Thanks to the split betweenDeath Strandingdirector Hideo Kojima and Konami, it’s unlikely that the legendary game developer will ever make anotherMetal Gear Solidgame again. While Kojima himself won’t have the opportunity to work on a newMetal Gear Solidgame, however, that doesn’t appear to have stopped him from including a character from the franchise inDeath Stranding.
After analyzing the newDeath Strandingtrailer from The Game Awards, a number of eagle-eyed fans have pointed out the silhouette of what appears to be none other than recurringMetal Gear Solidvillain Psycho Mantis. What this means forDeath Strandingremains to be seen, but fans can check out the silhouette in question in the image below.
Konami owns the rights to theMetal Gear Solidfranchise, so it’s highly unlikely that Kojima will include any characters from the franchise in the final version ofDeath Stranding. However, that doesn’t mean he can’t reference or pay homage to the franchise that he built his career on, and that appears to be exactly what he’s doing by including the form of Psycho Mantis in the newDeath Strandingtrailer.
Of course, it’s possible that this being isn’t Psycho Mantis at all, but rather a brand new character. Thesupernatural enemiesthat have been seen in some ofDeath Stranding’s trailers are somewhat reminiscent of Psycho Mantis in the way they float above Norman Reedus, and so maybe fans are seeing one of them in the trailer instead of the famousMetal Gear Solidbaddie.
Ultimately, fans will have to wait for Hideo Kojima to reveal more information onDeath Stranding. As unlikely as it is thatDeath Strandingwould feature anyMetal Gear Solidcharacters, anything is possible with Kojima, and theconspiracy theories surrounding his new gamewill likely continue in the months leading up to its release.
