Jackson Cunningham

Jackson Cunningham, better known by his nickname "Jax," is a member of the Survey Corps and a former sergeant in the Garrison.

Appearance
Jax is described as having rugged, black hair styled in such a way that would suggest he cuts it himself. He has visible scowl lines on his face, and pale blue eyes. He stands at an average height, and wore the standard Garrison uniform while serving in the regiment.

Personality
Jax has an abrasive personality that makes him difficult to work with whether as a superior or a subordinate. Captain Woermann would love to drum him out of the Garrison, except that Lieutenant Brigitte Morris finds him useful. Jax largely keeps to himself and does not eat in the mess with the rest of the soldiers. This is largely because he has a reputation for being a murderer due to the fact the rest of his squad was mysteriously killed and he was the only survivor.

He is extremely demanding of the soldiers beneath him and harbors a strong dislike of the nobility. This causes him to try forcing Rosalie Dumarque out of the Garrison as he does initially believe she is interested in becoming a soldier as much as pretending to be one. Jax has only two rules for his squad: to do their job and to not talk back.

History
Jax grew up in a poor family in the southern region of Wall Maria. His father was a woodcutter, and his family lived on land that was leased to them by a noble, earning food in exchange for cutting his trees and providing him with timber. After his father was left unable to work due to an accident, Jax began working as a woodcutter himself in order to keep the noble from evicting them.

When Wall Maria was breached in 845, Jax's father acted as bait for Titans, allowing himself to be eaten while his family escaped. However, Jax's mother was also devoured during their escape, and Jax was forced to flee alone with his baby sister. Upon arriving in Wall Rose as a refugee, Jax was unable to find enough food to feed himself and his sister, and so gave her away to another family to keep her from starving.

Prior to meeting Rosalie Dumarque, Jax's squad was wiped out by the aberrant Titan, the Gobbler, while on top of Wall Rose. Because it should not have been possible for a Titan to get up there, he could not properly explain their deaths and rumors began that he was a murderer.