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The gameplay for Alan Wake 2 was recently showcased at the 2023 Gamescom and a distinct yet familiar character has caught the eye of a large chunk of people. Developed by Remedy Entertainment, Alan Wake 2 is another waking call in what fans call the Remedyverse, which contains many other games like Alan Wake and Control, functioning in the same world. Since Remedy is well-known for its interconnected lore, fans wonder if the character that has caught their eye could mean the entry of another Remedy game in this world.
Max Payne is the titular character of the Max Payne series, also developed by Remedy Entertainment. Upon watching the trailer, many fans were able to spot him and may have the answer that they were looking for. The looming question that many had is whether Max Payne is in Alan Wake 2? Well, the answer goes beyond a simple 'yes or no' and it’s complicated.
Let us dive deeper into the Remedyverse and find out whether Max Payne is the next entrant in this world.
All You Need to Know About the Max Payne Lookalike in Alan Wake 2
The character bearing an eerie resemblance to Max Payne in the Alan Wake 2 trailer is none other than FBI Agent Alex Casey, Saga Anderson’s investigation partner. The reason that Max Payne and Alex Casey look like each other’s doppelgangers is not because Casey is secretly Max Payne but because the characters are based on the appearance of the same person. Not only do they look similar facially but also in their rugged detective outfits, along with the same husky voice.
This is because they both have been modeled on the creative director of Remedy Entertainment, Sam Lake. He plays both Max Payne and Alex Casey. Surprisingly, both characters have also been voiced by the same voice actor, James McCaffery.
Now that we have a pseudo-Max Payne in Alan Wake 2, fan theories have started pouring in, contributing to the twisting lore of the Remedyverse. Many believe that Alex Casey is supposed to be an alternate universe character based on Max Payne. Others believe that Alex Casey has risen from the figment of Alan Wake’s work on his own Alex Casey series. This character comes from the same Dark Place, where Alan Wake found himself in the first iteration.
Is Max Payne Available in Alan Wake 2?
Now that we know that the character resembling Payne is Casey, we can say that Max Payne is not quite there in Alan Wake 2. However, this hasn’t stopped fans from wondering if this resemblance is a reference to Max Payne in his own series. Remedy Entertainment previously confirmed that Max Payne is not going to be part of the Remedyvserse lore. However, it does love to play around with the lore and the metaverse that it has created with different games. And this is why we get to see Sam Lake’s face plastered on both the characters, still not being part of the same worlds.
To sum up in a few words: No, Max Payne is not in Alan Wake 2. But what we do have is another character who looks like him, talks like him, dresses like him, and sounds like him.
