Solid Snake (real name David , commonly referred to as Snake, and later referred to as Old Snake), was a product of the Les Enfants Terribles project and "son" of legendary soldier, Big Boss, along with his "brothers" Liquid Snake and Solidus Snake.
Possessing an IQ of 180 and fluent in six languages, including English and French, he was known as "the man who makes the impossible possible" and his exploits made him into a living legend among the military black ops. Initially a Green Beret, Snake was later inducted into High-Tech Special Forces Unit FOXHOUND during the early 1990s while it was under the leadership of Big Boss. From there, Snake would thrice avert potential nuclear catastrophe.
After 2005 and subsequent manipulation campaign by the Patriots, the secret organization behind American politics, Snake became labeled a terrorist. He faked his own death in 2007 and went into hiding, although he would later emerge to assist Raiden in 2009. After that, his cells would enter a state of accelerated aging, causing his health to decline. The cause of his rapid aging was explained by Dr. Naomi Hunter, who examined Snake and determined that it was caused by planned genetic changes during the cloning process