Steel
A look at Ed. Ed is simply Ed. The boy who failed to bring back his mother
Edward Elric has many names.
To Alphonse he is Big Brother. He is strong, unbreakable. He does not fail. He does not allow himself to fail. Ed is broken, too. Al knows Ed can't let go of anything, give up on anything. Ed will keep trying, keep running into the same wall over and over and over again until one of them crumbles. Al dreads the day Ed meets something or someone stronger than him.
To his commanding officer, Ed is Fullmetal. He's the kid Roy found in a small, middle-of-nowhere town, missing an arm and a leg and his little brother's body. He's a boy playing a man's game and winning. He needs to grow up and face the fact that he can't do everything and anything he wants to. He needs to stay exactly as he is, because seeing him, never falling too far, gives Roy hope that all has not already been lost.
To his coworkers in the military, Ed is everything they want to be. He doesn't care for protocol, or court martial, or giving respect to rank. He is someone who does what he wants and does what others want only when he wants it too. He is someone who will go places and do things they can't even imagine. They know these expectations are far too high for anyone to fill, but in their hearts they cannot look at his shining determination and believe it.
To the people, he is the People's Alchemist. He works for them, not the military. He is a helper, an idol, a reason for even common people to try their hand at alchemy. He uses the military like they use others, but does it in a way that all can see and no one can help but comply. He is their hero.
And to himself, Ed is simply Ed. The boy who failed to bring back his mother, and who couldn't save any more than his brother's soul. Who didn't give his whole heart and body and soul to save his little brother's. He could have done it, but he was too selfish. He'd seen the Truth, done the forbidden and lived to tell of it. He wanted to tell of it. He wanted to try it. Wanted to do all those forbidden things he suddenly knew how to do. He was so selfish, only willing to sacrifice one, simple arm for his beloved little brother. That's his biggest mistake, the one he's never going to let himself forget.
Ed will never, ever let go. Letting go means giving up, and that's something he just doesn't do. He will walk through Hell and back a thousand times, face the Truth again, turn away from the offer of the whole Truth, do anything he has to. He will get back his brother's body at any cost, regain his arm and leg at any cost.
And then he will face the Truth again, and find that even then his grip on everything is too strong for him to let go of life. He will wonder at the meaning behind all he has done, and find he knows the answers. They will not kill him. He is too strong for that.