<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

Xena: Warrior Princess Character
Joxer
Status	deceased
Gender	Male
Species	Human
Origin	Cirra, Greece
Portrayed by	Ted Raimi
First Appearance	"Callisto"
Profession	inept Warrior, sidekick
Relatives	Jett & Jace (twin brothers), Meg (wife), three children, Virgil (son)
Special Features

Joxer the Mighty was a recurring character on the show Xena: Warrior Princess, and had the most appearances besides the two stars of the show. Interestingly, he has also been one of the most controversial characters on it. While most hardcore fans either didn't mind him or actually enjoyed him, most of the show's overall viewers tended to view him as a major irritation. People either loved him, could not have cared less for him, or loathed him.

Joxer and Gabrielle as Comic Foils

Initially, the naive character of Gabrielle served as the show's comic relief, but as the show progressed throughout its first season Gabrielle's character began to mature and Joxer was introduced as a foil to her. He eventually became the chief source of comic relief as Gabrielle continued to mature.

One of three identical sons of a warlord, Joxer set out to prove himself as a warrior when he ran into Xena and Gabrielle. Xena dismissed him, seeing him for what he truly was despite his bravado- a bumbling idiot. Joxer then tried his hand with the warlord Callisto. Callisto tasked Joxer to capture Gabrielle in the hopes of distracting Xena and he failed miserably. She then gave him one last chance to prove himself by slitting Gabrielle's throat, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Season two saw Joxer and Gabrielle in a comical competition for Xena's attentions, since at that point the two were relatively at the same level of maturity. Joxer's one moment of nobility in this season was when he risked his life to defend Xena's horse, Argo, against who he thought was Callisto. At the end of the season Gabrielle got shot with one of Cupid's arrows and fell in love with Joxer. Her attentions caused Joxer to fall in love with her. When Cupid put things back to normal he was able to fix Gabrielle's skewed emotions however Joxer was out of luck because his love was not artificial.

Joxer's Love for Gabrielle

Spoiler Warning: Plot details and/or information about the ending follow. If you wish to enjoy the work first, stop reading here and return at another time.

In season three Gabrielle became noticeably more mature than Joxer, mainly due to her trials involving her raping, the demon child it produced, and the rift between her and Xena that that caused. Joxer spent most of the season mooning over Gabrielle, and it was during this season that his love for her was probably most evident. Xena and Gabrielle showed a strangely unprecedented level of feeling for Joxer in one episode when he ran afoul of a greedy casino owner off whom Joxer cleaned house. He also showed himself to not be a complete bungler- at one point trying in vain to defend Gabrielle against an enraged Xena, and also carried out a delicate mission for Xena during the last episode- but for the most part he remained just as silly and idiotic as before, being left in the dust by the rapidly-maturing Gabrielle.

Season four was a sharp drop-off in quality from the previous three and all characters suffered- Joxer included. He actually seemed to become increasingly stupid, most noticeably in the episode "Takes One To Know One." However, of note is Joxer's first killing, which occurred during this season and sobered him up for the length of an episode.

Season five was only marginally better than its predecessor, but it was a significant one for Joxer's character. He showed an unprecedented level of maturity throughout the season (probably because he had to fill a part of the void left by the numerous absences of a pregnant Xena). At the beginning of the season he discovered Xena and Gabrielle's crucified bodies and vowed to take them back to Greece. Later, when they'd revived, he decided to admit to Gabrielle his feelings for her, promising her (at Xena's suggestion) that he didn't necessarily need a response, but wanted her to know. After this, however, Joxer became absurdly possessive and jealous over Gabrielle - an attribute he never exhibited previously. Later on, Joxer was poisoned, and as he was wasting away he and Gabrielle settled the score - she loved him but not romantically. After Xena and Gabrielle apparently died again, Joxer kept their legacy alive until they returned twenty-five years later from their implausable deep-freeze. In the end, Joxer sacrificed his life to save Gabrielle and had apparently remained infatuated with even over their quarter-century absence.

Joxer only made two appearances in season six (since he died in season five) - one as himself in an alternate reality created by Gaius Julius Caesar and another as both a reincarnation of himself and simultaneously as Joxer in a flashback to a point between seasons three and four.

Family

Joxer had two twin brothers - Jett and Jace. He was married to the ex-tramp Meg and had one son (plus at least one other child) by her - the famous Roman warrior poet Virgil.