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Alex Mercer

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“ I've always had a hard time focusing. I've always been a little anxious, and then I died. Which did not calm me down. ”
— Alex to Willie in I Got the Music

Alex Mercer [1] is one of the main characters in the Netflix Original Series Julie and the Phantoms. He formally was the drummer for the band Sunset Curve and is now currently the drummer for Julie and The Phantoms.

He is portrayed by Owen Patrick Joyner.

Biography[]

Early Life[]

Alex was 17 years old when he died in 1995. Not much is known about his childhood or home life.

When Alex came out as gay to his parents, Luke stated that they weren't okay with it. He and his parents remained unreconciled at the time of his death.

Sometime before 1995, Alex formed a band with his friends Luke, Reggie, and Bobby called Sunset Curve. He was their drummer.

On the night of July 22, 1995, Sunset Curve was due to play at The Orpheum, which has kickstarted many bands careers. According to Luke "We're playing the Orpheum. I can't even count how many bands have played here and then ended up being huge." After a soundcheck Luke, Reggie, and Alex went to get "street dogs" for dinner, which ended up giving them food poisoning and killing them, a mere two hours before they were supposed to perform.

After they died, Alex, Luke, and Reggie then were trapped for an hour waiting in a "black room." Alex spent the time crying, and the other two boys did not comfort him. Unbeknownst to them, 25 years had passed since they died, only returning to the world when Julie played their CD, which released them into the year 2020.

Season One[]

When Julie Molina finds a Sunset Curve CD in her late mother's possessions, she plays it, which results in the three dead Sunset Curve bandmates appearing before her in 2020. The guys think they died yesterday, but when Julie looks them up on her phone, she tells them that yes they died, but it was in 1995 when they were all 17 years old. Alex is upset that he was crying in a room for 25 years. The boys annoy Julie by talking about all the ways the world has changed; she tells them they can't stay in her mom's studio. Later, Alex and Reggie listen in when Luke talks to Julie and the three ghosts learn about Julie's mom's death.

Alex teleports with Luke and Reggie to the Orpheum's awning, where Luke explains how he thinks the band's been given a second chance. The three of them teleport down to the sidewalk below, where Alex bumps into Caleb Covington.

The next morning, the three boys teleport into the studio to find Julie playing and singing Wake Up. (Wake Up)

Alex steps forward to comfort a tearful Julie, but Luke stops him. The three teleport outside the door to the studio. Alex tells Luke and Reggie that they're insensitive and don't know what to do when people cry, but he gets interrupted by Flynn entering, also crying. The three ghosts eavesdrop on Flynn and Julie's conversation and end up also listening in on Ray Molina as he talks to his wife in the studio, before teleporting away when Luke and Reggie start to get emotional.

Alex, Luke, and Reggie end up on the beach in front of where Reggie's house used to be — it has been replaced by a bike shop. Alex and Luke begin playing This Band is Back in an effort to cheer Reggie up.

When Julie comes back from school, she finds Alex, Luke, and Reggie in her room, going through her stuff. Alex is trying to pick up a picture of Julie and her mom, but he can't get his fingers to stay solid enough to hold the frame. When he eventually does manage to lift the photo, he drops it on Julie's bed by accident. Julie sets some boundaries for the boys and tells them to get out of her room. After the three ghosts leave, though, Alex sticks his head back through her door — literally — to ask her how it went with the music program.

The next day, Alex, Luke, and Reggie teleport into the gym to watch Julie perform to get her spot in the program back. Alex begins dancing with Dirty Candy as they perform Wow. When Julie begins to perform Bright onstage, Alex, Luke, and Reggie teleport onstage with their instruments and join her in performing the song. (Bright)

(Flying Solo)

(I Got the Music)

(The Other Side of Hollywood)

(Finally Free)

The boys are workshopping Edge of Great when they catch sight of Willie checking up on them, causing Alex to go and confront him. Alex is left feeling hurt after Willie tells him they "never should have met" and skates away. Upset, Alex continues to rehearse Edge of Great with Luke and Reggie, only to let his anxiety bleed out into his drumming, causing Luke and Reggie to feel concerned.

Luke reassures him that he's a great drummer and guy, advising him to focus on the music. The conversation turns when Reggie points out that passion can be useful in performing—citing Luke and Julie as an example—to which Alex agrees. Luke defends himself by demonstrating his performance chemistry with Reggie. They go back to rehearsing.

Later that day, the Julie and the Phantoms band performs Edge of Great as well as the rest of their set list. After the party, the boys play basketball outside of the Molinas' house, demonstrating a slight mastery of their tactile tangibility. Suddenly, they feel jolts that cause them to collapse in pain.

Willie appears and finally tells the trio that the shocks are from their stamps they received from Caleb. He reveals that Caleb owns his soul and "everybody's soul at the club." With the stamp, he explains, Caleb makes them choose between spending eternity in his house band and ceasing to exist. Willie tells them that the only solution is if the boys complete their 'unfinished business' so they can cross over.

Alex is unsure whether to trust anything that Willie is saying. At this, Willie confesses that he cares deeply about him and feels regret at ever bringing him (and his friends) to Caleb in the first place. After Willie leaves, the boys realize that their unfinished business is playing at the Orpheum.(Edge of Great)

Later, Alex sits alone in the Orpheum, remembering the hope that Sunset Curve had about the future of their musical careers the night they died. Willie teleports next to him and hesitantly sits down, unsure if he is welcome. Alex tells him he understands his actions. Alex tells Willie what the band's unfinished business is. (Unsaid Emily)

(Stand Tall)

Background[]

Personality[]

Alex is a very anxious person with a tendency to overthink and worry about the details, more so than the other two phantoms. He started playing drums to help him relax due to his anxiety. He has a tendency to be modest and dismissive about his abilities (drumming, dancing, etc.), but easily acknowledges his better traits with the gentle encouragement of others, particularly his friends.

Alex is very kind hearted and empathetic, as shown through his concern for Julie and his easy forgiveness of Willie's actions after processing his predicament with Caleb. At the same time, Alex can be very sarcastic. His quips are often in retort to his friends or to the situation he finds himself in. Of the Sunset Curve trio, he seems to have the most level-headed personality, although he also has his moments of drama and leaps of logic. He can also be very silly, as evidenced by his improvised dance during Dirty Candy's performance of All Eyes on Me.

Physical Appearance[]

Alex is the tallest of the phantoms at 5'10". He has green eyes and blonde hair, cut short on the sides and back, but longer in front with a fringe over his eyes, a common in the 1990s. Key staples of his outfits include his black fanny pack he wears over his left shoulder, a distressed jean jacket, unique socks, and sometimes his a pink top or pink Champion hoodie and a baseball cap he wears backwards. Like all the band members, he wears a plain gold chain necklace; he also wears a small bracelet, and a black ring. His signature colour is pink.

Powers and Abilities[]

  • Teleportation: Ghosts can appear and disappear, travelling great distances instantly.
  • Intangibility: Ghosts have no mass, because of that they have the ability to pass through physical matter
    • Tangibility: With enough concentration, a ghost can touch and interact with objects.
  • Invisibility: After death ghosts are no longer visible to humans
    • Conditional Visibility: The ability to be visible only by certain conditions. (The boys can be seen by others when they play music with Julie).
  • Summoning: The power to summon forth an object. (They can only summon their instruments)
  • Corporealization: The ability to become tangible and solid. (This ability might be temporary.)

Songs[]

Season One[]

Group Performances[]

Relationships[]

Family[]

  • Unnamed father
  • Unnamed mother
  • Unnamed older sister

Friends[]

Luke Patterson (bandmate/best friend)

Reggie Peters (bandmate/best friend)

Julie Molina (bandmate/best friend)

Flynn (friend)

Willie (friend/mutual crush)

Enemies[]

Caleb Covington

Trevor Wilson (former bandmate/former friend)

Appearances[]

Quotes[]

  • "All right, I was killing it." (Wake Up)
  • "Oh, good call. Whenever they get wet, they just kinda fall apart in your hands." (Wake Up)
  • "The smell of Sunset Boulevard?" (Wake Up)
  • "Man... I can't wait until we eat someplace where the condiments aren't served out of the back of an Oldsmobile." (Wake Up)
  • "Hey...Sorry, I got some pickle juice on your battery cables." (Wake Up)
  • "That can't...OK." (Wake Up)
  • "That's a new flavor." (Wake Up)
  • "Oh my God! Please stop screaming!" (Wake Up)
  • "OK, there is no such thing as witches." (Wake Up)
  • "That's fair." (Wake Up)
  • "No! We are not going with witch. She's not a witch. OK, look. She's just scared. OK? Let someone with a softer touch handle this." (Wake Up)
  • "Clearly, you're not understanding...She doesn't get it. OK, look. We're ghosts, all right? We're just three ghosts, and we're really happy to be home. So, thank you for the flowers. They really brighten up the room." (Wake Up)
  • "I'm, uh... I'm pretty sure it did." (Wake Up)
  • "Who you calling?" (Wake Up)
  • "Sunset Curve!" (Wake Up)
  • "Well... I don't think...I think we were all pretty upset. OK." (Wake Up)
  • "Wait. So... So, it has been 25 years. I have been crying for 25 years?! How is that possible!?" (Wake Up)
  • "I am not!" (Wake Up)
  • "Yeah. I mean, that's...usually how ghosts work." (Wake Up)
  • "Did you miss the part where she kicked us out, or...Yes. OK.(Wake Up)
  • W-W-Wait. Wait. So, only you can see us, but everyone can hear us? I mean, what kind of ghosts are we?" (Wake Up)
  • "What? Yo, stop touching my drums. Tell him to stop touching my drums." (Wake Up)
  • "Oh yeah. He doesn't count. He's a dad." (Wake Up)
  • "I think she‘s warming up to us." (Wake Up)
  • "Yeah, we... we didn't know." (Wake Up)
  • "No. No, I mean, you're kind of the first person we've seen." (Wake Up)
  • "I'm sorry for your loss." (Wake Up)
  • "OK, so, why'd you bring us here? Just another painful reminder of where we never got to play. Thanks, Luke." (Wake Up)
  • "Oh, dude, why'd you stop me? Julie needs a hug." (Bright)
  • "You know what? I think you poofed us out because you can't handle when people cry. I should know. I cried in a room for 25 years, and I didn't get a single hug from either of you." (Bright)
  • "Don't touch me!" (Bright)
  • "Yeah, you know, maybe tell her how amazing she is." (Bright)
  • "It probably has something to do with her mom. You know? Must've been hard. Anyway, I really feel for her." (Bright)
  • "Yeah, I'm not sure you can call what we have a life." (Bright)
  • "Yeah, listening to this feels... wrong." (Bright)
  • "No. Everyone's gone. Twenty-five years, gone. Friends, family, Bobby, everyone." (Bright)
  • OK. None of us had it great. All right? But at least we had something. You know, what do we have now? And before you say cool teleportation skills, just know I'm not entirely OK with that either. All right? It tingles. In weird places." (Bright)
  • "They can't tip what they can't see." (Bright)
  • "Come on, Reginald!" (Bright)
  • "I'm sorry about them." (Bright)
  • Hey! I actually picked something up. I dropped it." (Bright)
  • "OK, well, sorry because we're kind of unbreakable at this point." (Bright)
  • "Yeah. Yeah. This is getting weird." (Bright)
  • "Yeah. I mean, you look really nervous. Like yack in a bowl nervous." (Bright)
  • "I wish I couldn’t see you." (Flying Solo)
  • OK, good, 'cause it's kind of freaking me out too. You know, you could see us, and people could see us whenever we play music. And my clothes are made of air, but for some reason, I'm still getting a wedgie. So many questions." (Flying Solo)
  • "I'm so...I'm so confused, you know? The afterlife should come with instructions or a quick start guide or something." (Flying Solo)
  • "OK, look, you guys know I don't handle change well.All right? Death? That was a change.OK? Then we became ghosts. All right? Another change. And... and now we can be seen whenever we play with Julie. Big freaking change!" (Flying Solo)
  • "Don't tell me how to ghost!" (Flying Solo)
  • "Dinged your board- dude, you ran me over!" (Flying Solo)
  • "Uh... Yeah, actually, I was having a minor afterlife crisis, so, you know, just clearing my head until you tried to crack it open." (Flying Solo)
  • "I've always been a little anxious, and then I died. Which did not calm me down. (Flying Solo)
  • "Um... Well, we didn't...We didn't really get to that, but I think I know why we're here." (Flying Solo)
  • “You know what else is so ‘90s? Being rude. Get woke. These are sensitive times.” (Flying Solo)
  • "Oh, we prefer, uh, musician spirits." (Flying Solo)
  • "You know what? I don't think this is about the art. I think you just like breaking the rules." (I Got The Music)
  • "No, I guess I gotta start doing ghost push-ups." (I Got The Music)
  • "I've always had a hard time focusing. I've always been a little anxious, and then I died. Which did not calm me down." (I Got The Music)
  • "Yeah. I mean, pretty much. There's no better way to work out your problems than wailing on some drums, right?" (I Got The Music)
  • "Maybe you're mixing it up, you know, with another song." (I Got The Music)
  • "He looks like a substitute teacher." (I Got The Music)
  • "Yeah. Luke introduced you to rock." (I Got The Music)
  • "Dude, we live in a garage." (I Got The Music)
  • "Bobby's house is ridiculous. Have you seen these platinum records?" (I Got The Music)
  • "Wait! Let's not rush this. You know, it's my...It's my first time haunting someone. I wanna make it special." (I Got The Music)
  • "That was weird. OK." (I Got The Music)
  • "Well, if you get scared, you... you can always hide behind me. I'll be hiding behind Luke." (The Other Side of Hollywood)
  • "I'm still gonna hide behind him." (The Other Side of Hollywood)
  • "Yeah, I wouldn't really bring that up when we meet him." (The Other Side of Hollywood)
  • "Willie and I? I mean I wouldn’t call what we have magic but..." (The Other Side of Hollywood)
  • "Reg, are you kissing that meatball sub?" (The Other Side of Hollywood)
  • "Uh, if you see Willie, uh, not that he would, but if he does, can you tell him that I was looking for him?" (The Other Side of Hollywood)
  • "Is this what we're here for? To watch people take pictures of food?" (Finally Free)
  • "I'm getting a little worried about him. He keeps forgetting Julie quit the band." (Finally Free)
  • "Yeah. It's not our favorite part of the day." (Finally Free)
  • "Yeah, and none of us wanted to disappoint you. You're the best thing that's happened to us since we became ghosts." (Finally Free)
  • "Yeah, we know, all right? But before you decide that forever, we just...We wanted you to know that Luke isn't as selfish as you think he is." (Finally Free)
  • "You remember that song "Emily"? Can we at least show you who that's actually about?" (Finally Free)
  • "Yeah. It's even worse because when he died, he... left on bad terms. You know, his parents didn't want their 17-year-old in a rock band, so...he just left. He never got the chance to make up with them." (Finally Free)
  • "We know how bad it hurts whenever someone that should've had your back...completely lets you down. We never meant to make you feel that way." (Finally Free)
  • "It's not my fault.It's my, um...It's my feet." (Finally Free)
  • "Put me back in, Coach." (Finally Free)
  • "I was just...I was just doing that for you guys." (Finally Free)
  • "Yeah. I'm pretty sure that's just a "you" thing. I was always pretty trustworthy." (Edge of Great)
  • "Do you have any idea what you’ve done?" (Edge of Great)
  • "What's your problem? It's like you're tracking me down just so you can keep running away." (Edge of Great)
  • "Wait. That's not good enough. I mean, you've been acting weird ever since Caleb's club. You know, I thought we were having fun together." (Edge of Great)
  • "You should never say "ooze" again, but, yeah, I agree." (Edge of Great)
  • "Wow. I see chemistry." (Edge of Great)
  • "Why should we listen to a word you say?" (Edge of Great)
  • "This is all my fault. I... I met Willie, Willie introduced us to Caleb, and now... now we're screwed." (Edge of Great)
  • "Getting that gig was literally impossible. Even after people knew who we were, we had to hustle, call in every favor we had. It took us years." (Edge of Great)
  • "This whole thing sucks." (Unsaid Emily)
  • "No, it's like you said...you know, you didn't have a choice. I mean, Caleb owns your soul." (Unsaid Emily)
  • "I would have still followed you." (Unsaid Emily)
  • "I don't know, Reg. Maybe it was the blinds. Or you know what? The blanket. It could've been any number of things you did in that house." (Stand Tall)
  • "How... How'd you know our sizes?"(Stand Tall)
  • "Yeah, well, I knew she was gonna come in here, but nobody ever listens to me." (Stand Tall)
  • "You guys think we could try that hug thing one more time?" (Stand Tall)

Trivia[]

  • He is the first openly gay character in one of Kenny Ortega's productions.
  • According to Luke Patterson, when he came out to his parents they were never cool with the idea that their son is gay.
  • He plays the drums and backup vocalist in Julie and the Phantoms as well as for Sunset Curve.
  • Alex meets Willie when skateboarder Willie crashes into him while Alex is taking a walk to clear his head. When Willie takes off his cracked helmet, Alex is smitten.
  • He enjoys dancing.
  • He carries a fanny pack.
  • Just like Carrie, his signature color appears to be pink which is possibly his favorite color.
  • According to Whatever Happens, he mentions that he always liked the color Pink.
  • He has anxiety.
  • According to Reggie, Alex was crying in a dark room for 25 years.
  • According to Owen Patrick Joyner, Charlie Gillespie and Madison Reyes said on a livestream that Alex and Luke had dated in the 90s, though the Whatever Happensbook canon disproves this; in actuality Alex claims that not only is Luke not his type, his father's assumption that he is is a source of conflict for him.
  • He has appeared in every episode so far along with Flynn, Julie, Luke, Nick and Reggie.
  • Alex's last name, Mercer, was first confirmed on December 9, 2020 by the official Julie and the Phantoms Instagram account.
    • He has the same name as the villain from Prototype.
  • He is the first openly LGBTQ+ character to be featured in a Kenny Ortega production (Ryan Evans of High School Musical was confirmed gay in 2020, but it was never stated in the series).
  • He enjoys dancing.
  • He started playing drums to help with his anxiety.
  • Fans’ speculation as to what is inside Alex's fanny pack has ranged from the practical inhaler and an epipen (due to Joyner’s own nut allergy).

Gallery[]

Notes[]

  • The article Julie looks at on her phone is dated "July 29, 1995" and reads: last week the music industry lost an up and coming band that would have taken the world by storm and topped the charts.

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References[]

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