Screaming Mantis' dolls



During Liquid Ocelot's Insurrection in 2014, the Beauty and the Beast Unit member Screaming Mantis used two dolls to manipulate a soldier's nanomachines. One, modeled after the FOXHOUND psychic Psycho Mantis, will manipulate living soldiers. The other, modeled after the Cobra Unit medium The Sorrow, will manipulate dead soldiers, although Otacon speculated that the latter's method was similar to using electric currents to "reanimate" a dead frog. The creators of these dolls are unknown, as are their exact age. They released whisping orbs comparable to ghosts to allow for the control mechanism to activate, and also had a line they uttered matching that of their namesake.

Screaming Mantis used these dolls during her actions throughout the insurrection. In the Middle East, where she alongside her fellow B.B. Corps members ambushed a militia unit, she used the Psycho Mantis doll to force the trainer of the unit to contort his body until his back violently broke apart.

She later used the dolls on Meryl Silverburgh as well as deceased Haven Troopers aboard Outer Haven, also forcing the former to attack Solid Snake and later to nearly commit suicide, mirroring the past. She then continued to use the dolls until Snake shot the dolls off her. In a twist of irony, given how Screaming Mantis had been partially augmented by nanomachines derived from the deceased FOXHOUND psychic, Snake finished her off by using the Psycho Mantis doll's abilities on her, though Mantis herself did not die.

Behind the scenes
The Mantis and Sorrow dolls were special items that were acquirable in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. They are only obtainable when fighting Screaming Mantis in Act 5 of the game, Old Sun. Although the Sorrow Doll is optional, the Mantis doll is necessary to defeat her Beast form.

Mantis Doll
"A marionette fashioned after FOXHOUND unit member Psycho Mantis. Creator and age unknown. Has the ability to release ghosts. If a ghost hits a person with active nanomachines, it will allow you to manipulate their body."

- Mantis doll description from Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

The Mantis doll is a marionette fashioned after FOXHOUND unit member Psycho Mantis. When the player uses the weapon, it releases ghosts that, if they hit an enemy soldier with active nanomachines, it will allow the player to manipulate their body and cause items to fall from their body, violently shaking them until they get killed. According to the Piggyback strategy guide for Metal Gear Solid 4, the main reason why Snake seems to utilize it in this manner is because he isn't a skilled Psychokinesist. When activated, it will say "Blackout!" in a high-pitched voice, a reference to Psycho Mantis' line from Metal Gear Solid.

Snake obtains this weapon by stealing it from Screaming Mantis. Snake uses it against her, causing her to be shaken up until her suit is broken into pieces (though it won't kill her for some reason). Snake will then have to fight Screaming Mantis' other form, Screaming Beauty, who will no longer be affected by the Mantis Doll at all (though she can be killed/stunned/tranquilized by other means).

According to an Integral Podcast, the Mantis Doll was based on a type of puppet the development staff found during their tour of Prague, Czech Republic at a puppet shop.

Sorrow Doll
"A marionette fashioned after Cobra Unit member The Sorrow. Creator and age unknown. Has the ability to release ghosts. If a ghost hits a dead person, it will allow you to manipulate their body."

- Sorrow Doll description from Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

The Sorrow doll is a marionette fashioned after the Cobra Unit member The Sorrow. It served a similar use to the Mantis doll, although it instead affected corpses and thus allowed the player to shake items out of them. When activated, the doll will say, "Sad...so sad," in a high-pitched voice, referencing the line spoken by the Sorrow in Metal Gear Solid 3.

Snake obtains this weapon by stealing it from Screaming Mantis in a similar manner to the Mantis Doll.

Assuming that the play on another run-through, the Sorrow Doll can also be used in conjunction with the Camera in order for Snake to see various ghosts when he returns to Shadow Moses Island.