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Quote1 I'm Barry Wheeler; his agent! Quote2
― Barry Wheeler, Taken

Barry Wheeler is a major character in the Alan Wake franchise. Barry was the childhood friend and literary agent of novelist Alan Wake. In 2010, Alan's wife, Alice, disappeared during their vacation in Bright Falls, Washington. Barry arrived in town shortly after to assist Alan in rescuing Alice from the Dark Presence that took her. After Alan traded places with Alice in the Dark Place to set her free, Barry remained one of the few people convinced Alan had not died. In 2012, Barry became the manager for the Anderson Brothers of the rock band Old Gods of Asgard, before retiring them to the Valhalla Nursing Home that he opened in Bright Falls. Barry later moved to Hollywood to handle Alan's property rights for the Alex Casey franchise.

Biography[]

Background[]

Barry Wheeler was born in New York in 1980. In early childhood, he became best friends with Alan Wake. When Alan started writing as a teenager, Barry became his literary agent. For years, Barry helped Alan by securing writing jobs, such as a staff writer on "Night Springs" and getting his crime novel series, "Alex Casey", published.

Despite his friendship with Alan, Barry did not get along with Alan's wife, Alice. This was because Barry and Alice both saw each other as intruding on their own "domain" with Alan and his property, believing the other to be a negative influence. At a certain point, Alan began to struggle with alcohol and drug use due to the pressures of fame and his struggles to continue writing after completing the "Alex Casey" series. Barry had to manage Alan's outbursts and trouble with the law after assaulting the paparazzi.

After not writing for nearly three years, Alice arranged for her and Alan to take a vacation to Bright Falls, Washington in 2010. Unknown to Alan and Barry, Alice was using the vacation to cover a secret therapy session she arranged Alan to have with Dr. Emil Hartman, a clinician who specialized in treating struggling artists. Barry was reluctant to let Alan go on the vacation, but hoped it would inspire him with a new story to write.

Alan Wake[]

Alan and Alice arrive to Bright Falls on September 1, 2020. While on the boat to Bright Falls, Barry calls Alan to check up on him and asks if they have settled in yet. Smelling money, he also asks if the town has got his "creative juices flowing". Barry shows concern about Alan's privacy and offers to intervene if the locals are hassling him too much and sends his "love" to Alice.

Following this phone call, Alan and Alice do not respond to Barry's texts and phone calls for a week. Concerned, Barry gets on a flight from New York and travels to Bright Falls on September 9, 2010. He meets waitress Rose Marigold at the Oh Deer Diner and confirms to Barry that she saw Alan and Alice in town. Barry then calls Alan, who finally responds and reveals that he's at the Bright Falls Sheriff Station. Barry arrives to the station as Alan assaults Dr. Emil Hartman after revealing his interactions with his wife. Barry intervenes and threatens to sue Dr. Hartman and Sheriff Sarah Breaker, leaving the station with Alan.

Getting a cabin in the Elderwood National Park, Alan reveals to Barry that he and Alice were attack on the night they arrived to the Bird Leg Cabin on Diver's Isle in Cauldron Lake. He explains that he saw something took Alice into the lake and he dived after her, only to wake up a week later behind the wheel of his crashed car. Following the crash, he fought possessed townspeople called Taken that could only be killed by a bright light, having been possessed by the Dark Presence. He also found a manuscript for a horror story seemingly authored by him that managed to predict the future. And Sheriff Breaker revealed to him that Diver's Isle sunk in 1970 despite him and Alice staying there.

After hearing Alan Wake's story of what has been happening in Bright Falls, Barry thinks Alan has gone crazy. But when he hears that Alan may have written a horror story, he decides to let Alan follow through with his plans to obtain the manuscript. When Alice's supposed kidnapper, Ben Mott, calls Alan to meet him at Lovers' Peak, Barry discourages Alan from meeting him. Alan advises Barry to stay in the cabin. Upon being attacked by Taken birds, Barry believes Alan's story. When Ben forces Alan to complete the manuscript in two days in order to get Alice back, Alan has Barry go into town to research anything he can about what Alan has learned.

At the archives in Bright Falls, Barry learns that Diver's Isle once belonged to a "poet" and "diver" named Thomas Zane, and that his lover Barbara Jagger drowned in Cauldron Lake in 1970. Shortly after, an earthquake occurred and Zane supposedly died when the island was swallowed in the caldera. Despite being a renowned poet, Barry couldn't find a single poem Zane wrote. Most of the archives were written by a woman named Cynthia Weaver, who is known in Bright Falls as the "town eccentric", Barry comparing her to a crazy bag lady.

After doing his research, Barry gets a call from Rose, who reveals that she has the rest of Alan's pages at her home in the Sparkling River Estates. Unknown to Barry, the Dark Presence "touched" Rose in order to entrap Alan. Upon arriving to the trailer park, Barry reveals to Alan all the information he learned. When meeting Rose, Barry and Alan drink spiked coffee - resulting in the two falling unconscious. Alan wakes up before Barry and is forced to leave him behind when the FBI show up with Agent Robert Nightingale wanting to arrest Alan. Deputies Mulligan and Thornton apprehend Barry and Rose, and are later interrogated by Nightingale. Barry is released from jail and, out of spite, steals Rose's cardboard cutout of Alan.

When Barry learns that Alan is being kept at the Cauldron Lake Lodge by Dr. Hartman and tries to get him out, Dr. Hartman kidnaps Barry and locks him in his office closet. Alan then manages to break Barry out and confront Dr. Hartman. As the Dark Presence invades the lodge, Barry and Alan manage to escape. Alan reveals that the Anderson Brothers at the lodge know the truth of what happened to him and how to fix it, with the answers at their farm. Upon driving there, the Dark Presence causes their truck to crash. Barry and Alan get separated, with Barry having to fight the Taken off himself with a flare. The two manage to rendezvous at the Anderson's stage for their band, Old Gods of Asgard. When attacked by the Taken, Barry turns on the stage's lights and pyrotechnics to help Alan fight the Taken. At the Anderson farmhouse, they learn from the song "The Poet and the Muse" that they need to find Cynthia Weaver to save Alice. Barry then proposes to get drunk off of the Andersons' moonshine while waiting for the sunrise. When they awake, both Alan and Barry are found and arrested by Robert Nightingale.

Barry and Alan are brought to the sheriff's station. Alan reveals to Barry the truth. Due to the moonshine's effects, Alan now remembers the night Alice disappeared. The Dark Presence, taking the form of Barbara Jagger, compelled Alan to write a manuscript to save Alice. In reality, the Dark Presence was using Alan to be set free as the art in Cauldron Lake can change reality. The essence of Thomas Zane then freed Alan before he could finish the ending to "Departure". The Dark Presence then attacks Bright Falls and takes Nightingale. Sheriff Breaker, believing Wake, agrees to help the two. While Alan and Sarah get the rescue helicopter, Sarah has Barry call the members of the Torchbearers to warn them of the Taken's presence in town. Barry is later attacked by the Dark Presence and retreats in a general store. In there, he arms himself with a flare gun, Christmas lights, and a headlamp.

Barryprotectshimself

Barry protects himself from the Dark Presence with a headlamp and Christmas Lights

Barry, Alan, and Sarah then arrive to the Bright Falls Light & Power to meet Cynthia, but are attacked by Taken birds, separating Alan from Barry and Sarah. The helicopter crashes, but Barry and Sarah survive. They meet Alan near the Bright Falls Dam and escape from the Tornado. Inside the Dam, Cynthia takes them to the Well-Lit Room. In the room contains the Clicker, an object of power that can help Alan defeat the Dark Presence and save Alice. Realizing he needs to go alone, Alan makes Barry and Sarah stay. Barry wishes Alan good luck and stays behind. Alan then uses the Clicker and stop the Dark Presence. In order to save Alice, Alan trades places with her in order to finish the ending to "Departure".

In The Signal and The Writer DLC's, Barry appears in Alan's mind as "Imaginary Barry", a figment of his imagination taking the form and personality of Barry Wheeler, as Alan gradually loses his sanity as he struggles to navigate within the Dark Place. Alan must confront his own personal struggles and his relationships with those around him. Barry is initially supportive in Alan's journey, but becomes increasingly bitter and resentful. As Alan reaches himself, he is forced to kill Imaginary Barry before finally regaining his sanity.

In The Signal, Alan may also come across a cardboard standee of Barry, which comes with the following description:

  • "The literary agent with the constant ailment! The frantic sidekick with the hectic rhetoric!
    The owner of the most fashionable jacket ever made and the author of the indispensable guide to would-be agents everywhere, "Blood from a Rock: When the Goose Starts Goldbricking," presents a new collection of short fiction by Alan Wake! Included are classics like "Errand Boy," as well as numerous mortifyingly clumsy early works buried deep in the disappeared writer's files. Never intended for publication? That's not the Wheeler way! Get yours now!"

Night Springs[]

Night Springs takes place concurrently to Episode 5: The Clicker, beginning from when Sarah Breaker tasks Barry with making phone calls to townspeople. It depicts the other end of his conversation with Sarah's father Frank, who then sets out to try and address the situation. At the end of the comic, which is set just after Alan leaves the Well-Lit Room, Frank reaches the Well-Lit Room and finds Barry with Sarah and Cynthia, confirming their safety.

Alan Wake's American Nightmare[]

BarryBadge

Barry's badge

In Alan Wake's American Nightmare, it is revealed that Barry became the manager and producer for Old Gods of Asgard in 2012.[1] Even though their rock star lifestyles are hectic, especially in their old age, they are apparently still not the most difficult clients Barry has had, according to Alan (aforementioned difficult client himself).[2] He is seen sleeping in the Edge Motel as the band is on tour somewhere in Arizona, before the camera switches to the TV for an episode of Night Springs. Per Alan's writings, Barry also helped the Anderson Brothers record Balance Slays the Demon.[3] Mr. Scratch also claims that Barry has been staying in contact with Sarah Breaker for the past two years. He still believes Alan is alive, although Sarah is unsure.

After the credits, the TV turns to static and Barry wakes up, saying "Al?"

Control[]

Barry does not appear in Control. However, the Federal Bureau of Control's case file on the Bright Falls AWE (the 2010 event as seen in Alan Wake) mentions Barry: the FBC was alerted to the AWE by Frank Breaker, who had been alerted by Barry (as depicted in Night Springs).

Barry is mentioned in more detail in the AWE expansion. A Hotline message from Alan Wake confirms that Barry had helped Old Gods of Asgard set up their Return comeback tour. However, after two concerts he became concerned for the Anderson Brothers' detoriorating health and cancelled the rest of their tour. He used the money from the tour and the release of the Old Gods' Greatest Hits album to found the Valhalla Nursing Home as a retirement home for the brothers in 2014.

Alan Wake 2[]

Barry does not appear in Alan Wake 2. However, during Alan's second visit to Parliament Tower via the Initiation manuscript ritual, Barry is mentioned several times. In Alice's Documentary, she states that Barry began visiting her at Parliament Tower in New York City a few months after Alan's "death" in 2010, and even cooked for her a few times; Alice had been traumatized by the events at Bright Falls and Barry tried to keep her company. Alice says that she did not like him at first but came to view him in a better light over time, and that he still keeps in touch with her even though he has moved out West, away from New York.

Alice's computer can also be found and has several emails from Barry up to 2023, even though Alice has not been replying to him. As of at least July 2021, Barry moved from New York to Hollywood in order to protect Alan's creative legacy, as some movie studios were planning to create film adaptations of the Alex Casey books. In his emails, he states that he feels out of his depth in Hollywood and is facing significant stress dealing with the movie executives trying to adapt Alan's works.

In May 2022, Barry says that he has been staying at the Blessed Wellness Retreat, a place run by a "miracle worker" man named Chester which he jokingly describes as a "cult." He claims the retreat has made him feel much better and that he has also lost lots of weight. Chester told him that "something bad" would have happened to him in he stayed in New York, and he believes Chester. He also reveals that the FBC had tried to interview him. An email from March 2023 has Barry telling Alice that the Hollywood studios want to turn the events around Alan's disappearance into a movie, a TV show, or even a video game, but Barry refuses to let this happen. He also tries to let Alice know about Tammy Booker, who is writing a true crime book about Alan's disappearance, and says that he threatened to sue her publisher. As of at least May 2023, Barry is serving as executive producer on the film series.

In one of the manuscript pages found in Return 5: Old Gods we learn that Barry went to therapy and his therapist convinced him that all the supernatural things he witnessed in 2010 in Bright Falls were a figment of his own imagination, a coping mechanism to deal with his friend's death.

In Scratch's Deerfest during Return 8: Deerfest, townspeople affected by the Dark Presence's rewritten Return-focused reality can be heard lampshading how Barry does not appear in the events of Return, and wondering if Alan is planning to do more with Barry in the future.

Trivia[]

1738191-ss preview alanwake 06 cutout 720p

Barry, with Alan and Rose's Standee

  • Barry is voiced by Fred Berman, who also voiced Vinnie Gognitti in Max Payne 2: Fall of Max Payne (another Remedy Entertainment game).
  • He keeps himself well informed and regularly researches on the internet, a habit he had formed while preparing for interviews.
  • In Episode 5, Barry acquires a headlamp and Christmas lights (this maybe a reference to the movie Pitch Black where characters also protect them selfs with lights against the photosensitive creatures) from the local Bright Falls general store. He refers to the former as his "Flaming Eye of Mordor".
  • In Episode 2, when Alan leaves Barry inside the cabin, the player can choose to turn off the lights inside before leaving. Barry takes it as a sarcastic joke, saying "Real funny, Al! Real funny! Ha ha! Thank you! I'll just sit here in the dark until you come back. Or until I get eaten by a grue." This is a reference to the text adventure game entitled 'Zork'. In the game, a grue was a foreboding creature that always lurked in dark environments.
  • Barry has gained a following of fans who worship him in a silly manner. These include Barry Wheeler Facts (homage to Chuck Norris jokes), a new religion known as "Wheelerism", poetry of Barry, and "Questions of the Day" (questions that ask people what Barry would do in certain situations).
  • Barry appears to have a thing for Rose Marigold. He calls her many "pet names" in the first few episodes. He also states he "loves" her because she is giving Alan some manuscript pages.
  • Barry may be inspired by Eddie Kaspbrack and Ben Hascom, two of the main characters of Stephen King's novel It. In the novel, Kaspbrack suffered from health problems and sneezing (something Barry does often), while Hascom suffered from a weight problem (like Barry).
  • Barry's favorite weapon is the flare gun.
  • Barry makes an appearance in Remedy's 2011 iOS game Death Rally as well as in the PC remake of the same name.
  • Barry shares a few similarities with Emil Hartman -- they both assist a writer and both feel that the writers partners are negatively influencing them (in this case Alice and Barbara). This is also continued in Alan Wake 2 as Barry opens the Valhalla Nursing Home in Bright Falls, similar in appearance and function to the Cauldron Lake Lodge opened by Emil Hartman.
  • There is an Avatar item of his jacket.

Appearances[]

Gallery[]

References[]

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