The Hero Who Vanished and the Son He Left Behind
Original Home: Dallas, Texas
Current Home: Japan (Roxy and Jaxon)
Father: Eric Sterling — Formerly Overdrive, secretly Redline
Mother: Roxanne "Roxy" Sterling
Son: Jaxon Sterling
Year: 2171
Family Secret: Redline's true identity is unknown to Roxy, Jaxon, and the public.
Jaxon Sterling grew up in Dallas admiring his father, Eric Sterling, who was secretly America's No. 1 Pro Hero, Overdrive. While the world celebrated Overdrive's victories, Jaxon knew him as Dad: the man whose fighting stances he copied, whose rescues he watched, and whose stories made him want to become a hero.
Eric loved Roxanne and Jaxon, and Roxy gave their household warmth and stability. For young Jaxon, his father seemed invincible. He believed Overdrive could save anyone.
Being America's No. 1 Hero came with powerful enemies. Fearing that his identity would place his wife and son in danger, Eric vanished from their lives and abandoned the name Overdrive.
Jaxon waited for his father to return. As weeks turned into years, admiration became bitterness. How could a man who rescued strangers leave his own family behind? Eric's reasons might have been protective, but Jaxon experienced them as abandonment. He stopped wanting to follow in Overdrive's footsteps.
After Eric disappeared, Captain Celebrity eventually rose to America's No. 1 ranking, while the world remained unaware of what became of his predecessor.
Roxanne raised Jaxon in Dallas, providing the love, discipline, and stability his father no longer could. Warm and affectionate but firm about manners and responsibility, Roxy refused to let her son's strength become an excuse for recklessness.
Jaxon grew into a towering, stubborn, fiercely loyal young man with a Southern drawl. He especially respected his mother and became protective of her. Being called a mama's boy never bothered him; she was the parent who stayed.
Jaxon's Quirk, Pit Grit, gave him a body built for close combat. Damage he endured accumulated as golden kinetic energy called Grit, which he could unleash through explosive punches and movements. The closer he came to his limits, the harder he could strike—though injuries could still put him down.
In his early teens, Jaxon found Dallas's illegal underground fighting scene. He entered matches not for money, but because he loved the challenge. His raw strength, timing, resilience, and appetite for a good fight earned him a reputation. He hid it from Roxy, knowing she would be furious—and often pushed himself much too far.
Footage of Jaxon's pit fights reached Shota Aizawa, the Pro Hero Eraser Head and a teacher at U.A. High School. Aizawa saw a reckless teenager, but also exceptional combat instincts and the potential to become a genuine hero with proper discipline.
Before recommending Jaxon, Aizawa contacted Roxy personally and asked for her consent. He also told her the truth about the illegal fights. Roxy was furious with Jaxon, but she listened when Aizawa explained the training and supervision U.A. could provide.
She agreed to the recommendation on the understanding that Jaxon would treat hero education seriously and leave illegal fighting behind. Aizawa had no intention of overlooking another pit fight.
Jaxon completed U.A.'s recommendation evaluations and earned admission to its Hero Course. The acceptance letter arrived at their home in Dallas, bringing both excitement and a stern reminder from Roxy that his opportunity came with responsibilities.
They moved to Japan and established a home there together. Jaxon left the Dallas fighting pits behind, but not his mother's guidance.
Eric never stopped being a hero. After Overdrive's disappearance, he assumed a new identity and continues to operate as the Pro Hero Redline. He is under U.S. government protection, with his circumstances connected to the Star and Stripe Military Base.
To the public, Redline and Overdrive are different people. Neither Roxy nor Jaxon knows Redline is Eric. Jaxon believes his father left them and never came back. The secret keeps Eric's former identity hidden, but it has done nothing to repair his family.
Jaxon attends U.A. as an American recommendation student in Class 1-A, under Aizawa's supervision. Roxy lives in Japan with him and remains the most important person in his life.
Jaxon wants to become a hero through his own actions, not through his father's fame. Somewhere in America, Eric is still saving lives as Redline, while the people he loves have no idea who he is.
The world lost Overdrive. It gained Redline.
But Jaxon Sterling lost his father—and has no idea the man is still out there.