Kojima Unveils New 'Solid Snake' in Death Stranding 2: A Metal Gear Solid Successor?

Kojima Productions unveiled an exciting, 10-minute trailer for *Death Stranding 2* at SXSW, showcasing familiar faces like Norman Reedus and Lea Seydoux, reprising their roles from the original game. However, the trailer introduces a new character, Luca Marinelli, who seems set to become Kojima’s new Solid Snake.

Luca Marinelli, an acclaimed Italian actor known to English-speaking audiences for his role as the immortal mercenary Nicky in Netflix's The Old Guard, voices and provides the likeness for Neil in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. In the trailer, Neil is initially seen in an interrogation room, accused of unspecified crimes by a man in a suit. Neil claims he was merely doing the "dirty work" for this man, hinting at a strained working relationship. The man insists Neil has "no choice" but to continue working for him.

The scene shifts to Neil speaking with a Bridges employee, Lucy, played by Marinelli's real-life wife, Alissa Jung. Their conversation suggests a romantic connection and reveals Neil's job: smuggling cargo, specifically brain-dead pregnant women.

Wait, brain-dead pregnant women?

In the original Death Stranding, one of the most memorable images was Norman Reedus' Sam Porter Bridges with a glowing orange flask containing a Bridge Baby, or BB, strapped to his chest. These BBs, seven-month fetuses taken from brain-dead mothers, exist in a state between life and death, allowing them to interact with the world of the dead and detect Beached Things (BTs), malevolent souls causing Voidouts, catastrophic events similar to nuclear explosions.

Before the events of the first game, the US Government conducted experiments with BBs to understand Voidouts, but these were halted after a disastrous experiment caused a Voidout in Manhattan, destroying the city and killing the President. However, these experiments continued in secret, which is why Neil is smuggling brain-dead pregnant women, presumably to aid the government's covert research.

Is Solid Snake in Death Stranding 2?

Image credit: Kojima ProductionsThe trailer concludes with Neil tying a bandana around his forehead, strikingly resembling Solid Snake from Kojima's Metal Gear Solid series. While Neil is not Solid Snake, this visual nod is deliberate. In 2020, Hideo Kojima expressed admiration for Marinelli on Instagram, suggesting that Marinelli with a bandana would resemble Solid Snake. This homage is evident in the trailer, though Neil and Snake exist in separate universes.

How Death Stranding 2 connects to Metal Gear Solid

Neil and his undead troops. Image credit: Kojima ProductionsThe trailer not only references Solid Snake but also evokes themes from the Metal Gear series. Neil becomes Beached, his soul trapped in the living world like Cliff Unger from the first game, and he leads a platoon of undead warriors. The narrative touches on the resurgence of gun culture in the "new continent," echoing Metal Gear's focus on weapon proliferation and its destabilizing effects on humanity.

Additionally, the trailer hints at an artistic connection between Neil and Solid Snake, suggesting Neil could be a metaphysical version of Snake, whose franchise seems concluded. Neil's face briefly turning into a skull during the trailer further supports this idea.

A Metal Gear-like creature in Death Stranding 2. Image credit: Kojima ProductionAnother Metal Gear reference appears when Heartman combines the ship, DHV Magellan, with a colossal BT to form a humanoid bio-robotic giant, reminiscent of the Sahalanthropus from Metal Gear Solid 5. This parallels the use of Metal Gear machines for nuclear weapon launches, as the Magellan could potentially cause Voidouts.

The cinematic style of the Death Stranding 2 trailer is comparable to the epic Metal Gear Solid 5 Red Band trailer, showcasing characters like movie stars and blending gameplay with cutscenes.

Will there be another Kojima Metal Gear Solid game?

It's evident that Hideo Kojima will not return to the Metal Gear Solid series after leaving Konami. Any future MGS games, such as the upcoming remake of Metal Gear Solid 3, will be developed without his involvement. However, Kojima's imagination remains influenced by the series, as seen in Death Stranding 2. The sequel aims to expand on the original with diverse environments and increased combat, drawing closer to the feel of a new Metal Gear Solid game, even if it doesn't carry the name.