Jerry Jaxon
Encyclopedia
Jerome “Jerry” Jaxon is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe
.
#2-3 (September-October 1983), and was created by John Byrne.
The character subsequently appears in Alpha Flight #6-7 (January-February 1984), and #10-13 (May-August 1984), in which he died. The character appeared poshtumously in Alpha Flight: In the Beginning #-1 (July 1997).
Jerome Jaxon appeared as part of the "Omega Flight" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition
#9.
, Canada. He was an executive vice president in charge of research and development at Am-Can Petroleum Company. One of his subordinates at Am-Can, James Hudson
, had developed a powered exoskeleton
designed for excavation, which Jaxon sought to weaponize for military purposes. Hudson refused, and with the support of Jaxon's secretary Heather MacNeil, Hudson destroyed the plans, stole and abandoned the prototype, and kept the cybernetic control helmet. At Heather's urging, Hudson sought protection from the Canadian government; with the assistance of the Prime Minister, Hudson was exonerated of any wrongdoing, and inspired by the emergence of American superheroes such as the Fantastic Four
, Hudson was given authority to create a Canadian superhero team under the direction of Department H
. Hudson revamped his exosuit into a form-fitting battlesuit which he eventually donned as leader of Alpha Flight, under the codenames Weapon Alpha, Vindicator, and, finally, Guardian
.
The failure to deliver a weapons system based on Hudson's designs proved devastating to Jaxon's career. After being dismissed from Am-Can, his wife took their two children and left him. Destitute, and with no prospects for the future, Jaxon attempted to commit suicide
by hanging himself, only to be discovered by his landlady. Although Jaxon lived, the brain damage suffered from asphyxiation
left him permanently unable to walk.
After learning about Alpha Flight, and realizing that Guardian had to be James Hudson, Jaxon sought out Roxxon Oil, the parent company of the now-dissolved Am-Can. Roxxon executives proved receptive to Jaxon's ideas, and granted him a position as executive vice president. Paired with Delphine Courtney
, a servitor robot disguised as a human woman, Jaxon set about plotting his revenge against Hudson by having Courtney recruit several superhuman castoffs from the discontinued Department H program: Diamond Lil, Wild Child
, Flashback
, Smart Alec
, and Roger Bochs, creator of the Box robot
. Diamond Lil, Smart Alec, and Wild Child had been part of Gamma Flight
, and Flashback and Box part of Beta Flight
. While the others were willing to go along with Jaxon's revenge plan, Bochs had no ill will toward Hudson, and chose to infiltrate the group, which Jaxon dubbed Omega Flight
.
As Alpha Flight had been disbanded, James Hudson had been looking for steady work, and Jaxon sent Courtney to offer him a job at Roxxon's New York
office. With support from his wife Heather, Hudson accepted, and they moved in. However, Courtney lured Heather into a trap, where Jaxon revealed to her his plan for revenge; due to Heather's role in Jaxon's downfall, she was to be killed, but only after Guardian had been destroyed.
When Guardian learned of the nature of Heather's kidnapping, he flew into Jaxon's trap at the World Trade Center
, and faced off against Omega Flight. Alpha Flight soon arrived on the scene, having been teleported to New York by Shaman
. During the battle between the two Flights, Box removed Guardian from the main fight into another part of the building. It was there that Jaxon revealed that he had taken control of the Box robot from Roger Bochs, as he wanted to kill Guardian personally. Although he brutally beat Guardian, badly damaging his battlesuit, Hudson was able to use his own suit to overload the Box robot; the feedback to the control helmet killed Jaxon.
Although relieved that Bochs had not betrayed him, Hudson had little time to celebrate his victory, as his suit was about to explode. Heather, who'd gotten away from Courtney after discovering the robot's true nature, entered the room just as the suit was overloading, and as it exploded, Hudson appeared to be burned to ashes in front of Heather's eyes. Jaxon had seemingly achieved a Pyrrhic victory
, although it was later revealed that Guardian had managed to channel the overload into an extension of the gravity-cancelling ability of his suit that sent him on a trip through time and space; Heather would go on to lead Alpha Flight as Vindicator), and eventually be reunited with her husband.
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
.
Publication history
Jerome Jaxon first appeared in Alpha FlightAlpha Flight
Alpha Flight is a fictional superhero team published by Marvel Comics, noteworthy for being one of the few Canadian superhero teams. Created by John Byrne, the team first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #120 ....
#2-3 (September-October 1983), and was created by John Byrne.
The character subsequently appears in Alpha Flight #6-7 (January-February 1984), and #10-13 (May-August 1984), in which he died. The character appeared poshtumously in Alpha Flight: In the Beginning #-1 (July 1997).
Jerome Jaxon appeared as part of the "Omega Flight" entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...
#9.
Fictional character biography
Jerome Jaxon was born in Red Deer, AlbertaRed Deer, Alberta
Red Deer is a city in Central Alberta, Canada. It is located near the midpoint of the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor and is surrounded by Red Deer County. It is Alberta's third-most-populous city – after Calgary and Edmonton. The city is located in aspen parkland, a region of rolling hills...
, Canada. He was an executive vice president in charge of research and development at Am-Can Petroleum Company. One of his subordinates at Am-Can, James Hudson
Guardian (Marvel Comics)
Guardian , also known as Weapon Alpha and Vindicator, is a fictional character, a Canadian superhero in the who was the leader of Alpha Flight. He was created by John Byrne, and first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #109 which was co-plotted by Byrne and his long-time collaborator Chris Claremont...
, had developed a powered exoskeleton
Exoskeleton
An exoskeleton is the external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to the internal skeleton of, for example, a human. In popular usage, some of the larger kinds of exoskeletons are known as "shells". Examples of exoskeleton animals include insects such as grasshoppers...
designed for excavation, which Jaxon sought to weaponize for military purposes. Hudson refused, and with the support of Jaxon's secretary Heather MacNeil, Hudson destroyed the plans, stole and abandoned the prototype, and kept the cybernetic control helmet. At Heather's urging, Hudson sought protection from the Canadian government; with the assistance of the Prime Minister, Hudson was exonerated of any wrongdoing, and inspired by the emergence of American superheroes such as the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
, Hudson was given authority to create a Canadian superhero team under the direction of Department H
Department H
Department H is a fictional organization in the Marvel Universe.-History:It is a branch of the Canadian Department of National Defence and is also responsible for the recruitment, provisioning, administration and deployment of Alpha Flight....
. Hudson revamped his exosuit into a form-fitting battlesuit which he eventually donned as leader of Alpha Flight, under the codenames Weapon Alpha, Vindicator, and, finally, Guardian
Guardian (Marvel Comics)
Guardian , also known as Weapon Alpha and Vindicator, is a fictional character, a Canadian superhero in the who was the leader of Alpha Flight. He was created by John Byrne, and first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #109 which was co-plotted by Byrne and his long-time collaborator Chris Claremont...
.
The failure to deliver a weapons system based on Hudson's designs proved devastating to Jaxon's career. After being dismissed from Am-Can, his wife took their two children and left him. Destitute, and with no prospects for the future, Jaxon attempted to commit suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by hanging himself, only to be discovered by his landlady. Although Jaxon lived, the brain damage suffered from asphyxiation
Asphyxia
Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of severely deficient supply of oxygen to the body that arises from being unable to breathe normally. An example of asphyxia is choking. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which primarily affects the tissues and organs...
left him permanently unable to walk.
After learning about Alpha Flight, and realizing that Guardian had to be James Hudson, Jaxon sought out Roxxon Oil, the parent company of the now-dissolved Am-Can. Roxxon executives proved receptive to Jaxon's ideas, and granted him a position as executive vice president. Paired with Delphine Courtney
Delphine Courtney
Delphine Courtney is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe, an enemy of the super-team Alpha Flight.-Publication history:Delphine Courtney first appeared in Alpha Flight #7 , and was created by John Byrne....
, a servitor robot disguised as a human woman, Jaxon set about plotting his revenge against Hudson by having Courtney recruit several superhuman castoffs from the discontinued Department H program: Diamond Lil, Wild Child
Wild Child (comics)
Wild Child alternately spelled Wildchild and also known as Weapon Omega and Wildheart, is a fictional character appearing in Marvel Comics publications. The character has been active as both a superhero and a supervillain. He has been a member of Alpha Flight, X-Factor, and Weapon X...
, Flashback
Flashback (comics)
Flashback is a fictional mutant character in the . His first appearance was in Alpha Flight #1.-Publication history:Flashback first appeared in Alpha Flight #1 , and was created by John Byrne...
, Smart Alec
Smart Alec (comics)
Smart Alec is a Marvel Comics supervillain, a mutant and member of Alpha Flight.-Publication history:Smart Alec first appeared in Alpha Flight #1 , and was created by John Byrne. He was unidentified in his first appearance, and was not named until Alpha Flight #8.The character subsequently appears...
, and Roger Bochs, creator of the Box robot
Box (comics)
Box is a superhero from Canada. He was featured in Marvel Comics publications, notably Alpha Flight.-Fictional character biography:...
. Diamond Lil, Smart Alec, and Wild Child had been part of Gamma Flight
Gamma Flight
Gamma Flight is the name of two fictional Canadian teams of superheroes in the Marvel Comics Universe.-Flight tier level:They first appeared in Alpha Flight vol. 1, #1 ....
, and Flashback and Box part of Beta Flight
Beta Flight
Beta Flight is a fictional superhero team owned by Marvel Comics that exists in that company's Marvel Universe. Along with Gamma Flight, Beta Flight is one of the "minor leagues" of the Canadian team Alpha Flight. Originally, Beta Flight was the intermediate level team. Members are more...
. While the others were willing to go along with Jaxon's revenge plan, Bochs had no ill will toward Hudson, and chose to infiltrate the group, which Jaxon dubbed Omega Flight
Omega Flight
Omega Flight is the name used by three teams of fictional characters with superpowers in the Marvel Universe, one of the few Canadian teams published by an American comic book company. Omega Flight first appeared in the pages of Alpha Flight as a supervillain team...
.
As Alpha Flight had been disbanded, James Hudson had been looking for steady work, and Jaxon sent Courtney to offer him a job at Roxxon's New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
office. With support from his wife Heather, Hudson accepted, and they moved in. However, Courtney lured Heather into a trap, where Jaxon revealed to her his plan for revenge; due to Heather's role in Jaxon's downfall, she was to be killed, but only after Guardian had been destroyed.
When Guardian learned of the nature of Heather's kidnapping, he flew into Jaxon's trap at the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
, and faced off against Omega Flight. Alpha Flight soon arrived on the scene, having been teleported to New York by Shaman
Shaman (comics)
Shaman is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe and a member of Alpha Flight.-Fictional character biography:...
. During the battle between the two Flights, Box removed Guardian from the main fight into another part of the building. It was there that Jaxon revealed that he had taken control of the Box robot from Roger Bochs, as he wanted to kill Guardian personally. Although he brutally beat Guardian, badly damaging his battlesuit, Hudson was able to use his own suit to overload the Box robot; the feedback to the control helmet killed Jaxon.
Although relieved that Bochs had not betrayed him, Hudson had little time to celebrate his victory, as his suit was about to explode. Heather, who'd gotten away from Courtney after discovering the robot's true nature, entered the room just as the suit was overloading, and as it exploded, Hudson appeared to be burned to ashes in front of Heather's eyes. Jaxon had seemingly achieved a Pyrrhic victory
Pyrrhic victory
A Pyrrhic victory is a victory with such a devastating cost to the victor that it carries the implication that another such victory will ultimately cause defeat.-Origin:...
, although it was later revealed that Guardian had managed to channel the overload into an extension of the gravity-cancelling ability of his suit that sent him on a trip through time and space; Heather would go on to lead Alpha Flight as Vindicator), and eventually be reunited with her husband.