Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain - 10 Fan Theories That Save The Ending

3. Everyone In The Series Is Chasing Phantoms, Not People

Like I mentioned earlier in the way all the characters in the Metal Gear Solid series are being played and manipulated constantly by those behind the scenes, the miscommunication is even more pronounced when you realise that characters aren't chasing other characters, but their "phantoms". For many of the protagonists in the games, they aren't ever really chasing down true people, but the idea of the person that's been left behind. Hear me out, it turns out Big Boss isn't the evil person he's been made out to be, yet Solid Snake is attempting to stop that version of the character, a version that is actually a far cry from who the real Big Boss actually is. The same can be said for Ocelot in his definitely-Liquid-but-also-kinda-not form. Snake is chasing him down, but that's not the real Ocelot who's been established in these prequel games. That's not to say every confrontation in each game boils down to a mere misunderstanding, because of course they aren't. It's more that these rivalries were spurred on by the "phantoms" and reputations each character left behind. Big Boss wasn't the evil conqueror in real life, but that's how his legend became known - and he ended up paying the price for it.