What is Ishmael? - Believers Vs. Disbelievers
It is hard to deny that it has been some time since we've seen hind or tail of of the mysterious, bandage-faced, Ishmael; set to appear in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. The character, despite appearing quite seldom and not delivering a great amount of dialogue has been scrutinized by many fans as being merely a figment of Big Boss's imagination or perhaps a figure being manifested into Big Boss's mind via the young Psycho Mantis. But not all fans are content with these statements and legitimately believe Ishmael to be a living, breathing, human being. In this article, I shall display both sides of the Ishmael argument, providing theories and counter arguments found in other blog posts, videos, and comments. You may have read some of these theories before, but now here they all are in one place, for all to see.
Before we begin our list, it would be a good idea to list what is already known about Ishmael. A healthy dose of facts couldn't hurt before we begin delving into some theories.
In an (assumed) chronological order of events, Ishmael makes his debut appearance in the GDC trailer of 2013. Big Boss awakens from what is stated to be a nine year coma and soon comes into contact with Ishmael; a bandaged man in hospital garb who announces his "name" with a noticeable amount of hesitation. He states that he has been looking over Snake, or as he states: "Ahab" for nine years and also elaborates that the whole world wants our "protagonist" dead. Realizing that they must avoid the XOF troopers who are storming the hospital, Ishmael aids Big Boss as they attempt to escape. It is during this escape that Ishmael injects Snake with "a little pick-me-up" and tries a multitude of unsuccessful routs to escape. In the alternate trailer, Ishmael and Big Boss narrowly avoid a mass slaughter in a hall full of patients and are later seen encountering the flaming Volgin once again, where Ishmael is shown to be holding a weapon. Eventually, the two manage to find their way out of the hospital and find a vehicle to flee in. As Ishmael drives this vehicle away, it is thrown into the air before landing on it's roof near a helicopter and Psycho Mantis. Big Boss crawls out of the damaged vehicle and from there, details become a little hazy, but it appears as if Snake is rescued by Ocelot who flees with Snake on horseback. And what happens to Ishmael you may ask? Well that's the million dollar question, and as of now, it remains unknown. Did he die in the crash? Or did he dematerialize perhaps? Well both theories as well as many more are about to be listed, so enjoy.
Ishmael is not real theories:
Same Voice Actor: From day one, it was apparent to many that the very same voice actor who portrayed Big Boss (Kiefer Sutherland) was also voicing our masked figure. Many fans consider this to be a clue as to the fact that Ishmael is a piece of Big Boss's subconscious. Furthermore, as you will hear more about later, Ishmael has blue eyes, just like Snake.
Counterargument: The Phantom Pain is heavily focusing on motion capture thanks to the superior graphics of the Fox Engine. Big Boss (as noted in Ground Zeroes) hardly even talks anymore because Kojima wants his characters to provide facial expressions to convey the mood. If Ishmael is an important character, having the same superior voice actor voice both characters is an excellent way to save time and money.
Dioxin: Early on, Ishmael injects Snake with dioxin which many fans noted to have appeared out of thin air. The drug dioxin is also not even effective in Big Boss's situation (being that it merely increases the heart rate). The drug has seemingly no effect on Snake, giving further evidence that it was not there at all and that Big Boss imagined the whole scenario in order to give himself a boost of confidence.
Lack of Help: It has been often pointed out that throughout the trailers Ishmael has appeared in, at no point does he interact with Big Boss in a way that could only be done by a real person, activities such as picking up Big Boss, wheeling him around via wheelchairs, or notably shooting foes. Fans speculate that Big Boss is enacting in all of these activities all by himself and merely imagining that there is someone around him.
Counterargument: Being that there are multiple threats throughout the halls of the hospital, danger can be looming around every corner. Picking up Big Boss or wheeling him around would make it easier for a foe to stumble upon the two. To prevent this, Ishmael must take the lead, leaving Big Boss to crawl and gradually regain his strength.
Pointless Bandages: Being that supposedly nine years have passed since Big Boss went into his coma, many fans agree that there is no reason that Ishmael should be wearing bandages, even in the most severe cases of facial trauma. Of course, this theory only works if you are to assume that Ishmael's face was damaged the same day Big Boss fell into the coma.
Counterargument: Assuming Ishmael is indeed an MSF soldier (or medic) watching over Big Boss for nine years must require him to hide his identity in case someone were to suspect Big Boss was being held there, after all, the whole world wants him dead. Also, Ishmae'ls lips and eyes seem relatively fine. It is quite possible h has no injuries at all and is merely keeping his identity a secret during those nine years. But that brings us to a new problem...
WaitingNineYears: What could possible cause one man to look over Big Boss for nine whole years? Many skeptics state that such a wait is improbable and merely nod to the fact that Ishmael was created as soon as Big Boss fell into his coma.
Counterargument: There is a big difference between waiting nine years, and waiting nine years STRAIGHT. At no point does Ishmael directly state that he has been looking over Big Boss every hour of every day. Assuming he was though, it could still make sense seeing as all MSF soldiers look up to Big Boss as an idle. They'd gladly give there lives for the guy, waiting nine years for him to come out of his coma is not that far fetched assuming that he is indeed an MSF soldier.
Lack of Reactions: It was noted that once a flaming colonel Volgin appears in the hallway and Psycho Mantis phases through a ceiling, Ishmael has little to no reactions. Causing some to speculate that he cannot see other visions and can only react to things that are actually taking place, such as explosions and fire.
Counterargument: Big Boss and Ishmael are in the heat of the moment and are merely concerned with escaping with their lives. Stopping to talk about what they just saw and trying to rationalize it would immediately break all tension. Also, Kojima wants his characters to speak less and merely allow their actions to speak for them, so it makes perfect sense that Ishmael doesn't begin speaking.
NameConfusion: Upon being asked his name by the awakening Snake, Ishmael takes some time to gather his thoughts and hesitantly state that he would like to go by the name Ishmael. Many speculate that this is a sign that Ishmael has no true identity or name. Furthermore, before answering the question at all, Ishmael points back at Big Boss, perhaps as a way of saying "I am you".
Psycho Mantis: A young Psycho Mantis was noted to only appear in trailers involving Ishmael, leading many to believe that Ishmael is creating this illusion to lure Big Boss to him (or for other purposes). It was also noted by those who played MGS1 that a crest resembling Ishmael appeared in the boss fight with Psycho Mantis. Could Kojima have put Ishmael in bandages as a nod to MGS1?
Taking a Bullet: Eagle eyed watchers of the hallway execution mentioned earlier will note that among the crowd, stands what appears to be Ishmael (baring the same bandages and hospital garb). This patient, along with many others, is shot down, only to reappear in an instant, standing in a doorway. Though it would be easy to crush this off as just another hospital goer with bandages, it is quite strange that Ishmael appears directly after the "dead" Ishmael is put off screen.
Disappearance: Perhaps the most disheartening fact to all believers that Ishmael is real, is the fact that (as far as we know) we have not seen Ishmael return for any other part of the game after the car wreck. Fans speculate that Ishmael vanishes when the car crashes, or perhaps that Psycho Mantis finally reveals he was creating the illusion in order to draw Snake near him. It has been assumed that Ishmael's only purpose is to help players who are just starting the game, so that they are not lost and have a general idea of what is happening. Furthermore, Ishmael's name refers to the narrator of Moby Dick, leading some fans to believe that he is he narrator of the hospital scene or the entire game in general. Being that the game is called The Phantom Pain, having a phantom narrate the story would make sense.
Counterargument: Ocelot is seen rescuing Snake on a horse seemingly moments after the vehicle crash. Keep in mind that this is one horse, now baring the weight of two fully grown men. Therefor, there is no way Ishmael could have fit on the horse as well. Being that Big Boss is the primary target, it makes total sense that Ishmael would allow him to ride off as he ran away by foot or by other means. As for him not making any other appearances, this could be a direct move by Kojima to sway fans into thinking he is not real and unimportant. There are still a multitude of characters who have yet to even make an appearance yet, or even get mentioned in The Phantom Pain trailers. People like Chico, Cecile, and Amanda, have yet to receive even the slightest nod in the latest of trailers and news updates.
Ishmael is real theories:
Why the Bandages: Though Ishmael’s bandages have been used against him in other theories, the question remains, why does a figment need bandages at all if he is not even real? If Kojima really wanted to surprise fans with a figment scenario, wouldn’t it have made more sense to have it be an older version of Chico rather than a bandaged man whose identity is clearly not meant to be known, as well as his name. It just seems pointless to hide the identity of someone who isn’t even real.
Blue Eyes: When Kojima revealed The Phantom Pain trailer, he dawned a mask in Ishmael’s likeness. Though the mask is relatively simple, it should be noted in multiple up close photos of the mask, that Ishmael has blue eyes. Many fans wonder why Kojima an company would go through the trouble of giving the mask blue eyes unless it was important. After-all, Kojima could have simply wrapped his head in bandages and had the exact same effect.
Counterargument: Kojima wanted to create a quality mask to reveal a quality game. Simply wrapping his head in bandages would just be extremely cheap. Also, blue eyes don’t necessarily mean that he is real.
The Medic Theory: It was discovered a while back that the medic who appears at the end of Ground Zeroes takes the full force of Paz’s explosion while protecting Big Boss. What makes this even more intriguing is the fact that Kiefer Sutherland voices the medic (though the voice was lowered to hide this). It is also quite noticeable that the cut scene clearly goes to great lengths to hide the medics face for no apparent reason.
Counterargument: There is still no legitimate reason for the medic to have to wear bandages, and there is still no denying that Ishmael’s voice is exactly the same as Big Boss’s, while the medic’s is lower.
Knowledge: Immediately after Big Boss wakes up, Ishmael makes it clear that the whole world wants Snake dead. Soon after this, Ishmael leads Snake throughout the hospital, knowing the locations of the stairs, elevator, and presumably a multitude of other rooms. How is it possible for someone who is not real to know things that Big Boss does not? This gives further credence that Ishmael has been active in this hospital for quite some time.
Counterargument: This is an easy plot point to miss and Kojima could have simply ignored this fact in order to make the scene more interesting and to make it appear as if Ishmael is real.
Weapon: As mentioned before, when fleeing from the flaming Volgin presumably a second time, Ishmael can briefly be seen holding a weapon. Assuming Ishmael is indeed a member of MSF, stealing the weapon off of an attacker is second nature. It is also possible Ishmael had this weapon stored somewhere. Either way, it seems unlikely that Snake would just imagine Ishmael shooting people.
Counterargument: Ishmael is never seen shooting anyone and Big Boss could just be imagining that someone else is holding the weapon, when it is actually him the whole time.
Driving: Interestingly, Ishmael is later seen driving the vehicle which would ultimately crash due to unknown reasons. Could Snake really have been imagining an event like this as well? Where would Big Boss even drive to if he is unfamiliar with the area. Though it could be argued that it is actually Big Boss driving (like similar scenes in COD) it would make sense for Ishmael, the man who knows all about the hospital and it surroundings, to drive Snake to safety.
The Third Table: One of the strongest pieces of evidence pertaining to Ishmael being real is the hospital operation scene where we see Big Boss fall into a coma. Miller can be seen on another table who quickly asked how the patient on the third table is doing. Kojima later released a statement saying that HE was the man Miller saw and that he was merely looking in on his creations. Fans saw many flaws in this statement, stating the following: The hospital scene in which Big Boss falls into a coma is quite possibly one of the most important moments in the game, it is where Metal Gear Solid 5 changes dramatically, would Kojima really have shoehorned himself into a scene this vital? Furthermore, anyone who plays the game at a later date and has not been following Kojima on twitter, would be totally lost as to why Miller refers to someone who is most likely never shown again. This begs the question of who was on the third table. The answer boils down to 3 possibilities: Chico, the medic, or an MSF soldier. It is most likely not Chico, otherwise Miller would have just referred to him by name and asked, after all, the person on the third table appears to be totally awake and mostly alert to what is going on. Wouldn’t Miller try to calm Chico down himself rather than just refer to Chico as “him”. It would make much more sense for Miller to say “him” when referring to someone whose name he does not know: like the medic or an MSF soldier who managed to board the helicopter when leaving Mother Base.
During the Coma: It has been noted that when Big Boss is lying on the table in the hospital, the debris which he sports in his head in following trailers, is not present. Yet when Big Boss awakens from his coma, the debris are in his head and a bandage which has been wrapped around it is sporting some blood stains. This implies that the debris entered Big Boss’s head recently. Some fans speculate that Big Boss’s life was threatened before he awoke from the coma, causing the wound. This could also be the reason Ishmael’s face is bandaged, he may have been injured while protecting Big Boss against the recent attack. Though Ishmael’s bandages are devoid of even the slightest of blood stains, which furthers the theory that he does not need the bandages for anything other than hiding his true identity.
The truth of the matter is that Kojima is not giving any more evidence to support nor deny these theories, nor should he. Chances are we’ll just have to wait for the Phantom Pain’s release date to see who is truly right. In light of this new evidence, I’d like to know what you think and if I have forgotten something, let me know.
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