What also seemed unclear was whether Norman Reedus would return for the sequel, especially given that his protagonist’s end in Death Stranding seemed equally final. But the recent teaser has not only confirmed Sam Bridges would return to walk the post-apocalypse of Death Stranding 2, as it has also led to speculation that some years must have passed between the two games. Sam’s aged appearance with graying hair could be a parallel to an earlier story arc Kojima explored with an aging Solid Snake, and it could also provide players with an early insight into what to expect for Sam’s future in Death Stranding 2.
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Comparing Sam Bridges and Solid Snake
Across the many games in the Metal Gear Solid series with Kojima at its helm, the various iterations of Snake have always dabbled with unusual story-telling and plot twists alike. To date, several different versions of Snake have lived and died, whether they were protagonists or antagonists, the Big Boss himself or an all-new copy, but a handful have been celebrated by fans as favorites. One of these is Solid Snake due to his position as the series’ main character and protagonist, but his comparison to Sam Bridges’ return ties to Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns for the Patriots which saw Solid Snake at the end of his life.
Due to factors such as accelerated aging and deterioration from the FOXDIE virus, and fatal injuries received during the events of Metal Gear Solid 4, the last canonical appearance of Solid Snake presented players with a character arc that ultimately foretold the longstanding protagonist’s death. Now faced with a similarly aged Sam Bridges, players are speculating that Kojima is leaning on Metal Gear Solid’s influence and could once again be exploring similar concepts of human mortality, especially when Death Stranding already tackles themes of extinction, human relationships and connections, and life on the other side.
The Implications From Snake to Sam
However, besides simply sharing the obvious parallel of both characters having been aged up between respective games, some fans believe that things could go much deeper than a few gray hairs. Kojima’s games have always been known for their subversive twists across the Metal Gear Solid series, from the meta mechanics of Psycho Mantis in Metal Gear Solid to Raiden being the actual protagonist for Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Even Death Stranding saw its fair share of rug pulls, from Sam being the first bridge baby to Amelie as the true antagonist and orchestrator behind the game’s narrative.
Therefore, fans already expect that Death Stranding 2 will similarly introduce its own plot twists, but while it’s difficult to predict what these might be, Sam’s parallel to Solid Snake could be a potential clue. More critical fans suggest that Sam’s appearance could actually be because of exposure to timefall similar to Fragile, while others believe that Death Stranding’s ending could have resulted in some ramifications for the world. Some have even theorized that these Metal Gear Solid parallels could go even further, with Fragile taking over as Death Stranding 2’s protagonist like Raiden and Sam being sidelined like Snake.
Death Stranding 2 is currently in development.
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