James Ironwood

General James Ironwood is a character in the world of RWBY and the head of an unknown academy in Atlas. He is also a military leader, holding the rank of General.

He was introduced in Welcome to Beacon, where he is shown speaking to Ozpin about Qrow 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, alongside a red tie, and a white glove on his right hand. His hair is black, with some areas being silver or gray in coloration, while his eyebrows are a single, black color. He has what appears to be a strip of silver metal above his right eyebrow.

Personality
Ironwood appears to be rather respectful and courteous to his allies, as shown by his first onscreen interaction with Ozpin and Glynda. 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 sees him acting as a spokesman for the weapons manufacturers of the Kingdom of Atlas. In this role, he is easy-going and humorous, able to easily draw a crowd into his presentation.

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.
 * The name "James Ironwood" may be a reference to Ryan Haywood, an employee at Rooster Teeth, whose full name is James Ryan Haywood.
 * 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 keeps it in the inside pocket of his jacket.


 * Ironwood was mentioned as a general of Atlas' military. It is currently unknown if there are other generals alongside Ironwood, or if Ozpin was referring to him with the generic title of "general".
 * Ironwood may be an allusion to the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz. This would explain his surname, Ironwood, where Iron is a metal similar to Tin, with the same color. The Tin Man was also a woodcutter, creating a connection with the latter part of Ironwood's surname as well.