Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-5085906-20130627191357/@comment-64.33.250.214-20140804020841

Misterbunnsy wrote: Fair point. But how Boss is perceived doesn't have to be completely altered by player influence. Take the game Bully for example; you could treat people from every clique kindly and you do all their missions and what not. However, for story reasons, they're required to hate you at one point or another. And Big Boss is described negatively by Kaz in MG2. He has to do something to be regarded in that manner by his former friend, beyond rebelling against the Patriots since it's clearly a goal that Kaz shares in MGSV. Leaving this reputation's defining completely up to player action would not work well with the future continuity, although Kojima has stated that this game might not mesh well with the canon, so perhaps this is what he was referring to?

I failed to mention it, but I was also thinking of the clip where he smears ashes on his face. It was quite a strange act that nobody seems to question in the trailer. The Bully example could be applicable. You could make all the best possible choices in Phantom Pain, and still have your comrades turn against you. But if you do choose to play like a hero, why would you be treated like a villain? The simplest answer is Big Boss will be framed, regardless of player actions. The Patriots want him to look bad no matter how much respect he earns.

We know not everyone turns against Boss. Ocelot and Eva, despite working for The Patriots, still admire him. Liquid, who we suspect is Eli, sought to fulfill Boss's legacy. Boss had a large following of supporters during Outer Heaven and even Zanzibar Land. This tells us his credibility wasn't totally ruined by the events of Phantom Pain.

We don't know the circumstances surrounding the following out between Boss and Kaz. Boss could be the one to turn against Kaz, for all we know. Kicking him out after learning his continued alliance with Cipher. When Kaz calls Boss a monster in MG2, he could mean one of two things. A) He is a literal monster, a loathsome person. B) He's so tought that he's like a monster, his combat skills are inhuman.

Others have commented elsewhere the act of smearing ashes is a symbolical jesture to remember the dead, and that different cultures have similar practices. Some cultures eat the dead as a way to honor them. Which is indeed strange, but not necessarily a sign of ill intentions.