The Metal Gear Solid movie director couldn’t help but to call out similarities within the recently released Black Widow film trailer. The trailer itself went live earlier this week and showed off what Marvel fans can expect from the standalone spin-off. The latest video showed off Black Widow’s transformation and even more action-packed combat that the hero will encounter, but some of it – at least according to Joran Vogt-Roberts – looked a little too similar to Metal Gear for his tastes.
In a recent tweet, the director asked his “honest question” to fans by asking “Is there any Black Wido pre the release of Metal Gear Solid 3 in 2005 that establishes [this] white suit? It sure reminds me of a certain patriot who saved the world.”
Honest question.
I’m firm believer of parallel thinking, but…
Is there any BLACK WIDOW pre the release of METAL GEAR SOLID 3 in 2004 that establishes this white suit?
It sure reminds me of a certain patriot who saved the world❗️
Also, Cyber Monday Sale on elevated walkways! pic.twitter.com/NhOr0FaoeS
— Jordan Vogt-Roberts (@VogtRoberts) December 3, 2019
He then quickly followed his initial tweet up with some facts about the first white suit for Widow being introduced in 2010, six years after MGS3’s release:
#YojiShinkawa is a living legend. This is his design. Shinkawa-san & Kojima-san are 2 strands of the same brilliant double-helix creatively orbiting each other.
I am VERY curious where ya’ll draw the blurry creative line between inspiration vs. straight lifting or strip mining?
— Jordan Vogt-Roberts (@VogtRoberts) December 3, 2019
His thought process conteninued with more trailer references:
Now we should touch on “CQC”.
What is CQC you ask?
It’s a legendary and technical style of combat unique to the Metal Gear franchise.
It’s designed for “rapid alternation between armed & hand to hand combat”
It’s pure @HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN!
This moment plays on loop in my brain. pic.twitter.com/RIAflMQXCj
— Jordan Vogt-Roberts (@VogtRoberts) December 3, 2019
CQC BABY!
An immediate display of balletic movement as each spy attempts disarm the other.
NOTE: This thread will be ONLY describing what happens in MGS. Any parallels you see are your own.
Blow for blow & quip for quip, years of subtextul backstory ooze from the action. pic.twitter.com/EGND8C1U72
— Jordan Vogt-Roberts (@VogtRoberts) December 3, 2019
Anyhow, back to the MGS3 scenes.
As they grapple, the audience gleans this is what family bonding looks like when you were raised on the battlefield.
Guns quickly begat knives which in turn begats the sound of crunching bones… pic.twitter.com/nkHSFtlXno
— Jordan Vogt-Roberts (@VogtRoberts) December 3, 2019
BLAM! Eventually the loser / protege gets acrobatically kick-flipped to the ground!.
Almost instantly, a lighthearted conversation emerges as if nothing horrifically violent just happened.
The two kindred souls talk about “home” and what that means to soldiers in particular… pic.twitter.com/eKWJakdTwB
— Jordan Vogt-Roberts (@VogtRoberts) December 3, 2019
I have loving, trusted friends on Black Widow so I will reserve judgement until I see the film but this surprised me given the deep reservoir Marvel has to draw from….
❗️MGS OTAKU❗️how does all of this this sit with you? Marvel fans, do you care? Fans of both? Let me know!!
— Jordan Vogt-Roberts (@VogtRoberts) December 3, 2019
Every movie is a miracle. Decent movies are double miracles. Great movies are triple miracles and the bottom line is making movies is hard and we should always root for films to be good.
So, I hope Black Widow is great but also…
❗️LONG LIVE THE BOSS❗️ pic.twitter.com/eXUnFfJJZB
— Jordan Vogt-Roberts (@VogtRoberts) December 3, 2019
Despite the frame-by-frame callout, he did add that he’ll wait to judge it too harshly until he sees the film for himself and asked his followers to be respectful to the crew behind Black Widow. The similarities are undeniable, but as he mentioned: “parallel thinking?”
Black Widow officially makes its theatrical debut on May 1, 2020.
