Jacques Schnee (né Gelé)[spelling uncertain] is the President of the Schnee Dust Company (SDC), one of the largest Dust mining company in Remnant. He is the father of Weiss, Winter, and Whitley Schnee.
In RWBY, he is first mentioned in the episode "The Stray" and makes a brief non-speaking appearance in "End of the Beginning". He also appears briefly in the Manga. His first speaking appearance is in "Remembrance".
Appearance
Weiss' father has gray-white hair and a pale complexion. He has a large gray mustache, and his eyes are a cold blue color.
He is seen wearing a pure white double-breasted jacket with a red handkerchief in the breast pocket, underneath which he wears a blue shirt and vest and a gray-white tie, printed with the same emblem on his shoes and above his study. He has a silver-colored ring on his right hand.
A painting of younger Jacques
On the back wall behind his desk is a portrait from when he was younger, depicting him with black hair and a thinner mustache.
Personality
His personality is known to be cold and controlling. It is stated by Weiss that it was her father's leadership of the company that saw its reputation become sullied by unethical practices, showing a lack of morals. He's on poor terms with both of his daughters and is heavily implied to be in an unhappy marriage. When Weiss refuses to answer his calls, he cuts her off from the family fortune in order to force her to talk to him. A similar situation is said to have occurred between him and Winter upon her enlistment to the military. Jacques is shown to be egotistical, joking with peers that he's repeatedly the good guy when it comes to the Faunus situation, when in reality he doesn't seem to care about their safety in the workplace.
During the World of Remnant episode "Schnee Dust Company", Qrow states that Jacques doesn't care about people, only winning, causing the SDC to lose its former glory. During his conversation with General Ironwood, he attempted to convince the General that the latter's newest idea would hurt the kingdom. However James clearly saw through this. Jacques himself accidentally revealed his altruism was only a front when bringing up the millions the Schnee Dust Company had already lost due to the recent Dust embargo.
Despite his poor relationship with his daughters, the fact that he personally fetched Weiss after the Battle of Beacon indicates some sense of worry for her safety. However, his actions during "Remembrance" show him to be using her for the sake of company propaganda. His controlling nature is made clear when he ensures her obedience by implying consequences if she does not do as he asks. This extends to retaliatory punishment when she challenges him in "Punished".
Powers and Abilities
In addition to his considerable personal wealth, as the President of the SDC, he is a highly influential individual in Remnant.
Trivia
- His first name is the French equivalent of the name James, which originates from Jacob. This name means "someone who grasps at the heels" or "supplanter", which fits him well given his backstory.
- Like the rest of his family, his adopted surname means "snow" in German.
- Weiss' father was originally intended to appear in the Volume 1 Opening. He can be seen as a mysterious figure in the original storyboards (featured as extras on the DVD release of Volume 1).
- A picture of Weiss and her father (from "End of the Beginning") was used to promote the Father's Day sales at the Rooster Teeth Store on June 19th, 2016.
- ↑ RWBY Archives Remnant Promenade Vol. 1-8 Height Chart