Vulcan Raven

Vulcan Raven is the heavy weapons expert and shaman of FOXHOUND and a villain from Metal Gear Solid.

Past
Born to Native American and Inuit parents, Vulcan Raven was raised as a shaman, so that he possessed shaman intuition and spiritual powers. He went to University of Alaska and was known for taking part in the Eskimo Indian Olympics in Fairbanks. Raven was a champion at Muk-tuk eating and the ear-pulling event, where two opponents pulled each other ears in the harsh cold in a test of both spiritual and physical strength. Raven was also extremely skilled at the Four Man Carry event, which he was able to do with six men and was the champion for three years at the Stick Pull. He also made a hobby out of catching deer in the Brooks Mountains, a highly dangerous part of Alaska. At one point, Raven was on a trip to Siberia, crossing the Bering Strait, when he met Revolver Ocelot. Afterwards, he joined Vympel, a special forces unit in the Soviet Union, but after the fall of the USSR, he was demoted along with the rest of Vympel following Boris Yeltsin’s uprising. Raven left Russia, becoming a mercenary, and eventually joined Big Boss’ mercenary organization, Outer Heaven. After Solid Snake was sent in on his first mission, bring down Outer Heaven, Raven did not meet him. When Outer Heaven was destroyed, the shaman took Revolver Ocelot’s advice and joined FOXHOUND, becoming the unit’s heavy weapons/ explosives expert. Raven’s weapon of choice M61 Vulcan autocannon (earning him his codename), which was normally used on military aircrafts like the F-16.

Metal Gear Solid
However Vulcan Raven and his fellow members of FOXHOUND became sick of their roles as the government’s tools. They staged a takeover of a nuclear disposal facility on Shadow Moses Island, where Metal Gear REX was being built. As Solid Snake was sent in to bring them down, Raven confronted him in an M1 Abrams tank. Snake managed to destroy it by throwing a grenade into the tank, blowing it up. Raven survived the explosion and told Liquid Snake about what happened, indicating that he was actually sent in to test Snake’s soldier skills, as well as to have him recover a keycard in a plan to trick him into activating REX. Later on, Raven faced off against Snake in a freezing cold warehouse and the two battled, but the shaman lost. After losing, he gave Snake a “hint” to their plans, revealing that the DARPA chief that Snake saw die was actually Decoy Octopus. However Raven would not tell Snake why he died or what killed him or the reason he’d disguised himself as the DARPA chief. He hinted at Liquid and Solid Snake being clones of Big Boss, saying that they were from another world, one that he didn’t want to know. As his flock of pet ravens devoured him and he became “one” with them, Raven told Snake who would always follow a life of bloodshed. Raven continued, saying that the souls of Snake’s enemies would haunt him forever and that he’d have no peace. Raven ended by declaring his spirit would be watching him, as his ravens consumed him completely, leaving nothing left but his gun.

Abilities
Vulcan Raven is extremely strong, as seen by his accomplishments in the Eskimo Indian Olympics and his ability to easily able to use his heavy M61 Vulcan autocannon as well as carry its enormous ammo drum on his back. This powerful weapon is usually designed for use in aircrafts and the recoil is akin to a jackhammer. Raven is also knowledgeable in explosives, but his most notable skills are his powers as a shaman. He can apparently talk to his raven flock and uses a spiritual raven he summons from the tattoo on his head to put “the mark of death” on his foes, briefly rendering them immobile.

Trivia

 * After Snake beat Raven’s tank, Revolver Ocelot warned him not to underestimate Snake, but Raven reminded Ocelot he’d lost as well adn called him General Ivan, (Ivan bein gan ethnic slur for Russians).
 * Vulcan Raven’s English voice actor is Peter Lurie and his Japanese voice actor is Yukitoshi Hori.