James Ironwood

James Ironwood is the headmaster of Atlas Academy and a leader of the Atlesian military, holding the rank of General. His weapon of choice is a revolver. For unknown reasons, his right arm, leg and part of his torso were replaced with robotic parts.

He was introduced in "Welcome to Beacon", where he is shown speaking to Ozpin about Qrow Branwen and his message.

Appearance
Ironwood is shown to be well dressed and clean, much like Ozpin. He wears a white overcoat, with a gray undercoat, black sweater, a red necktie, and a white glove on his right hand. In "Mountain Glenn" Ironwood mentioned that his left arm was acting up.

In "Heroes and Monsters" it is revealed that his entire right side is cybernetic.

His hair is black, with some silver and gray areas, while his eyebrows are solid black. He has a strip of silver metal above his right eyebrow, a neurotransmitter that helps him operate the robotic parts of his body.

Personality
Ironwood is respectful and courteous to his allies, as shown by his first onscreen interaction with Ozpin and Glynda Goodwitch. He is also far-thinking and tactical, wondering about the future, as seen when he speaks to Ozpin about Qrow's message.

Ironwood has a jovial and friendly public persona. His skills as a communicator see him acting as a spokesman for the weapon manufacturers of Atlas. In this role, he is easy-going and humorous, able to draw a crowd into his presentation.

Yet however courteous Ironwood may appear, he can also be incredibly blunt, arrogant and generally prefers the direct approach. When he feels it is necessary Ironwood is not afraid to bring the full might of his military command to bear, which can spark disagreements with both Glynda and Ozpin. Glynda displayed dissatisfaction in Ironwood's bravado attitude. Nevertheless, Ironwood is extremely loyal to his comrades and, however questionable his methods may be, he seems to have genuinely good intentions behind them.

Ironwood questions his trust in Ozpin, telling a concerned Glynda about how he felt he was losing it. Glynda told him instead of talking about trust, he should show it more. Ironwood is aware that the actions he takes can be taken badly, but he has a tendency to admit to such actions only after they have been revealed, adhering to the maxim "it is better to ask forgiveness than permission."

Powers and Abilities
As a general, Ironwood normally doesn't associate himself with the front lines of combat and usually orders around his forces using his tactical-know how and military knowledge. However, when pressed, he is very adept in combat.

As revealed in "Battle of Beacon", Ironwood uses a bulky revolver to fight off Grimm. Ironwood is an impressive marksman, as he effortlessly dispatched multiple Atlesian Knight-200's within the space of several seconds, with the first two having their heads cleanly removed with his shots. He shoots using his organic arm; in close combat, he also uses his revolver to pistol-whip opponents, usually switching to his cybernetic arm for added power. He possesses formidable physical power in close combat, as his cybernetic arm was strong enough to completely stop a fully-armored Beowolf's attack and throw the beast around with little effort.

Trivia

 * "Ironwood" is a common name applied to a number of types of wood known for their hardness. Alternatively, Ironwood (Járnviðr) is also the name of a location in Norse mythology.
 * Ironwood seems to have a liking for alcohol, pouring some into a coffee cup Ozpin handed to him during his visit to Beacon. He owns a circular metal hip flask with decorations containing the distilled beverage, and he keeps it in the inside pocket of his jacket.
 * Ironwood alludes to the Tin Man from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
 * The Tin Man was also a woodcutter, creating a connection with the latter part of his surname.
 * In addition to his body's metallic and cybernetic half, it is also suggested in his surname, Ironwood. Iron is a metal similar to tin, with the same color.
 * Qrow alluded to this in "Never Miss a Beat" when he says, "Sometimes, I'm not sure he even has a heart" to Ozpin. In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Tin Man went to the wizard because he felt that he lacked a heart.
 * According to Monty Oum, Ironwood was mostly conceived of by Miles Luna and Kerry Shawcross.
 * The strip of metal on his forehead serves as a neural connector between Ironwood and his robotic body.