Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain - Everything We Know So Far

7. Big Boss Is A Changed Man

So far there's no word on David Hayter reprising his role as Snake, instead we've got 24-star Kiefer Sutherland taking up the mantle with his now-signature half-whispering delivery. It's going to be one of those things that you've either come to terms with, or it just doesn't sit right after over a decade of having Hayter be the guy we all grew up with bringing Snake to life. However, one of the most tantalising rumours around the internet is that this was just a necessary evil for now, as going forward we're going to meet up with a very young Solid Snake - making for the perfect reason to re-introduce Hayter onto the cast list, and create a fan-reaction so positive it'll most likely be heard from outer space. Back to Kiefer's work so far through Ground Zeroes and the Gamescom demo though, and he's barely uttering a word. It stands to reason that what Boss has gone through in terms of losing his mentor and emerging from a nine-year coma with a robotic arm and a piece of helicopter sticking out his face would change him - but still, due to Kiefer's status in the real world it feels as though he just didn't have the time to deliver many lines, rather than perfecting the strong, silent persona. Boss is definitely a changed man because of these events though, and if the reprisal of Hayter as Snake is true, this could just be a way of further differentiating the two characters. Although Richard Doyle voiced him briefly in MGS 4 to avoid Hayter talking to himself, having a definitive Kiefer performance that owns the whole 'silent hero' thing over time, as Solid Snake is raised to be the one liner-quipping bandanna-wearing badass we know and love, could be spectacular.