John Brown

**John Zachary Brown** is a main character of the *ABND* series. He was introduced in *A Brand New Direction* as a junior at William McKinley High School. John is best friends with Juliet Vasquez and Alex Zimmerman. At the beginning of the series, John has a crush on Sugar Motta, prompting him to visit New Directions events with Julie. He later joins the club and is there for two years before graduating. John is a founding member of Crystal Army and is still with them in the adult years.

 Series Overview

At the start of the series, John is Julie's best friend, who decides to join the New Directions when she does. In Book 1, he begins dating Sugar, but they break up pretty quickly. He goes on to date Kitty Wilde but the two break up in Book 2. Early in his senior year, John experiences trouble in his friendship with Julie and the two grow apart until later in the series when her mother returns and he is there to offer his support. After John breaks up with Kitty due to her disapproval of his post-high school plans, he begins getting close to Marley Rose and becomes best friends with Alex Zimmerman. After graduating, John moves to Los Angeles to become a musician but finds that it is too difficult and moves back to Lima. He starts a band with Sam Evans, named 140 Characters, and begins officially dating Marley, who joins the band along with Ryder Lynn. Later in the third book, the band is offered a recording contract with Loud Motion Records, a deal which Marley doesn't want to take, so they break up. During the missing years, John spends time away from most of the people in Lima, especially Julie, who decides to cut Sam and everyone close to him out of her life. After receiving a reconciliation letter from Julie in Book 4, he comes back to Lima with the rest of his band, now named Crystal Army, and they sign a joint deal with Blackbird Records. John reconnects with Julie and though he first shows lingering feelings for Marley, he begins a romantic relationship with Leila McGuire and they date for several months until he discovers that she has been working as an escort without telling him. John works on his next album with Crystal Army and on many occasion steps in for Sam in his wedding planning with Mandy, especially after they ask him to be the best man. During this time, he develops an attraction for Mandy and they kiss the night of their bachelor and bachelorette parties. During the wedding ceremony, John decides to interrupt it and the guilt over the kiss causes Mandy to run away. He attempts to win her heart but is rejected. John later discovers enjoyment in filmmaking and briefly quits the band to pursue this, but he eventually returns to Lima and rejoins the band. When Leila returns to Lima, they reconnect and John hastily asks her to marry him. In Book 5, John and Leila begin preparations for their wedding, but his desire to have kids right away is an issue for her. A shooting interrupt their wedding ceremony and when Leila tries to reschedule a date, John decides that he does not want to marry her anymore. While Sam is in his coma, John becomes very secluded and sits by his side on a daily basis, feeling guilty that he was hurt at his wedding. During this time, he begins getting closer to Amity Hills and this becomes an issue in his friendship to Alex, especially when they go on tour together and begin co-writing. On Spring Break, Amity and John confront their feelings for each other after being questioned by their friends, and the two kiss. They decide to keep it a secret but do not date because of their fear that it will hurt Alex. When Alex finds out about their feelings for each other, the two get into a fight but later reconcile. John continues to fight his feelings for Amity and the two never get together. In Book 6, John meets Lyric Heron and immediately starts to pursue her, eventually winning her heart. They start dating and he spends a lot of time in Julie's house, where Lyric lives. Crystal Army release a new studio album and he must go on the road a lot to promote it and its singles, keeping him away from Lyric.

## Biography

* A Brand New Direction
* To The Next Level
* Back to the Top
* World of Chances
* Race to the Finish
* Push to the Limit

Glease

John is leaving the New Directions' production of Grease with Julie after forcing her to attend due to his crush on Sugar. After bickering with Julie about Sugar, he leaves her to find the latter and ask for her number, but cannot do so because Sugar is in a New Directions meeting. He waits outside for Julie and then drives her home, singing "Summer Nights" with her.

The Proposal

Rehearsals

Thanksgiving

After

It's All Games

Karaoke

Glee, Actually

A Fair Warning

The New Year

Asking Him

Sadie Hawkins Dance

The Men of McKinley

Diva

Valentine's Week Challenge

The Wedding

Hotel

Cheer Me Up

Inspiration

Excited

Trio

Britney x3

Rite of Passage

Payback's a Bree

Hot N' Cold

Awkward

Complicated

Over

Legacy

Adams-Wilde vs Hart-Brown

Misunderstanding

The End of the Beginning

The Fall Musical

War for a Role

Resurface

Never Set Me Free

she really had any 'plans' for New York. Nothing she did was something she could have planned a week earlier. However, her plan may have been getting Rachel kicked out of Glee club as she stated she wanted to, to Brittany and Santana).

Over the Summer

Brand New Day

Burning Bridges

Assembly

The Next One

Captains

Fantasy Mentors

Nearly Famous

Boyfriend Draft

Date Night

Punk

Loaded Gun

The Fall

which leads to Sue saying, "I don't see how that's possible." She graduates and near the end is seen saying bye to Rachel while hugging Santana.

Where Are They Now?

4 Months Later

New New Directions

Reunion

I Will Fall

Off-Campus

Entourage

Quinn is barely seen in a flashback when Will remembers the moment when they won Nationals.

Damaged

The Teen Choice Awards

Plan B

Rush

Accomplishment

Small Bump

Phone Hacks and Skype

1, 2 Step

Daddy Issues

Quinn is first mentioned by Tina that why isn't she in New York to support Rachel for her Broadway Opening Night. Later, Kurt tells Rachel that Quinn sent some flowers praising her for her show.

October

Ben's First Birthday

New Faces, Same Places

Take It Off or Take Off

Same Directions

Break Free

Perfect Sense

I Will Be

Let It Go
## Personality

John has a very carefree personality, which sometimes comes off as detached. Early in the series, he struggles with talking about his emotions, but with time he has improved with this. He rarely puts effort into anything, winning him the title of King of Laziness. John easily befriends most people, though he is sometimes annoyed by people who pay too much attention to looks and popularity. He is also very funny and jokes around a lot, especially with Alex. He does not get close to people very easily and can sometimes be aloof in relationships.

 Relationships

* Sugar Motta
* Kitty Wilde
* Marley Rose
* Leila McGuire
* Lyric Heron
* Mandy Baker
* Amity Hills
* Julie Vasquez
* Ruby Garcia

*Main article: John-Sugar Relationship*
At the start of the series, John has a crush on Sugar, despite admitting that she lacks talent in performing. He pursues her until they start dating, but the relationship ends very quickly due to Sugar's disinterest. He realizes he never liked her very much to begin with and has no problem getting over her, though he credits her with changing his and Julie's life by giving them a reason to become involved with glee club.

*Main article: John-Kitty Relationship* (Jitty)
Immediately after John and Sugar end their relationship, Kitty expresses interest in him but he initially declines due to her bullying of Julie and others. Kitty befriends Julie and eventually wins John over, leading to the two starting a very serious relationship. Though they seem very in love, John begins showing issues with commitment by not wanting to introduce Kitty to his family and not wanting to have sex with her. He and Kitty break up and she begins dating Artie, which makes him very jealous. After expressing his lingering feelings for her, John manages to win back Kitty's love and they get back together. His senior year, they continue to date but go through many issues due to John discovering the vicious things Kitty has done in her past to some of his friends, mainly pushing Marley towards her eating disorder. They later disagree over his decision not to go to college after high school and John breaks up with her. Kitty does not get over him easily and is jealous when she sees him getting closer to Marley, but she eventually lets go and the two become friends.

*Main article: John-Marley Relationship* (Jorley)
John and Marley become close friends during his senior year, when they often find themselves alone in each other's company. He is supportive of her when their *Hairspray* production brings back bad memories of the development of her eating disorder during *Grease* and they start to hang out more. After he and Kitty break up, they spend more time together and she develops a crush on him. He does not admit his own crush on her, however, because he plans on leaving Lima after graduation, and stays mute when she confesses her feelings for him. When he returns to Lima, he initially avoids her due to embarrassment and awkwardness of what happened during her confession, but eventually gets over that and has an honest conversation with her. They kiss in the school kitchen and begin dating. When Marley joins his new band, they spend a lot of time together and have a mostly uncomplicated relationship until Marley's graduation approaches and she decides that she wants to go to college. Because of this, she decides to leave the band and, knowing they will be apart for a long time, they mutually decide to break up. During their separation, John writes many songs about her, but they never see each other until he moves back to Lima with Crystal Army. When this happens, he is still very attracted to her and even goes on a double date with her, taking Leila with him to make her jealous. He decides not to pursue a relationship with her, however, and they maintain a mostly friendly relationship in Lima. In the 2022 New Year's party, she kisses him at midnight.

*Main article: John-Leila Relationship* (Jeila)
John initially meets Leila when she is brought in to be in his music video for Just the Girl. After this, they see each other in town a lot and he takes her as his fake date to his double date with Marley. They become good friends and hang out a lot, often seeing each other at Adonis and accompanying Alex and Kara on their dates. John develops feelings for Leila and takes her home after Thanksgiving, despite the fact that Jake also likes her. He and Jake briefly fight over her affections but she chooses him and they start to date. They have a very fun and intimate relationship until he discovers that she is still working as an escort to make extra cash and breaks up with her due to her dishonesty. She later returns and they reconnect, getting engaged. While planning their wedding, John gets hit by baby fever and begins pushing her to become ready for a baby. Their wedding is interrupted by a shooting that puts Sam into a coma, causing them to postpone it. John becomes very distracted by Sam's condition and pushes Leila away. When she tries to reschedule their wedding, he reveals that he doesn't want to marry her anymore and they break off the engagement. After John begins getting close to Amity, Leila expresses her discomfort and is very jealous about their relationship. He apologizes to her for the way they broke up and they decide to be friends. Later, John discovers that Leila has been living in a hotel and invites her to move back in with him. Their roommate situation quickly falls apart, however, when John begins dating Lyric and Leila cannot stand to be around him so much anymore. She moves out and moves on.

*Main article: John-Lyric Relationship* (Joric)
John first meets Lyric at the 2022 Adonis Halloween Bash and immediately begins flirting with her. After they sing a duet and seem to hit it off, he constantly shows up at Julie's house, where she lives, and hits on her, but she initially finds it very hard to take him seriously. She later decides to confront him about his feelings and he tells her that he is serious about liking her, so they share a kiss and begin dating. They spend a lot of time together and he often stays the night, practically living with her while finishing his album with the band. When the album is finished and he has to travel for promotion, they stay together and occasionally travel to visit each other. John asks Lyric to join the band on Crystal Army's Who I've Been Tour as an opening act and they travel together for the national and global tour.

*Main article: John-Mandy Relationship* (Jondy)
When Sam introduces Mandy to his friends, John is one of the only people who is welcoming to her. He befriends her easily and they become close friends during the missing years. When they return to Lima and record Just the Girl, Mandy refuses to play Sam's love interest due to her being a cheerleader like Julie and she plays John's love interest instead. As time progresses, John becomes very involved in her wedding planning, often filling in for Sam when he was too busy to help out. John often comes to Mandy's defense among his friends and gives her advice about how to better fit in with the Lima crew. The night of her bachelorette party, they both are drunk from their respective parties and mistakenly kiss. Mandy refuses to acknowledge the kiss, pretending she has no memory of the night, but it is later revealed that she does and is just avoiding ruining her relationship with Sam. At the wedding, however, she finds it hard to say 'I do' and then John interrupts the ceremony and publicly reveals that there was something between them. After the wedding falls through, John goes to see Mandy in Indiana and asks her to be with him but she rejects him, still pining for Sam. John returns to Lima with lingering feelings for her but moves on, though he still seems to be awkward on the few occasions that he runs into Mandy.

*Main article: Amity-John Relationship* (Jomity)
John and Amity are casual friends when they meet in his sophomore year and often hang out due to their closeness to Alex. John helps Amity get a job at the animal shelter he works at. They both move back to Lima in the fall of 2020 and remain good friends until she and Alex break up, causing them to see less of each other. Later, they begin hanging out again when she signs with Blackbird Records and they often confide in each other. When she discovers that her father is still alive, she tells him about it and he helps her reconnect with him. Then, Amity listens to him about his issues with Leila and due to her advice he decides to end the engagement. When she joins Crystal Army on their tour, she and John hang out a lot and he helps her work on her music. They go on Spring Break to Miami together and their friends start to suspect that they are dating, but they put the rumors to rest. While discussing this, Amity kisses John spontaneously and he kisses her back, the two discovering that they do have feelings for each other after all. After Kitty tells John that he will ruin Amity and her innocence with his much rougher personality, he pushes her away, which hurts her. Then they discuss the potential for a relationship and John tells her he cannot date her because she dated Alex and he is his best friend. After Alex discovers all of this, Amity convinces Alex that John always put him first and helps them reconcile. She and John, however, do not settle the issues that were between them and decide to remain apart. When John starts dating Lyric, he does not tell her about his brief past with Amity and she finds out abruptly from Kitty. He asks Amity to keep a distance from him until Lyric can adjust to the new information and Amity agrees, though she tells him she will always be his friend.

*Main article: John-Julie Relationship* (Jolie)
John and Julie have known each other their whole lives and are each other's best friends. Their relationship was never romantic until they kiss during spin-the-bottle in It's All Games and Julie develops a crush on him. John seems oblivious to this and starts a relationship with Sugar and later Kitty. While he is dating the latter, Julie admits in The Wedding that he has gotten over him. Their relationship has been completely platonic since then.

*Main article: John-Ruby Relationship* (Joby)
John meets Ruby when she sneaks into his dressing room during a concert in Texas, attempting to arrange a meeting between her younger sister, a cancer patient, and Amity, her sister's idol. John is kind to her and they later run into each other at the hotel they are staying in, so John invites her to his room for drinks. He, Ruby and Alex smoke weed together and, having Amity's cell phone, text the guy she is seeing for her. After seeing them do this, Ruby realizes John has feelings for Amity and tells him to call her if he gets over it. He later invites her to Julie and Ryder's dinner party, where she meets his friends and bonds with Alex. John realizes he cannot be with Ruby, or any other girl, any time soon and instead sets her up with Alex, whom she soon after begins dating.
## Songs

**Total:** 4

* B1
* B2
* B3
* B4
* B5
* B6
* B7

A Brand New Direction

Solos

Duets

Solos (in a group number)

To The Next Level

Solos

Duets

Solos (in a group number)

Back to the Top

Solos

Duets

Solos (in a group number)

World of Chances

Solos

Duets

Solos (in a group number)

Race to the Finish

Solos

Duets

Solos (in a group number)

Push to the Limit

Solos

Duets

Solos (in a group number)

It's Not Over Yet

Solos

Duets

Solos (in a group number)

## Trivia

* John is an original character.
* He can be considered the male protagonist of the series.
* He was initially meant to be Julie's primary interest.
* John's face claim was Zach Porter (Allstar Weekend) before being replaced by Steven R. McQueen.
* According to Marley's Twitter account, his penis measures 8 3/16 inches.