The Handler: Difference between revisions

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{{trope}}
A character type in [[Spy Fiction]], particularly in those which lean in the [[Government Conspiracy]] direction and/or those with [[Hired Guns|assassins]] as their protagonists. The heroes [[Mysterious Employer|don't have access to their bosses]], but instead have orders relayed to them through the "Handler" whose jobs include looking out for the hero's physical and emotional well-being and/or killing the hero should they act out of line. In cases with the hero and Handler being of different genders, it is somewhat common for the Handler to have [[Unresolved Sexual Tension]] with the hero as they are the "human face" of the secret organization to which the hero belongs.
 
See also [[Mission Control]], [[Mysterious Employer]]. The [[Man Behind the Man|handler's handler]] is [[The Spymaster]].
{{examples}}
 
{{examples}}
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* ''[[Darker Thanthan Black]]'' has the abrasive [[Jerk Withwith a Heart of Gold]] Huang relaying orders to Hei, the [[Anti-Hero]] of the series
** Who in turn has another higher ranked Handler... who just so happens to be a Contractor. The Syndicate's cell structure is somewhat odd at times.
* All of the girls of ''[[Gunslinger Girl]]'' get one, and relationship dynamics vary with each one: they can be either the sweetest guys (like Giuseppe {{spoiler|until he [[Took a Level Inin Jerkass]]}}) or the biggest jerkasses (like Jean {{spoiler|who doing it to [[Jerkass Facade|toughen himself and detaches him from her]]}} and Lauro {{spoiler|who DIES for that}}).
* Weiss in ''[[Weiss Kreuz]]'' go through several of these: Manx, Birman, Botan, and Rex. Their [[High Turnover Rate|mortality rate]] isn't much better than that of anyone else who comes into contact with [[Doom Magnet|Weiss]].
* In ''[[Claymore]]'', the handlers of the titular characters (particularly Louvre) are a major feature of the plot.
* Mr. Kim in the anime ''[[RODR.O.D the TV]]'', to the Paper Sisters when they do contract work for Dokusensha. He's described exactly as a handler several times.
* Watari is considered L's handler from [[Death Note (Manga)|Death Note]] - the name "Watari" was chosen because it ''means'' handler.
* In ''[[Maiden Rose]]'', Klaus has one in Taki's country, who supplies him with [[Bottled Heroic Resolve|drugs]] among other things. When he tells Klaus he's getting out soon and Klaus should too before he dies there [[Double Agent|Klaus]] mocks him for getting too attached to him.
* ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' has a rank-reversed version. Colonel Roy Mustang appoints his second-in-command, Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, to be ''his'' handler. He has even ordered her, should he ever undergo a [[Face Heel Turn]], to kill him on the spot.
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* Sidney was the title character's handler in John Woo's ''The Killer'', who acted as a [[Blood Brothers|Blood Brother]] to him.
* Nicky Parsons of the [[The Bourne Series|Bourne]] [[The Film of the Book|movies]] fits this trope ''word for word.''
* Tom Hagen was ''[[The Godfather (Film)|The Godfather]]'s'' adopted son and personal assistant or ''consigliori''.
 
== [[Literature]] ==
* In the ''[[Quiller]]'' novels by Adam Hall each [[Government Agency of Fiction|Bureau]] "shadow executive" has a director-in-the-field who organises safehouses, communication, transport, identity papers, liaison with government officials -- inofficials—in short, anything the agent needs for the mission; especially since Bureau agents are never told what the mission is about, the idea being that the agent should not get distracted by any larger political implications. Agents have a right to refuse to work with a particular director, given that trust between the two is so important. Quiller's preferred director is Ferris, even though he's slightly creepy (he's rumored to strangle mice).
* Due to its small size, a common methodology of Special Circumstances from ''[[The Culture]]'' novels is to employ or manipulate non-SC or even non-Culture agents to do the dirty work, with SC operatives acting as handlers. Examples include Diziet Sma in ''Use Of Weapons'' and Flere-Imsaho in ''The Player Of Games''.
* Andrew Osnard (played by Pierce Brosnan in the [[Film of the Book|film]]) of John Le Carré's ''The Tailor of Panama'' is a classic example, recruiting title character Harold Pendel (Geoffrey Rush) as a spy and {{spoiler|applying so much pressure to him that he makes up information that when acted on majorly destabilises the region}}
** Ned, from Le Carré's ''The Russia House'' and ''The Secret Pilgrim.''
** Actually practically all of Le Carre's spy novels include some sort of handler.
* CIA department head Bill Carstairs is this for Emily Pollifax in Dorothy Gilman's ''[[Mrs. Pollifax (franchise)|Mrs. Pollifax]]'' novels.
 
== [[Live Action TV]] ==
* In ''[[Chuck]]'', Sarah and Casey serve as Handlers for the title character
* ''[[The Invisible Man (TV series)|The Invisible Man]]'' TV series had Claire the "Keeper"
* ''[[She Spies]]''. The title characters had two Agent Handlers in the course of the show.
* Michael (or Bob in the movie) filled the same role for ''[[La Femme Nikita]]'', and in the case of the former, there was definite UST.
* Bosley of ''[[CharliesCharlie's Angels]]'' in both the TV show and films.
* Carla in ''[[Burn Notice]]''
** Victor is specifically called this
* Michael Vaughn served as the Case Officer for [[Alias (TV series)|Sydney Bristow]].
* Boyd, then later {{spoiler|Paul}}, is Echo's handler in ''[[Dollhouse]]''.
* ''[[Wiseguy]]''. Frank McPike, Vinnie Terranova's [[Deadpan Snarker]] boss in the Organised Crime Bureau.
* In ''[[Scarecrow and Mrs. King (TV)|Scarecrow and Mrs. King]]'', Scarecrow is in some ways more like a handler then a partner. At the least if a veteran agent ever worked with a housewife turned spy (actually not impossible in [[Real Life]] though it would probably be less Hallmark-like) he would probably be a handler even if he told her he was a partner. In this case both the handler and the handled are heroic characters.
* In ''[[The Dresden Files]]'', Ebenezer McCoy was assigned as a troubled teenage Harry's handler (unbeknownst to Harry) in case he ever [[Drunk Onon the Dark Side|went nuts]] and needed to be eliminated.
* Peter to Neal in ''[[White Collar]]''
* Mr. Morden in ''[[Babylon Five5]]''
* ''Now and Again'': Dr. Morris was Michael Wiseman's handler and keeper, tasked with both setting up Michael's missions and preventing him from interacting with the outside world (especially his [[Back Fromfrom the Dead|widow]]).
* ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]''. In theory, the Watcher plays this role for the Slayer. Whether Buffy or Faith chose to follow the Watchers Council's orders is another matter.
 
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* ''[[Alpha Protocol]]'' takes this [[Up to Eleven]]; there are ''eight'' handlers used throughout the various missions. And yes, Mike and his primary (female) handler Mina have [[Unresolved Sexual Tension]].
** Mike can have UST with all four of the potential female handlers, if you play your cards right with the dialogue options.
* [[The Voice|Admiral Steven Hackett]] in ''[[Mass Effect]]'' serves as the face and voice of the [[The Alliance|Alliance]] [[Standard Sci -Fi Fleet|Navy]] for the audience and is Shepard's primary contact in the Alliance command. In ''[[Mass Effect 2]]'', [[Femme Fatale|Miranda]] arguably takes on this role, though [[Warrior Therapist|Shepard]] spends rather more time tending to her emotional well-being than she does to Shepard's. There is also way more sexual tension in the second case than in the first.
 
== [[Real Life]] ==
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[[Category:Espionage Tropes]]
[[Category:The Handler]]
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[[Category:Trope]]