10 Hated Video Game Moments You're Totally Wrong About
5. Venom Snake ISN'T Big Boss - Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Hideo Kojima strikes again, this time with the jaw-dropping secret twist at the end of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, that Venom Snake actually isn't Big Boss at all.
Rather, he's the combat medic who was caught in the helicopter explosion in prologue Ground Zeroes, and through plastic surgery and hypnotherapy was transformed into a Big Boss decoy, all while the real Big Boss covertly continues his operations elsewhere.
Many fans were naturally angry that they'd spend dozens, even hundreds of hours playing not as Big Boss but somebody else, yet from a meta-narrative perspective, it's actually one of the smartest things Kojima has ever done.
Our own stunned amazement at this revelation puts us in a parallel position to Venom Snake as he learns this truth.
It also ties quite perfectly into so many of Metal Gear Solid's overarching themes - identity, heroism, legacy, and player agency.
It was never a twist that was going to work for everyone, but far from a random shock value rug-pull, it was clearly cooked up by Kojima with some serious consideration.