Robert 'Bobby' Axelrod is the CEO of Axe Capital, a multibillion dollar hedge fund orignially located in Conneticut then moving to New York City in Season 3. Known as "Axe" by friends and enemies alike, Bobby is an incredibly smart, and capable investor, able to see many moves ahead in his investments and appearing to come out ahead every time. He is hardly ever on the losing side and his intelligence, shrewdness, and decisive leadership win him awe and respect of friends and enemies. His intelligence and power also pull double to hide his hidden nature as a ruthless and vindictive player that takes no prisoners, causing many to fear his wroth should they ever cross him.
Showtime description
A self made Wall Street billionaire with one of the most successful hedge funds in the business, Bobby Axelrod enjoys all the trappings of his success: mansions, a private jet, a helicopter, and a personal chef. But he also doesn't forget his humble roots, or the fact that he survived 9/11 by a fluke. Although Axe's intentions are good, the temptations of greed and power are enormous and the lines between right and wrong in high finance are blurry at best. He is a shrewd enough player to never reveal his full hand to anybody.
Personality and Character
Bobby is an incredibly smart and shrewd investor and has a reputation of being entirely self made in creating his wealth, though many are skeptical of his initial gains after 9/11. He did have enough foresight to use the gains he earned with those trades to pay for the college tuition of all the kids of his friends and bosses lost in the tragedy, indicating some need to be philanthropic. He has been able to connect the dots for many pieces on whichever board he is playing on, which others have not been able to do, indicating a strong strategic mindset, and an ability to think several steps ahead. This has often been to the detriment of Chuck Rhodes and other law enforcement who hardly ever concretely tie anything to him.
It is acknowledged that he grew up on a rough side of town, and this has turned him into a capable provider and good father for his two kids, but he does not coddle anyone. He initially started making money by betting on horse races to learn some of the rules of the finance game and how to place bets by observing those who tended to make the most money. The rough upbringing hardened Bobby into a man who does not hesitate to make decisions to benefit himself and his firm, and push his employees hard to get results, or as he puts it "the kevlar of knowing the answer." Most times he is concerned with beating the competition and is always looking for someone to go after and win against. This fearsome need to constantly be at war and fight has also put him in the crosshairs of the law at various points in time, though his shrewd actions allow him to stay out of trouble for the most part. His decisiveness and clear direction has won him the near fanatical loyalty of some of his employees such as "Dollar" Bill Stern, and Michael "Wags" Wagner. Dr. Wendy Rhodes has noted this need to fight can also cause him to be reckless and make poor decisions overall.
Bobby's biggest problem, and the biggest detriment of his character, is his need to always be in control and his obsession with loyalty. These indicate some level of narcissism, and while he is aware of it, he often is incapable of letting things go. He vindictively and ruthlessly guts anyone who strikes out on their own after working under his banner, going as far as he can to ensure they will never be a threat to him again. He will go after any opening he has against his perceived enemies, ruining their personal relationships, finances, businesses, and dreams if he feels they have betrayed him no matter how close they are or have been. He is obsessed with being the cause of winning to a pathological degree, refusing to take any losses in business or in his relationships to any degree. He is incredibly petty about taking any losses and always has plans put in his contracts or conversations to ensure that he is always up one on whoever he is talking to. Chuck has often proved extremely vexing in this for him, but Axe is only concerned with ultimately winning against Chuck and any losses he takes only harden his resolve all the more.
Bobby is a big fan of heavy metal music taking off work early to go to a Metallica concert and regularly wearing t-shirts of classic heavy metal bands such as Megadeth and Iron Maiden.
Appearances
Bobby Axelrod has appeared in all 44 episodes to date.