Described as “beautiful and deadly”, Sniper Wolf is a master marksman, and is in equal-parts one of the most memorable and beloved villains from theMetal Gear Solidseries. Born of Kurdish descent, she found herself working beside Liquid Snake under FOXHOUND after being rescued from a warzone by none other thanBig Bosshimself.
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There may very well be more to this antagonist that some dedicated fans of the series may not be fully aware of, like a secret addiction that she struggled with, and how different the cutscenes in the originalMetal Gear Solidand its respective remake played out.
Originally, series creator Hideo Kojima intended Sniper Wolf to be a male, and sketches of this version of the character, created by character designer Yoji Shinkawa, are available online. It was actually Shinkawa who made the suggestion of turning the character female. Thankfully, Kojima responded enthusiastically to the idea.
In interviews, the artist explains that he usually creates a sketch based on a request by Kojima, but sometimes he makes a few suggestions of his own to inspire the renowned game developer. Considering the vast majority of sketches that were published featureSniper Wolf as a woman, it was likely he made the suggestion very early on.
9She Struggled With Addiction
Using a sniper rifle in the earlier entries of the series could prove to be a bit challenging, as aiming down the scope will inevitably result inSnakeshaking around a bit. The solution is to pop some Pentazemin (originally named Diazepam, a real-life sedative medication) to calm the muscles and reduce shaking.
It seems that Sniper Wolf herself had a Pentazemin addiction, likely due to her prevalence on the battlefield. Considering how she was capable of staying in a single position for literal weeks without food or water, it may very well have been the only thing that kept her going.
8Mercury Rounds Were Her Favored Ammo Type
In-game, Sniper Wolf presumably uses standard ammunition for the PSG1 sniper rifle: 7.62 × 51mm rounds. Seeing how she wounded Meryl with them inMetal Gear Solid, it goes without saying that they pack a serious wallop.
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However, a direct kill wasn’t always her choice of getting the deed done. In fact, she favored using mercury-laced rounds against her targets, according to various official sources. The presence of mercury in a victim’s wound would usually be enough to poison and kill a victim after being shot to maximize the chances of getting a kill, even with a non-lethal shot. Although, this could be a reference to the novelDay of the Jackal, where mercury bullets were mentioned.
7Sniper Wolf Is Popular With Fans, Critics, And Original Developers Alike
Sniper Wolf has received a lot of praise from pretty much everyone. She has appeared in numerous lists counting downthe best video game bosses, and fans have considered the cutscene of her death to be part of one of the most emotional moments in the series.
There are so many reasons to love Sniper Wolf, from her design and personality right down to her backstory and superb English voice acting by Tasia Valenza. The aforementioned artist Shinkawa even went on record in interviews to mention how beloved she was with the staff at Konami. Even with just one game to her credit (and a remake), she’s left quite the legacy.
6Explosives Are Effective Against Her
InMetal Gear Solid, Snake is instructed to acquire a PSG1 to save Meryl from Sniper Wolf. After getting captured and eventually escaping captivity, players will have toduel with her a second and final timein a blizzard. Even with the stormy weather, a sniper rifle is ideal against her.
However, fans discovered that a remote-controlled rocket launcher proves to be quite effective. Steering the missile towards her from afar will deal a fair amount of damage, and she won’t have any way of defending herself. Even a Stinger missile launcher can be helpful in her boss battle, thanks to its homing capabilities and the quick speed of its rockets.
After Snake tries to get through the level 6 security door, in the original game, he is immediately captured by three guards. Sniper Wolf joins the scene, too, scratching his face to leave her mark. After that, one of the guards knocks him out with the butt of his gun, ready to be delivered toLiquid Snake.
InMetal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, however, the cutscene got a makeover. Instead, Snake grapples with the trio and points a pistol at one of them while gripping the weapons of the others. Sniper Wolf appears, aiming her rifle at Snake’s chest. Even when he puts up more of a fight, he abruptly collapses after her departure with no explanation. It may be implied that Wolf poisoned him with some kind of anesthetic from her scratch.
4…And There’s An Extra Scene Before Her Death In It, Too
Once again, in-line with Silicon Knights’ attempts to makeMetal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakesfeature more gymnastic bravado to the point of ridiculousness, there’s an additional cutscene right after Snake defeats Sniper Wolf in her respective boss battle.
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In it, after jumping out of cover the injured Wolf shoots the gun out of his hand. After she sets her sight on his head, he backflips and lands with enough force to make the gun bounce in the air. Afterward, he grabs it, spins a full 360-degrees, and lands a final killing blow on his target. When all that wraps up, the player must approach her body for her final cutscene to play.
3Her Ghost Can Be Found In The Fourth Game
Returning to Shadow Moses inMetal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriotsis quite the throwback for longtime lovers of the series. There arenumerous references to the first game, including secret ghosts that can only be found after taking photos of the environment with a camera.
In the Snow Field, if Old Snake takes a picture of one of the doors from the outside, her ghost can be caught on film. Using the Sorrow Doll is very helpful, thanks to its ability to help the player find specters, and capturing five of them in total is enough to earn a trophy.
2Sniper Wolf’s Outfit Is Available For Quiet In MGSV
Some fans have previously speculated if Quiet fromMetal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Painwas the same as Sniper Wolf. This theory has been debunked, as there is no evidence to prove this. However, one can still make her look like the aforementioned marksman.
When dueling with Quiet in Mission 40, a recycled version of the level ‘Cloaked in Silence’ with a much higher difficulty curve, she will be wearing her respective clothing and even has the same hair color and lipstick. Beating this challenging boss battle variant will grant players the Sniper Wolf outfit for her, which offers no benefits, but is a nice bit of fan-service.
There have been numerous references in pop culture to Sniper Wolf.Army of Twohad a barrel attachment called “MGS Sniper Wulf Mk. II.”, and theLevel 4 Weapons BundleDLC forThe Godfather 2for the PS3 contained the “MG-S1 Sniper Wolfe”. Writer Ian Flynn was inspired by this character when creating Whisper the Wolf for theSonic The Hedgehogcomic series by IDW.
And that’s not all. ‘The Wolf’s Den’ fromThe Division 2features a nod to the character, with a shadow of a wolf emanating from a nearby plush, along with a sniper rifle perched against the wall as well.
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