Axel can trace his family back to the Prussian Statesman, Prince von Hardenberg, who organised a peace treaty between France and Prussia in 1795. He and his cousins grew up reliving the glory days of European wars, but when he began to sprout copious amounts of body hair during his adolescence, Axel's cousins began to shun him. Axel was left daydreaming about glory by himself.

It was soon clear than Axel had developed an active ubergene and he was taken out of regular schooling by his concerned parents. He retired to his family's country estate and began private tutoring. When he wasn't studying, though, Axel enjoyed running wild in the grounds. His mother was mortified but her son had become a Wolf Man.

As an adult, Axel was determined to live a normal life and never hide from the public. He moved back to Stuttgart and began to establish himself as a vigilante hero and gradually won over the public opinion. He met Armstrong and the pair embarked upon a short-lived partnership until they realised they both worked better alone.

Although they parted way, the germ of an idea was there. Years later the two independent heroes formed the loosely-knit band of independent heroes known as the Brotherhood.

Axel is a wild man, but is equally comfortable in the woods or the metropolises of Europe. He is proud of his heritage and his appearance, and has become something of a role model for young and inhuman ubers around Europe. He cares about the young people, knowing they hold the future in their hands, so when he discovered the evils of Dr Mengele, Axel was determined to liberate the young members of Kinder. He actively fought for a retrial of the young terrorist, Polestar, and succeeded in having his sentence reduced. Axel sees it as his duty to reform the young racist, and spends a great deal of time with Polestar in the expectation that some of his beliefs will rub off on Tadeusz.

"There's a time for howling and a time for talk."

Axel has become a Wolf Man, permanently covered in a thick protective mop of fur. He has sharp claws and keen senses like a wolf, and has developed a furious, but mostly non-lethal, combat style which has enabled him to become of the premier vigilantes in Europe.

Axel is covered in fur. He has small sharp ears and an unruly mop of hair on his head which hangs down to his shoulders. His eyes are golden yellow and his teeth and white and quite sharp. As Steppenwolf, he wears a bodysuit of black, with red and yellow, but he is more comfortable without the costume and usually wears a pair of well-worn shorts.