This is “part 2” of possibly 3 for my MG1 remake posts. Part 1, explaining how MGSV leads into it, is linked here:
Check out this Discussion post on Fandom https://metalgear.fandom.com/d/p/4400000000000044708
Squad name: Archangels Unit, alternatively referred to as “Heaven’s Angels.”
Their name comes from the fact that 3 out of the 4 members’ real names are named after three Biblical archangels: Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel. As Venom Snake fell further into insanity, he began embracing the themes of Heaven and Hell - the fortress and company being called “Outer Heaven,” the company’s motto being “Where men become demons,” the 3 buildings being designated “Hell,” “Purgatory,” and “Paradise,” Venom himself wearing a demonic masquerade face mask to protect his identity, etc. This theme continued when Ocelot rounded up the toughest, most quality mercenaries he could find, who just so happened to be named Mikhail, Gabriel, and Rafe. The way Venom’s now-twisted mind saw it, he was the leader of Outer Heaven, “God.” These right-hand men would be his elite protectors, his “archangels.” Thus, the Archangels Unit was born. They would still receive animal codenames though, as that was OH standard operating procedure dating back to the MSF days. Now, let’s get on with it.
1: Guardian Bear (formerly Shotmaker.)
Real name: Mikhail Vladimirovich Borishevski.
Aliases: Shotmaker, Palach (Russian: “Executioner.”)
Former spetsnaz, veteran of the Soviet-Afghan War. He witnessed some of Diamond Dogs’ soldiers operating in the field firsthand, and was highly impressed by them. He had crossed paths with Ocelot multiple times since the 1960’s when they were both teenagers, even learning interrogation techniques from him. While the idea of joining DD was tempting, he still felt loyal to the Motherland. However, after the USSR’s collapse in 1991, he, like many former Soviets, was left without a job. He drifted as a gun for hire until running into Ocelot again in the early 90’s, who would tell him about DD becoming Outer Heaven. Seeing it as his calling, he would finally join. As a reward, Ocelot would gift the now “Guardian Bear” his personal guard unit, the restored Ocelot Unit complete with the red berets. At OH, Bear would become the “Warden of Hell” (Building 1,) and his Ocelot Unit would be the guards of the secret underground cells for the VIP prisoners. At some point just prior to Operation Intrude N313, Venom Snake would tell Guardian Bear about Solid Snake’s true origins as one of “Les Enfants Terribles,” encouraging him to use that information as psychological warfare to taunt and distract the young agent during their fight.
He wields a riot gun, capable of firing all sorts of nonlethal ammunition such as flashbang grenades and beanbag rounds. However, Solid Snake would turn that ammunition against him, blinding Bear with his own grenades.
2: Patriot Owl (Machinegun Kid)
Real name: Gabriel Arthur Huntington.
Aliases: Machinegun Kid, Buzzsaw, Patriot.
British Special Air Service (SAS) veteran, youngest soldier to serve in the Falklands War. Quickly earned a reputation as a multiweapon-wielding prodigy, enabling him to fire nearly limitless amounts of suppressing fire at enemies by wielding multiple machine guns at once. Known colloquially as “Machinegun Kid” and “Buzzsaw” in the SAS, and “Patriot” in the U.S. intelligence community, inspired by the legendary Patriot Gun wielded by The Boss. Briefly served alongside Liquid Snake in the SAS - not long enough to really get to know him, but enough to recognize both Big Boss/Venom Snake, and eventually Solid Snake in 1995 as bearing a striking resemblance to him. Left the SAS in the early 90’s to join Outer Heaven after being recommended by Ocelot, as he grew bored of world peace.
He wields a variety of SMG’s and LMG’s, ensuring he almost never runs out of bullets. He’s notorious for pummeling enemies with suppressing fire while closing the distance between them, then ambushing them up close. Solid Snake would beat him in a game of cat and mouse, leaving pulled grenades as well as setting claymores near his position before disappearing into the shadows, beating Patriot Owl at his own game.
3: Flaming Bison (Fire Trooper.)
Real name: Raphael Dietrich Mueller.
Aliases: Fire Trooper, Pyroman (German derivative of “pyromaniac.”)
Was born and raised in East Germany to a poor farming family. His father “disappeared” early in his childhood after their house received a visit from the Stasi secret police, due to speaking out against the government. The government took over their farm, forcing his family to move into an apartment in Dresden; this, combined with learning about Dresden’s destruction in WW2 and the ugly “rebuilding” of it by the Soviets and East Germans instilled a deep sense of hatred for communism in Rafe. Growing up, he liked playing with fire, which worried his mother. He dealt with anger issues in school, and was diagnosed as being mentally ill, though exactly what he had is classified.
After German reunification, Rafe somehow was able to join the GSG9 despite his questionable mental health. He worked for them until a mission went sideways: On June 27th, 1993, GSG9 was dispatched to arrest Wolfgang Grams, a far-left militant operative. The details are sparse, but rumor has it that Rafe Mueller’s hatred of communism and its supporters got the better of him when Grams taunted him, and Mueller shot him to death. The incident was partially covered up, saying Grams fell onto a railroad track and shot himself, but it sparked massive debate and controversy. Muller was dishonorably discharged, and his membership in GSG9 was expunged from all records given his mental illness. He faced life in prison, but was approached by Ocelot, who offered him a job in Outer Heaven. He took the chance, and there he discovered his proficiency with flamethrowers, wielding them as effortlessly as a soldier would a rifle. He saw some combat action in Angola fighting against the MPLA from 1993-95, before being recalled to Outer Heaven for their Uprising against Cipher.
He wielded his signature flamethrower against Solid Snake in the basement chemical weapons testing chambers of Outer Heaven’s “Purgatory Building” (Building 2.) But after dealing enough damage, Snake was able to incapacitate Flaming Bison by causing his fuel tank to explode.
4: Nope, it’s not Dirty Duck :) It’s…
Slashing Panther
Real name: Ricardo Valenciano Libre
Aliases: Peace Walker, “Chico,” “El Cazadero,” “Arcángel de Paz” (Spanish for “Boy,” “The Hunter,” and “Archangel of Peace…” or perhaps “of Paz,” referring to a person.)
Only known to the outside world as a mysterious, Spanish-speaking, red-robed man wielding a variety of melee weapons to butcher his opponents. While many citizens in Africa viewed him as a monster to be afraid of, he only turned his weapons on those threatening peace - warmongers and the like. But other than that, little to nothing is officially known about him.
Unofficially, he was once a young Nicaraguan boy; Ricardo Libre, with an older sister, Amanda, and their father, who was a Sandinista commander (Spanish: “comandante”) in the Nicaraguan Revolution against the regime of President Luis Somoza. His father was killed, and his sister’s squad was driven out by a rogue CIA unit into Costa Rica, where they were saved by none other than Big Boss during the Peace Walker Incident of 1974. Big Boss brought Amanda, Chico, and their squad into the fold of his first private military company, Militaries Sans Frontières. They remained part of it through early 1975, until MSF mysteriously vanished, and “Chico” along with them.
Chico would turn up again in 1984 in South Africa, having been used as a Guinea pig by XOF for parasite research over the course of nine years. He would be brainwashed to hate Big Boss, and gifted with supernatural abilities similar to the Skulls Parasite Unit. He’d attempt to kill “Big Boss” - or rather, Venom Snake, - after Diamond Dogs, the successor to MSF, had captured XOF’s hideout in the Kalahari Desert, Vastrap. But Snake would capture Chico, and after an attempt to heal him and bring him to Nicaragua would fail, Venom would instead recruit him back into the fold. His insistence that he was no longer “Chico,” instead an “Archangel of Paz,” partially helped in giving Big Boss the idea to rename Vastrap as “Outer Heaven,” and to name Venom Snake’s personal guard the “Archangels Unit.”
Solid Snake would be surprised by Slashing Panther’s supernatural abilities, but would beat him at his own game by allowing him to get close, then stabbing him repeatedly.
And their leader is, of course:
Venom Snake
Real name: unknown
Aliases: Ahab, Phantom, Red Mamba
I already explained what happens to his character in part 1, so I’ll just briefly summarize: When the real Big Boss returns to FOXHOUND, Venom Snake lies low in Outer Heaven, not showing himself in public. Sometime between 1984-1995, he gets nanomachine injections to help with a surgery to finally remove his shrapnel horn. The surgery succeeds, but the nanomachines are early, unstable prototypes that mess with his psyche. He begins going insane, embracing his public persona of being a “demon” by hiding his face under a bizarre, masquerade face mask meant to look like a devil with a singular horn. A far cry from who he was in MGSV, he’s now sadistic and downright evil, uncaring about the losses of any of his men. Initially working according to Big Boss’s carefully calculated plan to eventually launch an attack on Cipher, in his insanity, Ahab grows impatient and begins initiating the Uprising ahead of schedule. Ishmael decides he needs to assassinate Venom and take over the fortress for himself to get things back on track and do damage control, leading to Operations N312 and 13. Knowing this, Venom wants revenge on Big Boss, and decides the best way to do it after losing Metal Gear is to pretend to be Ishmael when confronting Solid Snake. He could have his revenge by destroying his former commander’s reputation.
He initially faces Solid Snake from inside the cockpit of TX-55, but after its legs are destroyed, he’s forced to face the young FOXHOUND agent directly. His nanomachines are an early prototype of Vamp’s; they don’t make him immortal, but bullets are no longer enough to kill him. Solid has to use rockets to cripple him.
Other Bosses
Pequod
Not exactly the same pilot, but the current one in 1995 uses the same callsign, which is meant to indicate that he is Venom Snake’s personal pilot. Outfitted with machine guns, rockets, and flares, as well as a speaker which can use its volume to disorient Solid Snake.
Seemingly unbeatable, Solid is saved by the resistance, whose own helicopters shoot it down, leading to it crashing in a fiery heap of twisted metal on the roof of Building 1.
TX-11 Firebolt (Bloody Brad)
Real name: Yevgeny Borisovich Volgin
Aliases: “Man on Fire,” “Thunderbolt.”
Volgin’s body was kept by Diamond Dogs for research after he was presumed dead. This research started at the Seychelles Mother Base but was carried over to Outer Heaven in South Africa as well. After Venom Snake went insane, he got the idea to have Madnar use his bionics technology skills to try to turn Volgin into a cyborg slave. After painstaking hours of research and efforts, the TX-11 “Firebolt” was born. A cybernetic exoskeleton was built and attached to Volgin’s body, connecting to his nervous system, and powered by his innate electrical charge. He also received similar nanomachines as Venom Snake to keep his body from deteriorating. Volgin himself was still braindead, but the exoskeleton could control his body’s movements. His powers are limited by the exoskeleton, which also acts as a sort of metaphorical “leash” keeping him in line (for Dragon Ball fans, think of Broly’s ring on his head. It’s like that,) but he can now wield both electricity and fire in limited capacities.
Thanks to his nanomachines, Solid Snake can’t just shoot him with bullets. He learns from Dr. Madnar to use explosives - preparation for the fight against Ahab himself. Just before the Firebolt dies, Volgin’s true personality wakes up one last time, almost mistakes Solid Snake for Big Boss, but upon recognizing it isn’t him, he says “Kuwabara” a few times before exploding - finally being laid to permanent rest.
TX-45 Battle Gear
Reverse-engineered by Dr. Madnar from Huey Emmerich’s original design. Pretty much identical. It has two modes: travel, and fire. In travel mode, it hovers low off the ground by magnetic levitation, and can wield machine guns and rockets. But in fire mode, it goes stationary, raises its legs up, and begins charging its railgun to fire. Like Metal Gears, its weakness is its legs, which have less armor to preserve fluid movement.
Solid Snake eventually discovers and exploits this weakness, destroying the tank in the patch of desert between Buildings 1 and 2.
TX-55 Metal Gear “Oni”
Reverse-engineered by Dr. Madnar from Huey’s Walker Gear concept, and later revealed in MG2 to be itself a prototype. It’s the first of its kind, being able to navigate any terrain and launch a nuclear payload anywhere on Earth. It can be operated either manually with a human pilot, or by an AI system housed in a supercomputer in Madnar’s lab. Even if a human pilots it, the AI can still be used to make calculations for nuclear launch, otherwise the pilot must do it themselves. It was named “Oni,” a type of Japanese demon, by Venom Snake.
Like the Battle Gear, Oni’s legs are less armored to preserve fluid movement. This flaw was left unaddressed by Madnar on purpose, as he hated working for Venom. After working with Madnar to shut down the AI onboard the supercomputer, Solid Snake planned to quietly infiltrate Building 3, plant C4 charges on the legs, and detonate them from a safe distance. However, he was ambushed by Venom Snake himself, piloting it and pretending to be Big Boss. Solid had to engage it in battle, narrowly winning by the skin of his teeth.
Finally, that’s all lol. Part 3 about world-building for the Galzburg region will be up next.
