John Casey (Chuck) - Biography

Biography

Only scattered information has been revealed about John Casey's past or his family. "Chuck Versus the Tic Tac" reveals that his real name is Alexander Coburn (Chuck had flashed on this name in a previous episode, but the face is redacted and Casey cautions him not to dig further) and that under the command of Col. James Keller, he faked his death and was given a new identity of John Casey. In a second-season episode, Casey was shown calling someone he referred to as his mother, but considering the situation and the fact that he referred to himself as "Johnny Boy," it seems he was speaking in code. He was a choirboy and has perfect pitch.

Even his age is unknown, though there are clues in his revealed career history. He was attempting assassinations in the 1980s, he left the Marines to become an agent in January 1989, he was 23 years old when he started training with his mentor, NSA instructor Ty Bennett, and it was 1994 at some point in his training with Bennett.

Although Casey has flown a stealth fighter, he holds his rank through the US Marine Corps. "Chuck Versus the Fake Name" reveals that Casey is a world-class sniper, and it is confirmed two episodes later that he began his career as a hot-shot Marine sniper. He served as a Lieutenant in a Marine amphibious force in Honduras in January 1989. While serving there, Casey was informed that he had not qualified to train with Special Operations Command, and immediately after receiving this news was recruited into the NSA by Colonel James Keller.

"Chuck Versus the Tic Tac" reveals that Casey served in the Marine Corps as Alex Coburn and had a fiancée named Kathleen McHugh. However, Col. Keller ordered Casey to fake his death, requiring him to give up his life and Kathleen, whom he did not know was pregnant at the time. She told him over the phone that she had some news for him, but before she could finish, Keller cut them off and gave Casey his order of faking his death. Later in that episode, after Chuck rescues Kathleen from Keller's men who were sent to kill her, Casey arrives to help him clear everything up and finds out that Kathleen has a daughter named Alex whom Casey fathered, and who is named after him. When Casey is dismissed from the NSA by Beckman, Chuck tries to persuade him that all is not lost and that it is not too late to make amends for the past now that he is a civilian because Kathleen lives around town and he can finally get to know his daughter. Casey tells Chuck that he made the choice of love of country over love of a woman a long time ago, and that it was and still is the best decision for him. In season four, Casey reveals that he had proposed to Kathleen prior to being sent overseas, noting that there was no such thing as the perfect place to propose (he proposed at the bus depot); the only thing you need is the girl.

In the NSA, despite lacking the usual qualifications, Casey was eventually accepted into the tutelage of the aforementioned Ty Bennett, under whom he trained for "a long time" (Sarah's words) and who taught Casey everything he knows (Casey's words). While teaching Casey hand-to-hand combat techniques, Bennett attempted to help Casey, who already had a short temper, find a "calm center." Since then, Casey survived torture by Baath separatists and spent two years undercover in Afghanistan. He also attended Roan Montgomery's course on Infiltration and Inducement of Enemy Personnel ("Seduction School") and failed it twice – although Montgomery revealed that he failed Casey because Casey's partner was "too pretty" to let go.

During the Clinton-era, Casey was the tactician in a special forces unit that included Packard, a special weapons expert, T.I., a hand-to-hand combat expert, and MacKintosh, an electronics expert. In 1999, the team travelled to the Zargos Mountains of Iran and planted charges to seal a safe full of gold used to fund terrorists. Packard, T.I., and MacKintosh attempted to steal the gold, but Casey managed to incapacitate them. He sealed the vault so that it could only be opened with his handprint identification. He then dragged the team to safety and had them court martialed.

Casey suffered a devastating personal tragedy while stationed undercover in Chechnya. He was involved with an Associated Press photographer named Ilsa Trinchina who was apparently killed in a bomb blast near the hotel where they were staying. The incident left him deeply traumatized, with cameras apparently causing flashbacks to the tragedy. It was later revealed that Ilsa was a French spy who had faked her own death. Ilsa reappeared in "Chuck Versus the Undercover Lover" as the undercover fiance of a Russian crime boss. Casey also had a final tryst with Ilsa after capturing the Russian crime boss before she departed for further espionage missions.

He has had previous dealings with CIA agents Bryce Larkin and Sarah Walker and has been intimately involved in some capacity with Sarah's DEA friend Carina as well.