Throughout fiction, several characters have had the honor of receiving the title of "World's Greatest Soldier". Among them are Big Boss, the fallen hero who strove to create a haven for soldiers, and Captain America, the literal man-out-of-time who leads the Avengers. Both men have saved the world from Armageddon multiple times and have more than earned their titles, but let's compare them to see who deserves it more, and more importantly, who is DEADLIEST!
Big Boss[]
Big Boss is a legendary special forces operative, mercenary, and insurrectionist of the Metal Gear series. Originally known as Naked Snake, he served in FOX, a covert CIA unit, until he was forced to kill his mentor as part of a cover-up. Disillusioned, he abandoned the US military and became a mercenary. After bringing down FOX, which had gone rogue, Snake began a mercenary organization called Militaires Sans Frontières, which would work for any client regardless of nation or ideology. MSF was the first of Big Boss's many organizations that sought to create an "Outer Heaven", a soldier's paradise free of the abuse and exploitation of governments.
Combat Knife: It's just a knife.
M1911A1: Snake’s favored handgun is the classic 1911. It’s been customized to Snake’s personal specifications, which include a suppressor, a slimmed down grip to allow easier use with CQC, and numerous other modifications to improve reliability and minimize malfunctions.
AM MRS-4 Rifle: The Arms Material Multi-Purpose Rifle System Model 4, based off the real-world FN FNC, is a rifle specifically designed for infiltration missions. It features a mounted flashlight, a shortened barrel, and a suppressor that adds minimal weight but also degrades with use. It sacrifices muzzle velocity, and therefore range, to maximize stealth.
Fragmentation Grenades (x4) :The grenades used by Big Boss during the Ground Zeroes Incident most closely resemble the M67, a spherical fragmentation grenade with a small blast radius, as it is designed to be used in close quarters combat.
C4 (x4): Composition 4 is a powerful plastic explosive. It is highly stable, making it unlikely to be detonated by stray gunfire or other explosions. It can be detonated with a trigger or set on a timer.
SV Sneaking Suit: Based on a Soviet design discovered by Snake during Operation Snake Eater and improved by MSF, the sneaking suit is a unique military wear designed to protect the wearer and prevent detection during infiltration missions. It is composed of bullet-resistant aramid fiber, has sound-dampening soles, is resistant to heat, water, and electricity, and exerts pressure on wounds to prevent bleeding. It maintains the wearer’s optimum body temperature, and prevents detection via night vision.
Perfect Soldier Genes: Big Boss just happened to be lucky enough to get all the right genes that would make someone into the perfect soldier. Thus, he is capable of physical feats that are beyond normal human capacity. His reflexes are so quick that he can react to bullet-timers, and he's even beaten two of them in combat. He is remarkably durable, having tanked long falls, broken bones, being in close proximity to explosions, and some ridiculous torture sessions, only to be back in action right afterwards. He was able to severely hurt Colonel Volgin, who is strong enough to punch through concrete and steel, after a brutal CQC battle.
Marksmanship: Despite not having a right eye, Snake is an excellent shot with just about any kind of weapon in existence, ranging from pistols to heavy artillery. His best feat of marksmanship might be his fight against the End, an ancient sniper with photosynthetic properties who was said to be the inventor of all modern sniping techniques. After a lengthy sniper duel, Snake defeated the End, although this might not be as impressive as it could be, as the End was on the verge of death, was only trying to tranquilize Snake rather than kill him, and Snake still had his right eye.
CQC: CQC is a combat system invented by Big Boss and his mentor, the Boss. It is based around a rapid transition between armed and unarmed combat, and is used with smaller weapons such as pistols and knives. It uses chokes, grabs, strikes, and throws to disable armed opponents as quickly as possible. A skilled CQC user can disarm an opponent, throw them off balance, and then knock them unconscious with a single throw. CQC is heavily based off of Judo and Jujitsu, but it also shows elements of Aikido, Muay Thai, and boxing. Snake has used CQC to defeat a large variety of opponents, ranging from entire spec ops teams, the superstrong Colonel Volgin, and even his own mentor, the Boss.
Stealth: Even with all his skill, Snake wouldn't have a chance at surviving the missions he's completed by going in guns blazing. He is an expert at keeping himself hidden, tracking his enemies' movements, and guerrilla warfare tactics. He has infiltrated a Soviet-controlled jungle, numerous military bases, and even a knockoff Guantanamo Bay. He has also perfected the art of camouflage.
Captain America[]
Steve Rogers is the leader of the Avengers and the world's first superhero chronologically in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. After numerous failed attempts to join the military and fight in WWII, Rogers was chosen to be the candidate for a experiment with the goal of creating a super soldier. The experiment was successful, and Rogers's exploits in WWII turned him into a legend and an icon for American morale. In his final mission, Rogers crashed into the Arctic and was trapped in suspended animation until he was reawakened in 2011. Searching for a purpose, Rogers was brought into the Avengers Initiative, a program created by the government organization SHIELD with the goal of assembling a team of remarkable individuals to protect the world. Rogers was chosen as the team's leader, and he lead them in defense of the Earth in numerous crises. His time in the Avengers ended when his refusal to sign an act to allow the UN to regulate the Avengers led to a civil war against those who agreed to the act.
Vibranium Shield: Captain America's iconic weapon is his round shield, which is composed of vibranium. Vibranium is a nearly indestructable type of metal capable of absorbing vibrations and reflecting kinetic energy. This allows it to protect Cap from high-caliber gunfire, energy blasts, and even a direct hit from Thor's hammer without taking any damage. It can also be thrown while maintaining its momentum. Cap uses his shield in his unique fighting style, and can throw it with such accuracy that it can take out multiple opponents by ricocheting before coming right back to him.
Avengers Uniform Mark III: The uniform Rogers wore during the Avengers Civil War was a slightly modified version of the uniform designed for him by Tony Stark. It is composed of a Kevlar-based ballistic material. It has remarkable durability, and has protected Rogers from the likes of the weapons of the alien Chitauri and energy blasts from Ultron and Tony Stark himself.
Super Soldier Physicality: The Super Soldier Serum enhanced Rogers's body in almost every possible way. He is strong enough to bend steel, send enemies flying with his blows, and overpower the Mark XLVII Iron Man Armor. His greatest feat is perhaps when he stopped a helicopter from taking off with his bare hands, but according to Joe Russo himself, this happened while Rogers was in a moment of extreme adrenaline. His enhanced durability allows him to take serious beatings from superhumans and keep on fighting. He is agile enough to perform amazing gymnastic maneuvers, and his reflexes are quick enough for him to react to Quicksilver, who moves faster than the eye can track.
Healing Factor: The SSS also granted Rogers accelerated healing. He is immune to infections, diseases, and intoxication, and serious wounds that would incapacitate normal humans will heal in a matter of hours without leaving any traces. It is because of his rapid healing that Cap was able to survive in a cryogenic state for so long.
Martial Arts: Rogers incorporates a number of martial arts into his unique shield-based fighting style, including boxing, Muay Thai, Judo, Jujitsu, Taekwondo, Karate, Aikido, and Krav Maga. His fighting skills have been tested against many different super-powered foes, such as Loki, the Winter Soldier, Black Panther, Spider-Man, and Iron Man.
Master Tactician: Another effect of the SSS was causing Rogers's mind to operate much more quickly and efficiently. His analytical skills are greatly enhanced because of this, and this manifests in his ability to rapidly develop effective plans for tackling almost any scenario. Rogers's ability to quickly strategize is a major reason for the successes of the Avengers. He also has a perfect memory.
X-Factors[]
Brutality
Leaving behind bodies is rarely conducive to stealth, and dead soldiers can't be persuaded to join MSF, so Big Boss has learned to keep violence to a minimum during his infiltration missions. He will almost always prefer a non-violent solution for dealing with an enemy, but he will not hesitate to kill if such a solution cannot be reliably achieved. Rogers is fully willing to justify killing for a greater cause, and as stealth operations aren't his forte, non-violent solutions are rarely an option for him.
Experience
Big Boss has been in more than few wars in his life. He started his military career in the Korean War as part of the Green Berets, and was afterwards inducted into the high-tech CIA group, Force Operation X. With FOX, he operated solo in Virtuous Mission and Operation Snake Eater. He left FOX after these operations, and eventually had to take FOX down with his own unit after they went rogue. Beginning his legend as a mercenary, he formed Militaires Sans Frontières. MSF earned prestige during the Peace Walker incident, in which they prevented a CIA-backed mercenary group from developing dangerous AI weapons. He also fought in the Vietnam War and the Mozambique War of Independence. During his missions, Big Boss fought and defeated numerous military groups, special forces units with actual superpowers, and several giant walking tanks known as Metal Gears. Refusing to accept his position as a propaganda tool, Captain America formed and led his own special forces unit, the Howling Commandos. He fought in WWII for about a year before being trapped in suspended animation. He returned to action quickly after his reawakening and his appointment as the leader of the Avengers, dealing with the Chitauri Invasion, HYDRA's resurgence, and the Ultron Offensive. Finally, he was forced to fight his own former teammates in the Avengers Civil War. The numerous foes he has defeated include both the human and the superhuman, such as the high-tech HYDRA organization, alien armies, and heroes like Black Panther and Spider-Man. His dogged tenacity has even put him against enemies who are much more powerful than him, like Ultron and Loki, but he is often outmatched by them and requires assistance from the other Avengers.
Training
The list of military groups that I've already mentioned that Big Boss was a part of should give you an idea of the amount of training he has been through, but his time as the protégé of the Boss deserves a special mention. The Boss was legendary special forces soldier and a hero of WWII, in which she participated in many significant battles. She was involved in the creation and training of several special forces groups, such as the Special Air Service. This earned her the title, "The Mother of Special Forces." At the end of Operation Snake Eater, Big Boss finally overcame his mentor and defeated her in battle. Steve Rogers only had minimal training with the United States Army before joining WWII. After awakening and fending off the Chitauri Invasion, his training was greatly expanded during his time as an agent of SHIELD, where he learned modern combat techniques from Black Widow and Brock Rumlow to supplement his prior experience.
Notes[]
- This version of Captain America is as he appears in Captain America: Civil War, and Big Boss is as he appears in Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes.
- The battle takes place in a multi-storey warehouse, and the jungle that surrounds it, similar to the mansion in Lufwa Valley in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.
- I have a feeling that someone is going to bring this up, so I'll address it now: Big Boss is not strong enough to lift a Metal Gear. That one feat from Peace Walker is hugely gameplay-based, a massive outlier, and makes zero sense in the context of anything else that Big Boss has done. It is not canon.
- Voting ends whenever I think I have enough.
- Originally this was going to be Charlemagne vs. Richard the Lionheart, but the more I researched the more I realized that it was an utter stomp for Richard. And besides, Endgame is almost here and I wanted to do something for the occasion.