Iconic Roles: David Hayter and the Many Snakes
David Hayter has worn a few hats in his day, but his role as Snake in the Metal Gear Solid Series will go down as his most iconic
Welcome to “Iconic Roles,” a deep dive into iconic video game roles, in this installment, I dig deep into David Hayter’s role in the Metal Gear Solid series.
Hideo Kojima created the world of Metal Gear in 1987 with the first release of the series “Metal Gear” on the MSX2. A sequel came out in 1990, but the series took a big step with the 1998 release, Metal Gear Solid. For the first time in the series, the main protagonist had a voice for gamers to hear as they played through the game. That voice was David Hayter’s, who went on to voice different versions of Snake as the series progressed. Let’s dive into what made this role so iconic.
Stepping into Snake Boots: David Hayter
The Actor
David Hayter is a screenwriter, director, and producer in addition to his voice acting roles. Outside of the Metal Gear series, Hayter has written films such as X-Men, X-2, The Scorpion King, and Watchman. He made his directorial debut with the short film Chasm before directing and writing the 2014 film Wolves.
Outside of the Metal Gear series, Hayter has lent his voice to games such as Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, and more. Hayter has also worked in animation with roles in Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Street Fighter II V, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, and more.
The Series
The Metal Gear series main story played out in releases from 1987 to 2015, with Hayter being in the bulk of the main line releases. The series follows a complex storyline that features deep themes tied back to philosophy and politics. The games also explore dystopian themes with cyberpunk elements.
The core games put an emphasis on stealth as gamers are encouraged to stay out of the enemies' sight and to complete objectives with as little force as possible. The series storylines often delve deep into espionage, social engineering, artificial intelligence, and more. Snake is typically found in a situation where he needs to take down a weapon of mass destruction (a Metal Gear unit) to prevent a war from breaking out.
The Charecter(s)
Hayter first stepped in for the 1998 installment as “Solid Snake”. He reprised the role in the 2001 release, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and again in the 2008 release, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.
Solid Snake is a genetic clone of the legendary soldier “Big Boss” codenamed “Naked Snake”. He is a hardened battle veteran and a former United States Army Special Forces member with extensive training and battlefield experience.
In Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2, Hayter brings a hardened combat veteran who is sent back into the field to take down a Metal Gear unit to life.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots sees Hayter voice a much older version of Snake. Armed with years of combat knowledge and experience, he must push his aging body to the limit to finish off one final mission.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater serves as a prequel to the entire series. Hayter returns to voice Big Boss/Naked Snake, who would serve as the foundation of what a super soldier would become. His genes were cloned to create Solid and Liquid Snake; the latter became a core antagonist in the series. Gamers adventure with Hayter as Big Boss as he embarks on a mission that earns him the code name “Big Boss” and begins his legacy on the battlefield.
What Made The Role(s) Iconic?
Different Versions of the Same Character
David Hayter voiced Solid Snake and Big Boss through different paces of their respective careers.
Starting in the full-blown prequel to the series, Snake Eater, Big Boss is an experienced soldier, but has not earned the distinction as Big Boss and has not gone down in the history books yet. Hayter plays the role with confidence, but also isn’t afraid to show the vulnerable moments, such as when he is betrayed by his mentor, “The Boss,” or when he takes a nasty fall down into a cave and needs to patch himself up. These tense moments show the hero in a vulnerable position, and Hayter pushes himself to make the gamer feel the pain of Big Boss in those moments.
The character evolves in the Portable Ops game as he works to clear his name after being convicted for starting a revolt. Again, Hayter brings an approach that makes gamers feel like the character is more of a hardened soldier who has left part of himself on the battlefield.
As Solid Snake, we see the character go from a hero in Metal Gear Solid to a wanted fugitive in Metal Gear Solid 2 to a legend that is rapidly aging and has to save the world one more time in Metal Gear Solid 4.
Again, Hayter is able to deliver many different versions of the same character. The way he delivers in Metal Gear Solid 4, the gamers can feel the pain of the character through the screen. The final scenes of the game show Snake in a near-deathly amount of pain, and the aches and screams let out by Hayter are felt by gamers as they play through the dramatic ending. This differs significantly from the Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2, who is a strong presence in battle with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Complex Storylines
No one can accuse Hideo Kojima of writing simple storylines. Much of the complex backstory in the series plays out while gamers are in control of either Solid Snake or Big Boss.
Hayter is able to take the lore and deliver it in such a confident and smooth way that it helps gamers take in what is happening in the moment and watch the story unfold in front of them.
Some great examples are at the end of Metal Gear Solid 2, when he is explaining his plans to Raiden, following Aresnel Gear washing up on the shore of New York City.
At that point in the game, the story becomes very philosophical and delves deeper into the topics of social engineering and artificial intelligence. Hayter delivers the dialogue with so much clarity and confidence that it keeps the gamer engaged, even though the story can be hard to follow.
Interaction With Other Characters
Throughout the series, both Solid Snake and Big Boss interact with a slew of different characters. Some characters become constant communication partners, such as Otacon, Roy Campbell, and Raiden. Hayter developed a great chemistry with many of his co-stars, and the relationships are felt through the screen.
At the end of Metal Gear Solid 2, Otacon is forced to cope with the death of his estranged sister. As Snake is by his side during the moment, we can feel the bond between the two. The relationship comes a long way from their initial meeting in Metal Gear Solid, where Snake saves Otacon from Grey Fox, where Snake is suspicious that Otacon may have bad intentions surrounding the Metal Gear unit being housed at the Shadow Moses base in Alaska.
Roy Campbell was his commanding officer during Metal Gear Solid, and we can feel the frustration Snake feels as the plot develops, which is largely taken out on Campbell. Gamers feel more immersed in the games as we can feel the tension rising between Snake and Campbell. Hayter’s gruffness and blunt delivery add to the realism of the dialogue between the two. This is evident when Naomi Hunter is being arrested, and Campbell claims not to know what is going on. Snake is being fed information by Liquid Snake, who is disguised as Snake’s former mentor, Master Miller. The blunt and gruff approach and back and forth with Campbell pulls gamers in beyond the screen.
Raiden is introduced in Metal Gear Solid 2 and goes through quite a personal journey as the game progresses. He meets Snake early on in his section of Metal Gear Solid 2, and Snake becomes somewhat of a mentor to him.
Hayter delivers key lines with a confident and philosophical approach to a struggling Raiden, such as:
“Find something to believe in, and find it for yourself. When you do, pass it on to the future.”
“Life isn’t just about passing on your genes. We can leave behind much more than just DNA. Through speech, music, literature, and movies... what we’ve seen, heard, felt... anger, joy, and sorrow... these are the things I will pass on. That’s what I live for.”
The quotes themselves go down in gaming history, but Hayter’s delivery made them stick with gamers as they replayed the series time and time again. In this moment, Snake is trying to keep Raiden grounded after Raiden has a big part of his reality crushed. We get the feeling through the screen that Snake is playing a big brother and mentor role to Raiden through the connection between the voice actors and the characters they are playing.
An Iconic Role
David Hayter has worn a few different character hats in the Metal Gear Solid universe. His delivery of different versions of the same character throughout the series, along with his interactions with other characters over a complex storyline, made gamers feel more immersed as they played through the adventures of Solid Snake and Big Boss.
Have you played the Metal Gear series? Which entry is your favorite? Sound off in the comments below.
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