Leonard Snart was born in June to a scarred mother and an abusive father. His birth certificate listed his name as Leonard, but nobody called him that but his father, Lewis. Whenever Leonard brought home a bad grade, or when his dad was in a really bad mood, he would get beat. His dad would say, "I'm ashamed of you Leonard." And then there would be pain.
His mother would call him Leonard too. But in private, when Lewis was working late at the police station or getting drunk at some bar, she would call him baby. He would always squirm when she called him that as she stroked her fingers through his ruffled hair. "I'm eight years old!" he used to whine. "I'm not a baby." He remembered the smile on his mom's face and the sad look in her eyes. It was the look of a loving mother who knew that she was a prisoner. Who knew that her baby was never going to grow up with the parents he deserved.
His little sister was a strange thing. At times she was cute, at other times she was loud and obnoxious. She seemed to cry all the time. When she said her first words, "Mama", he couldn't have cared less. His parents made a big deal, but he didn't understand why. Leonard said mom all the time. It wasn't until a month later, when Leonard was playing action figures and Lisa was in her baby pen, that she said "Lenny" for the first time. He understood then.
At nine, his mom had to get a job to support the family. So, she sent Leonard and his little sister to spend the days at their grandpa's house. Grandpa worked on an ice truck, and Leonard would sit in the front seat wide eyed as his sister sat in his lap. Grandpa always called Leonard "Leo". Sometimes, when his grandfather finished his work run early, he would ask, "Leo, you want to drive?" Leo would always nod his head excitedly and say yes. He would sit in Grandpa's lap driving; all the while with Lisa trying to get on Grandpa's lap and drive at the same time. He and Lisa loved their grandpa, and their grandpa loved them.
When he turned ten, he got into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He would run around the block with his friends in an inside-out green t-shirt and a blue dish rag tied to his head. He would rush to stop the evil Shredder, aka his best friends Great Dane, shouting, "Leonardo, to the rescue!" Of course, when his dad found out, he said Leonard was too old to still be playing fantasy games. He wasn't Leonardo; that was all make believe. The sooner Leonard realized what real life was, the better. This time, instead of beating Leonard, Lewis beat Lisa. She cried for so long. Leonard stopped playing with his friends after that. He never watched Ninja Turtles again.
At twelve his grandpa died. There was no more Leo any more. His father found him crying and threatened to beat him. It wasn't until Lewis was arrested for corrupt police work that Leonard was finally free. He was no longer Lewis Snart's son. He never was Lewis Snart's son. Leonard dropped out of high school at 15 and became part of a criminal organization. He never looked back.
As he grew in both years and rank, he found himself being called Snart. First names were too personal in the type of business he was in. Last names were all that were needed. In truth, any name didn't matter. All that mattered was get the money, get out. Don't cross no one.
Leonard knew his life had changed the moment he held his cold gun in his hands. He loved the rush of power he felt when pulling the trigger. His plan was to use it to stop a new hero in town called the Flash and to steal a diamond from the Central City Museum. He almost got killed when he was threatened by the creator of his gun, a boy by the name of Cisco Ramon. It was then he heard his new name, his true name. Captain Cold. He quite liked it.
Personally he preferred just Cold.
Mick Rory gave Leonard his next nickname. Leonard had worked with Rory before. He was a very dangerous man, a perfect suit for the fire-based weapon he had turned down in exchange for his cold one. At first they called each other Snart and Rory. Other times they referred to each other by their super villain names, Captain Cold and Heat Wave. That's why Leonard was so surprised the day Mick called him Len. It caught him off guard. It caught Mick off guard. They just rolled with it.
After that, Leonard's life just got more interesting. His sister returned, and he couldn't have been more pleased. He continued on his partnership with Mick and found himself in a sort of rival/friendship with the Flash. Soon things got turned completely upside down when he and Heat Wave were sent traveling back in time with a group of heroes to save the entire universe. Leonard couldn't tell anymore if he were a hero or a villain.
He does know somethings though.
He is more than Leonard Snart. He is Leo. He is Len. He is Lenny. He is Captain Cold. He is a Legend.