Jake Wheeler

"*We have to find him and make sure he's dead. If he's not, he's gonna come after you again.*"
—Jake about Chucky to Lexy Cross.[src]
**Jake Wheeler** (born 2007) is a young resident of Hackensack, New Jersey who became Chucky's target after discovering the killer doll at a local yard sale. In the following weeks, Jake's life changes forever when his family is wiped out by Chucky. He teams up with his classmates Devon Evans and Lexy Cross, the only two people who know about the doll's malicious behavior.

## Biography

While perusing a yard sale one day, Jake stumbles upon a  Good Guy doll that he purchases from Mrs. Jolly with the intention of incorporating its head into his doll parts sculpture. Upon bringing the doll home, Jake's plan is thwarted by his father Lucas before he can proceed with removing its head. Jake's disappointment deepens when Lucas informs him that he won't be able to attend art camp that year, and the evening takes a tumultuous turn when his uncle Logan and family join them for dinner.
As the night unfolds, Lucas, fueled by heavy drinking, erupts in anger triggered by a remark from Junior about Jake's sexual orientation, vehemently asserting that his son is not yet aware of his own identity. Following Logan and his family's departure, Jake ventures outside to search for his cat. Upon returning indoors, he discovers Lucas destroying his sculpture with a baseball bat, vociferating that Jake is no longer allowed to have dolls, and then storms out of the room. Despite the apparent destruction of all his dolls, Jake finds the Good Guy doll miraculously spared under his bed, overlooked by Lucas.

The following morning, Jake discovers online that vintage Good Guy dolls hold significant value. In a bid to shield it from Lucas, he decides to bring the doll to school. However, this choice makes him susceptible to mockery from his classmate Lexy, who starts a fake GoFundMe for Jake and shares it with their entire Biology class via text. When the bell rings, Jake entrusts the doll to his teacher Miss Fairchild for safekeeping until he can sell it.
During lunch, Devon, aware of Jake's interest in his podcast, approaches him and extends an invitation to be a guest star, focusing on the topic of bullying. Despite the offer, Jake vehemently refuses, expressing his reluctance to be the "*poster boy for losers*", and exits the scene in frustration.

That evening, Jake engages in an online conversation with a potential buyer for his doll and had a brief phone call with the interested party. During the call, the buyer inquires about the doll's name, "Chucky," and whether any peculiar incidents have occurred lately. Abruptly, the caller suggests Jake check the batteries before hanging up. The next morning, to Jake's surprise, he discovers his Good Guy doll has mysteriously reappeared at his home, running without any batteries. Disturbed by this revelation, he promptly discards the doll in an outside garbage can.
Later that night, Jake attends the school talent show, where the host Lexy once again singles him out. Lexy tries to uncover Jake's feelings about Devon but is interrupted by an unexpected voice from behind —Chucky. Jake picks up the doll, ascends the stage, and engages in a ventriloquist act with Chucky. To the audience's shock, Chucky discloses intimate details about Lexy in a speech filled with profanity. The principal intervenes, leading Jake away, and the consequence of their performance is swift—Jake is promptly suspended.

Jake returns home, where his father is waiting for him. Lucas is angry that his son has no friends and that everyone thinks he is weird. He replies that he is just angry that everyone knows his son is gay, whereupon Lucas punches him in the face. He pushes Jake against the wall and angrily yells at him that he'll kill him if he ever says he's gay again. He takes the Good Guy doll and sends Jake to his room. He sits on his bed and cries until suddenly the light begins to flicker repeatedly. When he goes downstairs to check, he witnesses Lucas being electrocuted. Jake is sent to stay with his Uncle Logan and Aunt Bree. When they are alone in Jake's new room, Chucky finally reveals himself and says that Lucas was an asshole who got what he deserved. After his father's death, Jake's suspension is lifted and he's allowed to go back to school. Oliver comes forward, expressing remorse for his past bullying behavior, and extends an invitation to his Halloween party, with the condition that Chucky accompanies him. When Jake and Junior return to the Wheelers' house after school, they are shocked to discover the body of their maid Annie, who appears to have fallen on a set of knives in the dishwasher. Later, after the paramedics have left, Jake bursts into his room, demanding an explanation for Annie's death at the hands of Chucky. The doll attempts to justify its actions, asserting a desire to assist Jake and arguing that certain individuals, such as Jake's tormentor Lexy, deserve their fate.

Despite Jake's initial lack of interest in attending Oliver's Halloween party, he finds himself compelled to go when he discovers that Chucky is missing from his room. He meets up with Devon, and the two search for Lexy before being locked in a closet for "seven minutes in hell" by Oliver. Upon their release, they are greeted by people chanting Lexy's name, and they witness her Halloween costume vividly depicting Lucas' death. Jake finally finds Chucky when the party is over and the doll is about to stab Lexy in the back. He grabs him before he can strike and quickly heads back to the Wheelers' house. In their room, Chucky tries again to convince Jake that some people deserve to die and that the world is kill or be killed. Chucky hands him the knife and tells him to kill Lexy before she can humiliate him again. Jake makes his first attempt to kill Lexy by tracking her phone and following her path through the woods. But just before he can strike, he realizes he's been following Junior the whole time and aborts the plan. He goes back to the garage and looks for a new weapon among the garden tools. Suddenly, Lexy shows up, saying sorry for her Halloween costume. After doing her "kind deed," she requests Jake's Chucky doll. Jake declines and asserts that she can never have him. He hurries back to his room to release his anger by stabbing his Lexy sculpture. Chucky understands he can assist Jake with his "Lexy problem" by giving her what she wants. Jake agrees and heads to Lexy's house to hand over Chucky.

That night, Jake goes to the cemetery to visit his parents' headstones. Jake laments that his mother always said it would get better, but it never did, and that he didn't expect his father to forgive him, but he's sorry he couldn't be the person he expected him to be. Upon hearing the wail of an ambulance siren, he recognizes that Chucky has stuck again and hurries to the hospital. Although he is relieved that Devon is okay, Lexy confronts him with the fact that Chucky is alive. He explains to her that he was the one who told Chucky to go after her, and since she didn't see him die in the fire, he's most likely still alive and will continue to haunt her. Left alone, Jake drifts into sleep in the hallway, only to be roused by Lexy, who comes to the realization that cooperation with him is essential to track down Chucky. Heading back to the Cross house, as they ascend the stairs, Lexy inquires whether their relationship has deteriorated to the point where he desires her demise. Jake finally loses his composure and asserts that she's a negative influence, expressing a desire to harm her because he believes she deserves it. Lexy then backs away and unintentionally falls off the balcony. As Jake grabs her hand to keep her from falling, a half-burned Chucky finally shows up and tries to convince Jake to let Lexy go. However, Jake insists that he is not a murderer and slowly pulls Lexy up while Chucky tries to stab her from below. At that moment, Detective Peyton arrives at the house, prompting Chucky to hide his knife and switch back to "doll mode". Having been asked by Lexy's father to retrieve the doll for Caroline, he takes Chucky with him and orders the two to get into his police car. When they arrive back at the hospital, he locks them in the car and leaves with the doll. Detective Evans lets them out, but stops Jake as she wants to have a private conversation. In a secluded room, she pulls out her recorder and asks him what he knows about Oliver and Lucas' deaths. Just as he is about to disclose that it was Chucky, a Code White alarm blares over the speakers. Everyone runs to Caroline's room and finds the body of Detective Peyton. Jake is shocked when he sees Chucky giving him, Devon and Lexy the middle finger.

After their unsuccessful search for Chucky in the hospital basement, the trio gathers at school the next day to figure out where the doll might be. They consider involving Junior, but Lexy rejects the idea, thinking he won't believe them. Jake and Devon meet after class at a memorial for Oliver. Jake expresses frustration, feeling that this is all his fault. Their bond deepens as they hold hands. That night, Lexy invites Jake and Devon over when she finds the disfigured Chucky in a trash can outside her house. They capture the doll, stun it, and stomp it to defeat it. After their victory, Jake and Devon celebrate, sharing their first kiss while biking into the night. The next morning, they, along with Lexy, attend a town hall meeting where they notice Junior staring at them. The idea of revealing the truth crosses their minds, but Lexy insists no one would believe them. Unexpectedly, during the meeting, Principal Megan McVey's decapitated head rolls out, revealing her body behind the curtain. Unfortunately, they realize Chucky is still alive.

The next day in class, Jake's biology teacher, Miss Fairchild, gets arrested as a murder suspect. The three friends decide to find Chucky and put an end to him once and for all. Devon suggests reaching out to the original Chucky survivor, Andy Barclay, for help. During the phone call, Andy shares that they don't need to search for the doll, Chucky will come to them or use their families to locate them. He also hints that it will be in a place familiar to them, making them consider the Wheelers' house. That night, they set up a trap at the Wheelers' house. Lexy volunteers to be bait so Jake and Devon can plan an official date. Suddenly, they hear a crash as Chucky breaks in. They chase him as he corners Lexy in Jake's room, but he escapes down the hallway. Detective Evans enters the house, and Chucky attacks her, causing her to fall down the stairs and break her neck, leading to her instant death.

At Bree's wake, Jake comforts Devon with a hug, offers condolences, and seeks guidance on their next steps. Feeling downhearted, Devon suggests they should stop chasing Chucky and focus on living their lives. Suddenly, Junior approaches, blaming Jake for recent deaths, punches him, and tells them to go to hell before leaving. Feeling trapped, Jake decides to pack his things, take some money from Logan and run away. While waiting at the bus stop, he spots a delivery man with a Good Guy doll. Jake gives him all his money to buy the doll and discover its delivery location: Chucky's childhood home. He takes the doll out of the box and brings it back to Lexy. They find out Devon is at Charles' house and plan to help him. While discussing, the Good Guy doll unexpectedly comes to life and starts approaching them. Before Chucky can attack, Kyle arrives and shoots him.

During coffee, she shares information about Chucky's ability to split his soul into multiple vessels. Jake informs her that Devon is held captive in Charles Lee Ray's childhood home and seeks her assistance to rescue him. Unbeknownst to them, Kyle has drugged their coffee, causing them to lose consciousness. Apologizing for her actions, Kyle explains she did it to protect them. Upon waking the next morning, they discover Charles Lee Ray's house exploded, seemingly with Devon inside. Jake goes to Devon's room at the Evans' house to grieve, but he is relieved to find out Devon survived. They share a kiss and learn that a truck carrying Good Guy dolls is en route to the mayor's fundraiser. Rushing to the theater, they arrive too late, as Chucky has already caused harm to moviegoers inside.
They discover Caroline sitting beside her father's body, and Jake asks Devon to guide her out while he confronts Chucky alone. As Chucky approaches, Jake realizes that after his demise, no one will remember him or the others who died tonight — only the rising number of deaths and Chucky's name. Attempting to flee through the corridors, Jake is thwarted by Chucky, who slashes his leg. Chucky then pounces on Jake, struggling to overpower him and raise the knife to his face. However, Jake manages to throw Chucky off. Using his bare hands, Jake tightens his grip around Chucky's throat until the doll's eyes pop out, putting an end to him. With Chucky defeated, Lexy, Jake, and Devon visit the cemetery to bid a final farewell to Junior. They share a hug and decide to keep the events to themselves and not tell anyone what really happened.

## Trivia

* During an interview, Don Mancini disclosed that the character Jake draws inspiration from his own teenage years, encompassing personal struggles such as his father's non-acceptance of his sexuality and navigating the challenges of being gay within a Catholic upbringing.
* He is the sixth LGBT character in the *Child's Play* series, after Tiffany Valentine, David Collins, Barb Pierce, Jill, and Nurse Carlos. However, Jake is the first LGBT protagonist in the *Child’s Play* series, with Tiffany being an antagonist and the others being side characters.
* Like Nica Pierce, his whole family was killed by Chucky.
* He takes Effexor for his depression and anxiety.