Solid Snake

"Kept you waiting, huh?"

- Snake's famous line

Solid Snake is the main protagonist in the Metal Gear series along with Big Boss and Raiden. Solid Snake was a former spy, special operations soldier and mercenary.

History
Solid Snake was born in 1972. He was a creation from the Les Enfants Terribles project and the son of the legendary soldier, Big Boss, along with his "brothers" Liquid Snake (his twin) and Solidus Snake. After being taught to be a soldier by his foster parents and being named David, David was inducted into the Green Berets, leading to him joining the FOXHOUND unit, lead by Big Boss. He received the codename 'Solid Snake' and was trained to be an amazing soldier.

Metal Gear
Under the long distance command of Big Boss, who Snake has yet to find out that his own commanding officer is his father, Snake's first FOXHOUND mission was in 1995, where he had to rescue the group's member, Grey Fox, after he was captured and held prisoner in an enemy base by Outer Heaven. He then discovered the war machine Metal Gear, a huge tank on legs that can launch nuclear warheads anywhere, is one of the weapons Outer Heaven is using. He destroyed Metal Gear, with the help of Grey Fox after he freed him and also discovered that Big Boss was the leader of the Outer Heaven Uprising. Snake then killed Big Boss before retiring from FOXHOUND.

Solid Snake
However, four years later in 1999, Snake was called back into FOXHOUND by it's new commander, Roy Campbell. The mission was to rescue Dr. Kio Marv from a base in Zanizbar Land and destroy a new rumored Metal Gear. After finding another spy named Holly White and discovering Dr.Marv can only speak Czech and Slovakin, Snake had to find Marv's bodyguard, Gustava Heffner, and then ran into a hostile Grey Fox, resulting in the death of Heffner and Marv. Snake destroyed the now confirmed Metal Gear, defeated Grey Fox, and yet again defeated Big Boss, who was revealed to be behind everything and survived his last encounter with Snake. Snake escaped the facility with Holly and Snake went back into retirement.

Metal Gear Solid/Twin Snakes
Yet again in early 2005, Snake was called back for another mission by Campbell. Getting sent to Shadow Moses Island in Alaska, Snake was suppose to stop a group of terrorists that are threatening to spread chaos with yet another Metal Gear nicknamed REX, sculpted from FOXHOUND and led by Snake's evil twin, Liquid Snake. When intercepting the facility, Snake befriended the engineer Hal Emmerich, better known as Otacon, and the FOXHOUND recruit, Meryl Silverburgh (who is actually Campbell's niece, who we later on in the series finds out is Campbell's daughter). During so, much to Snake's surprise, he finds out that an enigmatic cyborg ninja is following him, providing him with tips. It was then the ninja revealed that he is in fact Grey Fox, whos "corspe" was recovered and sculpted to be a robotic killing machine.

After beating FOXHOUND's Revolver Ocelot, killing the physic known as Psycho Mantis, killing the beautiful but deadly Sniper Wolf, and beating the shaman power house Vulcan Raven, Snake, with the help of a now assisting Grey Fox, they defeat Liquid (at the cost of Grey Fox's life) and destroy Metal Gear REX. In the end, it is seen how Revolver Ocelot had his forearm severed by Grey Fox earlier. He then uses a deceased Liquid's arm for a replacement, as Liquid was ironically killed by FOXDIE. Snake and Meryl, who were in a now close relationship, escaped the destroyed Alaskan base and lived happily only to later be separated.

Sons of Liberty
In late 2007, it was discovered that the US Marines were making another Metal Gear, nicknamed RAY, made to counter other REX's. Snake sneaked onto the Marine's ship to find proof of their construction, only to run into Revolver Ocelot, who stole RAY, sunk the ship, and escaped, but not before, Snake found out that, through the nano-machines in Liquid's arm Ocelot is using in place of his severed one, Liquid can possess Ocelot, making the hybrid: Liquid Ocelot. Snake was thought to be dead after the ship's sinking, so he was replaced by the young soldier, Raiden. That was until two years later, where Snake infiltrated The Big Shell disguised as Navy SEAL Iroquoris Pliskin, and going with the identity through out most of the game.

He met Raiden, still pretending to be Pliskin, were attacked by the Dead Cell member Vamp, and to disarm the C4 planted around the Shell's struts. He later met Solidus Snake, another brother/clone of Snake and Liquid, in which Raiden dealt with. Finally, Snake met with Liquid Ocelot again, but of course, he escaped, but not be Snake planted a tracker on RAY.

Guns of the Patriots
After the Big Shell Incident, it was found out that Snake was suffering rapid aging, and he will most likely die in a few years, even having a disease, FOXDIE, that was injected into him in 2005, that will spread. Five years later in 2014, Snake was assigned to do one last mission before his death. Assassinate Liquid Ocelot before he does damage with his collection of PMC armies, Outer Haven with the deadly Beauty and The Beast unit. After five acts, all containing Snake meeting up with Raiden, who is now an extremely skilled ninja, Meryl, who is more experienced and is the leader of a squad called Rat Patrol, and even his biological mother, EVA (now called Big Mama).

However, Naomi, an old friend from Shadow Moses who was the one who injected FOXDIE into Snake, returned. She revealed that Snake's rapid aging is not from a disease, but, being a clone, is his natural life span. Later, Big Mama died sacrificing herself to save Big Boss' corpse, which was kept alive by nanomachines (though he was in a catatonic state) and Naomi died after she revealed she has cancer and is on life support.

Finally, after a very long mission, Snake killed Liquid Ocelot and saved the earth and war economy. About to kill himself in front of Big Boss' grave so his FOXDIE wouldn't spread, Big Boss himself stopped his son from doing so. It was explained that the survived their last encounter, Big Boss' corpse was really Solidus Snake's, Ocelot used several tactics to make him simply believe he was Liquid to trick the Patriots, and Big Boss injected himself with FOXDIE so Snake's would be canceled. About to die, Big Boss tells his son to retire for good, because "the world does not need snakes." After having Snake light his final cigar, Big Boss died on his own grave. Snake quit smoking, retreated with Otacon and Sunny (Otacon's foster daughter) and live enough to see the future he helped to create.