Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-86.46.22.35-20130403153709/@comment-64.33.250.214-20150628101156

Weedle McHairybug wrote: Technically, Solid Snake took at least seven years, since the script for the Tanker Chapter included in the MGS2 Document revealed that he was undergoing rapid aging by the time of the Tanker Chapter. If he'd already begun aging in 2007, then it doesn't show. He looked his age, 37, when we saw him during Big Shell. Perhaps Kojima hadn't decided yet how old he wanted him to look in case of sequels. Kojima thought MGS2 was his last game, but that doesn't mean he hadn't given thought to how future stories might play out.

Weedle McHairybug wrote: Technically, Solid Snake took at least seven years, since the script for the Tanker Chapter included in the MGS2 Document revealed that he was undergoing rapid aging by the time of the Tanker Chapter. If he'd already begun aging in 2007, then it really doesn't show. He looked his age, 37, when we saw him during Big Shell. Within 5 years after Big Shell, Solid aged 30 years. 5 divided by 30 equals 6, 6 times 2 equals 12. So if accelerated aging had taken full effect, then Solid should have looked at least 50 years old by the events of Big Shell.

Perhaps Kojima hadn't yet decided how old he wanted Solid to look in case of sequels. Like always, Kojima thought MGS2 was his last game. But that doesn't mean he hadn't left room open for the possibility of future stories. As evidenced by the cliffhanger at the end of MGS2.

Adachi Did It wrote: What else would Zero intend if it is Solidus? If he wanted to take Big Boss what's stopping him? If he wanted to kill him, again what's stopping him? If Zero sent Solidus to watch over Big Boss that implies any attempts to do anything to harm Big Boss are to be dealt with. Zero imo would not chance Big Boss' safety to a child, no matter who the Father after just 2-3 years of being alive, accelerated aging or not.

Now let's say it is Solidus, maybe that's why he has the same voice as Big Boss. Being a perfect clone could explain that. How does he then forget later that he watched over him? Is he not told who it is he's watching? What training did he go through in his 2-3 years being alive to make him the choice? What's his purpose if not to defend Big Boss? Is his mission complete after BB wakes up and escapes?

Those are just the question I can think of if it is Solidus. I'm sure there's others I'm not thinking of. Is it worth doing all that just to shoehorn Solidus into the story? With all the other questions the trailers have brought up IDK, but I don't think so. We know Zero doesn't intend to kill Big Boss, because the two have reconciled prior to Outer Heaven. There could be other reasons for why Boss rejoins the Patriots, but the more obvious one is that the Patriots are using Les Enfants Terribles as a bargaining chip. This was implied during the conversation between Zero and Kaz in Peace Walker.

Zero could have ulterior motives for using Solidus to watch over Boss. Maybe he's playing a psychological game. Or maybe he just wants Solidus to spend his growing years with Boss, like Boss spent part of his youth serving The Boss aka The Joy. Naked Snake was 15 when he met The Boss, and there have been real documented cases of much younger soldiers. Raiden became a soldier for Solidus in 1989. Raiden was born in the 80s, which means he would be 9 years old at most when he served as a child soldier, possibly even younger.

Ishmael isn't the only one watching over Big Boss. In the trailer we see him in, Ishmael leads Boss to Ocelot. Whether that was his intent is known only to those who were selected to playtest the game. Ocelot is one of Zero's agents. Either Ocelot was breaking Zero's orders by rescuing Boss, or Zero intended Ocelot to rescue Boss. Or both. Zero has tends to have contingencies in place should things not go according to plan.

I'm sure Ishmael knows who he's been watching over for 9 years. He tells Boss that the whole world is after him. That's not an immediate assumption one would make just from seeing a single armed group attack their location. Ishmael could've overhead hospital staff discussing the indentity of the man in the coma, been informed by Kaz, or possibly Ocelot.

As for training, Solidus wouldn't need to require much beyond the basic level. Solidus is a natural prodigy, designed to be the perfect clone of Big Boss, and Ocelot could teach him CQC. Whoever Ishmael is, his task is to watch over a comatose man. All he really needs to know is a good exit strategy should Skull Face locate the hospital.

My guess is the hospital isn't the only scene Ishmael will appear in. Unless he's a hallucination, which I'm not betting on. Seems like too much build up to name a character, give him dialogue, put him in trailers, all for what some have called the tutorial portion of the game.

Solidus never explicitly stated he never met Boss. We can't gleem much from his reaction to Ocelot's comments in MGS2. He responsed with flattered amusement at the thought of looking like Boss. Unless Zero removed all records of Boss's existence after Outer Heaven, Solidus had to have seen a photo of him. He did take a selfie with Ocelot, after all.

Because of the changes going on at Konami, this possibly Kojima's last Metal Gear for really reals this time. He's no doubt concerned with creating an epic sendoff to the franchise. If the Les Enfantes Terribles are going to be a part of that, I don't see why Solidus wouldn't be included.