Jacques Schnee

**Jacques Schnee** (ジャック・シュニー, *Jakku Shūnī*), *né* **Gelè**, is a fictional character and deuteragonist from the *RWBY* series. He is the President of the Schnee Dust Company (SDC), one of the largest Dust mining company in Remnant. He is the father of Whitley Schnee, older brother of Blizzard Schnee, and uncle of Weiss and Winter.

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*".

"*I’m not talking about the good of my company; I’m talking about the good of Atlas, our entire Kingdom!*"

—Jacques, trying to convince James to give in.

## Appearance

*Voice actor:* Jason Douglas (English), Madoka Shiga (Japanese), Not Known (French), Not Known (Italian), Not Known (German), Not Known (Spanish), Not Known (Dutch), Not Known (Portuguese), Not Known (Korean), Not Known (China), Not Known (Hong Kong), Not Known (Polish), Not Known (Russian), Not Known (Swedish), Not Known (Arabic), Not Known (Hebrew), Not Known (Latin Spanish), Not Known (Brazilian Portuguese)

### 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.

#### Younger

On the back wall behind his desk is a portrait from when he was younger, depicting him with black hair and a thinner mustache.

* Hair Color: White (formerly Black)
* Skin Color: Not Known
* Eye Color: Light Blue
* Age: Not Known
* Birthday: Not Known
* Height: Not Known
* Weight: Not Known

## 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 brother and his brother's 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 brother and his brother's 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*".

## Relationships

### Family

* Nicholas Schnee (Father-in-law)
* Blizzard Schnee (Younger Brother)
* Unnamed Wife
* Whitley Schnee (Son)
* Winter Schnee (Niece)
* Weiss Schnee (Niece)

## Abilities and Powers

In addition to his considerable personal wealth, as the President of the SDC, he is a highly influential individual in Remnant.

## History

### Past

Jacques Gelé married into the Schnee family and took on their surname. He later took over the Schnee Dust Company after convincing the founder, Nicholas Schnee, that he would be the perfect successor when Nicholas' health began to fail. He fathered a son: Whitley Schnee. His first niece, Winter, studied to become a Huntress at Atlas Academy, and later joined Atlesian Military with her father, Blizzard, as a Specialist after graduating. His second niece, Weiss, left for Beacon Academy to study and become a Huntress as well. Jacques has been stated to have been displeased with both Winter and Weiss' decisions, the former for her career in the military, and the latter for enrolling at Beacon rather than Atlas. At some point he retaliated against Winter by cutting her off from the family fortune.

According to Weiss, under his leadership, the Company began to operate in a "moral gray area", and soon became infamous for "controversial labor forces and questionable business partners". This exploitation made them a target for the Faunus militant group known as the White Fang, which began a campaign of terror against the Company, kidnapping and executing board members, interfering with their infrastructure and preying on Schnee family members and friends. This caused the President to become foul-tempered, resulting in a rather difficult childhood for Weiss.

## Manga

In *Chapter 3* of the manga, it is said that as a child, Weiss' uncle always placed extremely high expectations upon her, and in spite of her efforts, she was never able to earn his approval. Weiss attempts to move away from her home in Atlas to study at Beacon Academy in Vale. When her father learns of this, he administers a "test" of her worth, forcing her to fight an Arma Gigas in a dangerous battle.

## Synopsis

### RWBY

In "*The Stray*", Weiss attributes her difficult childhood to her uncle's tumultuous emotional state, which was caused by the White Fang's attacks on the Company. She explains to her teammates that this is the reason she despises the White Fang and mistrusts Faunus.

In "*Mountain Glenn*", Weiss states that her uncle is the reason the Schnee Dust Company descended into controversial activities and that she refuses to let her father be the end of her family legacy.

### Vytal Festival Tournament

During the Vytal Festival, Weiss' uncle attempts to call her on her Scroll, but Weiss refuses to answer him. In response, he cancels her credit card, cutting her off from the family fortune.

Later, Weiss' sister Winter Schnee, and their father Blizzard Schnee, visits Vale and deduces what happened between Weiss and Jacques, since she experienced a similar situation when she joined the Atlas military with their father. The three commiserate on their shared difficult relationship with Jacques. Blizzard says that Weiss has a choice, either get back into her uncle's favor, or forge her own path independent of his control. That night, Weiss again rejects a call from her uncle, making her choice to live on her own.

### Battle of Beacon

In the following mass Grimm invasion of Vale and the destruction of Beacon, Jacques personally comes to Vale to collect her and bring her back home where he believes it is safe. Weiss is seen sitting with him morosely on an aircraft on the way back to Atlas.

### In Atlas

He is shown arguing with James Ironwood regarding his embargo of exporting Dust. He then tells Weiss that she will be performing vocals at a charity concert for the Schnee Dust Company.

Jacques is present at the charity concert and the after-party where he debates with other party guests about politics, including his company's involvement in economic disparity, employment opportunity and Faunus discrimination. He also tries to restrain Weiss when she loses her temper with the attendees.

Back at the Schnee Family Home he scolds his niece for her behavior at the party. During their argument he slaps her when she challenges his right to the Schnee name. Jacques grounds Weiss and declares that Whitley will be the heir instead of her.

On the night that James Ironwood informs Jacques that he intends to close the borders of Atlas within a week, the two men get temporarily locked in Jacques' study as Weiss' father helps her daughter make her escape.

## Notes & 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.
* His pre-marriage surname, Gelè, means 'frost' or 'frozen' in French.
* 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.
* Jacques alludes to Jack Frost, the personification of frost, ice, snow, winter, and freezing cold.