head and torso - Destro v1
vest - destroy v2
collar - cobra commander v1 cape
lower arms - zartan v1
hands - dark ninja master
lower legs - shockwave

Anton Nobokov is a Latvian who joined the Soviet army, displaying a natural talent for driving, but failed to adjust to other aspects of life in the Soviet military. Nobokov was court-martialled. However the charges were dropped after a senior officer realized his potential as a driver and he was transferred to a position as a chauffeur to a top-ranking General. Whilst on an assignment transferring officials to a conference in Finland, the convoy he was leading was ambushed by Red Shadows Nobokov escaped by driving his vehicle into a log-strewn river and using the felled trees as a raft. This act got the attention of Action Force. He was subsequently recruited by Action Force and assigned to their Z Force unit with the codename Jackal, attending a training camp in Turkey. In common with other Action Force characters he was assigned primary ("head and hand combat") and a secondary military specialties ("high-speed driving"). However he once again showed an aversion to comradeship and emerged as a loner, obsessed only with driving.

While on a solo test drive in a Z Force jeep, Jackal was again ambushed by Red Shadows who forced him to crash into a gorge. Despite being critically injured, Baron Ironblood ordered the Red Shadows to recover Nobokov so that he could be operated on by the Red Shadows' own medical specialists. Following a series of operations, Jackal emerged as the Red Jackal, incorporating bionic technology, in particular an armored steel-plated head, bionic hands and powerful vision. Baron Ironblood then ordered his new soldier on two test missions in Turkey and Africa, driving the new Red Shadows tracked assault vehicle, the Hyena. His bionic vision complemented his driving skills, especially in the use of the Hyena.