Axton

Axton is the playable Commando class character in Borderlands 2.

He was revealed on February 21, 2012, in the Borderlands 2 Launch Date Trailer.

Background
Originally from Heironymus, Axton once had a military career. After his pursuit of personal glory led to numerous compromised missions, his wife and commanding officer Sarah divorced him and sentenced him to the firing squad, while not-so-subtly suggesting that he instead flee to the border worlds. Taking the hint, Axton went AWOL and became a mercenary, ultimately taking his skills, and his precious turret, to Pandora where he felt they would be more appreciated.

Axton became aware of the Vault thanks to a radio advertisement orchestrated by Handsome Jack, who had been monitoring the Commando's most recent bounty hunt.

Action Skill: Sabre Turret
Axton is able to deploy a versatile Dahl Sabre Turret, a veritable arsenal with 360° rotation and a weapons complement that can be upgraded to include multi-rocket launcher and a portable nuke. The turret's cooldown is 42 seconds, the same as Salvador's Gunzerking skill.

Guerrilla
Short-range engagement. Focused on getting Axton into the fight and improves the turret's ability to perform continuous high damage attacks (the turret as heavy suppression fire support)

Gunpowder
Medium-range engagement. Focuses more heavily on medium range explosives and weapon damage. Improves many of Axtons offensive combat stats, and improves the turret mostly as a tactical deploy/distraction.

Survival
Defense-oriented. Focused on defensive stat boosts and abilities, using the turret frequently, and pulling Axton back from the brink of death.

Quotes
When joining a game When reviving an ally When being revived Critical Kill Throwing a grenade When downed  When recovering [Kill Revive] Deploying a turret General Combat Level Up Open skill tree Turret Kill Comparing Equipment Appearance of a Badass Challenge Complete
 * Commando here, let's get moving.
 * I'm not going to say you owe me, but I'm implying it.
 * Wow. Do you work out?
 * Don't worry. I won't tell anyone.
 * Hey, It happens to the best of us.
 * Don't stop shooting!
 * On your feet, soldier!
 * You'll get 'em, next time.
 * Fight through it!
 * You're good, I got you!
 * Didn't know you cared!
 * Thanks.
 * Damn, you're strong!
 * You deserved it. Bitch.
 * Cool story bro.
 * Whabam!
 * Ha! Did you see his face?
 * Nice!
 * Hello!
 * Splooge!
 * Uhhhhh, thank you.
 * Grenade out!
 * Throwing a masher!
 * Medic!
 * I need help over here!
 * Di'ja miss me?
 * He-ha!
 * Like I was gonna die?
 * Not dead yet!
 * I don't die so easy!
 * That's right!
 * Hellllo!
 * You fellas meet the missus?
 * Wanna meet my girlfriend?
 * Go get 'em, honey!
 * Auto gun, deploy!
 * Let's get to killing, sweetheart!
 * Hey, stand in front of this!
 * It's killin' time!
 * Grind 'em up!
 * Droppin' sentry!
 * Say hello, darling!
 * Chew 'em up!
 * Take this!
 * Now you be careful, honey.
 * All right, boys. I've got tur-RET syndrome.
 * Meet my lady friend!
 * Tossin' the little lady!
 * YOU get a bullet! YOU get a bullet! EVERYBODY gets a bullet! (When killing many enemies in rapid succession)
 * You want some of this?
 * I'll take you all on!
 * (in falsetto, 'female' voice) "Oh soldier, you're so great!" (in regular voice) "Come on, Lady, I'm not that cool..." (after killing multiple badasses?)
 * STRONGER, SMARTER, more sexually attractive.
 * Plus one to awesome-ness.
 * Ha! A promotion!
 * Risin' in the ranks!
 * I feel more badass!
 * Beats the hell outta basic training.
 * Here's where my training pays off.
 * Time to train.
 * Nothing like a turret kill!
 * You're heating up, baby!
 * Bad guys zero! Turret, a whole bunch!
 * Score one for the turret!
 * One more turret kill!
 * Autogun's chewin' 'em up!
 * That's mah girl!
 * Yes! More of that!
 * Turret, what would I do withou'cha?
 * Love that turret!
 * That's right! Let her mow you down!
 * News flash bitches; Turrets kill!
 * Autogun's wreckin' FACE!
 * And the crowd goes wild!
 * Thanks honey!
 * That's right. Start runnin'.
 * On the one hand...
 * Alright, what-ah we got here?
 * Let's see...
 * Badass incoming!
 * Look out, badass!
 * Heads up, badass!
 * Big guy coming!
 * Wasn't so hard.
 * Challenge completed.

Finding Rare Loot [Purple]
 * Now THAT'S amazing.

Finding Rare Loot [Blue]
 * Would you look at that!

When ramming another player in a vehicle Ramming into enemies in a vehicle
 * Didn't mean to do that...Yes I did.
 * Roadkill!

When idle

With Handsome Jack's voice
 * 'This... This is nice. Who want's to be out killin' stuff anyway? Me. I do.'
 * 'I left the military to get away from pointless waiting. And because I got dishonorably discharged... But mostly the first thing.'
 * 'Leave the military, come to Pandora, Stare at stuff...'
 * 'Heard of a guy stationed on Isulus got so bored he shot himself in the foot just to break the monotony. I know why that comes to mind right now.'
 * '(singing) Duh duh Duh duh Duh duh duh daaa dah daaa dah daaa, but I got bored just standin' around, I wish someone would move me round. Sorry, I do that when I'm bored. Really, really bored.'
 * 'Oh, c'mon! Those midgets aren't gonna blow their own heads off!'
 * 'I dunno about you, but I'm on the edge of my seat... about to fall off of it.'
 * Testing? Testing one two? One two. And now I have the voice of a douchebag. Great.

Trivia

 * Axton's ex-wife Sarah was also his former commanding officer, and Axton wears her dog tag and wedding band.
 * Axton is wanted for war crimes, the bounty on his head is $5,000,000,000.
 * Axton dislikes cats.
 * Axton's Battalion is deployed on Themis.
 * Axton was to be executed by a firing squad, avoiding the execution only because he went to Pandora.
 * One of Axton's skins is called "Double Down Brown Town", a reference to the Destructoid podcast "Podtoid".
 * If Axton is the chosen character to start out as, an ECHOlog will be in the inventory about Axton and his wife Sarah. Sarah gives Axton back her wedding ring saying how she didn't like diamonds anyway.
 * When Axton deploys his Sabre Turret he sometimes addresses it with pet names such as "sweetie", "honey", "the Mrs.", or his "girlfriend".
 * Axton is voiced by Robert McCollum, who was the voice of the war mage from the Orcs Must Die games.
 * Axton's personal backstory ECHO recordings are located in Lynchwood. There is a YouTube video detailing the exact locations.
 * The turrets Axton deploys in the Wimoweh Trailer are actually impossible (without mods) as he clearly has two major gamechangers (Gemini and Double Up).