Death Stranding 2 fans react as Metal Gear Solid's Snake is referenced in new trailer
Seeing an actor's face in Death Stranding isn't a surprise anymore – but nobody was expecting to see a face echoing Kojima's old protagonist.
Hideo Kojima's games have certainly never been ones to conform to expectations, but even so, we don't think anyone was expecting to see a Snake lookalike in Death Stranding 2.
Kojima recently held a panel at 2025's SXSW in Austin, Texas, alongside actors Norman Reedus and Troy Baker and musician Woodkid, during which a brand-new 10-minute-long trailer for Death Stranding 2 was shown off for the first time.
The trailer goes more in-depth about the game's story and gameplay (as well as announcing the release date).
But perhaps the biggest surprise of the show was the appearance of someone who looks a lot like a certain Solid Snake.
Neil, a new character in the series, appears near the end of the trailer, tying a black bandana around his head and bearing a striking similarity to the Metal Gear Solid protagonist.
Naturally, fans were quick to flock to social media to point out the resemblance with a mixture of surprise and love for Kojima and the MGS series.
"Hideo Kojima is a madman for putting snake in Death Stranding," laughed u/Leon_Dante_Raiden on the Death Stranding subreddit.
Plenty of commenters echoed this sentiment, with u/pious-erika affectionately remarking on the idea of Kojima as a madman that he "always has been".
As many fans pointed out, Neil is played by Italian actor Luca Marinelli, someone who Kojima had previously expressed an interest in working with, interestingly in part due to his resemblance to Solid Snake.
While Neil's role in the story is as-yet unknown, plenty of fans had already begun coming up with their own theories.
One popular theory is that Neil is either a relative or younger version of Cliff Unger from Death Stranding 1, with several people pointing out that he resembles a 'de-aged' Mads Mikkelsen, who played Unger in the first game.
Unfortunately overshadowed by the Snake-alike, plenty of MGS fans were delighted by the appearance of a ship at the end of the trailer that doesn't look too dissimilar to REX – a Metal Gear that appeared throughout the series.
Kojima is undoubtedly one of the most creative minds in the industry, and has been for decades.
And with Death Stranding proving that the man is still as cutting edge as he has ever been, Death Stranding 2 is set to be one of the biggest events in gaming in 2025.
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