Jerome Jaxon first appeared in Alpha Flight #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 dies, and in Alpha Flight: In the Beginning #-1 (July 1997).
Jerome Jaxon was born in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. He was an executive vice president in charge of research and development for the Am-Can Petroleum Company;[1] it is hinted that he only got the job because he married the daughter of the company's president.[2] 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. Hudson revamped his exosuit into a form-fitting battlesuit which he eventually donned as leader of Alpha Flight, under the codename Guardian.[volume&issueneeded]
The failure to deliver a weapons system based on Hudson's designs is devastating to Jaxon's career. After being dismissed from Am-Can, his wife takes their two children and leaves him. Destitute, and with no prospects, Jaxon attempts to commit suicide by hanging himself, only to be discovered by his landlady. The brain damage suffered from asphyxiation leaves him permanently unable to walk.[2]
After learning about Alpha Flight, and realizing that Guardian has to be James Hudson, Jaxon seeks out Roxxon Oil, the parent company of the now-dissolved Am-Can.[2] Roxxon executives prove receptive to Jaxon's ideas, and grant him a position as executive vice president. Paired with Delphine Courtney, a servitor robot disguised as a human woman, Jaxon plots his revenge against Hudson by having Courtney recruit superhuman castoffs from the discontinued Department H program: Diamond Lil, Wild Child, Flashback, Smart Alec, and Roger Bochs, creator of the Box robot.[3] Diamond Lil, Smart Alec, and Wild Child were part of Gamma Flight, and Flashback and Box part of Beta Flight. While the others are willing to go along with Jaxon's revenge plan, Bochs has no ill will toward Hudson, and infiltrates the group, which Jaxon dubs Omega Flight.[volume&issueneeded]
Jaxon sends Courtney to offer Hudson a job at Roxxon's New York City office. With support from his wife Heather, Hudson accepts, and they move in. Courtney lures Heather into a trap, where she is to be killed, but only after Guardian has been destroyed.[2]
When Guardian learns of Heather's kidnapping, he summons Alpha Flight to the World Trade Center. During the battle between the two Flights, Jaxon removes Guardian from the main fight into another part of the building and reveals that he has taken control of the Box robot from Roger Bochs, as he wants to kill Guardian personally. He brutally beats Guardian, damaging his battlesuit. Hudson uses his suit to overload the Box robot; the feedback to the control helmet kills Jaxon.[2]