Jax Briggs



"My brutality as Onaga's pawn will haunt me forever."

- Jax's bio from Mortal Kombat: Unchained

Major Jackson "Jax" Briggs is a cybernetically-enhanced soldier who is the leader of the Outer World Investigation Agency (OIA), Earthrealm's Special Forces unit, in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. He made his debut in Mortal Kombat II.

About Jax
Jax was the first African-American character in the Mortal Kombat series and made his debut in Mortal Kombat II. He is portrayed as an archetypical American hero. In the chain of command of the Special Forces, he is Sonya Blade's direct superior, and clearly the catalyzing force of Sonya's impulsiveness. Jax is clear-headed, careful and always keeping a watch on what his men are doing, but when the need arises, he is a beast on the battlefield with the attitude and ferocity of a lion. He unscrupulously makes use of the most advanced technology to improve both himself and his unit. He is responsible for the crime lord Kano's disfigurement, forcing him to wear a metal plate over a portion of his face.

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Appearance
Jax is depicted as an African American, having dark skin, brown hair and brown eyes. Jax's most striking feature is his impressive muscular upper body build, keeping his torso bare in all of his appearances to display this. In his first appearances, he wore karate pants and boots. From Mortal Kombat 3 and onwards, he wears a pair of bionic armor-plating that covers all of his arms.

Storyline
Jax made his first chronological appearance in Mortal Kombat: Special Forces. The game opened depicting a prison break at the Special Forces' detention facility. Jax, driving along a highway, received a transmission from his fellow Special Forces operative Gemini detailing the escape and the escapees: No Face, Tasia, Jarek and Tremor. She informed him that they had escaped to a warehouse on the town's south side, likely receiving assistance from an outside source. Jax surmised that source to be Kano. He received another transmission from one Lieutenant Sanchez, whose squad had arrived at the warehouse. After the transmission was cut off at the source, Jax arrived at the scene to find the squad destroyed. For this, he swore he would achieve vengeance against Kano. Using prototype bionic implants on his arms in order to enhance his strength, Jax set out to find his enemy.

Infiltrating the warehouse, Jax confronted No-Face and dispatched him. Proceeding into the sewers, he eliminated Tasia. At this point, Gemini contacted Jax again and informed him that the Black Dragon were using a corporate building as a front for their base of operations. At the building, Jax confronted and defeated Jarek, and his investigation led him to the town of the lost city of Sin Kiang, where he defeated Tremor and discovered a portal to Outworld. Surmising that the portal was linked to Kano's plans of global domination, he entered. The portal led to Outworld, and Jax caught up with Kano, who had acquired an artifact called the Eye of Shitian through which he could acquire great power. After an exchange of words, the two fought, and Jax emerged the victor. He used the Eye's power to bring them both back to Earthrealm and brought Kano into custody, only to have the criminal escape at a later date. At this point, Jax ceased using his bionic implants.

Following the end of the Mortal Kombat tournament in which both the wanted Kano and Jax's friend Lt. Sonya Blade had entered, Jax first came across the Earthrealm warriors when he found Johnny Cage in the waters close to the Special Forces Agency, and took him in for an interrogation on the whereabouts of Sonya. Cage explained the events that took place on the island although Jax didn't believe him until he received a video signal from Sonya, whom was temporarily working with Kano to escape Outworld. As an apology to Cage for not believing his story, he visited him at a commercial shoot where he was being attacked. Jax participated in a battle with Kintaro there but the fight was interrupted when the Earthrealm warriors arrived to help. After helping Cage against the intruders, Jax travelled into Outworld once more to compete in the next tournament along with the Earthrealm warriors in hopes of finding Sonya. Jax soon came to learn of the emperor Shao Kahn's dark plans for Earthrealm. He was successful in freeing Sonya from the clutches of Shao Kahn and arresting Kano once again, though he eluded capture as soon as they had passed through the portal to Earth. Jax warned his government of the impending danger but would find himself frustrated, however, as not only did Kano escape back into Outworld, but the government did not believe the major.

Jax began to prepare for war covertly, and once more outfitted his arms with bionic implants. After helping foil Shao Kahn's attempt to permanently claim Earth as his own, Jax became the commanding officer of the Outer World Investigation Agency (OIA). They operated from an underground bunker, and had scouts in various realms, not only exploring and mapping them, but also looking for inter-realm portals that could lead to Earth: these needed to be destroyed. He briefly assisted Raiden in the defeat of Shinnok in Edenia, and it was during these events that both he and Sonya would find the Lin Kuei cyborg Cyrax, malfunctioning and trapped in a desert. Returning with him to their home base, they reversed the automation process, restored his humanity, and gained a new ally. Years later, trouble would occur again, as not only were his agents Kenshi and Cyrax lost in Outworld, but the OIA underground facility was nuked into oblivion by the traitor Hsu Hao. When, soon after, Raiden summoned the Earthrealm warriors to the abandoned island of Shang Tsung and asked them to travel with him to Outworld to bring down the Deadly Alliance, Jax didn't hesitate. He used this trip as a cover to track down Hsu Hao and, once he caught up with the criminal, killed him by tearing out his artificial heart.

Afterward, he was among the group of warriors who made a final stand against the Deadly Alliance of Shang Tsung and Quan Chi, but was unfortunately killed in the ensuing combat along with the rest of his allies. He, like his friends, was eventually found by Onaga and revived as a mindless drone, used to intimidate the survivors of his group before killing them outright.

In Jax's Armageddon ending, after absorbing the power of Blaze, the cybernetics in his arms grew and permeated his entire body. He was transformed into a full cyborg. He became aware of a controlling neural chip that had been implanted in his brain by Sektor. Enraged, Jax defeated Sektor and claimed leadership of the cyborg ninja clan, the Tekunin. It is unknown if he will ever return to the Special Forces.

In Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, Jax appears as the playable character in Chapter 3. He infiltrates the U.N. Orbital Space Station and his rival is Lex Luthor, who he fights twice. In his ending, Jax had sustained serious injuries on his body. To save his life, he had himself roboticized, at the cost of his humanity.

Biographies

 * Mortal Kombat 2: "His real name is Maj. Jackson Briggs, leader of a top US special forces unit. After receiving a distress signal from Lt. Sonya Blade, Jax embarks on a rescue mission. One that leads him into a ghastly world where he believes that Sonya is still alive."


 * Mortal Kombat 3: "In failing to convince his superiors of the coming Outworld invasion, Jax prepares to covertly for the future battle with Kahn's minions. He fits both arms with indestructible bionic implants. This is a war Jax is prepared to win."


 * Mortal Kombat 4: "When Sonya disappears while tracking the last living member of the Black Dragon, Major Jackson Briggs heads after her. He soon finds that Sonya's mission has led her into a battle with the forces of an evil Elder God. This is a battle they must win or their own world will crumble at the hands of Shinnok."


 * Deadly Alliance: "Jax spent most of his time in the heavily fortified underground facilities of the Outerworld Investigation Agency. From an enormous underground chamber, Jax would send his agents to other realms by way of man-made inter-realms portals. Two of his agents, the cyborg ninja Cyrax and the rogue swordsman Kenshi, had been assigned to the realm of Outworld - a domain of strange creatures and maniacal sorcerers. Jax would soon be reminded of just how dangerous a threat to Earth that realm could be. After receiving information from Agent Kenshi about a new threat from Outworld, Jax barely escaped with his life when a traitor destroyed all means for inter-realm travel. The Outerworld Investiagation Agency was completely obliterated. But with the help of the Thunder God Raiden, Jax eventually made it to Outworld to deal with the traitor who now server the Deadly Alliance. Jax swore that he would show no mercy to the one responsible for the destruction. The hunt for Hsu Hao had begun."


 * Unchained: "During our assault on the Deadly Alliance, we were overwhelmed by Tarkatan hordes. The last thing I remember seeing was Raiden blasting his way into the main hall. I was later resurrected by Onaga, who controlled my mind and commanded me to enforce his will. My brutality as Onaga's pawn will haunt me forever. If not for Liu Kang, I'd still be under the Dragon King's spell killing the people I've dedicated my life to protect. Now that my soul is unchained, I'm coming for you Onaga. It's payback time."


 * MK vs DCU: "A decorated soldier and formidable warrior, Jax found that he could enhance his strength and fighting ability through technology. Replacing his arms with cybernetics, he has become a juggernaut in the fight to protect Earthrealm. After Emperor Shao Kahn's invasion, Jax realized that the military was unprepared for threats from other realms. He and his partner, Sonya Blade, formed a division of the Special Forces tasked with monitoring threats not from this world. The Outerworld Investigation Agency will soon face its first crisis."

Powers and abilities
Due to his membership in the army, Jax is quite a hardened soldier in the battlefield and is known to show incredible ferocity while staying focused at the same time. Jax's most prominent attribute is his massive upper body strength. His physique and strength are so powerful that he is able to crush human heads with ease and shake the earth with a single punch. From Mortal Kombat 3 onwards, Jax utilizes cybernetic strength enhancers to further augment his already impressive physical power. These implants also carry portable missiles and a piston-like mechanism to increase the force of his blows. His bionic arms may have made him the most powerful man on Earth, if he wasn't already that strong.

Aside from his kombat skills, Jax is also a competent technician and scientist, having been in charge of the portal development technology that the Outworld Investigation Agency uses to move between realms and also utilized his smarts to restore Cyrax to human form.

Signature moves

 * Energy Wave: Jax throws a wave of sonic energy at his opponent. In the CD versions of Mortal Kombat Trilogy, the "Classic" version of Jax can also throw this wave while in the air. (MKII, MKT, MKvs.DCU)
 * Ground Pound: Jax punches the ground, shaking the arena. (MKII, MK3, UMK3, MKT, MK4, MKG, MK:DA, MK:A, MKvs.DCU)
 * "Gotcha!" Grab: Jax grabs his opponent and punches him multiple times. (MKII, MK3, UMK3, MKT, MKvs.DCU)
 * Dash Punch: Jax moves forward at incredible speed to punch his opponent. (MK3, UMK3, MKT)
 * Missile: Jax shoots a missile from his bionic arms. (MK3, UMK3, MKT, MK4, MKG, MKvs.DCU)
 * Double Missile: Jax shoots two missiles in quick succession. (MK3, UMK3, MKT, MKvs.DCU)
 * Piston Punch: Jax punches his enemy multiple times. (MK:DA, MK:A)
 * Machine Gun: Jax takes out his machine gun and shoots at the enemy and says "Oh yeah!". (MK:DA, MK:A, MKvs.DCU)
 * MultiSlam: This move is the only special move to be executed by the character's grapple. Jax will slam his opponent multiple times.(MKII, MK3, UMK3, MKT, MK4, MKG)
 * Backbreaker: Jax grabs his opponent in mid-air and breaks them in half over his back. (MKII, MK3, UMK3, MKT, MK4)
 * Plasma Ball: Jax fires a purplish projectile from one of his bionic arms. (MK4)
 * Blinding Light: Jax contains energy within his hands and then releases a powerful purple flash, blinding his opponent for a short time at a short range.(MKvs.DCU)

Fatalities

 * Head Clap: Jax claps his hands violently over his opponent's head, crushing it. In Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, the opponent's head is flattened in a comical fashion. (MKII, MKT, MK4, MKG, MKvs.DCU)
 * Arm Rip: Jax grabs the arms of his opponent and rips them off their body. (MKII, MK4, MKG)
 * Big Foot: Jax grows extremely large and crushes his opponent with his boot. (MK3, UMK3, MKT)
 * Slice 'em up: Jax's metal arms turn into swords and slices his opponent into pieces. (MK3, UMK3, MKT)
 * Foot Decap: Jax throws his enemies face down on the ground and then jumps high in the air, bringing his 300+ lbs down on the enemy's head, smashing it. (MK:DA, MK:U)
 * Air Machine Gun: Jax uppercuts the foe and and sprays a volley of bullets into the opponent while they're still in midair. (MKvs.DCU)

Other finishers

 * Friendship #1: Jax cuts out some paper dolls. (MKII)
 * Friendship #2: Jax begins to jump rope. (MK3, UMK3, MKT)
 * Animality: Jax turns into a lion and mauls the opponent. (MK3, UMK3, MKT)

Endings

 * Mortal Kombat 2: (Non-Canonical) "Jax finds Sonya held captive alongside their archenemy Kano. Her only chance of escape is by Jax entering Shao Kahn's contest. With fierce determination, he catches the Outworld warriors off guard and wins the tournament, bringing Shao Kahn's rule to a crashing halt. During the chaos that follows, Jax and Sonya escape through the dimensional gate from which they entered. Kano once again eludes capture but Jax and Sonya know they will cross paths with him in the future."


 * Mortal Kombat 3: (Non-Canonical) "The second time Jax battles the forces of Shao Kahn, he comes prepared. Thought to be the strongest man on Earth, he has no problem proving it: First by defeating Kahn's armies, then by defeating the emperor himself. When the world reverts back to normal, Jax and Sonya start the Outer World Investigation Agency. Jax runs the exploratory division which learns to open portals through Science rather than magic. He leads the first expedition into a mysterious new realm."


 * Mortal Kombat 4: (Non-Canonical) Sonya tells Jarek that the heroes beat Shinnok. Jarek refuses to hand himself in, but Sonya throws him off the cliff. Sonya tries to contact Jax but Jarek pulls her off the cliff. While he laughs, Jax grabs hold of him. Jarek thought he was dead, but then Jax refers to Jarek pushing his partner off the cliff. Jarek tries to convince Jax out of throwing him down, saying it is brutality. Jax then says it's not a brutality, it is a fatality and throws him down.


 * Deadly Alliance: "Jax had a score to settle with the traitor he knew as Hsu Hao. Now revealed to be a member of the Red Dragon, Hsu Hao had infiltrated the Special Forces Outerworld Investigation Agency and destroyed it with a miniature nuclear weapon. Making good on his promise, Jax eventually caught up with Hsu Hao and ripped the implant from his chest in retribution. Hsu Hao died a most painful death."


 * Unchained: (Non-Canonical) "The Dragon King had defeated us all, save one: Jax. And though I had absorbed the fighting abilities of those who had aided me, I lacked the raw anger that propelled Jax into battle. Brutally pounding Onaga into submission, Jax finally ended the conflict by embedding a Kamidogu in the would-be ruler's head. Where he summoned so much rage from, I cannot say. I only hope that his anger is finally purged."


 * Armageddon: (Non-Canonical) "When Jax absorbed the power of Blaze, the cybernetics in his arms grew and permeated his entire body. He was transformed into a full cyborg. He became aware of a controlling neural chip that had been implanted in his brain by Sektor. Enraged, Jax defeated Sektor and claimed leadership of the cyborg ninja clan, the Tekunin. It is unknown if he will ever return to the Special Forces."


 * MK vs DCU: (Non-Canonical) "Badly injured in the melee with the otherworldly invaders, Jax knew he must enhance his cybernetics to save his own life. He underwent massive anatomical restructuring, replacing most of his body with mechanized, fully armored versions. Jax is now more powerful than ever, but at the cost of his humanity."

Movie and TV Appearance
Jax appears briefly in the first Mortal Kombat movie, in which he accompanies Sonya on the raid on Kano's club and tries to stop her from boarding Shang Tsung's ship near the beginning of the movie. He was played by Gregory McKinney.

Former American Gladiators actor Lynn "Red" Williams plays Jax in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. He fights Cyrax and later defeats the Centaurian Motaro (played by fellow Gladiators alumnus Deron McBee). His relationship with the technological enhancements he uses is explored to a small degree.

Michael Jai White plays Jax in Mortal Kombat: Rebirth.

Jax appear in the animated TV series Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, he was among the leading characters voiced by Dorian Harewood.

Trivia

 * His original name was going to be Kurtis Stryker. Midway later recycled that name to create a new character in Mortal Kombat 3.
 * Jax was originally conceived as simply a kickboxer, but the idea was scrapped due to potential similarities to Balrog and Sagat from the Street Fighter series. Then he was given a yellow martial arts gi and big metal hands that clanged upon impact. However, the outfit concealed much of the impressive physique of actor/bodybuilder John Parrish, so he simply went shirtless with long black tights.
 * In MK Armageddon's opening seen Jax is hit by Shao Kahn's Hammer, probably hitting the back of Jax's arm because you can hear a metal-to-metal like sound.
 * Game footage was actually shot with Jax wearing the yellow costume. Parrish accidentally split the pants during filming.
 * Before Sonya existed, Jax was originally conceived as a character and possessed her scenario for the first Mortal Kombat. However, since there were no female characters in the original roster at the time, Sonya was created and she inherited his story line of pursuing Kano and entrapment on Shang Tsung's island.
 * In the MKII comic book, he challenged Kintaro in battle.
 * Interestingly in Deception, Havik still throws up pieces of meat despite Jax's arms being mechanical.
 * According to early production shots of Special Forces, Jax's code name is "Cobra."
 * Hakim Alston, who portrayed Jax in Mortal Kombat: The Live Tour (1996), played an Outworld warrior who was defeated by Liu Kang (Robin Shou) in the original MK movie a year earlier. He also co-starred alongside MK game actor Ho Sung Pak in the syndicated television series WMAC Masters.
 * In his Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe ending, he is slightly reminiscent of Cyborg, who under different circumstances, had to go under cybornetic reconstruction. He also looks a bit like the Teen Titan as well.
 * Jax's actor, John Parrish, appeared in an episode of the popular tabloid talk show, The Jerry Springer Show as one of the blind dates.
 * In Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, knocking Jax off of the Sky Temple will make him shout, "OH MY GOD! THIS IS NOT HAPPENING TO ME!"
 * Jax's fighting stance from Mortal Kombat 3 is similar to that of male human ninjas (minus Reptile, Rain, and unmasked Sub-Zero) from their UMK3/MKT incarnation. It also comes from the Shaolin Fist fighting style.
 * He is one of only two characters to have his own game (Mortal Kombat: Special Forces), the other being the original Sub-Zero (Mortal Kombat Mythologies: SubZero).
 * Jax's alternate costume in Deadly Alliance and Armageddon bears a resemblance to the Marvel Comics character Luke Cage.

Character Relationships

 * Partner of Sonya.
 * Agent of Gemini.
 * Defeated Tremor, Tasia, No Face, and Jarek before travelling to Outworld where he defeated their leader, Kano, in MK: Special Forces.
 * Returned to Outworld to rescue Sonya and bring Kano back into custody in MKII.
 * Joined the fight against Shao Kahn in MK3.
 * Joined the fight against Shinnok in MK4.
 * Found Cyrax and restores his human soul and then recruits him to the Outerworld Investigation Agency, then he sends Cyrax on a mission to Outworld.
 * Found Kenshi and Recruits him to the Outerworld Investigation Agency, then sends Kenshi on a mission to outworld to find Cyrax.
 * Recruited by Raiden to join the fight against the Deadly Alliance.
 * Killed Hsu Hao in Deadly Alliance.
 * Killed by Baraka's Tarkatan Horde.
 * Resurrected by Onaga to serve him.
 * Freed from Onaga's spell by Ermac in Deception.
 * Captured by Sektor and his Tekunin clan and has been put on a chip in his cybernetics.
 * Freed by Sonya after she attacked Sektor and his Tekunin clan.
 * Joined the Forces of Light in the final battle in Armageddon.