The Handler: Difference between revisions

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.

* ''[[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]].

* 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.

* Tom Hagen was ''[[The Godfather (Film)|The Godfather]]'s'' adopted son and personal assistant or ''consigliori''.

* 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).

* ''[[The Invisible Man (TV series)|The Invisible Man]]'' TV series had Claire the "Keeper"

* Bosley of ''[[CharliesCharlie's Angels]]'' in both the TV show and films.

* Michael Vaughn served as the Case Officer for [[Alias (TV series)|Sydney Bristow]].

* 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.

* 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]]).

* [[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.