The Handler

Reginald Crane, more commonly referred to as the Handler, is a character in multiple *IEYTD* games.

## Reginald Crane

Photo of R. Crane (The Handler) as seen in IEYTD3

### Aliases

* Support Agent
* The Handler
* Mason (fake alias)

### Affiliation

* The Agency
* Agent Phoenix

### Occupation

* Agent Supervisor
* Former Field Agent

## Appearances

### Latest appearance

I Expect You To Die 3: Cog in the Machine

## Character Description

Mr. Crane is the Lead Support Agent of the Agency. He is characterized as the player's sidekick, and often helps them on various missions. This "help" is limited, however, due to his aloof/jokey comments and lack of experience. He will make fun of Agent Phoenix's... quirks at times, but does not actively scold them into not doing it. He is not cunning, and usually comments about the solutions of puzzles after Phoenix has already solved them. This, however, does not deter him from attempting to assist in missions anyway, even going so far as to attempt to throw himself into the sea to save Phoenix. He is very passionate and determined when it comes to Phoenix's personal health or the end of the world as we know it.

## Appearances

### *IEYTD1*

The Handler helps walk Agent through their missions. He is mainly confused and curious about how Agent operates- their tendency to light things on fire, their unconventional style of going about puzzles, and their daring escapades. He helps decode anything brought back to base and stays in touch with the other parts of his team to help inform Agent about each mission.

### *IEYTD2*

The Handler is now accustomed to Agent's shenanigans and becomes more ingrained in their missions. He attends a play starring John Juniper in Operation: Stage Fright despite it going awry, thanks to the Agent disguised as a stage head. He insists on joining the plane ride to Barcelona during Operation: Jet Set, but HQ does not allow him to go. This works out to his advantage, though, because the plane ride turns out to be intended to kill, and he assists Agent in renavigation. He revokes his fanship of Juniper in this mission. He then goes out with them to the Fabricator's workshop during Operation: Eaves Drop (but doesn't wholly enter it). After Operation: Party Crasher, he witnesses Agent Phoenix be kidnapped right before Operation: Safe and Sound and attempts to track them down, to his success. He does not attend Phoenix to their final mission, Operation: Rising Phoenix, but stays on the line as emotional support to keep Phoenix calm during the nuclear disarming. He screams for Phoenix as the missile explodes, and is ultimately the last one who gives the addendum about these events. He laments that nobody at the site was found, and that Zor is quickly changing their strategy.

### In Between Games

The Handler gains a pen pal in the meantime, who is reportedly very good at chess. This pen pal, however, is hijacked by somebody who is using the pen pal as hostage. They threaten the pen pal's life and ask for the Handler's coordinates, to his dismay. He gives out a fake location. A month after, he doesn't hear from them and gets worried. He goes to the fake location and sees the location, a random city apartment, destroyed. At the site he finds a paper with a route to the place, and after tracing it back, finds an empty townhouse- save for a chessboard. After placing pieces of the chessboard into a pattern that looks akin to the Fabricator's logo, it opens up and inside is one note. This note reads that the pen pal AND the hijacker were both the Fabricator, who wanted revenge after Phoenix tore up her workshop. She does not continue to pursue the Handler after this.

### *IEYTD: Home Sweet Home*

After an indefinite amount of time, Phoenix receives their ocular implants and the Handler smuggles them out of a medical facility and into their home. He talks with them throughout the mission.

### *IEYTD3:*

The Handler is once again working with the Pheonix and takes a more direct role in some of the missions. His portrait can be found in the post mission debrief room.

## Trivia

* According to the localization that IEYTD1 received, the Handler can speak both Spanish and Russian.
* By holding a book from the first or third game, and pressing a button on the player's controllers, the Handler will make a comment on the book. He will not repeat his comment, however, so the player will have to load a mission and leave or restart to rehear the comment.
	+ **Defensive Driving:** "Sometimes the best defense is a good offense, as they say."
	+ **Defensive Driving [****Operation: House Call]:** "Ah, I spent a lot of time with that book back in the day. I wonder why Dr. Prism has it."
	+ **Firearms:** "Ah, another one of our proprietary training manuals."
	+ **Fire Arms [****Operation: House Call]:** "We do train all Agency personnel in firearms, but it's odd Dr. Prism kept that one around."
	+ **How To Earn Your 00:** Either, "Lesson 1: It's pronounced 'double-O'." or, "I hear you should always trust your Handler."
	+ **How To Earn Your 00 [****Operation: House Call]:** "I didn't think Dr. Prism was ever interested in becoming a field agent. That's an odd book to have on her shelf."
	+ **Seduction:** Either, "No, Agent. There are no illustrations." or, "Ah, the most dangerous game."
	+ **Seduction [****Operation: Winter Break]:** "Hmm... why would Zor have one of our training manuals?"
	+ **The Essential Guide to Evil Taxidermy:** "Never trust a taxidermist."
	+ **Graviton Manipulation Theory:** "So that's Zor's game. Fiendishly clever."
	+ **Gravity Crystals Explained:** "His plan seems crystal clear."
		- This piece of dialogue uses the wrong pronouns for Zor, as their pronouns are they/them. However, this was added before their pronouns were confirmed, so this gets a pass.
	+ **Guidelines: Secret Compartments:** Either, "Seems an odd book to have lying around." or, "Zor loves frivolous secret compartments. Perhaps you've overlooked one."
	+ **Just Shoot Them - Common Pitfalls of Eccentric Villainy:** "This really is a must-read in the evil industry."
	+ **Security Laser Installations:** "Could've used THIS book during the London Incident."
	+ **Evil Chemistry- Advanced Study:** "A dastardly tome."
	+ **Guidelines: Minion and Henchman Benefits:** Either, "It appears Zor's minions have unionized. Good for them!" or, "I hear that henchmen executed for failure are not eligible for death benefits."
	+ **Secret Formulas And You:** "Ah, excellent find Agent! Toss that off the platform and we'll analyze it later."
* In Operation: Friendly Skies, he states his favorite type of bomb is plastic explosives.
* The Handler is a fan of John Juniper (formerly).
* According to the unused files in IEYTD1:
	+ He prefers his alcohol chilled, and enjoys a cup of tea.
	+ He claims fine art is his forte.
* In Operation: Jet Set, if you complete multiple instructions during the defense reboot system, Handler will respond with one of three different dialogues in response to your speed, implying a sort of meta-ness to the Handler. This suspicion is not brought up again in the game.
	+ "Have you... done this before Agent?"
	+ "Ho-ho, two steps ahead of me!"
	+ "You're a mind reader!"
* According to dialogue in Operation: Jet Set, it is said that he and Phoenix have had an encounter with an alien with the assistance of Russians.
* The Handler has a pen pal, who reportedly "plays a mean game of chess."
* By reversing some of Handler's briefing dialogue at the end of Operation: Rising Phoenix, his name appears to be "Mason." However, when he is talking with Dr. Prism in Operation: KBOOM, she calls him Reginald. This likely means that Mason is an undercover name for the Handler. It is also possible that this could be a reference to Jared Mason, the Handler's voice actor.
* In *Home Sweet Home*, if you wait a moment after winning the level, the Handler will mention a favorite quote of his. This quote is by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., which reads, "Where we love is home - home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts."
* Through various comments made throughout the game, it is shown that he was once a field agent, similar to Agent Phoenix. Why he is now working as a support agent is unknown.
* When re-entering the office after 100% completing IEYTD3, the Handler will say a special random dialogue that sometimes give bits of trivia about him.
	+ "Ah, you're here, Agent. I have a question for you. Here it goes. Which hand is your favorite? That one? Really? No no, you can't take it back, I feel like I know more about you now."
	+ "Back on the job, Agent? I admire your dedication to the craft. Personally, I also dedicate myself to a craft. And no, it's not being your handler. It's corn husking. I'm a husking man."
	+ "You're a sight for sore eyes, Agent. My eyes aren't sore, mind you, it's just an expression. Perhaps I should say you're a sight for perfectly healthy eyes. Just to clear the air of any confusion."
	+ "Good to see you, Agent. Do you remember when I gave you five dollars? (laughs) I think you thought that was a gift. It was not. Please give me back my five dollars."
	+ "Agent, it's a good thing you've returned. Do you recall that time you told me my hair was a mess? Well, I just wanted to thank you. I've felt guilty for years for never thanking you, and now that weight has been lifted."
	+ "Welcome back to Babadag, Agent. Your office at HQ is being renovated so you can just set up shop there until that's all cleared up. Shouldn't be more than a few years."
	+ "Agent, I'm glad you're back. I have an important mission for you. Wait, no, that's my grocery list. Never mind. Unless you wouldn't mind... no no, that would be a waste of Agency resources."
	+ "Welcome back, Agent. I want you to know I don't just sit around and wait for you to check in. I have other things going on too. Important things. Things that would... blow your mind."
* As seen in Operation: Blind Spot, his favourite food is smoked hot dogs.
* A handful of unused voice lines from IEYTD3's game files suggest that the Handler was originally going to comment every time the player either switched gloves, or used the vending machine in the hub; it is unknown why they were eventually scrapped.
	+ **Hot Dog:** "I once heard someone say, 'I want to die eating a hot dog.' I don't think they meant they wanted death-by-hot dog, but that's always a possibility."
	+ **Kinesi-Yum Bar:** "Personally, I think this branding is in very poor taste. Unfortunately these pops have a very *good* taste... a troubling paradox."
	+ **Pepperoni Roll:** "I've never understood pepperoni rolls. It's just rolled-up pizza! I like my pizza flat. Forget the roll; give me a pepperoni flat!"
	+ **Sandwich:** "Do you trust that sandwich? Not its quality, more like... would you tell it a secret?"
	+ **Shrimp:** "This is quite the fancy item to come from vending machine. No martini budget but we can afford *this?* Heh, boggles the mind."
		- The name of this audio clip, "VO\_HUB\_Handler\_Int\_Shrimp.ogg," suggests that shrimp was originally going to be in the hub vending machine, instead of the macarons seen in-game.
	+ **Soda:** "They say soda is the new water! Just, for drinking though. Bathing in soda is... not advised."
		- Despite being cut from the game itself, this voice line can still be heard in the game's mixed reality trailer, around the 0:30 mark.
	+ **Default Spy Gloves:** "Ah, back to the old standard, eh? Can't beat a classic!"
	+ **Driving Gloves:** "Look at those driving gloves! I bet you could drive anything with those, and look good doing it! Even one of those little cars clowns like to drive... heh, even that."
	+ **Heat-Resistant Gloves:** "You'd be able to pick up a tray straight from the oven with those gloves! Maybe not their intended use but still, very handy!"
	+ **Rough Work Gloves:** "Those gloves have seen better days. I suppose we all have, unless... today is the best day for you, which... considering our circumstances, would be rather sad."
	+ **Blue Winter Gloves:** "When I was a boy we didn't wear gloves to protect from the cold, we just dealt with frostbite. We were... not smart children."
	+ **Zoraxis Winter Gloves:** "I can't say I approve of you wearing any kind of Zoraxis branding on your clothing, but I do approve of you not catching a cold. Care comes first!"
	+ **White Satin Gloves:** "So sleek and professional-looking! No one would suspect you've killed a thousand people! I- I know you haven't but still, no one would suspect."
	+ **Blue Satin Gloves:** "You look ready to be the life of the party! Now we just need to get you invited to a party... Ah, not my strong suit."
	+ **Gold Gloves:** "There they are... the best gloves, I've ever seen. Wear them proudly, Agent. Wear them forever."