This page contains unmarked spoilers for Metal Gear Rising: Revengence. Proceed with caution.
Senator Steven Armstrong
"I'm not one of those beltway pansies. I could break the president in two, with my bare hands!"
When powered up by nanomachines, son
Voiced by: Unshō Ishizuka (JP), Alastair Duncan (EN)
"Nationalism! Unilateralism! Materialism! Welcome maxims for those with no faith — without guiding principles of their own. Give yourself up to the whole. No need to better yourself — you're American! You're number one!"
One of Colorado's elected Senators, and a candidate for the US Presidency, Steven Armstrong is the backer of Desperado Enforcement and the main villain of the game. A full-blown Social Darwinist at heart, Armstrong wishes for a world ruled solely by strength, where ideals are literally fought for, and the strong can mold the world in their image. He uses nanomachinesnote infused in his body to enhance his physical abilities to inhuman levels, granting him drastically increased strength, durability and speed during combat.
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A-H
- Achilles' Heel:
- Armstrong's body is infused with nanomachines that harden almost instantaneously upon contact with physical trauma, but they still have limits. Sufficiently powerful physical forces, such as attacks from the Murasama HF Blade, will force the nanomachines to converge and localize their energy into the targeted area of the body. Raiden exploits this during the last portion of their fight by first slashing Armstrong across his upper body, before proceeding to quickly stab through his midsection and critically injure him.
- Another is that the nanomachines spread out from his heart, so Sam is able to use his gunsheath to outpace the response time of the nanomachines and cut off Armstrong's arm before it can harden, while Raiden ultimately kills Armstrong by Zandatsuing and crushing his heart.
- According to Kojima, the nanomachines in Armstrong can run out of power, meaning that if there are no energy sources nearby along with him fighting an opponent who can outlast his onslaught, Armstrong would be rendered helpless. Kojima also states that this is what would've led to Armstrong's defeat against Sam in the DLC if it wasn't for Sam's impatience.
- Action Politician: Being a Senator doesn't stop him from piloting a Metal Gear or getting into personal combat with Raiden.
- Affably Evil: Between all his threats, he is also polite and respectful to his opponents, even when he's winning. Particularly in the Jetstream DLC, where he's gently smiling while completely schooling Sam in a fight. It's to the point where, during Raiden's I Surrender, Suckers moment, he immediately helps Raiden up and dusts him off when he thinks Raiden will join him. Before this, even when Raiden is utterly baffled at how he got to where he is, we get this gem.Raiden: How the hell did you get elected?
Armstrong: (Chuckles) Well, I don't write my own speeches. - Ambiguous Robots: Thanks to his nanomachines, Armstrong is a fusion of man and machine on the cellular level.
- An Arm and a Leg: In the Jetstream DLC, Sam manages to sever Armstrong's right arm, but his body-hardening nanomachines keep the stump sharp, allowing him to sever Sam's own arm in return, as well as reattaching his.
- The Anti-Nihilist: He has a sideways version of Solid Snake's philosophy. He sees a world full of citizens pacified by empty principles and soldiers dying for causes they don't believe in, but rather than a world of peace, he wants to create a world of freedom - one where people can choose their own principles and fight for their own causes. He may not be able to end all war, but at least he can make sure that those who put their lives at stake are doing it for their own good reasons.
- Anti-Villain: Though he isn't above using child soldiers and using Desperado to create conflicts in nations that are recovering from war, he is a man that wants what's best for his country... Or at least what he thinks is the best. Being one of the only antagonists in the series that doesn't want to use nuclear weapons is also a plus. He also believes in Defeat Equals Friendship, has genuine respect for Raiden and really wants him on his side. Raiden sums it up the best:Raiden: I was wrong. You're not greedy — you're bat-shit insane!
- Badass Boast: The entire fight with him is riddled with these. Everything coming out of his mouth that isn't about politics is this in spades. It's weird to hear that the man didn't write his own speeches. Then again, everything he says makes him sound crazy.
- Badass Bureaucrat: With the "Badass" part including physical badassery, unlike most examples of the trope.
- Badass in a Nice Suit: As expected from a Senator, though he drops the jacket when he pilots Excelsus. His shirt also slowly gets torn off when he starts using his nanomachines.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: Armstrong is a weapon, so he obviously doesn't one, marking quite the contrast to his Quirky Miniboss Squad's Impossibly Cool Weaponry.
- Bare-Handed Blade Block: Not only does he catch Raiden's HF blade in one hand, he snaps it in half. He also does this if you get too trigger happy with Blade Mode on him.
- Battle Amongst the Flames: Which is also the ruins of Metal Gear EXCELSUS.
- Battle Aura: Emits one during his fight with Raiden. In "Jetstream", he can also trigger an even bigger one when he Turns Red.
- Beat Still, My Heart: Raiden kills him by ripping out his still beating heart and crushing it.
- Berserk Button: Sam's extended taunt suggests that it's his age. Armstrong's impossibly mean rage-only attack suggests that it's definitely his age.Sam: [laughs] Not bad... for an old man!
- Big Bad: Of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. He's the ultimate backer of Desperado and the Winds of Destruction.
- Blade Below the Shoulder: Armstrong finishes his duel with Sam by using the razor-sharp stump of his severed arm as a blade.
- Body Horror: Has giant veins coming out of a massive scar on his chest from which his nanomachine armor expands. Even Raiden looks shocked when he first sees it. His arms also gets covered with burn marks and scratches from using his nanomachines to generate massive amounts of heat for his punches.
- Blood Knight: Loves a good fight and says things like "Hah, that one hurt!" when he takes a lot of damage in the latter half in the fight. His biggest blood knight line of them all is probably "Hahaha! This is the greatest fight of my life!"
- Carbon Skin: Armstrong's nanomachines allow him to harden his body into a nigh-indestructible substance resembling graphene, so strong that even Raiden can't cut it.
- Character Filibuster: He gives two of the longest speeches in the game.
- Cigar Chomper: He has a cigar in hand while going on a Motive Rant about starting a war with Pakistan, and throws the half-smoken end of it at Raiden, who cuts it in half. He also takes a smoke break after kicking the shit out of a bruised-up Raiden.
- Cluster F-Bomb: Quite possibly the most foul-mouthed character in the Metal Gear franchise to date. His Motive Rant is composed in good part of f-bombs.
- Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: To Zero from the previous installments in the chronology. Both are political leaders who tried to achieve their goals through power, but Zero stayed behind the scenes and used his brains to further his plans, while Armstrong was more physical. In addition, the two have completely opposite personalities, with Zero being a calm and refined Quintessential British Gentleman, and Armstrong being a vulgar Large Ham who embodies the Eagleland trope.
- Cool Old Guy: Villainous example. One can even see that his hair has started whitening a bit. And in his life he was a quarterback for the University of Texas, a Navy veteran, a United States Senator, and possibly the most dangerous fighter alive thanks to his superhuman physique. He seems to be touchy about his age, as Sam insulting him for it triggers a particularly brutal attack.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: He's the de facto head of World Mashal, which seeks to create war to gather funds and isn't above using cyberized child soldiers.
- Corrupt Politician: Is a Colorado Senator with links to Private Military Contractors and human trafficking.
- Could Have Been A Contender: Downplayed; Armstrong tells Raiden he played football at University of Texas, and that if he didn't enlist in the navy, he would've turned pro really.
- Covered with Scars: His nanomachine heart creates an ugly pulsating scar all over his chest. This is especially noticeable whenever he hulks up.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: The fight with him is initially this, Raiden manages to get some hits in, but Armstrong mostly shrugs them off and gives him the worst beating he's ever endured, up until Blade Wolf gives Raiden the Murasama. Also, his fight with Sam in the Jetstream DLC. The whole fight he was just testing him, and when Sam attempts another go, Armstrong gets serious and beats his face, even losing a hand barely slows him down.
- The Cynic: Outright says the "average joe" only cares about money. He also thinks people don't care about information control, or right and wrong, as long as the information is spun well enough to make them feel comfortable.
- Dark Messiah: He believes he will be the one to usher in a stronger and more principled America...by turning it into an anarchist hellscape.
- Defeat Equals Friendship: He's a stern believer in this. He offers Sam a job and constantly offers Raiden a place too. Problem is, his job interviews involve a fight...
- Defeating the Undefeatable: He recruited Sam, who had garnered a reputation as an untouchable swordsman by breaking him in both body and spirit.
- Determinator: In the Final Battle he gets buried under rubble repeatedly, and if the player gets the Quick-Time Events right, kicked with enough force you can hear his ribs crack, punched repeatedly in the midsection, backhanded and smashed in the face with the full force of Raiden's fist hard enough to make him fly back several feet, yet still gets back up to kick ass. In the final part of the fight, Raiden jabs the Murasama right through his midriff, and Armstrong still tries to overpower him one last time!
- The Jetstream DLC, Sam cuts his hand off, and he uses the sharp stump of his arm as a weapon.
- Dub Personality Change: It's subtle, but Armstrong's reasons for wanting to turn American into an anarchist dystopia are different in the English and Japanese scripts. In English, Armstrong puts a greater emphasis on giving freedom back to the people, while in Japanese, he's more focused on weeding out those he views as greedy political cowards who tout hollow ideals while forcing other people to fight for their personal gain.
- Dystopia Justifies the Means: Wishes to make America a nation based on Social Darwinism, where everyone is free to fight and kill for what they believe in.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Armstrong appears as early as Desperado Lab level in Mexico, where he's seen with Sundowner in one of visual logs. He's not addressed by his name and the camera deliberately obscures his face, presumably to set him up as a Giant Space Flea from Nowhere.
- Empowered Badass Normal: He was athletic and strong enough to play pro-football straight out of college before becoming a Navy SEAL. The nanomachines he uses bulk him up enormously, make him stronger than Raiden, and nearly impossible to kill to boot.
- Energy Absorption: Once EXCELSUS is down, green energy flows from the Metal Gear's exposed wiring into him in order to charge up his nanomachines. During the last part of the fight he will periodically stop to do this again and restore his health, but luckily this leaves him wide open for an attack to both stop him and stun him briefly for some punishment.
- Equal-Opportunity Evil: Will accept anybody from a Noble Demon to a Psycho for Hire who doesn't care about ideals into his ranks.
- Even Evil Has Standards: He's disgusted by what the Patriot AIs did to the world, and when he reveals his plans before the Final Battle, he straight up says that his "Second War on Terror" is only out to kill extremists, madmen and the like. Of course, when he talks about his "Second War On Terror" he is pretending to be a stereotypical Corrupt Politician and has just gotten through a speech on how easily manipulated the masses can be and profiting on war. So, it is likely he was referring to "extremists, madmen, etc." as labels that can be used to justify attacking other countries and starting war for profit. As he reveals after Raiden destroys Metal Gear Excelsus and fights him hand-to-hand, Armstrong actually despises war as a business and how the masses can be manipulated through government, labels, media, etc.; he is a Corrupt Politician, but he actually is also a Well-Intentioned Extremist who wants to give America freedom from control by corrupt government, media, etc. ... by creating a Social Darwinist "utopia".
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Despite his goal being to recreate America into a nation where people will not be coerced, conned, or conscripted into fighting someone else's war, but will instead settle ideological differences with literal duels to the death to fight for what they personally believe, he simply cannot understand why truly ideal would-be citizens of this new nation such as Raiden and Blade Wolf refuse to fall in line behind him.
- Evil Is Hammy: Big time, to a memetic degree.
- "Don't FUCK with this Senator!"
- "Feel the Wrath of the U.S.A.!"
- "Played college ball, ya know."
- "Ashes to ashes motherfucker!"
- "Hit the road, Jack!"
- "Uncle Sam needs you to die, Jack!"
- Every word of his cuss word-laden Motive Rant.
- And of course, "Nanomachines, son!"
- Evil Is Petty: Calls cherry blossoms and other forms of transient beauty "sissy crap." Even mentions that he'll fire one of his executives for constructing the Japanese garden seen inside World Marshal, and that the guy will be lucky if he can even carry his box of personal belongings out of the office.
- Evil Sounds Deep: Has possibly the deepest voice of all the villains in this game. Kinda goes without saying when he's built like a freight train.
- Expy: A lot of fans have pointed out that his plan would essentially create the lawless Hell that is the world of Fist of the North Star, minus the nuclear holocaust. (Even his plan is to "wipe the slate clean"...) Even when powered up, he looks and fights like Raoh, the very person in that world trying to bring about order and law.
- Face Death with Dignity: He admits defeat when Raiden pulls his heart out, but goes down with his chin held high and his ideals untarnished.
- Final Boss:
- He's the final enemy of both the main game and the Jetstream DLC.
- Chronologically, he's the Final Boss of the series as a whole, due to Revengeance being Left Hanging.
- Final-Exam Boss: If you haven't mastered every mechanic that the other bosses demanded, Armstrong will wreck you.
- MG RAY: RAY teaches the basics of boss battles, which Armstrong also adheres to.
- LQ-84i: Recognizing and properly responding to the UG's startup animations is key to surviving the following attacks. However, Armstrong's startup animations are harder to tell apart, and incorrect predictions tend to set you up for a damaging punish.
- Mistral: Certain parts of the fight provide scripted Blade Mode setups that let the player chop off Mistral's arms or her spear. With Armstrong, Blade Mode is absolutely required during certain quick-time events that target his arms, and he can heal himself infinitely unless the player manually uses Blade Mode to hit him in the back.
- GRAD: Armstrong's movement is both faster and more flexible than Raiden's, so understanding approach tools like Dystopia and purchasable Dash Attack skills is the only way to keep up with him.
- Monsoon: Beating Monsoon requires that the player has mastered parrying. Armstrong requires that the player do it with better reflexes.
- Sundowner: His explosive-shield gimmick can only be defeated by lining up the Blade Mode plane through multiple boxes. Armstrong's rubble-tossing attack demands the same skill, except performed multiple times in a row and at different angles.
- Sam: Sam teaches defensive play by blocking overeager attacks. Armstrong doesn't even flinch from them, and he has enough HP to take a few attacks before hitting back with more power.
- Final Speech: When Raiden is about to kill him, Armstrong stops him short and states that although war will continue to thrive as a business, he leaves Raiden as a worthy successor to end war as a business, while also remarking how they're not so different.Armstrong: You've guaranteed the status-quo will go on, for a while longer at least... War... will continue as an institution. As an industry. Men will fight for reasons they don't understand, causes they don't believe in... But at least I'll leave a worthy successor... You, Jack. You carve your own path, use whatever methods you see fit... You don't let legal bullshit get in the way. And if it costs a few lives? So be it... Deep inside, we're... kindred spirits... you... and I...
- Foe-Tossing Charge: The first thing he does once he starts fighting Raiden is knock him back with a powerful shoulder tackle. He also performs plenty of these in the final battle proper.
- Foil:
- To The Boss. They both have similar philosophies about war, they take in a younger man to uphold their will, and create a world where war should not be a necessity. The Boss wanted a world where soldiers should give up their arms and live in peace with each other. Armstrong wanted to end war as a business. The main difference is that Big Boss twisted The Boss's Will, thinking she gave herself up whereas Raiden took Armstrong's philosophies to heart (but not the methods).
- To Raiden where they both want to end war as a business. They have similar goals and wants to fight for what they believe. Armstrong's Villain Song, It Has To Be This Way, even reinforces this with the words "I've carved my own path, you followed your wrath. But maybe we're both the same".
- Foreshadowing: "Huh, why does that politician in a suit look like he could bench press a small tank?", you might wonder when you first see Armstrong in the Desperado labs in Mexico. Of course, that's because he's the Lightning Bruiser Final Boss!
- His first speech about maxims and "isms" when he exits the Metal Gear. At first, you may think it's a typical Evil Gloating speech about Eagleland superiority and/or how it makes people easy to manipulate. But if you pay attention to his tone and expressions, you realize Armstrong is disgusted by AND mocking the ideals he's exemplifying, hinting at his true motivation and Hidden Depths even before he feels Raiden earned his respect enough to learn what they are.
- At the Airstrip, a Codec with Boris has him and Raiden ponder who could be waiting for them at the end of the base, specifically mentioning Armstrong just in case the player forgot about him. They rule him out as being at the base, though, instead assuming a cyborg to be leading Operation Tecumseh. The fact that he's even at the base and takes on Raiden with EXCELSUS, instead of hanging back on the other side of the planet watching the operation unfold, also shows that he is far tougher than a typical corrupt politician.
- Throughout the Hopeless Bossfight portion of the battle, parts of his body including his head inexplicably turn metallic black when stuck or used for attacks, showing how he's curbstomping Raiden before he formally reveals his nanomachine enhancements.
- Forehead of Doom: According to the character designer, while Armstrong's original design made him look more intelligent, his forehead and chin were later emphasized to be more fitting with his character. Specifically, that of a man of action, not just words.
- Friendly Enemy: As he admits, he actually rather likes Raiden and would rather have him on his side. He wouldn't have spent all that time debating philosophy if he didn't want to convince Raiden. Even more evident in the Jetstream DLC, where he keeps offering Sam a job.
- Genius Bruiser: He is both a nigh-invincible juggernaut and a University of Texas graduate who can easily pilot an extremely advanced Metal Gear and orchestrate a series of large scale terrorism attacks.
- Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: He's mentioned at various points throughout the game but he's only really prominent at the climax and at no point was it ever implied that he was anything other than some politician. Naturally, all of Raiden's mission support are utterly baffled at him being capable of fighting Raiden.
- The Glasses Come Off: He takes off his glasses when he gets serious against Raiden.
- Good Hair, Evil Hair: Armstrong never has a single strand of his slicked back hair out of place.
- Good Old Fisticuffs: Unlike other enemies, he doesn't use an HF weapon, just his fists. He played college football, and served in the Navy (which trains in hand-to-hand), but never saw combat.
- Good Smoking, Evil Smoking: The only one in the entire game who's seen smoking, and it's naturally cigars to boot.
- Go Out with a Smile: Dies happy knowing Raiden will keep trying to end war, even if unlike himself he won't try to create a Social-Darwinistic world.
- Graceful Loser: As he dies, he congratulates Raiden for his victory and encourages him to fight for what he believes in, thereby becoming the embodiment of his ideals.
- Having a Blast: He can cause explosions simply by punching the ground. He can even do this while on a helipad.
- He also has an attack where he creates smaller explosions that chase you. It's possible that he's focusing superheated Nanomachines into the ground to cause fiery explosions. Or something else, who knows.
- Heads I Win, Tails You Lose: The fight with him in "Jetstream". Despite apparently losing by the end of the fight with Sam, in the cutscene afterwards he gets back like nothing happened (and from the look of him compared to other bosses when defeated, very little did) and beats the tar of out him.
- Healing Factor: Since his body is just as much a machine as it is flesh and blood, as long as his body is energized, his nanomachines will always recover; he can even reattach severed limbs just by slapping the severed appendage back on. Thus, he can heal by absorbing energy from the technology in his vicinity, though doing this forces him to halt whatever else he is doing, leaving him wide open to attacks.
- Hidden Badass: No one saw it coming that a US Senator would be one of the most powerful combatants in the Metal Gear universe to date.
- Hidden Depths: Twice. Like a good politician, he keeps his real motivations hidden very well. The first time you meet him, he gleefully admits to being a sort of neo-Patriot who's set on restarting the war economy to maintain America's status as a world power. When Raiden points out the hypocrisy of his speech and his politician persona, Armstrong admits even that is just a pretense, and actually loathes the shallow, sensationalist, materialistic culture he earlier claimed to support, and is actually planning to destroy America and rebuild it as a Darwinist utopia.
- Hobbes Was Right: Interestingly enough, his vision of an anarchic, social Darwinist utopia is very similar to what Hobbes believed was the natural endpoint of humanity without a sovereign to maintain order. The difference being Armstrong thinks this is a good thing.
- Hulking Out: He absorbs a massive amount of electricity from either several helicopters or what's left of Metal Gear EXCELSUS to activate his nanomachines. This causes him to temporarily bulk up to a huge degree.
- Human Hammer-Throw: In "Jetstream", he pulls off a Giant Swing on Sam near the end of the battle.
- Humongous Mecha: Shows up in the gigantic Metal Gear EXCELSUS to slaughter Raiden with.
- Hopeless Boss Fight: It becomes apparent by the final part of the fight that if Armstrong had fought seriously from the start, Raiden wouldn't have stood the tiniest of chances.
- Hypocrite Has a Point: Raiden points out that for all his talk about the survival of the fittest, Armstrong has never had to experience any kind of hardship in his life, let alone the kind that Raiden grew up with. Armstrong retorts that Raiden's hellish upbringing turned Raiden into what he is today, thus validating Armstrong's philosophy.
- Hypocritical Humor: One of his battle taunts against Raiden in the third phase of their final battle is calling him a "freak". Yes, this is coming from a guy who's basically a fusion of man and machine at the cellular level.
I-Z
- I Know Madden Kombat: He "played college ball, ya know". Hence he likes to punt people around as if they were American footballs, and many of his attacks are powerful charging tackles.
- I Am Not Left-Handed: Raiden thought it was over when he destroyed Metal Gear EXCELSUS... then Armstrong activates his Super Mode. He was also holding back the first two rounds, only using his Magma Man powers in the final round, once Raiden has a weapon capable of actually hurting him.
- Improbable Weapon User: In the Jetstream Sam campaign, he uses the sharp, curved nanomachine-hardened stump of his chopped-off hand, of all things, as a weapon.
- Instant Armor: His nanomachines harden in response to physical trauma (and likely through mental command, as well), allowing him to casually shrug off just about everything short of the Murasama.
- Internal Reformist: "I'm using War as a Business to get elected, so I can end War as a Business."
- Irony:
- Each member of the Desperados suffered a Dark and Troubled Past, while Armstrong has a relatively good life. Tellingly, he's their leader and is the strongest member of them all.
- There's also his belief that individuals should be able pursue freedom and fight for what they believe in. When Blade Wolf, an ideal example of the individual that Armstrong describes, challenges Armstrong's position, his response is to attack him and disregard what he says. This one, however, is built into what he said earlier: in his vision of a new America, if someone's views conflict with your own, you fight until one fighter's beliefs are rendered void. By punting Blade Wolf, he was trying to assert that his own views were superior to Wolf's.
- Armstrong is obsessively into the idea of individualism and people fighting on their own terms, but his power is derived from nanomachines—as in, his body is flooded with tiny robots that practically do the fighting for him. Unlike genuinely skilled fighters like Sam, Armstrong is shown to be little more than a brawler; without his army of invisible helpers, his boss fight would have lasted four seconds.
- It Is Beyond Saving: Armstrong believes that America in its current state is too corrupted by political and bureaucratic "bullshit" to save in any capacity. He wants to tear the very foundation of the country apart and create a new society in its place where Might Makes Right.
- Ivy League for Everyone: Defied. When he mentions playing college football, Raiden assumes he attended "some cushy Ivy-League school." Armstrong proudly announces that he attended the University Of Texas (admittedly still regarded as a "Public Ivy") and played football.
- Jumped at the Call: In the "call to service" variety. He joined the navy instead of turning pro in football.
- The Juggernaut: For the first two phases of his fight, Raiden can barely put a dent in him. Even with the Murasama, Armstrong still shrugs off a lot of attacks.
- Kick the Dog: A literal example. He punts Blade Wolf away after the latter gives Raiden the Murasama.
- At the end of Jetstream Sam's DLC, he extends his hand to shake Sam's. That is to say, the one he just cut off.
- Knight Templar: Claims he's a hero out to save America, despite being a "batshit insane" monster, according to Raiden.
- Lantern Jaw of Justice: This guy's jaw puts Superman's to shame. Though his own dark brand of "justice" makes it a subversion.
- Large and in Charge: He's the Big Bad, who stands a full 200 centimeters tall with a heavy, muscular build.
- Large Ham: For as much of an amoral Social Darwinist as he is, Armstrong has quite possibly the most pork-infused lines and delivery of any Metal Gear villain to date. His masterful ability to Chew the Scenery and Milk The Giant Cow and do so with utter sincerity makes him astonishingly persuasive when he gives Raiden his Motive Rant.
- Last-Name Basis: He is almost never referred to by his given name, Steven, most of the time Armstrong is all Raiden and others will scream at the top of their lungs; him being mostly called just Armstrong also goes in hand with his imposing nature and presence, ironic since he gets personal with Raiden right way, only calling him by his given name of Jack.
- Averted in the Japanese version, where Raiden angrily shouts "Steven!" when he catches the Murasama. This indicates to show that Raiden's been accepting some of Armstrong's ideas, but still wants to stop him. First names are also considered a lot more personal in Japan than the west.
- Laughably Evil: He spouts out some of the funniest lines a Metal Gear villain has delivered completely unironically. And that isn't even getting into his over-the-top transformation poses.
- Lightning Bruiser: He is both nigh-invulnerable and capable of dashing across the final battlefield in a few seconds; his basic moveset is also stronger and faster than Raiden's basic attacks, and can easily eat off an entire healthbar of yours if he gets to unleash a full combo or stun you, even on Normal difficulty.
- Magnetism Manipulation: In the "Jetstream" DLC, he demonstrates Monsoon's ability to levitate vehicles and toss them at his enemy. Possibly because he doesn't have any EXCELSUS wreckage to throw at Sam.
- The Man Behind the Man: He's the man behind World Marshal and Desperado, funding their attacks to further his agenda of plunging the world into war.
- Manipulative Bastard: Easily adjusts for Raiden's attempt to interfere with his plans to his advantage. By framing his actions as terrorist attacks to justify starting a war, it allowed him to pull his plan off without having to kill the President like he originally intended.
- Meaningful Name: Maybe a bit on the nose; his arms are indeed very strong. And that's not even getting into when he activates his Nanomachines. It also happens to be the surname of one of the most famous Americans to ever live, appropriate given Armstrong's intense nostalgia for America's past.
- Meet the New Boss: Thirteen years after George "Solidus Snake" Sears's resignation from the US presidency over the Shadow Moses Incident and nine years after his insurrection during the Manhattan Incident, Presidential candidate Steven Armstrong expresses a similar desire to reboot the United States by instigating a revolution within the American homeland. In-universe, Sundowner directly cites Desperado's Child Soldier as inspired by Solidus'.
- Might Makes Right: Armstrong tries to apply it with some sophistry, he believes only the strongest have what it takes to survive in the world he envisioned, people who can fight for what they truly believe in with their own hands, only these people could ever be in the right, and he, the man with great power, can create such world; at the end of the day Armstrong is a firm believer, since he wasn't dissuaded of his beliefs after being defeated, instead he sees Raiden as a kindred spirit, a successor of sorts who just proved himself to be stronger, a man who might just be what Armstrong wanted all along in his new world.
- Motive Rant: Delivers one as he's beating Raiden senseless atop Metal Gear EXCELSUS:"'I have a dream.' That one day every person in this nation will control their OWN destiny. A land of the TRULY free, dammit. A nation of ACTION, not words. Ruled by STRENGTH, not committee. Where the law changes to suit the individual, not the other way around. Where power and justice are back where they belong: in the hands of the people! Where every man is free to think — to act — for himself! Fuck all these limp-dick lawyers and chicken-shit bureaucrats. Fuck this 24/7 Internet spew of trivia and celebrity bullshit. Fuck 'American pride.' Fuck the media! Fuck all of it! America is diseased. Rotten to the core. There's no saving it — we need to pull it out by the roots. Wipe the slate clean. BURN IT DOWN! And from the ashes a new America will be born. Evolved, but untamed! The weak will be purged and the strongest will thrive — free to live as they see fit, they'll make America great again! ... In my new America, people will die and kill for what they BELIEVE! Not for money. Not for oil! Not for what they're told is right. Every man will be free to fight his own wars!"
- Multiple Life Bars: His final form has two.
- My Rules Are Not Your Rules: Unlike every other boss in the game, Final Boss Armstrong has 200% health.
- Mysterious Past: Played With. Armstrong seems to have a relatively normal background in America, according to Raiden. The reasons behind his Social Darwinist Might Makes Right-based philosophy are a complete mystery, given he doesn't seem to have a Dark and Troubled Past like Raiden and the rest of Desperado. He does seem to have some knowledge about The Patriots, but how/if he is connected to them is never clarified.
- There's no clear explanation as to how he met and recruited any of the other Winds of Destruction into his cause save for Jetstream Sam. He likely recruited Sundowner and Khamsin from the USA military, but the rest is a mystery. Mistral at least seems to be in love with him, but what his feelings towards her were are never revealed either (and he doesn't even mention any of the Winds save for Sam during his fight with Raiden).
- We also have NO idea how he created and enhanced himself with the nanomachines, which seem to be VERY unique and powerful even by Metal Gear Solid standards.
- Nigh-Invulnerability: His body cells are fused with nanomachines. When they are activated, his flesh hardens to become many times more durable than the CNT Muscle Fiber that Raiden is made of. The nanomachines also harden in response to physical trauma, making him as durable as he needs to be.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Once he decides to go all out, Armstrong first delivers a punch that sends Raiden flying, then traps the cyborg underneath him while starting to punch him in a slow pace before going Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs and finally finishes with a punch that's strong enough to blow up the Metal Gear EXCELSUS.Armstrong: Die, you PIECE OF SHIT!
- No Party Given: He hails from the swing state of Colorado. With his yellow tie (neither Democrat blue or Republican red) he's either independent or in the Libertarian Party, a party too small to be very controversial. His personal philosophy also makes speculating on him being right wing or left wing utterly misses the point, since his personal goal is extreme libertarianism combined with a good dose of insanity.
- No-Sell: He's special in that he is the only boss in the entire game that makes no attempt whatsoever to dodge any attack flung at him. He either catches, blocks, or straight up ignores it.
- Noble Demon: Inverted. His means are evil, but his goal not necessarily so. It depends on how much stock you put into Social Darwinism and Might Makes Right. In any case, he seems to put a lot of emphasis on its freedom and claritive aspects, and genuinely believes he's making the world a better place by whatever means necessary.
- A more straight example is his apparent full belief in Defeat Means Friendship. While fighting Sam, he never gives up trying to recruit him, even while pounding his head into the concrete, even after Sam cuts off his arm, and always with that confident smile. When Raiden starts to look like he'll go the same route Sam did, Armstrong actually helps Raiden stand up and shakes his hand, and even gives him a Man Hug... which gives Raiden the perfect opening to attack.
- Non-Action Big Bad: At first. He spends most of the game hiding his true intentions and ties to Desperado...and then the truth comes out. The instant he enters the battlefield, he absolutely mops the floor with Raiden, again and again. And then he keeps going.
- "Not So Different" Remark: To Armstrong, Raiden is a perfect fit for his "Might Makes Right" philosophy, which is why he keeps trying to convince him to join his side, even after Raiden's I Surrender, Suckers moment. This isn't just an empty flattery; he truly thinks Raiden is like him, a belief he doesn't give up even in his death.Raiden: What do you know about "the weak"? You weren't born poor. You've never been hungry. You don't know what it's like to fight and steal and kill just to survive...Armstrong: But you did survive! Through sheer force of will, following your own set of rules. With your own two hands, you took back your life!
- His Leitmotif It Has To Be This Way shows that Armstrong and Raiden has the same goals (stopping the war economy, ending pointless wars that have no meaning, violence is the only option when peace isn't), but the song treats the both of them as being blameless despite the bloodshed in their goals.
- Not-So-Harmless Villain: Seems at first to be a completely normal middle aged senator that is utterly defenseless without Metal Gear EXCELSUS. It soon turns out he's actually more dangerous on his own though.
- Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: While he has a number of points regarding the issues with his country, his pointed solution is to replace it with a society where "every man will be free to fight his own wars": a world where people would have complete freedom to do any good or bad thing they so desired so long as they had the pure strength to do so, with anyone weaker than them being "purged" and left at their mercy. Which is to say, a world where those with cybernetic enhancements, military strength or political power, like him, would be free to rule over the rest of mankind.
- Order Versus Chaos: Initially claims to adhere to Order, as shown in his first battle theme "Collective Consciousness," which is about telling the masses to give up their rights and free will for the good of the country, and boasts about the wonders a little war can do for the economy, essentially continuing the Patriot's legacy. Once EXCELSUS is destroyed however, he reveals he actually pushes for Chaos, wishing to create a country where the weak are purged, the strongest thrive, and everyone is able to fight for their own freedom and beliefs, and that his previous stance was merely an act to get elected.
- Our Presidents Are Different: Well, a senator of the "Action" variety. And by "Action", we do mean "Action."
- Out of the Inferno: Sometimes pulls this during the last part of his fight. When he punches the ground and creates literal fire walls, he sometimes walks through them instead of his charging attack.
- Patriotic Fervor: Armstrong is an incredibly fervent Eaglelander, if only for his vision of a Darwinist utopian America.
- Playing with Fire: He's able to punch the ground with enough force to trigger massive bursts of flame.
- Pride: Arguably what leads to his defeat. Armstrong holds back on Raiden for the first two phases of the fight, thinking he can still convince him to join his side. By the time he decides to get serious and finish off his opponent, Blade Wolf makes an appearance and grants Raiden the one weapon that can harm him. Nonetheless, though defeated, he dies happy, knowing that in Raiden he has "a worthy succesor", who like him, will fight for his ideals no matter what.
- Punch! Punch! Punch! Uh Oh...: Raiden's attempts at Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs do nothing but slightly amuse him. The C-Shape Punch he hits Armstrong with at the end barely budges him a few feet backwards (this is the same guy that just Ippon Zeoi'd a Humongous Mecha minutes earlier) and get no more reaction out of Armstrong than having to push his glasses back in place.
- Rank Scales with Asskicking: He's both the ultimate backer of Desperado, and the most advanced and lethal combatant they have, using Nanomachines in his body to become a nigh-invulnerable superhuman.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: He wears black pants and shoes, his nanomachines turn his skin black as well with some bloody red, and his eyes glow bright red.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: His glasses obscure his bright red eyes. In his final battle, he puts away the glasses to show he's no longer holding back.
- Rule of Symbolism: When claiming to be acting in the interests of the War Economy, you fight him as he pilots the multi-billion dollar Metal Gear Excelsus. When you pull him out of that "shell", he reveals his Social Darwinist agenda and proceeds to beat you down with his sheer strength.
- Raiden fighting for his belief system's right to thrive over Armstrong's Social Darwinist ideals is reminiscent of a Presidential debate. Fittingly, Armstrong intends to be President in the year 2020, so Raiden is his first great debate opponent in the way of his presidency; if he wins here, then he's already symbolically guaranteed his right to the future of America. Raiden's eventual victory over Armstrong symbolically has placed him as the leader of the new America, where his ideals will now be glorified instead. If you wanted to be more blatant about it, you could apply the business suit costume to Raiden during gameplay.
- On another level, Raiden fighting against Armstrong is symbolic of the struggle between the weak and the strong who prey on them. Raiden is symbolic of the citizens of America who for too long have been manipulated by politically powerful and wealthy men and women who dominate the way they live their lives, and Armstrong is symbolic of those crooked politicians. Raiden is symbolically representing every citizen who ever wanted to punch the politicians they hated in the face, and "fight the power" as the saying goes.
- When Raiden finally deals the finishing blow, he does it by ripping out Armstrong's heart and crushing it in his fist—Zandatsu, which is Raiden absorbing what he requires to fight from his enemies—ergo, Raiden took into himself Armstrong's ideals as he killed him, which would fuel him for his future struggles, as implied by Raiden's words and actions during The Stinger.
- Finally, as Armstrong lays dying, he gently claims that he and Raiden are kindred spirits deep down. His corpse's position, Raiden standing over it, the sun behind him and the camera's angle make it seem like Armstrong is the shadow cast by Raiden's figure.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Raiden's support crew repeatedly warns him that this is the number one reason taking down Armstrong and World Marshall will be so difficult. As a sitting senator with ties to the military and powerful PMCs, even if the ironclad evidence of Armstrong's crimes in Mexico were brought to light, no investigation would ensue and no media platform would ever consider airing it since anyone trying would be committing financial and political suicide in the process.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: He encourages people to fight for what they believe in, regardless if it breaks the law, which Raiden had been doing after seeing the childrens' brains being used for VR training. When Raiden defeats him, he tells him not to let anyone get in his way for fighting what he thinks is right, even if it means more bloodshed and if the law is against it.
- Shadow Archetype: During the scene mentioned under Graceful Loser, he points out that he and Raiden aren't that different from each other. To make it even more blatant, after the whole thing is over, the final shot of Raiden standing over his corpse is laid out so that it looks as if Raiden's shadow cast by the sun behind him was Armstrong himself.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: Easily the most foul-mouthed character in the Metal Gear franchise.
- The Social Darwinist: Wants to create a new America where the strong survive and the weak die. His motivations are very similar to the Patriots who wanted to socially engineer American evolution, only difference being is that instead of information control he intends to use violence to enforce this new world. Unlike most examples, he's not a hypocrite and proves to be enough of a believer that he accepts that Raiden beating him proves him right in his mind.
- Spanner in the Works: Raiden certainty wasn't expecting the backer of Desperado to be waiting for him in Pakistan with a giant robot and nano-machine enhancements that made him even stronger than his cyborg subordinates.
- Start X to Stop X: He himself admits that he's using war as a business to get elected so he can end war as a business.
- Strawman Political: Seems to take aspects of libertarianism to ludicrous, illogical extremes.
- Super-Strength: Strong enough to make the entire Metal Gear EXCELSUS explode with a single well-placed punch, albeit after it was already wrecked by Raiden and sucked dry of energy by Armstrong himself. Even Raiden, who can toss around a RAY unit and EXCELSUS itself, has trouble against him.
- Super Mode: In the Jetstream Sam DLC, he Turns Red at low enough health. Try taunting him in this part of the fight, see where it gets you.
- Survivorship Bias: Armstrong discusses this trope with Raiden, who disagrees with the former's darwinistic ideology because he suffered hell on the battlefield. Armstrong retorts that Raiden did survive and take back control of his life. This makes their discussion an unusual version of this trope where the survivor is the one arguing against the environment that he supposedly succeeded in, since he still has to live with the trauma.
- Take Up My Sword: Upon his death, he tells Raiden he considers Raiden his successor, and Raiden should do what he thinks is right, regardless of what anyone else thinks.
- Übermensch: He wants to create a world where EVERYONE is this, and any ideological/moral disputes are simply resolved by strength. Armstrong considers Raiden a perfect example, as someone who "took back [his] life, following [his] own set of rules", and can't understand why Raiden won't join his side.
- The Unfettered: Claims that things like laws and lives cost in the pursuit of your goal don't truly matter in the long run. In his words, "[I'm] making the mother of all omelettes here, Jack, can't fret over every egg", basically saying that in creating your ultimate utopia, you can't worry about what you sacrifice to get there.
- Unskilled, but Strong: Compared to Raiden and Sam, he possesses almost no fighting finesse, but compensates for it with sheer brute force, something he happens to have extraordinary amounts of.
- Villainous Friendship: Seems to be on very good terms with the Winds of Destruction. Has a Type III relationship with Mistral, a Type IV relationship with Monsoon, and while he doesn't interact much with Sundowner in-game, he trusts him with control of Desperado. Sam, however, is an exception, as he regards him as a "pain in his ass", and it's unknown how he feels about Khamsin.
- Villain Has a Point: Raiden admits he's right regarding people being forced to fight in wars they don't believe in and for causes they don't understand, judging by him echoing his words in The Stinger.
- Villain with Good Publicity: At least partially because he doesn't write his own speeches. Hell, he's even a candidate for the 2020 elections.
- Visionary Villain: Wants to destroy and then remake the United States so it can be a place where every man, woman and child can fight for what they believe in, without being told by anyone else what is right or wrong.
- Walking Spoiler: Everything related to his role in the end of the game is not what you expect when you first see him.
- Weapon-Based Characterization: Averted. Every other major combatant in the game has a weapon that reflects their ideals, but Armstrong himself fights only with basic footballer moves and nanomachine power. However, this still keeps with his character: if you're difficult to kill and you're powerful enough to defeat anyone, you're right, ideals and beliefs be damned.
- We Can Rule Together: After Armstong is finished with his rhetoric, Raiden appears to relent, realizing he's not dealing with a mere criminal but a true believer. Armstrong extends his hand as a gesture of goodwill... but Raiden hasn't abandoned his moral compass just yet."I was wrong. You're not greedy... YOU'RE BATSHIT INSANE!!!!"
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: He really does want to make America great again and give the people true freedom. However, he plans to do this by creating hundreds of child soldiers, starting a war with Pakistan on false pretenses, and then burning the US government to the ground once he's in control of it.
- He sums up his intent at the end of the Jetstream DLC with:"Organized violence, waging war as business. We're gonna put an end to all that bullshit."
- This is also shown with Metal Gear Excelsus. It isn't a nuclear capable mecha, but rather it's meant to destroy extremist hideouts and positions. The reason why it's so huge is to warn anyone in the way of Excelsus, Armstrong designed it in a way that non-combatants would have a really good chance to escape.
- He sums up his intent at the end of the Jetstream DLC with:
- World's Strongest Man: When he's hulked out, he's the single strongest character in the entire Metal Gear universe at the time of his introduction. He's also the strongest member of the most powerful PMC in the world, and considering the other members include Sundowner, that's saying something. To put it simply, he's far more dangerous to Raiden than the Metal Gear he starts the fight in.
- The Worm That Walks: Dr. Voigt hypothesizes this as a possible explanation for Armstrong's invulnerability, calling it "claytronics." Most or all of his body is a mass of nanomachines taking human shape and instantly reshaping itself if damaged.
- Worthy Opponent: Considers Raiden to be this. During the final boss battle he actually says that "this is the greatest fight of my life."
- You Can't Make an Omelette...: Immediately after Raiden's I Surrender, Suckers moment:"Making the mother of all omelettes here, Jack! Can't fret over every egg!"
- Xanatos Speed Chess: Implied. It's not stated how Operation Tecumseh was supposed to work, but whatever the plan was, he managed to manipulate Raiden's involvement to his favor.
