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This Article Contains Spoilers -
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The story of James Ironwood from RWBY.
Past[]
James Ironwood became associated with Ozpin and his group, learning the existence of Salem and her control over the Grimm, as well as the many secrets of Remnant, including the existence of the Relics and the Maidens. Ironwood eventually served a dual role for Ozpin by becoming the general of the Atlas Military and the headmaster of Atlas Academy.
Vol 2, 3 & 4[]
Prior to the Vytal Festival, Ironwood arrives in Vale with his military forces and several students from Atlas in preparation for the Grimm. Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch disagree with Ironwood's military approach for the festival, believing it to be an unnecessary display of hostility for an event that is meant to unite the four kingdoms. Nonetheless, they allow Ironwood's forces to remain in Vale in the event of a Grimm attack.
When Cinder Fall manipulates several events behind the scenes that trigger the Battle of Beacon, Ironwood deploys his full military force and takes part in the battle as well, only for Cinder to steal the Fall Maiden's powers, kill Ozpin, and hijack the Atlesian androids to fight the Huntsmen and Huntresses, causing Beacon, as well as the Cross Continental Transmit System, which allows information between kingdoms, to fall.
After the Fall of Beacon, the world becomes increasingly hostile towards Atlas, blaming them for the incident. Out of fear of the world declaring war on Atlas, and based on reports from Winter Schnee (Weiss's sister) about growing unrest in Mistral, Ironwood closes Atlas's borders and puts an embargo on Dust, which puts him directly in conflict with Jacques Schnee, who owns the largest company in Atlas (and arguably the world) that exports dust. Ironwood also secures an additional seat on the council, which he uses to increase military presence in both Atlas and Mantle.
Vol 7[]
| “ | James: You still think I'm afraid. Oscar: We all are. It's what we do in are fear that reveal- James: THAT'S EASY FOR YOU TO SAY! You can label me whatever you like, but the fact of the matter is I was right! The minute I softened, let my guard down, that's when Salem had her opening. Oscar: If you abandon Mantle, you abandon our best chance of reuniting the world. You abandon Remnant, leaving millions to fend for themselves so a few can survive. What kind of- James: All "excellent" philosophical points that won't matter if Salem wins! Oscar: Listen to me! James: No, you listen! I am done letting others' inability to see the big picture get in the way of doing what's right. Robyn, the council, this kingdom... even you. Oscar: ...Then you're as dangerous as she is, James. James: ...James is what my friends call me. To you, it's General. |
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| ~ General James Ironwood before attempting to murder Oscar/Ozpin. |
By the time Team RWBY and Team JNR arrive with Qrow Branwen and Oscar Pine (Ozpin's reincarnation) to Atlas, Ironwood has all but locked down Atlas and maintained near-dictatorial influence over Mantle, inspiring local vigilante Robyn Hill of the Happy Huntresses to run against Ironwood and Jacques Schnee for a seat on the council. Ironwood welcomes Team RWBY and JNR into his inner circle, consisting of Winter, a rebuilt Penny Polendina, and the Ace Ops, for his plan to rebuild Amity Arena as an alternative communications tower to reveal to Atlas, and then the world, the existence of Salem. However, he uses the limited resources of Mantle to build the communications tower.
Between the combined efforts of Watts manipulating the poll results to elect Jacques, Tyrian assassinating Ironwood's political dissenters, and Robyn Hill hijacking and stealing the supplies Atlas is using for the new communications tower, Ironwood grows increasingly paranoid about his ability to protect Atlas and the Relic from Salem. During a tense dinner at the Schnee Manor, Ironwood defends his aggressive tactics to a newly elected Jacques Schnee and his fellow council members before Weiss barges in and reveals Jacques was secretly allied with Arthur Watts and that he had unwittingly helped Watts shut down Mantle's heating power, endangering their citizens and attracting the Grimm towards the city.
Ironwood and Robyn Hill briefly unite to tell Atlas and Mantle about the existence of Salem in order to unite everyone against the incoming Grimm invasion. Ironwood mentions the Amity tower is complete in order to lure Watts there and take him down. After their battle, an injured Ironwood apprehends Watts and tells him he will do whatever it takes to stop Salem, something Watts has been counting on.
Ironwood goes back to his office to find a black chess piece on his desk from Cinder...the same signal he got that indicated the Fall of Beacon. He calls Team RWBY and the Ace Ops back to his office to protect Atlas when a Seer Grimm from Watt's bag jumps out and casts a mirage of Salem, who taunts both Ironwood and Ruby herself, saying her henchmen were never meant to win, but rather to set the stage for her arrival. Blindsided by Salem getting the upper hand and angry that RWBY lied to him about Salem being unable to be killed, Ironwood reveals his new contingency plan; use the Staff of Creation to raise Atlas high in the sky where Salem's forces cannot reach, coldly abandoning Mantle citizens who have not yet been evacuated and leaving them, along with the rest of Remnant, to die. Upon which, Ironwood officially declares martial law and places Team RWBY under arrest for opposing his plans, leaving the Ace Ops to apprehend Team RWBY, though they were defeated.
Ironwood is then confronted by Oscar in the Vault of the Winter Maiden. Oscar tries to talk Ironwood down, but Ironwood is frustrated that he alone seems to look at the big picture, calling out others for their failure to protect Remnant and declaring that no one should stop him from doing what needed to be done. When Oscar refuses to back down and explains that division is exactly what Salem wants, Ironwood accepts that Oscar/Ozpin is no longer his friend, and after coldly ordering him to call him General, shoots him down a cavern. Oscar survives but is stranded below Atlas. Additionally, after foiling Cinder's assassination attempt on the Fria the Winter Maiden, Penny ends up inheriting the powers of the Winter Maiden and defects, leaving with Team RWBY. Neopolitan also manages to steal the Relic of Knowledge and gives it to Cinder, leaving Ironwood enraged that he no longer has the Winter Maiden or the Relic of Knowledge and that the fugitives have escaped. As he contemplates the next course of action, Salem herself arrives in Atlas with an army of Grimm.
Vol 8[]
| “ | I've chased a lot of shadows over the years, always expecting betrayal. But never once did I think it would ever come from you. I know what's best for Atlas, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to get that Staff. So, consider this my last order: step aside. | „ |
| ~ Ironwood before fighting against Winter Schnee. |
The next day, Ironwood contacts Penny through her scroll, expressing concern for her an offering to pick her up, stating Atlas needs her. Ruby talks back to the general, telling him Penny is not going anywhere until he changes his mind about Mantle. Ironwood loses his calm demeanor and claims Remnant is doomed if Atlas doesn’t get away from Salem. He tells Ruby she needs to think of the future and if Salem’s forces breach Atlas’ defenses, she would be at fault for the deaths. Ironwood and the Ace-Ops wait at the hospital. Ironwood’s left arm has been replaced with a mechanical one, he then talks to a hospitalized Winter. In the next room over, the Ace-Ops look at Clover’s corpse with Marrow stricken with grief, and Vine expressing stoicism. While Elm and Harriet express frustration. Ironwood expresses gratitude for Winter’s services, he then changes the subject, telling her he’s never seen a Grimm force that large before. He tells her the hard-light shields will hold, but not forever. Winter asks the General what will he do, but before he can answer her, Councilman Sleet and Councilwoman Camilla barge in. The two demand to know what is going on. The General finally responds and tells her he will do whatever it takes to protect the Kingdom. He exits Winter’s room while Sleet is berating James for implementing martial law upon the city, Ironwood draws Due Process, and kills Sleet mid-sentence. Camilla is stricken with horror, while Winter and Harriet look on with concern.
Ironwood later forces Watts to work for him, arriving in Pietro's Lab, where the criminal is stationed, to intimidate Watts and remind him of their goal: to capture Penny. When Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Penny, and May Marigold infiltrate the Atlas Command Center, he orders the station to be on high alert and sends the Ace-Ops (now down to four members due to Clover's prior death) to capture the Winter Maiden. When the Ace-Ops fail, Ironwood nearly orders more forces to the area before Watts stops him, taking control of the situation to inform the Ace-Ops to take a blade from Floating Array. When the operatives return, Ironwood commends them for their work, and Watts lets them know he'll make Penny join them.
When Penny causes an eruption in the Abandoned SDC Mine, Ironwood and the Ace-Ops leave his office to go to Pietro's Atlas laboratory. Ironwood and the Ace Operatives listen to Ruby's message, which is soon cut short by Watts short-circuiting Penny's systems. Unable to make contact with Penny, Ironwood questions Watts, who explains that Penny's systems are likely rebooting. Ironwood angrily throws his Scroll at Watts, leading to the Scroll becoming broken. He then orders Winter to take the Ace-Ops and search for Penny. As he leaves the room, he tells Harriet Bree to take Watts back to his cell, and the two fail to notice Watts picking up Ironwood's broken Scroll after casually turning off the computers.
When Salem destroys the Hard-Light shields surrounding Atlas and lands Monstra on the island, He watches in horror. As the invasion comes underway, he orders the citizens of Atlas to evacuate to the subway stations for shelter while he mobilizes his entire army to counter Salem's forces. Upon Winter contacting him and informing him that she and the Ace-Ops have apprehended Yang, Jaune, and Ren, he orders her to not let them out of her sight. Afterwards, he has his troops focus on the Grimm being spawned from Monstra while ordering Winter to deliver a bomb the science team is creating inside the whale Grimm in hopes it will destroy it.
Some time later, as morning breaks, he is still in his office, viewing the battle still raging outside his window. Two Atlas officers enter, reporting that Cinder Fall has just broken Watts out of jail. They add that they've recaptured Jacques Schnee, but Ironwood is not soothed, and orders them not to return until they've recaptured Qrow, who had also escaped alongside Robyn. Moments later, Monstra unexpectedly explodes, illuminating the whole city and wiping out all the Grimm in the area. Believing it to be due to Winter's efforts, he contacts her and congratulates her on a job well done.
Ironwood is still in his office when Winter and the Ace-Ops arrive to make their report. And when he learns it was not the bomb that destroyed Monstra, he's initially taken aback, but then surmises he can use the bomb later. He then orders Yang's Group to be turned over to him, planning to use them as bargaining chips to get Penny back under control. But when he learns, from Harriet, that Winter had released them to infiltrate Monstra and they never returned, Ironwood glares at Winter, and then smashes his control console in rage. He is then informed by Central Command of SDC ships heading for Mantle, and deduces it was Weiss' doing, as a plan forms in his mind.
Ironwood later appears in a city-wide broadcast, showing Manta ships shooting down the SDC cargo ships en route to Mantle. Ironwood proclaims his drive to protect Atlas and all it represents, but accuses Penny of denying Atlas its salvation. So he lays out his terms for Penny and her friends; come to Atlas Academy to help him save Atlas, or he'll drop the bomb on Mantle, destroying the city. Ironwood also warns if anyone tries to undermine him this time, Mantle will be erased. He gives them one hour to respond.
Ironwood meets up with the Ace-Ops in an academy hallway, Winter standing beside him. He orders a squadron of drones to protect the payload, that he still intends to use to save Atlas no matter the cost. Marrow denounces him for throwing away everything they've worked for, going so far as to call his rank a collar. Ironwood unholsters his gun to execute Marrow, until Winter intervenes, knocking him to the ground and binding him. She offers to incarcerate Marrow for treason, and Ironwood nods in approval.
He is later standing alone in the Atlas Vault, when he receives a call from Ruby Rose, telling him that Penny has agreed to his terms. Ironwood then orders for Penny to come to the academy entrance, alone.
Ironwood is next seen standing outside the academy entrance, the Ace-Ops behind him as both parties await Penny's arrival. When news reaches them of Qrow and Robyn breaching the hangar, the Ace-Ops are divided about how to handle the situation. But then Winter arrives, offering to assist him while the Ace-Ops secure the hangar. A few moments after they depart, "Penny" arrives, and Ironwood trains his combined guns on her, surprised that none of her friends tried to interfere. When he hears her not wishing to cause any more trouble, Ironwood is relieved and approaches her, saying she made the right choice. But then "Penny" reveals her true self to be Emerald, as well as Jaune, Ren, Nora, and Oscar behind her. Ironwood takes a surprise attack and is disarmed by Emerald, while the rest engage him in battle. He fights valiantly, but is taken aback when he sees Winter assisting his enemies. His Aura is soon broken, and he falls in defeat.
Winter later escorts a semi-unconscious Ironwood to the cell blocks when Team RWBY use the Relic of Creation, and is still unconscious in a cell adjacent to Jacques when the city starts to fall.
Ironwood wakes up, and a technical malfunction in the falling city opens his cell. He grabs a large beam gun and, after killing Jacques, goes to the Vault of the Winter Maiden. Winter is there, preventing him from going further. Ironwood asks Winter to stand down, and she refuses. After shedding a single tear, Ironwood fights her, and manages to overpower her until Penny, who has been mortally wounded in a fight with Cinder, kills herself to allow the Winter Maiden powers to pass on to Winter. Winter uses her abilities to defeat Ironwood and help everyone escape.
Ironwood comes to when Cinder Fall exits the portal of the Vault and Salem reassembles herself. Cinder informs Salem that Team RWBY has been killed and that she has both Relics. Ironwood is distraught when he hears the news, both of his former allies and of the relics. He attempts to pick up his gun to shoot Cinder, only to give up when the latter declares 'checkmate'. Cinder and Salem fly away, leaving Ironwood still on Atlas when it crashes to the ground, and the land subsequently floods, killing him in the process.