Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-4913740-20130628164607/@comment-8245466-20130701223736

What I'm trying to say is that it has thus far been an unfair assumption that Mantis hated his father or was bitter towards him. While recounting his discovery of his powers, it sounds more like he was afraid of him than resentful, and sorry about what happened. He referred to it as a trauma that both he and Snake had suffered. There's no indication that he felt any kind of hatred or bitterness towards his father, but there is evidence that he feels regret.

Psycho Mantis IS on the side of XOF, and if Skullface were his father he would still be on the side of XOF rather than fighting with the Diamond Dogs because he would still be afraid of and subserviant to his father. It's the same kind of phenomenon with child soldiers, it's Stockholm Syndrome- you start out too afraid to retaliate or escape and after awhile you acquire learned helplessness and start to justify your ill treatment and come to believe that you deserve it.