Board Thread:Off Topic/@comment-39689163-20191214214814/@comment-24018437-20200221171008

I don't feel like Jacques would become an ally though, simply because he doesn't really have anything to offer, and because it wouldn't make sense for his character.

Let's compare him to another wealthy businessman who became a bad guy: Hiroshi Sato from The Legend of Korra. Hiroshi was redeemed, but in this case, it actually makes sense.


 * Hiroshi's ultimate motivation was the well-being of his daughter and to avenge his wife who was killed by a bender. He did turn against Asami, overcame with emotions for the latter, and ended up regretting his actions. This is in character for him because, prior to that, he was shown to care a great deal for Asami. Given that her well-being was part of his initial goal, it makes sense that he would come to regret his actions. He knew he was in the wrong and thus it made sense for him to try and contact Asami, to earn her forgiveness.
 * Hiroshi is, ultimately, a very selfless person who sacrificed a great deal for the cause he believed in. And in the end, he ended up sacrificing himself for his daughter's well-being.
 * Hiroshi, even after he lost his wealth and status, was a usefull ally because he still had his knowledge and skills of engineering and technology. Thus, he had something to offer.

Now, let's compare all of that to Jacques.


 * Jacques' motivation, while related to his family, wasn't about the people themselves. It was the image and legacy of the Schnee name and compagny. He likewise never really regretted his actions. Granted, he didn't intend for Watts to gain access to everything, but he had already crossed many lines (knowingly so) with his motivation not being the well-being of his family, but upholding the Schnee name and compagny. He doesn't see himself as the one who has done wrong here, but the one being wronged. And due the fact he didn't seem to care that much about Weiss as a daughter, this combination makes it unlikely he would ever want to re-connect with his daughter again.
 * Jacques is also willing to sacrifice a lot. But unlike for Hiroshi, who was motivated by a cause he saw as just, Jacques' motivation was about as shallow and selfish as you can get: power. And unlike Hiroshi, he wasn't willing to take any risks himself.
 * Jacques' usefullness come's from his status, wealth and power. And he just lost all three of those. Unless he has some more tricks up his sleeve or has connections who not only haven't ditched him after he was unmasked but also would be willing to help RWBY, he doesn't really have much use as an ally.

Its kinda like the whole 'Adam can give information about the White Fang and thus earn redemption!' argument that same person had prior to the mad bull's dead. The White Fang's pretty much now just a bunch of disorganized thugs now. Any information Adam could have given would be useless or outdated.