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 spent 10 years with the Dahl military force, reaching the rank of Sergeant. After his pursuit of personal glory and disregard for orders led to numerous compromised missions, his wife and commanding officer Sarah discharged him from the military, which would have led to his death by firing squad, while not-so-subtlely suggesting that he flee to the border worlds. Taking her suggestion, Axton went AWOL, using his skills and turret as a mercenary on other planets.

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. Although Axton was turning in more bounties and making far more money than anyone else in Sherriff Youngblood's jurisdiction, he found that it was too easy, and the lure of fame, fortune, and challenging combat drew him to Pandora.

Action Skill: Sabre Turret
Axton is able to deploy a versatile Dahl Sabre Turret, a mounted gun featuring 360° rotation that can be upgraded with many weapons and abilities. The turret's duration is 20 seconds and its cooldown is 42 seconds.

Guerrilla
This tree focuses on close-range combat and improves the turret's duration and damage capabilities. Essentially it allows a player to drop the turret to let it support him while he closes distance to engage enemies.

Gunpowder
This tree focuses on medium range combat, providing many boosts to weapon damage of all kinds and general combat skills. Also allows for tactical deployment of the turret as "another soldier on the field" via the Longbow skill.

Survival
This tree is defense oriented, providing general defensive stat boosts as well as abilities that can pull the player back from the brink of death. It also improves the turret's deployment versatility.

Quotes
When joining a game
 * Ten years of Dahl military experience at your service.
 * Commando here, lets get moving.

When reviving an ally
 * 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.
 * On your feet, soldier!

When being revived
 * Didn't know you cared!
 * Damn, you're strong!

Critical Kill
 * Hello! (mocking).
 * You deserved it. Bitch.
 * See ya...bitch.
 * Cool story bro.
 * Ha! Did you see his face?
 * Splooge!
 * Boom-Shaka-Laka!

Throwing a grenade
 * Throwing masher!
 * Catch this!
 * Grenade!

When recovering [Kill Revive]
 * Like I was gonna die!
 * Not dead yet!
 * I don't die so easy!
 * Oscar-mike!

Deploying a turret
 * You fellas meet the missus?
 * Wanna meet my girlfriend?
 * Go get 'em, honey!
 * Let's get to killing, sweetheart!
 * Hey, stand in front of this!
 * Say hello, darling!
 * Now you be careful, honey.
 * Sorry, boys, I've got turret syndrome! Get it? 'Cuz of the turret...? Sorry.
 * Meet my lady friend!
 * Tossin' the little lady!

General Combat
 * YOU get a bullet! And YOU get a bullet! EVERYBODY gets a bullet! (When killing many enemies in rapid succession)
 * (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?)
 * And the crowd goes wild! (Killing a badass)

Level Up
 * STRONGER, SMARTER, more sexually attractive.
 * Plus one to awesome-ness.
 * Beats the hell outta basic training.

Turret Kill
 * Bad guys zero! Turret, a whole bunch!
 * Autogun's chewin' 'em up!
 * That's mah girl!
 * Turret, what would I do withou'cha?
 * That's right! Let her mow you down!
 * News flash bitches; Turrets kill!
 * Autogun's wreckin' FACE!

When ramming another player in a vehicle
 * Didn't mean to do that...Yes I did.
 * My bad!
 * What is this bumper car?
 * Hope is insured!
 * So does this thing not have air bags?
 * Out of the way!
 * Okay that was mostly my fault.
 * Jeeze!
 * I got somewhere to be here!

When idle
 * 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, dammit. 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 Isolus 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.
 * I dunno about you, but I'm on the edge of my seat... about to fall off of it.
 * I could not be more bored. But hey, at least my C.O.'s not screaming at me and my friends aren't gettin' blasted to hell left and right. So there's that.

With Handsome Jack's voice
 * Testing? Testing one two? One two. And now I have the voice of a douchebag. Great.
 * "I'm Handsome Jack! Commando, don't kill me! I'm so sorry!" Pow! "Augh, oh no, you're so much cooler than me, Commando..."
 * Oh, I'm so bored-- ohh, forgot I had Jack's voice.
 * Jesus, this feels weird.
 * I somehow always knew I'd be stuck in the middle of nowhere trying to protect a city from a facist whose voice I stole.

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.
 * If Axton is the chosen character to start out as, an ECHOlog will be in the inventory about Axton and his wife, Sarah. It plays the dialogue between them of Sarah discharging Axton from the military and suggesting that he go AWOL to the border worlds. She also gave him back her wedding ring, saying she never liked diamonds.
 * 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.
 * The turrets Axton deploys in the Wimoweh Trailer are actually impossible (without mods) as he clearly has two major gamechangers (Gemini and Double Up).
 * Axton quote "Throwing a masher" is a reference to the nickname of the German Model 24 grenade "the potato masher".
 * The "Red Fraction" skin for Axton is a reference to the game Red Faction.