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This article is about a non-canonical topic in the Metal Gear series.

Black Arts Viper was the leader of Black Chamber. Along with Weasel and Solid Snake, was considered one of the world's best mercenaries. Despite this, his identity was completely unknown to the mercenary world before the dissolution of Black Chamber, due to the intense secrecy surrounding the group.

Biography[]

By 2000, Black Arts Viper was leading Black Chamber, a special forces unit of the U.S. Army. That year, Black Chamber successfully recovered a prototype Metal Gear that had been stolen by terrorists in South America. However, upon returning to the United States, they were ambushed by FOXHOUND, commanded by Col. Roy Campbell at the time, who carried out the attack based on false information supplied by Deputy Director of Central Intelligence Steve Gardner. Campbell was led to believe that the targets of the attack were terrorists.

The ambush nearly wiped out the entire unit. In the struggle, Viper lost his left arm and sustained internal injuries which should have killed him, but his sheer hatred allowed him to survive. He and four other survivors of the ordeal later swore to avenge their fallen comrades. However, the identity of the real mastermind behind the attack was unknown to them at that time, as all documents linking Gardner to the event referred to him simply as "Anonymous". Viper and three other surviving members of Black Chamber reformed the unit as a mercenary outfit and became soldiers of fortune, while the fifth created a new identity for himself and joined the CIA.

Although Viper received an advanced prosthetic arm to replace the lost limb, he rarely ever used it, as the stump served to remind him of Black Chamber's destruction at FOXHOUND's hands.

Galuade Incident[]

In 2002, the remnants of Black Chamber set their plans into motion by aiding the Gindra Liberation Front in hijacking the U.S.-developed Metal Gear prototype, GANDER, while it was en route to South America. They later wiped out most of the Delta Squad team assigned to aid Solid Snake in infiltrating Galuade. However, Black Chamber intended to use the incident for their own agenda, which was to find out the identity of and exact revenge on "Anonymous", as well as kill millions of people in the United States using GANDER as punishment for their civic complacency in the face of corruption of their political and military leaders.

Snake-encounters-viper-havoc

Snake encounters Viper, piloting a Havoc.

Black Arts Viper first encountered Snake while the latter was attempting to stop GANDER from firing its first nuke. During this encounter, Viper was piloting a Mil Mi-28 "Havoc" attack helicopter, and delayed Snake's advance long enough for GANDER's rail gun to finish charging and fire a nuke, which soon proved to be a fake, merely meant to serve as a warning for the US President. Later on, Viper attempted to have Delta Force operative Sgt. Christine Jenner and GANDER's chief engineer Dr. James Harks recaptured. Although he was successful in recapturing Harks, and also planted his clothing with a transmitter wired to the explosives on his handcuffs due to anticipating that Snake would attempt to rescue Harks, he did not plan for Jenner escaping, due to precautions John Parker took to sidetrack Gardner.[1] Afterwards, when Jimmy escaped captivity with the help of a surviving Delta Force operator, he killed Jimmy by detonating his explosives-rigged handcuffs remotely to silence him before he could reveal any crucial information regarding GANDER, thus demonstrating the "Black Arts" portion of his codename. Meanwhile, Viper managed to ambush and capture Jenner, personally capturing her to ensure she doesn't escape his grasp, with the intention of using her as bait for Snake.[2]

Snake-encounters-viper-chris-gb

Snake and Viper meet face-to-face.

True to his suspicions, Snake and Viper eventually met face-to-face after kidnapping Chris, where he explained that despite prior suspicions, Chris was actually not the fifth member of Black Chamber, but in actuality on a secret mission to erase any evidence of Project Babel. He explained to Snake about FOXHOUND's involvement in the destruction of Black Chamber, and the two fought in a room filled with tripwire explosives, the configuration of which Viper constantly altered. Afterwards, he seemingly died and was apparently crushed by the collapsing room. However, he had actually survived and managed to escape from the falling debris.

Black-arts-viper-injured

Black Arts Viper, injured.

Black-arts-viper-dead

Viper lies dead.

After Metal Gear GANDER was destroyed, Viper stealthily listened in on Snake and the General's conversation that revealed the purpose of Project Babel, as well as Galuade, Outer Heaven, Project Babel, and the United States' connections to each other. After revealing himself to Snake, he bragged that he had managed to discover the true identity of "Anonymous," and then revealed that its true destructive capacity was its satellite uplink to nuclear-equipped attack satellites. He also planned on using all of the nuclear equipped satellites to attack the entire world (as he believed that the "innocents" were just as guilty of allowing what happened to Black Chamber as FOXHOUND, Campbell, and Anonymous, and in fact, their ignorance and not doing a thing is actually what allowed people like Anonymous to exist) and Snake was again forced to battle with him aboard an elevator, to prevent Viper from activating the uplink upon reaching the surface. In both fights, Viper made use of his prosthetic left arm, which was outfitted with a number of tricks, allowing him to blind his opponents with a flash light and emit shockwaves through his punches, among other abilities.

Viper was ultimately unsuccessful, and died expressing shock and confusion on how Snake could not only defeat him, but also keep fighting despite suffering massive betrayals on his end, as well as regret for his own inability to get revenge for the slain members of Black Chamber. Snake, upon Viper's death, also expressed pity for Viper.[3]

Personality and traits[]

Viper-silhouette

Silhouette of Black Arts Viper.

Statements made by fellow members Marionette Owl and Slasher Hawk indicated that he was originally very compassionate towards people, as he had let Marionette Owl, a well known serial killer at the time, into the unit as he apparently had some sympathy for him, and he also brought Slasher Hawk, an orphan who had been labelled an outcast by his village for his ethnicity, into the fold. Because of this, the Black Chamber members were very loyal to him. After 2000 and FOXHOUND's ambush, however, his personality changed for the worse, with Marionette Owl also noting that his madness "surpassed his own." His desire for avenging his unit was strong enough that he intended to exterminate almost all life on the planet, viewing them as being directly responsible for Anonymous' existence and his crimes being allowed, and even stated that he'll even go so far as to crawl[4] and so low as to fight dirty[5] if it ensured his goals of vengeance against Anonymous were accomplished while fighting Solid Snake for the last time. When defeated by Snake for the last time, he expressed shock and wondered how Snake could live and what he can fight for, before apologizing to his deceased members for failing to avenge them.

Behind the scenes[]

Concept art of Black Arts Viper (ブラックアーツ・ヴァイパー Burakkuātsu Vaipā?) shows him with two pistol holsters. However, he never uses them in-game. He closely resembles Dingo Egret from Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner.

Elements of Viper's story bear a strong resemblance to the plot of Metal Gear Solid V, with Viper losing his arm and comrades in a setup by a rival organization, resulting in him receiving an advanced prosthetic arm and seeking revenge against those who betrayed him, even going so far as to adopt the codename Viper, which is noted as referring to a venomous snake. To a lesser extent, he also resembles Kazuhira Miller from the same game, as despite technically having access to a prosthetic, he rarely wears it since he wants a reminder of why he is fighting for revenge.

Gallery[]

Notes and references[]

  1. ^ Metal Gear: Ghost Babel
    -Stage 7-2 clear-
    No. 4: Chris Jenner and James Harks are attacked shortly after this point... Viper figured that Solid Snake would come to rescue Harks and he'd had Harks' clothes rigged with a transmitter. But letting Jenner escape was not a part of their plan. Seems Jenner was a much tougher adversary than Viper had anticipated. Parker had made the right call in selecting her to bury the Project Babel evidence for him.
  2. ^ Metal Gear: Ghost Babel
    -Stage 9-2 clear-
    No. 4: All communications with Sergeant Jenner cease after this point... Sergeant Jenner was captured by Viper; he did the job himself to make sure she didn't evade capture. After all, he needed her specifically as a surefire bait for Solid Snake.
  3. ^ Metal Gear: Ghost Babel
    [The gameplay screen appears. The early morning light fills the elevator platform where Snake and Viper have been fighting. Viper is kneeling with his head down.] // Black Arts Viper: How could I....be beaten by you....Snake.... how do you do it? How do you keep....fighting?....living?....For what?....whom?....In the name of what cause....?........It's over....My comrades....I didn't do right by your all.... // [Viper collapses face-down.] // Solid Snake: Viper....
  4. ^ Metal Gear: Ghost Babel
    Black Arts Viper: I will see retribution! Even if I have to crawl to deliver it! I've lived for nothing else till now!
  5. ^ Metal Gear: Ghost Babel
    Black Arts Viper: Do you think that I fight dirty? I use any means I see fit to carry out our revenge.
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