Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-6747658-20130401084750/@comment-1672596-20130504135552

Misterbunnsy wrote: XOF is implied to be directly working with Cipher. He could easily be granted access to the camp by Cipher.

And since the Virtuous Mission was the first operation ever carried out by the FOX Unit, and the years in between Snake Eater and Portable Ops have Big Boss attempting to retire and live a peaceful life, the former member would have to be in Portable Ops.

People are saying Gene as the most likely candidate, but I think perhaps it could be Python?

After reading up on him, it appears he was wounded during a secret operation during the Vietnam War; a wound which cost his body the ability to regulate it's temperature. Hence the reason that he wears a special cooling suit during Portable Ops.

Now, I think he could've survived the San Hieronymo Takeover, and that perhaps Zero found a way to repair his body so that it could regulate it's temperature again. I do think Python bears a resemblance to the XOF Commander, and his burnt skin could be due to Python's suit becoming damaged during the fight with Big Boss?

That would mean the non-lethal option of defeating him is canon (since he quite explicitly died in the lethal option). Regardless, I think the device actually ended up fixed as a result of that battle (I remember Big Boss plugging the device, nearly freezing himself in the process), so I think that rules Python out. Besides, Python doesn't even hate Big Boss anyway.

Still, Python's still more likely than Gene. Gene wasn't even the same area as the ignition blast anyways, so he wouldn't have been deformed from that.

It could be a character from Portable Ops, though, haven't thought of that. Though I doubt its one of those characters we've already encountered. Most likely one of the grunts.