Why Venom Snake doesn't talk a lot (Spoilers)

[Trapped in Purgatory]

A lot of people complained about this, but I think Kojima had a good reason. My theory goes like this, during the FIRST HALF (key word there) of the game Venom Snake doesn't talk a lot because;

A) He had just woken up from a decade long coma. His mind and body are probably still recovering.

B) He is confused because he is not the real Big Boss, but Ocelot and the others keep calling him Big Boss and "reminding" him of all the heroic stuff that he has done in the past (They are basically trying to brainwashed him into believing he is the real Big Boss). Venom is probably thinking "Am I really Big Boss? Every one keeps calling me Big Boss, but I don't feel like Big Boss."

C) He is not the real Big Boss so in the first half he is reactive, with Miller and Ocelot calling most of the shots. That is why he just sits back and listens to them. He doesn't know what to do or say because, once again, he isn't Big Boss. The real Big Boss is proactive and the first to start talking.

Venom Snake starts becoming proactive during the second half of the game, speaking more in cutscenes and in audio tapes. He actually starts asking questions instead of just listening and answering. He begins to accept that he probably is Big Boss since he is doing amazing things that the real Big Boss can do, such as taking on the Skull team, sneaking into complexes, and completing missions by himself.

In the finale when Venom Snake finally goes to get Skull Face, he has now become Big Boss, and expecially when he had to execute the soldiers who were contagious. He finally knew what it was like to exprience loss the same way Big Boss did when he killed The Boss. When Venom Snake found out that Huey sold his unit out to Skull Face, he felt betrayal the same way Big Boss felt when Zero lied to him about The Boss back in MGS3. Venom Snake did what Big Boss did when he found out he got betrayed by Zero, he didn't kill him. Venom Snake sent Heuy away from his life, the same way Big Boss turned his back on Zero and left. He takes on all the characterists of Big Boss at the end, and has now begin thinking the same way that the real Big Boss would think in that situation.

This is just my theory, so people who complained bout him not talking or being silent, it is not because "Keifer was too expensive" or whatever. It all has to do with narrative and the story that Kojima was trying to tell. He talked less in the first half, but a lot in the second half. Kojima didn't finish the story, but we could put it together.

So yea, good game!

[deuceyd]

He didn't talk a lot because people would be like "woah hold up thats not david hayter"

[primobrainlet]

That and if he got too talkative, I think people would begin to theorize about the voice difference far too early into the game

[R.O.K. SEOULDIER]

he didnt talk a lot because kojima would had to give him a bigger paycheck.

[OwedEvil]

Originally posted by Deucey D:

He didn't talk a lot because people would be like "woah hold up thats not david hayter"

Lmao, correct answer ^

[kotekzot]

Venom Snake received hypnotherapy during the coma to believe he was Big Boss. Ocelot received hypnotherapy to forget Venom was not Big Boss. Miller only found out about Venom not being Big Boss at the end of the game. You may be right about the events of Venom Snake's stint as Big Boss' phantom being meant to mirror the events of the real Big Boss' life, but you are wrong on the details.

[Holografix]

@unrealDMK
To me, Venom spoke enough in the game. Granted this was my 1st MGS game and then I played the Legacy Collection and found out that Naked Snake spoke a lot more (Snake Eater, Peacewalker...etc). There is an issue that Venom is your character but he is also Big Boss. Which means to me that as you control him, he sometimes does things for himself in the game. Things that the player would hope he wouldn't do but that's "Venom as a game character" vs "Venom as your created character." The tension lays somewhere between Venom being his own man, and being your man.

For example: You hope he spoke more? He doesn't. You hope there's an ending? Venom walks away from you into the billowing smoke after Mission 46. There are instances where Venom does his own thing.

And then of course, there is the giant theme of the Phantom Pain that you do not mention once:
Revenge. I think Revenge and Venom's silence is intregal to understanding the character. I give you props for your theory tho, most people have posted explanations that aren't borne from within the game like 'Kojima ran out of money' or 'Kiefer was expensive.'

[gabriel7x]

Because Kiefer Sutherland payment would be expensive as ♥♥♥♥. That is the one and only explanation. If David Hayter were his voice actor he would speak way more because his payment is way less expensive than Kiefer’s. Forget the “lore” explanation, the real explanation is the one I just gave here.

[Lars]

Or it could be just the insert yourself into the guy argument. Nothing more complicated than that. But kinda counter productive since the whole game has alot of movie like feel to it

[LSD]

Originally posted by gabriel7x:

Because Kiefer Sutherland payment would be expensive as ♥♥♥♥. That is the one and only explanation. If David Hayter were his voice actor he would speak way more because his payment is way less expensive than Kiefer’s. Forget the “lore” explanation, the real explanation is the one I just gave here.

That was such a great contribution to this 5 year old thread.

[John]

This thread was quite old before the recent post, so we're locking it to prevent confusion.

[LSD]

Originally posted by John:

This thread was quite old before the recent post, so we're locking it to prevent confusion.

You say that, and yet...