10 Massive Unanswered Movie Mysteries (That Were Actually Solved)
7. How Did Snake Lose His Eye? - Escape From New York
Snake Plissken is supposed to be a living legend the moment he appears onscreen in Escape From New York. Everyone knows he’s a legendary badass, and people seem to assume he's dead for some reason. We never learn the reason for his missing eye in either EFNY or the sequel, so we can only imagine what happened.
Alternatively, you could just read the novelisation, which was based on a very early draft. This version includes the bank robbery scene that was shot and eventually cut, plus more backstory for Snake.
It turns out he lost his eye during the Battle Of Leningrad that’s briefly mentioned during the film. The glass on his helmet cracked during a battle, which caused nerve gas to leak in and destroy his eye. Apparently he’s constantly in pain from this wound, which might explain why he’s so darn moody all the time.