The Metal Gear series is a complicated, circular mess of plotlines filled with surprises, twists, and betrayals. It's a mess we love, but it's still a mess. Even if you've been paying attention, you may have missed some things. If you've been away from the series for a while, or are maybe approaching it for the first time, some catch-up isn't a bad idea. Warning: This article will contain heavy spoilers for games in the Metal Gear series released prior to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. If I missed any major characters or got any plot points wrong – I fact-checked this as best I could, but this is Metal Gear we're talking about here – jump into the comments to add in your two cents.

The Snakes Solid Snake Solid Snake is the protagonist of Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. To gamers, Solid Snake is the original Snake, appearing in the very first Metal Gear and again in its revival, Metal Gear Solid. Snake is a clone of Big Boss, the product of an experiment to clone the ultimate soldier. Throughout his career he would take down multiple Metal Gears, learning about the legacy of a secret society called The Patriots. Snake would end up taking down the Patriots even as his cloned body aged rapidly. Naked/Venom/Punished Snake/Big Boss The original Snake appears in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain before appearing as the villain in Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, with a cameo in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Naked Snake, however, is the original Snake: Big Boss. First appearing in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Snake's first big mission is to eliminate the woman who trained him, The Boss, and destroy the progenitor to the Metal Gear walking tank, the Shagohod. Snake loses one of his eyes during torture, getting his trademark eye patch, as well as meeting Revolver Ocelot for the first time. Liquid Snake Liquid appears in Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. He, like Solid Snake, is an imperfect clone of Big Boss. After Roy Cambell and Solid Snake left FOXHOUND, Liquid Snake took control and turned the squad into a terrorist unit that took over Shadow Moses Island. Liquid would die during a fight with Solid Snake, only to return – in a way – when Revolver Ocelot took his arm to replace his own newly missing one. Solidus Snake Solidus Snake appears primarily in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. In the Metal Gear timeline, Solidus Snake, going by the name George Sears, became President of the United States, but was removed by The Patriots as part of covering up the incidents on Shadow Moses Island in Metal Gear Solid. Solidus would go on to orchestrate the events of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, posing as Solid Snake, only to be stopped by Raiden, his adopted son.

Series Stalwarts Revolver Ocelot (ADAM/Shalashaska/Liquid Ocelot) Aside from Big Boss, Ocelot might be the character to appear in the most Metal Gear Solid titles. His first appearance in the series (in release order) is Metal Gear Solid, where he's remembered fondly by fans for classy lines like "I love reloading during a battle! There's nothing like slamming a long silver bullet into a well-greased chamber," just after bragging about his Colt Single Action Army revolver moments before. Snake's first encounter with Ocelot would end with the revolver wielding cowboy losing his hand to the Cyborg Ninja's blade, though he would end up replacing it with that of his fallen comrade, Liquid Snake, as he went on to appear in the other Metal Gear Solid titles. His first appearance in the story, however, occurred in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, where Naked Snake encountered him in battle and defeated him before suggesting that he switch to revolvers instead of the more modern semi-automatic pistol he was using. Ocelot would be nearly as big a behind the scenes player as Zero, joining Naked Snake in The Patriots, with whom he'd continue to work as a spy before eventually attempting a takeover of his own in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Master Kazuhira Miller (Master McDonnell Miller) Kazuhira Miller appeared in Metal Gear Solid originally, but he had actually been killed and then impersonated by Liquid Snake. He finally appeared in person in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, but was a codec face before that in Metal Gear 2. He was instrumental in the formation of Big Boss' Militaires Sans Frontieres group, and plays a major role in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Gray Fox (Frank Jaeger/Null/Cyborg Ninja) Gray Fox, real name Frank Jaeger, first appeared in the original Metal Gear when Solid Snake was tasked with rescuing him from Outer Heaven. In Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, Snake would end up fighting Jaeger, who had reallied himself with Big Boss. Before that, though, Jaeger was a child soldier who would be experimented on as a teenager in Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, being called Null in that game and battling Big Boss. Grey Fox's final and probably most famous appearance, though, is as the Cyborg Ninja in Metal Gear Solid. After dying in Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, Jaeger was once again experimented on, this time being remade as a cyborg ninja, complete with optic camouflage and katana. Jaeger came after Solid Snake, single-mindedly bent on battling him. When Snake defeated him, the ninja disappeared, only to come to his senses – and Snake's aid – one last time during Snake's final battle with Liquid before being crushed by Metal Gear REX.