Headscratchers / The Last Days of FOXHOUND

• Why did Liquid feel the need to snap Scratch's neck? Sure, He Knows Too Much but there was no indication one way or another that Scratch would betray FOXHOUND. Why not simply let him in on the group's scheme to take over Shadow Moses?
  • Watsonian answer: Because it wasn't worth the time or effort to convince someone who he doesn't value in the slightest to join the team. Liquid is an elitist and while Scratch may be a good cracker he hasn't shown very much combat capability and has little value to Liquid. Doylist answer: Because Scratch and his partner aren't in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and need to be disposed of somehow.

• What's with the BLEEPED-out dates, and 200X? Had the fanbase not been made aware already of Metal Gear Solid being set in 2005?
  • My guess is that the author was aware of it, but wasn't sure how long before Metal Gear Solid the comic would take place, and thus didn't want to tie the earlier comics down to a specific date to have more freedom with the story's pacing.
    • This makes the most sense. One of the last comics established that the comic took place over the course of years. IRL, it came out between 2003 and 2008, meaning that if it were explicitly set in the present day when releasing it would have had to be all in the course of two years.