Whether they be Solid or Liquid, Metal Gear Solid is a franchise ruled by Snakes. Where the titles of Snake was once just a codename, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater turned it into a legacy. From Naked Snake, Liquid and Solid were born. There was a third brother, however: Solidus.
The main antagonist of Sons of Liberty and the President of the United States in the first Solid title, Solidus is one of the most interesting characters in the franchise. He’s the only Snake to only appear in their introductory game and he ends up less focused on as a result. That doesn’t make him any less interesting, though.
10 Solidus Is The Only “Perfect” Clone
Solidus’ in and out of universe claim to fame is the fact that he’s a more or less perfect clone of Big Boss. Where Solid and Liquid were designed to only inherit very specific traits from Big Boss, Solidus was designed as the whole package. He has his own personality and goals, but he’s a biological match for dear dad.
It is worth noting, however, that Solidus and Big Boss couldn’t be more ideologically apart. Where Big Boss wanted a world that catered to soldiers, Solidus actually does sincerely want to do what’s best for the average American citizen. Where Big Boss hated America, Solidus loves it.
9 Solidus Is More Of A Twin Than A Son
All that said, biologically, Solidus isn’t really Big Boss’ son. The same could be said for Solid and Liquid, but they were carried as if a natural birth and both twins do have their own unique genetic makeup. Solidus on the other hand really is just a proper lab grown Big Boss. Biologically, he’s more of a twin.
Of course, this doesn’t really change anything in their dynamic. It’s unlikely Big Boss ever cared for Solidus, and Solidus himself sees their relationship as that of a father and son, not brothers. Interestingly, it would be Venom Snake in The Phantom Pain who would go on to embrace the role as Big Boss’ “twin.”
8 Solidus Is The Youngest Snake
Solidus is very specifically referred to as the third clone of Big Boss throughout the series and he was the last canonical clone to be born in the timeline. That said, the age gap between Solidus and his brothers is pretty much non-existent. All three brothers were born in the same year, Solidus just happened to be last.
As far as the chronology goes, it’s suggested that the clones in order of oldest to youngest go: Venom Snake, Liquid Snake, Solid Snake, and Solidus Snake. Of note, both Snakes who look exactly like Big Boss end up being the first two to die. Liquid technically survives through Ocelot in MGS2 and Snake grooms himself so not to look like Big Boss in MGS4.
7 Solidus’ MGS2 Model Is An Aged Version Of Snake’s
Despite being a clone of Big Boss, Solidus really does look like his own characters. It’s mainly due to the art style discrepancies between games, but each clone has their own definable look despite canonically looking alike. Worth noting, while Solidus does look very distinct in MGS2, his model is just a retextured version of Snake’s.
Solidus’ model is what happens when the hair is pushed back, Snake’s face is lightened up, and he’s given noticeable age lines. When looked at side by side, it’s quite clear that Snake and Solidus really do look alike. The way the game frames things, however, makes it easy to miss.
6 Solidus’ Grasp On US History Is Iffy
Despite Solidus Snake’s clear love and respect for the United States of America, he doesn’t actually have all that solid a grasp on American history. Specifically, the United States at the turn of the Revolution. At the end of the game, Solidus states that Washington entered office 200 years prior to the events of the game when in reality he entered office 220 years prior.
Hilariously enough, the game’s script contains a different error. Instead of reading 200 or 220, Solidus claims that Washington entered office 223 years prior. Either way, Solidus if a bit off with his numbers. It sours an otherwise solid speech.
5 Accelerated Aging Was Designed To Hit Solidus First
While Solid and Liquid were designed with accelerated aging in mind, the Patriots decided to push off their aging quite a bit. While Solid Snake never makes it to his fifties, he does at least make it to his forties. Solidus, on the other hand, is already an old man in his thirties. Had he survived the events of MGS2, he wouldn’t have lived much longer.
As the “perfect” clone of Big Boss, though, it does only make sense. Big Boss betrayed the Patriots near the end of his life so who’s to say Solidus Snake wouldn’t do the same when given the chance? Which is exactly what he did.
4 Solidus Really Did Want Civil Liberty For All
While Solidus Snake may have been Metal Gear Solid 2’s antagonist, he’s far from a villain. Yes, he does dastardly things and does take innocent lives, but his goals are for the better of his people. Or so he thinks, at least. When it comes down to it, Solidus really does just want what’s best for the average citizen.
He’s willing to blackout the world if it means that there’s civil liberty for all. He’s willing to take civilization back if it means that everyone is genuinely and truly free. He isn’t trying to instill a dictatorship, either. Solidus Snake wants liberty.
3 Solidus Is The Only Clone Who Respects Big Boss
Solid and Liquid do not have particularly good relationships with Big Boss. Solid Snake was trained and betrayed by the man only to end up killing him a total of three times (so he believes, at least.) Liquid straight up resents Big Boss openly during the events of MGS1. Solidus, though? He genuinely admires the man.
Solidus loves the idea of Big Boss. Solidus loves that he looks like Big Boss. Solidus even takes pride in the fact he loses an eye like Big Boss. Funny enough, Solidus Snake misinterprets Big Boss’ will in the same way Big Boss misinterprets The Boss’. At least Solidus cares for the average person.
2 Solidus Genuinely Cared About Raiden
In spite of their truly twisted relationship, Solidus really did care about Raiden like a son. There’s a paternal way to how Solidus approaches Raiden. Of course, he also understands that they’re soldiers on conflicting sides, but Solidus doesn’t resent or hate Raiden. If anything, he wants him to thrive.
It goes without saying that Raiden does not reciprocate his feelings. Solidus raised Raiden as a child soldier after all. For how much Solidus cares about Raiden, that doesn’t change the fact that he was inherently abusive and raised a young boy solely to become a completely emotionless killing machine.
1 Solidus’ Secret Role In Revengeance
Which is something Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance’s marketing used to its advantage. While Solidus Snake does not appear in the game itself, Solidus featured in some of MGR’s promotional videos leading up to the game’s release. These scenes may have been live action, but John Cygan did return to reprise his role from Metal Gear Solid 2.
Funnily, this marks the only non-MGS2 material that Solidus plays an active role in. While these videos don’t add too much to MGR, they do add important context to Solidus’ character and Raiden’s background. If nothing else, it’s nice to see that the game about Raiden didn’t forget about Solidus’ influence on him.