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Hot Coldman was the CIA Station Chief of Central America during the 1970s, who headed the development of the Peace Walker Project in Costa Rica. He had previously been responsible for planning the mission to eliminate The Boss in 1964, during Operation Snake Eater.

Biography[]

Cold War hero[]

As a director in the CIA,[1] Coldman was involved in planning the death of The Boss due to fear of the renowned U.S. soldier's influence.[2][3][4] During the Virtuous Mission, The Boss was allowed to "defect" to the Soviets in order to locate a massive cache of funds lost in World War II, providing GRU colonel Volgin with two Davy Crocketts as proof of her supposed sincerity. Volgin subsequently launched one of the miniature nuclear shells at the OKB-754 research facility in Tselinoyarsk, sparking an international incident. Coldman then planned the follow-up mission Operation Snake Eater where FOX agent Naked Snake assassinated The Boss in order to "clear" the United States of any wrongdoing.[2] Despite being regarded as a hero during the height of the Cold War,[5] Coldman was later removed from his director's position (presumably for knowing too much about Operation Snake Eater)  and instead sent to manage the CIA's Latin America operations.[6]

Peace Walker Project[]

Coldman planned to use the CIA mercenary group Peace Sentinel and the Peace Walker Project to regain his status as a power player in Washington.[1] At some point, Coldman used his Agency contacts to procure blueprints for Aleksandr Leonovitch Granin's bipedal weapon "Metal Gear" from Langley.[7] In 1973, Coldman recruited doctors Huey Emmerich and Strangelove to commence the development of the Peace Walker Project in Costa Rica: a mobile, fail-deadly nuclear deterrent system capable of striking from anywhere and eluding pre-emptive nuclear attacks, which, if mass-produced, would grant the United States exemption from mutually assured destruction. Coldman convinced Emmerich to participate by claiming that their work would end the use of nuclear weapons, and by providing him with Granin's Metal Gear designs, but planned to blackmail the doctor for his use of stolen Soviet designs should he later resist.[8] Coldman provided the names for four of the AI weapons developed for the project, after the initials of the four U.S. Presidents depicted on Mount Rushmore.

Peace Walker Incident[]

Main article: Peace Walker Incident


In 1974, Coldman's Peace Sentinel kidnapped Costa Rican Paz Ortega Andrade after she accidentally stumbled upon a shipping facility, after which she was inflicted with several cuts on her arms. Coldman was implied to have been personally present for the torture during this time.[9] Peace Walker was an AI-controlled nuclear-armed bipedal tank, which Coldman would use to maintain the policy of nuclear deterrence. However, Coldman believed that, in order to prove that it was a perfect deterrent, they should actually launch a nuclear weapon, to demonstrate its power to the world.

MPW Coldman

Hot Coldman

Upon learning the true nature of Peace Walker's development, the wheelchair-bound Huey was disgusted to the point that he was unwilling to work on the project anymore, even if it meant sacrificing any chance of "walking tall" among his colleagues. Coldman then decided to dispatch his former accomplice by shoving him down some stairs. He then departed from the base by helicopter, airlifting the Peace Walker frame away, and leaving the Pupa AI weapon to deal with an intrusion by Big Boss (Naked Snake).

Shortly thereafter, Coldman had Peace Walker transported to a remote underground base for the final stages of testing. He was then alerted to the presence of Snake by Peace Walker's AI, and captured him, after the latter had been distracted by the AI, which had been modeled after his deceased mentor The Boss. Coldman told Snake of his involvement in The Boss's death, the mission to Tselinoyarsk in 1964, and his belief in how the world's heroes shall only be machines, believing that The Boss's beliefs were bankrupt. Coldman then ordered for him to be detained and executed, and hinted at wanting Snake's Militaires Sans Frontières wiped out as well.[10] He relented to Strangelove's suggestion that he hand Snake over to her, only so that she could acquire information on The Boss from him, to complete the AI. However, he told her that she should not take too long, as he had received word that the SALT-II talks were on schedule, hinting that he intended to demonstrate Peace Walker's capabilities while the U.S. President and his cabinet were in Vladivostok.

Coldman later managed to recapture Paz Andrade, holding her hostage and threatening her life should the Militaires Sans Frontières interfere with his plans. Encountering Snake again, after his escape from imprisonment, Coldman revealed that the MSF's Mother Base was to be the initial target for Peace Walker; not only would the MSF be wiped out, but the radioactive fallout would poison the crops and fishing supplies in Central America, creating "free hands" for the mass production of Peace Walker. Before that, however, he would show the White House that Peace Walker could travel in a versatile manner. He again proclaimed his belief that Peace Walker was the key to true peace, through the control of nukes.

After Snake fought with Peace Walker and eventually defeated its bipedal form, Coldman then directed Peace Walker to the Costa Rican-Nicaraguan border, towards a U.S. missile base in the neighboring country. Afterwards, Coldman input the final data into Peace Walker in the base's control room. Reaching Coldman's location, Snake learned that the falsified trajectory data would fool military intelligence, causing Peace Walker to analyze the threat level, and launch a retaliatory strike. During this time, he also handcuffed the control briefcase to activate Peace Walker to himself in order to ensure he could launch it when the time was right.

However, Coldman was betrayed by his KGB ally Vladimir Zadornov who planned to have Peace Walker launch at Cuba instead, which would cause anti-American sentiment amongst the international community, thus allowing the Soviets to win the Cold War. Zadornov then tried to get Paz to kill Coldman, reminding her of what he did to her, causing Coldman to apologize to her. However, despite what he did to her, Paz simply could not kill him, not having the heart to do so. Coldman was then shot in the chest by Zadornov but deliberately missed fatally shooting him in order to get Peace Walker's access code from him. When Zadornov conversed with Big Boss about his job well done, Coldman also realized that Zadornov was planning on molding Big Boss into Che Guevara, including executing him in American territory.[11] However, Zadornov's plot was undone by the Sandinista group led by Amanda Valenciano Libre after his own former allies realized they're being used.

Slowly succumbing to his injuries, Coldman managed to activate Peace Walker, despite its new launch target of Cuba. However, he also briefly screamed in agony due to his injuries when Miller, in shock at what Coldman did when investigating the beeping noise from Coldman's briefcase, forcefully lifted the briefcase, which had still been handcuffed to his arm. The false trajectory data was also transmitted towards NORAD, forcing the U.S. military to decide whether to launch a retaliatory strike, since most of the White House cabinet were absent due to the SALT-II negotiations. Although he maintained his belief that they would never retaliate due to their human nature (which he viewed as a weakness), he also implies that he wouldn't care if they did launch, as by the time the decision is made, he'll have already died from his injuries. He also did this with the intention of dying before he could reveal the abort code, which only he was privy to.

After death[]

In contrast to his views, Coldman never lived long enough to see his plans end in ultimate failure. In particular, the joint chiefs, contrary to what Coldman thought, ended up deciding to launch a nuclear strike on the USSR under the belief that they fired theirs. Big Boss later explained Coldman's role in the events to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when trying to warn him to abort the missile strike, and also explained after the latter requested that he put him on the line of Coldman's recent deceased status, though he did offer to supply his name as compensation.[12]

In 1984, Skull Face alluded to Coldman and his action during the Peace Walker Incident when talking to Emmerich about implementing an AI onto Metal Gear Sahelanthropus, where he specifically shot down Emmerich's idea to do so as he realized that if he'd done so, he'd have been repeating Coldman's mistake. In addition, Skull Face after learning of Emmerich turning traitor against him managed to kick him down the stairs in a similar manner to Coldman a decade earlier as revenge.

Although Coldman himself died, his beliefs about machines ruling over humanity hadn't, as they were later implemented by the Patriots' AIs. Like Coldman, the AIs managed to eliminate every trace of The Boss's final will by the time of the Guns of the Patriots Incident in 2014. Ironically, it was because of Coldman's last moments via Peace Walker that Zero attempted to implement specific rules and guidelines the AIs were to follow, due to not wanting a repeat of what NORAD nearly caused.

Personality and traits[]

Hot ColdMan V For Victory

Hot Coldman doing his signature gesture.

Hot Coldman generally displayed a calm, manipulative demeanor. He demonstrated his cunning when he planned Operation Snake Eater, as well as using several factors, including his own death, to ensure that his own plans for Peace Walker would be carried out. In addition, Coldman was indifferent towards the suffering that his planned nuclear launch would cause to the people living on the Caribbean Coast, merely seeing them as a future source of labor following the destruction of their crops by radiation. He remained entirely confident in his belief that nuclear deterrence by humans was flawed, and that his actions would not cause an all-out nuclear war, although he did acknowledge by his deathbed the possibility that it might only in the sense that his death ultimately made that irrelevant. He also despised The Boss, calling her beliefs "bankrupt." He was also shown to be sadistic, such as his smiling when watching Huey fall down the stairs upon pushing him down, and chuckling to himself upon leaving, as well as grinning widely when stating with undisguised pride at his role in The Boss's death. He did admit he had a grudging respect for MSF due to them being a "deterrent for hire", similar to his own Peace Walker project, even calling the concept an "admirable" one, although he nonetheless made clear that he wanted them gone in order to ensure his Peace Walker project got off the ground.[10]

Coldman was entirely devoted to carrying out the Peace Walker Project, and was willing to kill all those who stood in the way of its progress, including innocent bystanders and members of his own team. When Huey Emmerich refused to cooperate with him further, Coldman shoved the wheelchair-bound scientist down a stairway. Dr. Strangelove feared that she herself would be "rubbed out" following the project's conclusion. Coldman also would have had Cécile Caminades killed, after she stumbled upon one of the AI tests in the jungle, though this was concealed from him by Strangelove. Coldman later commented that he should have "taken care" of Paz Andrade when she was captured at Puerto del Alba. He was also familiar with Che Guevara's exploits, as when Zadornov was gloating that he was about to have Big Boss undergo the same fate as "our century's most complete human being," Coldman immediately recognized the title as belonging to that of Che Guevara.[11]

Coldmantat

Hot Coldman's tattoo.

Coldman had a tattoo on the back of his head with the image of a wolfman holding a Peace symbol, and the words "Homo Homini Lupus", which translates to "Man is a wolf to [his fellow] man."[13] The tattoo in question was mistaken as a coyote by Snake when they encountered each other. Coldman corrected him saying, "Lobo is the name," which means "Wolf" in Spanish and Portuguese.

Coldman's designs on Central America caused Amanda and several Nicaraguans to compare him to William Walker, a United States filibuster who managed to gain control of Nicaragua in 1856. He was overthrown a year later and was executed by the government of Honduras in 1860.

Behind the scenes[]

Hot Coldman artwork in bonus art packet 001

Hot Coldman's artwork in a promotional art booklet for Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.

Hot Coldman is the main antagonist of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. In the Japanese version, Coldman's voice was provided by Mugihito, who also voiced Sigma in the Mega Man X series; another former hero who fell from grace, and caused a catastrophe involving missiles. In addition, his physical appearance also bore some slight similarities to Sigma, including a completely bald head. Coincidentally, both Mugihito and Akio Otsuka (Big Boss's voice actor) previously worked together in Mega Man X7 as the characters Sigma and Red, respectively. Unused character designs of Coldman, included in a promotional art booklet, feature him wearing a black coat and a black fedora, while holding a briefcase, with a rubber glove on his left hand. The aforementioned artwork was also included in the Official Art Works book for Peace Walker, in addition to another unused artwork depicting Coldman with a significantly different appearance, with a full head of hair and a moustache.

In an issue of Famitsu that revealed some parts of Peace Walker, Coldman claimed that he had found the perfect deterrent. The Boss's AI then says that it is Jack, to which Jack, blushing, most likely out of anger, says "From now on, call me Big Boss!" This was not included in the final version.[14] In addition, Coldman's speech about how peace won't come to us, as they'll just have to "meet it half way" was quoted by Hideo Kojima on his blog, when commenting his support for Obama's "A World Without Nuclear Weapons" in Prague. As the blog and speech had been made while Peace Walker was still in development, this implied that Coldman's speech was inspired by Obama's speech.[15]

In Peace Walker, Coldman personally reveals to Naked Snake that he had planned the operation to eliminate The Boss. Because of this, fans assume that he is the "deviously cunning strategist" that Gene mentioned in Portable Ops  (an individual whom fans had previously believed to have been either Ocelot, Zero, or the DCI), though it is never explicitly confirmed.

Coldman's statements about how "the age of heroes was over, buried along with The Boss's bankrupt beliefs," and that "machines will rule the world," foreshadows the rise of the Patriots' AIs and their elimination of The Boss's final will, through the implementation of the war economy in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. When explaining his Peace Walker concept to a captive Snake in the same scene, Coldman referenced how a Russian sub commander who refused to fire on an American destroyer during the Cuban Missile Crisis was hailed as a hero afterward. This was a reference to Vasily Arkhipov, who had been in command of the Soviet submarine B-59, and who did indeed refuse orders to open fire on an American submarine.

Due to his demise during Chapter 4, Coldman is the only major character in Peace Walker other than Naked Snake who cannot be recruited or placed onto Mother Base's staff. Conversely, Zadornov, though never actually recruited, is featured in Mother Base's staff, due to being a prisoner during Chapter 5.

According to conceptual storyboard images included in the Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Official Arts book, Coldman was originally intended to have been directly murdered by Zadornov by a shot to the head, with Paz being absent entirely. In addition, shortly beforehand, he would have originally had Snake captured shortly after Snake witnessed Paz and Zadornov conversing in a room near Peace Walker (in a manner similar to Solid Snake eavesdropping on Liquid Snake and Revolver Ocelot in Metal Gear Solid).

Hot Coldman later appeared in Versus Battle.

"STRENGTHS:
Shrewd Plotter of Snake Eater, Peace Walker
WEAKNESSES:
Underestimating Mankind?
FEATURED FACT:
A cunning former CIA head, Hot Coldman was a twisted Cold War hero who would manipulate & sacrifice millions in the name of nuclear deterrence
FEATURED GAME:
METAL GEAR SOLID: THE LEGACY COLLECTION
"
―Hot Coldman's bio on Versus Battle

Coldman is one of only four main characters from Peace Walker to not be included as an officer in the Mother Base development game on the Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes companion app.

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

  1. ^ a b Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Kojima Productions (2010).
    Huey Emmerich: You used me. // Hot Coldman: We used each other. I'll get my old director's job back at headquarters, and you'll finally be able to "walk tall" among your colleagues.
  2. ^ a b Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Kojima Productions (2010).
    Hot Coldman: I know all about you. Tselinoyarsk? 10 years ago? // Naked Snake: You were involved...? // Hot Coldman: The operation to eliminate the traitor? I planned the whole thing.
  3. ^ Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Kojima Productions (2008).
    Old Snake: The Boss? // Big Mama: The Boss was a legendary hero from the Second World War known as the Mother of Special Forces. She had an almost overwhelming charisma about her. The CIA feared this, so they had her eliminated.
  4. ^ http://metalgear.wikia.com/wiki/Metal_Gear_Solid_3_radio_conversations#Major_Zero.27s_reaction_to_The_Boss.27s_defection_and_the_government.27s_reason_for_wanting_The_Boss_killed
  5. ^ Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Kojima Productions (2010).
    Huey: The CIA's Station Chief for Central America goes by the name of Hot Coldman. Apparently he was some sort of hero back at the height of the Cold War. He's the one running the show. We called it the Peace Walker Project.
  6. ^ Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Kojima Productions (2010).
    Naked Snake: Shouldn't a suit like you be back at Langley? What the hell are you doing here? // Hot Coldman: ...It's what the CIA does best. Ensure people in the know keep their mouths shut, or else pack them off someplace where there's no one to listen.
  7. ^ Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Kojima Productions (2010)
    Briefing Files > Briefing Library > Huey > Peace Walker > Soviet Research on Bipedal Locomotion > Granin
    Naked Snake (Big Boss):' How'd you get your hands on Granin's research? // Huey: That was also Coldman. He used his Agency contacts to get a hold of it.
  8. ^ Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Kojima Productions (2010)
    Briefing Files > Briefing Library > Huey > Peace Walker > Soviet Research on Bipedal Locomotion > Granin
  9. ^ Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Kojima Productions (2010).
    Vladimir Zadornov: Remember what they [Peace Sentinel] did to you [Paz] at their base on the coast [Puerto del Alba]... For what Coldman's done... he deserves nothing less than death. // A brief flashback to Paz's mutilated arm occurs as Coldman looks up in shock // Hot Coldman: Paz... I... I'm sorry...
  10. ^ a b Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Kojima Productions (2010).
    Hot Coldman: ...Surely no one understands that better than you? Except perhaps your partner. A deterrent for hire. An army without borders. You've invented a new system, too, and an admirable one at that. // Naked Snake: That supposed to be an offer? // Hot Coldman: I'm not offering anything. If I'm to sell my new system, you and yours have got to go.
  11. ^ a b Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Kojima Productions, (2010).
    Vladimir Zadornov: You've [Big Boss] done well. You took a ragtag band of guerillas - children - and shaped them into a full-fledged, formidable army. And now, you'll truly become our century's most complete human being! // Hot Coldman: ... Che Guevara? // Zadornov: None other. A hero who gunned down by the CIA becomes a Legendary Icon. The Sandinistas will rise up in revenge overthrowing the Pro-American regime and wresting Nicaragua from U.S. hands. And the nuclear strike on Cuba naturally will be the last straw.
  12. ^ Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Kojima Productions (2010)
    Snake (Big Boss): Mr. Chairman. I'll get straight to the point. Cancel the retaliatory strike now! // Chairman of the Joint Chiefs: What? // Snake: The radar blips you're seeing are all fakes. No one's launched any nukes. // Chairman: How do you know? // Snake: The launch data is fake part of an experiment that leaked. You weren't supposed to receive it. Your radar is showing missiles that don't exist. // Chairman: If you're lying then we've got 10 minutes til we're toast. We have to retaliate or more Americans die. // Snake: The experiment was planned and executed by the CIA's Station Chief in Central America. // Chairman: Then put him on! // (scene shifts to Hot Coldman's corpse aboard the chopper, with the heart monitor still emitting a long beep) // Snake: He's dead. I can give you his name though.
  13. ^ Homo Homini Lupus at Wikipedia
  14. ^ http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/new-peace-walker-info-from-famitsu-team-deathmatch-online.188717036/
    Coldman: Grahahahaha, it may have cost all of Costa Rica but now I have the battle data for my advisor to tell me what the Ultimate Deterrent is! What machine should I give my famous nuke to? // The Boss AI: Naked Snake. // Naked Snake: *Blush* From now on, call me Big Boss!
  15. ^ http://ameblo.jp/kp-blogcast/entry-10361111977.html
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