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Myth: Gray Fox was an asshole

No, this is NOT what happened at Outer Heaven.

Fact: Nahhh.

By Ravi Singh, Posted on July 4, 2007

This one surprises me, but hey, at least I’ve got something to type out here. It’s a popular myth that Gray Fox’s personality completely changes from Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake to Metal Gear Solid.

Typical claim: “Gray Fox is an asshole in Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. He just kills people. He kills Gustava (Natasha in the original) and then fights Snake. In Metal Gear Solid he’s all chill and shit and considers Snake as a friend. In Zanzibar he says he isn’t.”

It’s not complete change at all and most of Gray Fox’s actions in Zanzibar Land is heavily misunderstood by everyone besides Solid Snake.

In Metal Gear Solid, Solid Snake talks to Naomi about him being friends with Gray Fox:

Snake: …there was another [friend of mine]… Frank Jaeger.

Naomi: What!?

Campbell: Big Boss’s most trusted lieutenant and the only member of FOX-HOUND to ever receive the codename “Fox”. Gray Fox.

Naomi: ……..

Snake: I learned a lot from him.

Naomi: But… didn’t you try to kill each other?

Snake: That’s true. We did. In Zanzibar. But it was nothing personal. We were just professionals on opposite sides, that’s all.

Naomi: And you still call yourselves friends?

Snake: Hard to believe? War is no reason to end a friendship.

Naomi: That’s insane.

Sure, this conflicts with the following quote from Gray Fox once Solid Snake steps onto the elevator in the Tower Building in Zanzibar Land, right before The Four Horsemen (UltraBox in the original) show up:

Gray Fox: You should have listened to my warnings, Snake. Now I’m afraid our friendship is at an end. That elevator is going to be your tomb.

Sure, that sounds like an asshole being… an anal opening. Yet, later on, he still gives you hints as your “#1 Fan” and becomes the biggest ass kisser ever:

#1 Fan: It’s me. Your number one fan. You can only jump from there when the wind’s blowing north. It usually blows south, but sometimes it changes, just for an instant. That’s your chance. Don’t miss it. Keep up the good work.

And then some:

#1 Fan: You should be able to get card 9 from Jungle Evil! Snake: Don’t you mean card 8? He only had card 8. #1 Fan: No, he was in charge of card 8 AND 9. He must have dropped it somewhere. Check the area he was in! The card should be there. Keep up the good work.

I mean, wow, he’s a lot more useful than DEEPTHROAT ever was despite the promising name. Sure, Gray Fox brings up his “fuck off pussy” attitude when Snake confronts him again:

Gray Fox: Snake… I’m not the same as I used to be. And neither is Metal Gear. I’ll show you what fear really is. Prepare to taste defeat!

As we know, instead of tasting defeat, Snake tastes victory, to which Gray Fox angrily yells out:

Gray Fox: The cartridge is mine, Snake! …Burn in hell!

However, near his death, Gray Fox shows his soft side and also sort of hints why he was being a complete dick:

Gray Fox: …I hate war. Just like all the kids here. But… I need it. War is all we know. We can’t make it in the normal world. We need the battlefield to survive. Big Boss gives us a place to fight. Conflict is on our blood. We can’t deny it. I was born on the battlefield… And I’ll die on the battlefield. All I can do is fight, Snake… all I can do is fight. Making people happy… making a woman happy… is something I could never do.

How sad. He’s an asshole because, well, that’s all he can be. He can only run around killing people and being an asshole. Making people happy is something he sucks at.

Snake: Rest easy, Fox. I swear I won’t turn out like you.

Gray Fox: Won’t turn out like me… I’ll have to remember that. …Fight hard, Snake. …Don’t let your fans down.

Snake: My fans?! …It was you, wasn’t it? …You were the voice on the radio!

Gray Fox: Call it payback for being so selfish…

See, even Gray Fox noticed that he was a prick. That’s why he was the super nice and helpful #1 Fan.

Now some wonder why he’s different in Metal Gear Solid. Easy. He’s come back to life, is on drugs, and really has nothing to do with his life. If Gray Fox were to be revived, they should have done it during a conflict so that he can do what he does best–killing. Instead, he went insane, killed Dr. Clark, and ran around killing some of the Genome Army. When he finds out about Solid Snake being in the area, he freaks out and starts looking for him, just to see how he’s doing. That, and a rematch of their fist fight. He’s not an asshole to Snake because he’s not fighting for Liquid Snake. In fact, the fact that he totally fucked himself over to destroy REX would suggest he’s fighting for Snake. That, and he wanted to die again, but doing something important perhaps?

Can you guess which one actually occurred?

One more thing I need to clear up–

Gray Fox: See you on the other side, Snake.

Snake: You won’t be alone, Frank. Gustava is waiting for you.

Gray Fox: …Gustava… …Thank you… Snake…

Then Gray Fox dies for the first time, in peace, looking forward to meeting Gustava in Heaven.

But wait a second, what the fuck? Gray Fox kills Gustava! GRAY FOX IS AN ASSHOLE, AM I RIGHT?!!

Outside the Detention Center, Gray Fox, piloting Metal Gear D, fires a missile which blows up the bridge, fatally injuring Gustava. Gray Fox then shows himself and goes all “I’ll let you live if you leave” on Snake, making no reference to Gustava’s death.

This ironic action seems to be more accident than anything. Gray Fox has killed many people. He probably thought Snake was with some random whore. Maybe he even knew that the woman was Dr. Kio Marv’s bodyguard, but not her name or face. With that in mind, it’s safe to say that Gray Fox didn’t intend to kill Gustava.

The lesson? If you want to get laid, don’t become a ruthless mercenary killing everyone you see. That, and Gray Fox doesn’t change dramatically between Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake and Metal Gear Solid, though Portable Ops did change his backstory so who fucking knows what’s canon anymore besides Kojima and maybe some high-paying producers?

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