A new Metal Gear Solid game ever seeing the light of day is incredibly unlikely, as the series has told nearly every story possible in its lengthy timeline over the years. If Metal Gear Solid 6 ever did happen, though, it would probably have to be a remake of the original Metal Gear games from the NES days. Series creator and industry icon Hideo Kojima would likely not be involved with the project given his much-discussed split from Konami a few years back, limiting Konami’s potential to tell new stories within the MGS universe and not be shamed by fans. Beyond that, a Metal Gear 1 and 2 remake is really the only option left when so many Snakes are dead.
Aside from a filled-out timeline, a massive issue for a potential Metal Gear Solid sequel is how nearly every Snake, good or bad, has met their demise. Protagonists and antagonists alike have met their demise due to bullets, sword strikes, and viruses throughout the Metal Gear series, leaving many character histories complete. Still, there is always a chance Konami attempts to make a new Metal Gear game work, giving players a modern-day showdown between Solid Snake and Big Boss. If that game ever does come, knowing how each Snake has seen their life come to an end could certainly come in handy.
Venom Snake - Metal Gear
The first Snake to die via one of Metal Gear Solid’s biggest retcons is Venom Snake. Originally a random medic that undergoes a memory wipe, extensive brainwashing, and extreme facial reconstruction, the Kiefer Sutherland-voiced Venom Snake is consistently debated by fans. While a few players appreciate the twist that revealed Venom Snake’s true nature, many players were bothered by the fact that they were never playing as the real Big Boss in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain.
Regardless, this inclusion of a new Snake explained one of the biggest plotholes back from the inception of the series: Big Boss’s death in 1987’s Metal Gear. The retro game saw a final showdown with a man that players originally thought was Big Boss, and iconic gaming protagonist Solid Snake ultimately brought down the villain with a barrage of gunfire. However, MGS 5’s true ending revealed that Solid Snake was actually doing battle with Venom Snake all along. This retcon explains the reappearance of Big Boss in the 1990 sequel, as Solid Snake had only fought and killed the character’s decoy in the first Metal Gear game. While it is questionable to include a brand-new Snake just to explain a plothole from decades prior, it is fitting that MGS 5’s Venom Snake died as he lived — in the shadow of Big Boss.
Cause Of Death: A Whole Bunch Of Bullets And Rockets.
Liquid Snake - Metal Gear Solid
The beloved antagonist of the original Metal Gear Solid game, Liquid Snake is an incredibly interesting villain. One of three Snake brothers that were part of the Les Enfants Terribles project, Liquid does battle with his brother Solid multiple times throughout the first Metal Gear game. Despite suffering a defeat on top of a decimated Metal Gear Rex and an explosive loss during a final car chase, Liquid Snake endures and even seems poised to kill the heroic Solid Snake — until the FOXDIE virus kicks in and finishes him off.
While Liquid Snake seemingly dies in MGS 1 and should no longer be able to shout at his brother about having the recessive genes, he does technically live on in Metal Gear Solid 4. When Ocelot attaches Liquid Snake’s arm to himself, Big Boss’s nemesis sees his body slowly taken over by Liquid — for some reason. Adopting the accent and mannerisms of Liquid Snake, Ocelot becomes a combination of himself and his foe.
This is eventually revealed to all be a ruse, however, as Liquid’s control of Ocelot was faked through self-hypnosis just so that Ocelot could complete his elaborate plan. The twist is about as absurd as some of the ways the series used Nanomachines, and this prime example of Metal Gear logic is just as awesome as it is silly. Even if players consider Liquid Ocelot to be an echo of Solid Snake’s real brother, though, he too dies from being exposed to FOXDIE.
Cause Of Death: The FOXDIE Virus. And Then The FOXDIE Virus A Second Time.
Solidus Snake - Metal Gear Solid 2
Deciding when exactly Solidus Snake died is a fun one, as the character is technically killed by Raiden in Metal Gear Solid 2. Solidus Snake, the active president at the time of MGS 2 takes on Raiden on top of Federal Hall. After a fun battle where Solidus further explains his Nanomachine-filled plans to Raiden, the young hero uses the President’s sword to sever the spine of Solidus. While one might expect this to be the end of the armored antagonist, the character reappears in Metal Gear Solid 4.
The only perfect clone of Big Boss, Solidus Snake was rendered brain dead following the character’s injuries from Metal Gear Solid 2. First utilized to heal his biological father, the character’s lifeless body was then used as a decoy in Metal Gear Solid 4. During an intense shootout with Solid Snake, Vamp and Liquid Ocelot incinerate the comatose body of Solidus Snake, finishing off the braindead MGS 2 antagonist. While many fans remember MGS 2 fondly for its mind-blowing twist, Solidus Snake is certainly a unique character with two equally unique deaths — and is just as deserving of the appreciation received by the rest of his relatives.
Cause Of Death: A Sword Strike And Incineration For Good Measure.
Naked Snake - Metal Gear Solid 4
Also known as Big Boss, the series’ most iconic antagonist features in more Metal Gear Solid games than Solid Snake himself. Often portrayed as an anti-hero, the once noble goals of the MGS 3 protagonist faded as the world changed around him. Using increasingly cruel strategies in his ongoing battles against the Patriots, the true antagonists of the MGS series, Big Boss is not only a great allegory for war but an extremely complex character in his own right as well.
John (or sometimes Jack) met his tragic end due to the FOXDIE virus, but he died in the most peaceful way possible: having a conversation with his only living son by the grave of his beloved mentor and mother, The Boss. The moment is incredibly emotional both for the characters and fans of the series, and while some may complain that Metal Gear Solid 4’s final cutscene goes on for too long, the character’s death scene remains just as poignant and meaningful several years later. Taking one final smoke before his last breath, Naked Snake meets his end in the same exact way as his son Liquid.
Cause Of Death: The FOXDIE Virus.
Solid Snake - Unknown
Solid Snake’s official death in the Metal Gear Solid franchise is a bit unclear. It is extremely likely that the character did die like his fellow Snakes, however, which reason many feel like MGS 6 could never live up to its predecessors. At the end of Metal Gear Solid 4, Solid Snake is an incredibly old man. Weakened by the microwave corridor and with death looming over the character’s head to the rapid aging caused by the FOXDIE virus, the legendary soldier finally retires. Promising to watch over the new world he helped create from afar, Solid Snake steps into the shadows as the credits for MGS 4 begin to roll.
An official death scene or concrete mention of Solid Snake has never appeared in the Metal Gear series, with the cult classic Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance providing conflicting answers on the character’s final days. With the cyborg ninja Raiden often referring to Snake as if he were alive, and other characters in the world hinting that he has passed away, it is up in the air whether Solid Snake is alive during the last canonical game of the MGS timeline. However, with Metal Gear Rising taking place four years after Solid Snake received his diagnosis, it is likely that the life of the hero has come to an end — or is awfully close to that end, at least. Regardless of when the death happened, Solid Snake was the only member of the Snake family to survive the events of the main series, meeting death off-screen and on his own terms.
Likely Cause of Death: Old Age. An Honorable Death For An Honorable Man.
Metal Gear Solid 6 is not known to be in development.