"It's time for you folks to sharpen your pencils, and you better come back with one Traci Lords of an idea. And if you need that fucking defined, here is is: a barely legal, market-dominating, brilliant cocksucker of an idea."
— Mike 'Wags' Wagner (season 2)
Mike 'Wags' Wagner is the COO of Axe Capital.
Showtime description[]
Bobby Axelrod's right hand man is the COO of Axe Capital, Mike 'Wags' Wagner. Wags is a patrician WASP who still has to work for a living, and no one has ever kissed ass with more aplomb. But he truly does have Bobby's back, for which his boss rewards him handsomely.
Personality and Character[]
Wags is perhaps Bobby's most trusted associate and confidante. Wags is deeply loyal to Bobby and says various times, that he owes his life to him. According to Wags this undying loyalty stems from his first meeting with Bobby on a golf outing. Bobby advised Wags of his former employer's eventual downfall early enough to save Wags millions of dollars by enabling him to sell his company stock before it crashed.
He often acts head of Axe Capital in Bobby's absence from the office. A ruthless trader, Wags verbally abuses many employees of Axe Capital, saying it motivates them though he admits that he derives pleasure from it as well. This goes along with his tendency for overreacting and his taste for theatrics. He will often employ grand imagery in his tirades and will quote books, movies, and famous historical people for dramatic effect.
Although Wags is loyal to Bobby and his friends, he is usually incredibly petty and disrespectful with everyone else he comes across. In one instance he goes so far as to concoct a plan against a female employee who had asked for a raise or threatened to leave. Wags admits to Wendy, that while he thinks she deserved the raise and is a good employee, he was offended by the threat of departure unless Wags gave her the raise. He details to Wendy his plan of giving her the raise and slowly reducing the capital she is able to invest, eventually reducing her pay to nothing. In another instance, he employs Hall's spy's to publicly reveal a lawyer's unravelling marriage because he purchased a burial plot that Wags had planned on buying.
Appearances[]
Mike 'Wags' Wagner has appeared in all episodes to date.