Kiefer Sutherland Confirmed As Big Boss In ‘MGS5’

Kiefer Sutherland has been confirmed as the new voice of Snake/Big Boss in the upcoming Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

In trailers for MGS5, both Big Boss and a possibly-new character named “Ishmael” were apparently voiced by Sutherland, though there was no official word from Konami on the cast change-up. Actor and screenwriter David Hayter has long held the role of Solid Snake / Big Boss, and his apparent replacement has raised a few eyebrows.

His own included. After the Sutherland-voiced trailer dropped, Hayter expressed surprise on his Twitter account and said that he wasn’t even asked to return before conceding “Well look, at least I had a good run.”

Though it was thought to be a possible form of misdirection at the time, it is now confirmed that Sutherland will take over the role of Big Boss. Both he and series creator Hideo Kojima confirmed it at the Konami Pre-E3 show.

Fans on social media haven’t taken the news well. On an unofficial Metal Gear Solid Facebook fanpage, comments like “How do I dislike this status?” and ” Boooooo David hayter or no one!” are not entirely uncommon.

But there are still a lot of unanswered questions, especially since Kojima has said that the Solid Snake character will appear in the Metal Gear franchise again at some point (despite previously retiring the character after MGS4). David Hayter may have lost the role of Big Boss, but will he return as Solid Snake at some point?

The most acceptable explanation for the voice change we’ve seen thus far can be found at a GameFAQS forum, here. User “MajorZero” explains:

“The Big Boss we will get to know through the game and at the end of it will not be someone we idolize or enjoy, he will be making decisions that we might not even agree with, decisions that in his mind are justified (though later in mgs4, he admits he was wrong). The change in voice actor is a reflection of that, The Big Boss we end up with by the end of this game will not be someone we are familiar with or can identify with, he will be a totally different person, and not in a positive way.”

What do you think? Are you upset that David Hayter definitely won’t be returning for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, or is it time for a new voice (Kiefer Sutherland’s) in the role? Sound off!