For the in-game book series about the character, go here: Alex Casey
I'm glad you're on this case with me Anderson; it's right up your alley. - ― Alex Casey, Alan Wake 2
Alex Casey is a major character in Alan Wake 2. Casey is an Agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Throughout his career, Alex endured the comparisons made of him and the titular character of the crime thriller "Alex Casey" books, written by Alan Wake. In 2013, Casey investigated a series of ritualistic murders in New York City by the Cult of the Word, a group that worshipped Alan Wake and his writings. Several years later, he was partnered with FBI Agent Saga Anderson. An alternate version of Casey accompanied Alan Wake as he remained trapped in the Dark Place, an alternate dimension in the form of New York City.
In 2023, Casey and Anderson are called to Bright Falls, Washington to investigate another series of ritualistic murders by the Cult of the Tree. The latest victim being former FBI Agent Robert Nightingale who came to Bright Falls thirteen years prior in pursuit of Alan Wake, who also went missing at the same time. Shortly after arriving, Casey and Anderson discover the supernatural events caused by the Dark Presence and the return of Alan Wake. Casey was later possessed by Scratch, Alan Wake's doppelgänger. Alan allowed Scratch to repossess him so Saga could kill both Alan and Scratch with the Bullet of Light, with Casey saved.
Background[]
Alex Casey is a member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is colleagues with Saga Anderson. He takes special interest in Alan Wake because of Wake's famous action-thriller Alex Casey series, which not only mirrors his name but is also startlingly similar to his own life and personality. Unknown to Casey and Alan at the time, what Alan had interpreted as "inspirational ideas" were actually visions of Casey's real life. When Alan became empowered by The Dark Presence he gained the ability to manipulate reality around him with his writings and change events of real-life people, which is how Casey, who coincidentally was a real-life FBI Agent, became attracted to the case and became part of the story, with his backstory changed during Initiation to fit Alan's narrative. Though the extent of the changes is unknown. It's hinted that when people enter Bright Falls the effects of Allen's writings are more pronounced, for example when Saga and Casey first arrived Casey remembered Logan was alive even asking Saga what to get her for her birthday. Later in the game his character says Logan is dead as Alan had written. It's unknown how much of his backstory in Alan Wake 2 lines up outside of Bright Falls and the Dark Presence's influence.
Events of Control[]
Whilst he doesn't appear in Control, he is mentioned where he is said to have taken an interest in Alan Wake's case. His request for information prompted the Federal Bureau of Control to launch a probe into whether or not he a real person with a coincidental name, or the result of an Altered World Event manifesting a fictional character into reality.
Events of Alan Wake 2[]
Initiation[]
Casey is encountered by Alan several times during his stay in the Dark Place. When Alan is at the talk show In Between with Mr. Door, Warlin Door's other guest is actor Sam Lake, who portrays Casey in an upcoming film adaptation of his books. Alan notes Lake's uncanny resemblance to what he imagines Casey as.
Exploring the Dark Place, Alan later encounters Casey himself - the manifestation of his own fictional character - on the way to Caldera Station. Casey says that a cult, the Cult of the Word, is using manuscripts Casey claims is written by Alan to carry out their elaborate murders. Casey accuses him of being the cult's leader. Moments later, he is quickly killed by the Dark Presence, similarly to how he died in the books. Casey's echoes during his investigations in the cult are later used as guides to traverse the Dark Place.
Return[]
Casey and Saga are investigating the grisly murders at Bright Falls and Watery, where the Cult of the Tree have murdered Wendy Davis, Ted Lane, and Percy Wolfe by ripping their hearts out. They are called to the scene of the ritualistic murder of Robert Nightingale, a former FBI agent who went missing years before and has resurfaced. Civilians Ed and Tammy Booker have found the cultists kill Nightingale and reported them to the sheriff's department, and Casey and Anderson join deputy sheriffs Mulligan and Thornton at the scene. When going to Cauldron Lake, the two agents discover a manuscript that explicitly mentions them and their investigation, disturbing them. Returning to their car, they find a station set up by the FBC.
After Saga meets with the Bookers and Sheriff Tim Breaker, Casey joins Saga and Breaker as they go to the morgue to investigate Nightingale's corpse. They examine Nightingale and find a manuscript page inside saying Nightingale was hunting her. Breaker notes they have found other manuscripts earlier, but he disappears and, just as the manuscript says, Nightingale revives, knocks out Casey, and murders several police officers and morticians before Saga stops him. Casey is rattled by the experience but agrees with Saga that they should pursue and take down Nightingale. Seeking advice from another manuscript, Casey and Saga head back to Cauldron Lake to pursue Nightingale through something called an Overlap.
The two head to Cauldron Lake where they split up, and Saga manages to enter the Overlap and kill Nightingale. Saga and Casey come across Alan Wake, finally reappearing after thirteen years. Alan is startled upon seeing Casey, thinking he was still in the Dark Place and not realizing there is a real Alex Casey. Upon returning to Bright Falls, the two agents interrogate Alan at a lodge and ask him why they are in his story. Alan explains he escaped from the Dark Place and that he had been writing to escape through a novel called Return, however his evil doppelganger Mr. Scratch has escaped as well. Saga theorizes that Scratch has been editing his story to escape. Alan explains that Scratch wants the Clicker to achieve his ending in expanding beyond Bright Falls and warns Saga and Casey that Scratch would want to use the pages to hurt them. After Saga uses her powers to expose Alan hiding more pages, she heads to Watery to find the cult members who have the Clicker so she can give it to Alan, while Casey stays with Alan.
Casey confronts Alan, sharing that he had read Alan's Alex Casey novels and noted the similarities between himself and the fictional character, as if his life was being watched. The cult arrives at the lodge and attack them in hopes to killing Alan, but Casey and Alan fend them and the Taken off. Alan goes to save Casey, but the FBC apprehends Alan and the cultists before he could be found. During his fight with the cultists and Taken, he is severely injured and briefly encounters the Dark Presence, rattling him before the FBC recovers him. When the Taken attack the police station, Casey barricades himself at the morgue until Saga arrives to rescue him. Casey's mind seems to be warped by the story, now believing Saga broke up with her husband, moved to Watery, and was unable to save Logan from drowning. Casey, Saga, and Estevez form a plan to use the Anderson brothers' music to lure out Scratch and trap him with FBC equipment, simultaneously summoning the real Alan from the Dark Place.
Saga realizes that the summoning sent Alan back to when they first found him in the lake days ago, and Alan was Scratch all this time. Casey alerts Saga that Scratch had arrived, and the agents work together to finally trap Scratch and free him from Alan. However, Scratch instead moves to the injured and vulnerable Casey, who tosses Saga into Cauldron Lake and takes the Clicker to Bright Falls to finally bring Return to life. When Alan enters the Dark Place to confront Scratch/Casey, Scratch as Casey pursues him, only being held off by Rose Marigold and Ahti. Alan and a freed Saga rework the ending of Return from the Writer's Room; when Casey/Scratch finally breaks through, Saga uses the Clicker on their new ending. Casey is freed by Scratch, whom Alan absorbs before Saga shoots Alan/Scratch dead with the Bullet of the Light. A recovered Casey asks Saga if it is over.
Trivia[]
- The character is voiced by the late James McCaffrey; this served as McCaffrey's final acting role before passing away on December 17, 2023.
- Alex Casey's model is based after Sam Lake, who was also the body model for Max Payne, one of Remedy Entertainments' older titles. Alex Casey was Remedy's way of referencing their Max Payne games.
- The existence of Alex Casey as an FBI agent and a character outside the books has been teased by Remedy on several occasions:
- An easter egg in Quantum Break titled "Return" shows an FBI agent called Alex Casey investigating the events of Alan Wake. The character also has the voice of James McCaffrey, the likeness of Sam Lake and a partner named Saga Anderson.
- Control's AWE expansion has a document which described a FBI agent by the name of Alex Casey requesting access to the FBC's files on Bright Falls and Wake's disappearance, prompting the Bureau to look into Casey's character to determine if his name is merely a coincidence or evidence of a fictional character come to life as part of the altered world event.
- The videos linked to the QR Codes in Alan Wake Remastered show Alan Wake referring to his work on the Alex Casey books how he draws from them in his writing, stating that he "needed a detective to guide him".
- In Alan Wake 2 it's revealed that the living Alex Casey's resemblence to his literary counter part is the result of Wake being stuck in the dark place where the walls of space and time are thin allowing Wake, both in the past and present, to peak in on Alex Casey's life. Wake had thought these were mere inspirational ideas and used them to write his Alex Casey novels. When he become stuck in the dark place his writings began to affect and warp the real Casey.
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