake around while firing napalm shells at him. However, Snake lures him out of the command room and places mines on his feet, which ultimately destroys him. Despite his death in this game, Metal Gear 2 was still activated.

While Snake's Revenge is non-canonical, it should be noted that the final battles against Big Boss in Snake's Revenge and Metal Gear 2 are quite similar. In both games, Big Boss can use doors to chase the player around from one screen to another. The only difference between the two games' sequences is that Big Boss doesn't transform into a cyborg in the canonical sequel, Metal Gear 2.

In Metal Gear 2, when the player calls George Kasler during the final battle, he mentions a rumor about Big Boss receiving cybernetic "snatcher" organs from Dr. Pettrovich after losing his limbs, right ear, and right eye (which was already missing in the original game) in battle. While some fans interpret this as a jab directed at Snake's Revenge, it's actually a reference to Kojima's previous game, Snatcher. Dr. Petrovich appears in Snatcher as the founder of the Snatcher Project. Strangely, this reference was counted as canon by the Metal Gear Solid 4 Database.

Metal Gear Solid Novelization
While Big Boss never actually appeared in Metal Gear Solid, he did appear in the novelization by Raymond Benson as part of Psycho Mantis's forcing himself into Solid Snake's mind where he along with Meryl Silverburgh and Otacon were trapped in the funhouse mirrors. While he was ultimately resigned to his fate, he does beg Snake to input the detonation codes, as otherwise the Sons of Big Boss would kill him.