List of Burn Notice characters

The main cast of Burn Notice.
left to right: Sharon Gless as Madeline Westen, Bruce Campbell as Sam Axe, Jeffrey Donovan as Michael Westen, Gabrielle Anwar as Fiona Glenanne

This is a list of fictional characters in the television series Burn Notice. The article deals with the series' main and recurring characters.

Main characters

Michael Westen

Main article: Michael Westen

Fiona Glenanne

Main article: Fiona Glenanne

Sam Axe

Main article: Sam Axe

Sam Axe (Bruce Campbell) is a former spy and Navy SEAL. He is Michael's best friend and normally helps him out with his jobs. During the first season, Sam was an FBI informant, feeding the FBI false information about Michael and his day to day life; however, by the second season he no longer does this, allowing him to assist Michael more in his work. His character provides comic relief for the show, and more recently he has acted as Michael's moral compass.

On the team, Sam acts as the primary gatherer of information. Over a long career in the Navy and various covert operations, he has built a wide network of contacts in seemingly every conceivable professional capacity. He frequently calls on his contacts in the FBI, police departments, military branches, and other government agencies to acquire information on targets or persons of interest.

Madeline Westen

Main article: Madeline Westen

Jesse Porter

Jesse Porter
First appearance	"Friends and Enemies" (4.01)
Portrayed by	Coby Bell
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Freelance Independent Contractor, Private Security Operative, CIA Human Intelligence Asset, Former: CIFA Counter-Intelligence Agent
Relatives	mother (unnamed, deceased)

Jesse Porter (Coby Bell) is a former Counterintelligence Field Activity agent introduced in the fourth season premiere. He was initially stationed in the field, but his risky and impulsive tactical maneuvers lead to him being demoted to desk duty. Due to his research on the war-profiteering organisation Management was hunting, Michael, in the course of his investigation, burned him incidentally. Jesse came to Michael for help as a fellow burned spy, which Michael accepted. However, the fact that Jesse was insistent on extracting revenge led the team to have to cover their trails leading to his burning. Left with nothing as Michael was, Madeline takes him in as a tenant and Jesse quickly fits into the team and their regular jobs.

Because of the circumstances of his burning, his old handler Marv believes he is innocent and had been set up; this connection proves vital for the retrieval of the NOC list. He contacts him during a securities conference in Miami, convincing him to help find the people who he believed burned him, locating the bank which the organisation attempted a book-cipher Bible.

In the leadup to the mid-season finale, Jesse finds proof of Michael's involvement in his burning and confronts Fiona, who he leaves alive, in the midst of an operation to take down John Barrett, a major player in the organisation he was hunting. While Fiona, Michael and Madeline were unsuccessful in convincing him to forgive or work with Michael, he nonetheless appears at the meet, saving Michael from Barrett's men, though the meet ends with the cipher missing and Barrett dead.

Agreeing to work with Michael once more, he tracks the Bible to Dominican Republic and extracts it, contacting Marv to provide the list to the authorities. However, Tyler Brennen intercepts the list and kills Marv. After retrieving the list, Jesse and the team prepare to rebuff Vaughn's forces in full. While running from his forces, Jesse is impaled through the leg and forced into an unbuilt hotel, his injury being the greatest issue in outlasting Vaughn's siege. At the end, Jesse attempts to escape with the list while Michael and Fiona attempt to hold them off, but they are saved by the timely arrival of a military platoon, allowing Jesse to get medical treatment.

By the next season, Jesse is reinstated into an official agency, but finds the bureaucracy and red tape unbearable, so he quits and begins working at a private security firm. His position grants him many opportunities to give Michael, Sam and Fiona extra work if necessary.

Enemies

Carla

Carla
First appearance	"Breaking and Entering" (2.01)
Last appearance	"Lesser Evil" (2.16)
Portrayed by	Tricia Helfer
Information
Gender	Female
Occupation	Handler

"Carla" (Tricia Helfer) is the nom de guerre of a mid-ranking member of a mysterious and seemingly all-powerful shadow government organization that is apparently behind Michael's burn notice. In the second season it is revealed that she ordered that Michael be burned so that she could use him for various black ops. Throughout the season, she forces Michael to perform a series of apparently unrelated errands for her, which he eventually learns are part of a planned assassination attempt. Before Michael can work to foil the assassination, someone beats him to the punch by killing the assassin and nearly killing Michael in separate explosions.

Although he initially suspects that Carla is responsible, Michael learns that she is just as much in the dark as he is; and she orders him to find out who was behind the bombings. Michael eventually discovers that the man responsible is Victor, a former employee of Carla's who has now gone rogue. However, rather than turning him in, Michael decides to team up with him to get Carla killed by her own superiors by revealing her abuse of the organization's resources for personal gain. However, Carla discovers their plan by shooting Victor and trapping him and Michael aboard Victor's houseboat. From the shore, Carla offers Michael a choice: either take credit for Victor's murder, becoming a "hero" in the eyes of Management and covering up Carla's transgressions, or she'll blow up the boat and say that Michael was the one behind the recent upsets. Michael refuses to concede. Just before Carla pushes the detonator, she is killed by Fiona with her sniper rifle.

Jason Bly

Jason Bly
First appearance	"Unpaid Debts" (1.06)
Last appearance	"Bad Breaks" (2.13)
Portrayed by	Alex Carter
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	CSS Agent

Central Security Service Agent Jason Bly (Alex Carter) is assigned to Michael's case after Michael gained access to his burn notice and his FBI surveillance team is pulled. Bly attempts to coerce Michael into giving up his attempts to return to the intelligence fold by harassing him and threatening his friends and family. Michael finally rids himself of Bly by framing him for taking bribes. Michael also blackmails him into providing a copy of Michael's classified dossier. In the second season episode "Bad Breaks", Bly returns with enough blackmail material on Michael to force him to hand over Bly's file. Then Bly shows up at a bank where Michael is helping the episode's client, and the two are taken hostage by a team of bank robbers and Bly is shot. After Michael treats his wound and foils the robbers, the two develop a mutual respect. They exchange their respective blackmail files and part ways on good terms.

Phillip Cowan

Phillip Cowan
First appearance	"Dead Drop" (1.11)
Last appearance	"Dead Drop" (1.11)
Portrayed by	Richard Schiff
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	NSA Operative

Phillip Cowan (Richard Schiff) is a shadowy operative of the National Security Agency who authorized the burn notice because of the evidence Michael had gone "rogue". After Michael learns Cowan's identity, he gets his attention by persuading a Libyan spy (Marshall Manesh) to arrange for the Chief of Libya's secret police to send him a fruit basket. Cowan responds by sending a bureaucrat to meet with Michael about possibly revoking his burn notice, but this man proves to be an imposter and assassin (Arye Gross) sent to kill him. Once Michael foils the assassin, Cowan agrees to meet with him. At the meeting, Cowan reveals that, while he burned Michael on the orders of superiors, saying that Michael is "standing on the edge of something much, much bigger than us". Before he can explain further, he is gunned down by an unseen assailant.

Michelle Paxson

Michelle Paxson
First appearance	"Question and Answer" (3.02)
Last appearance	"Fearless Leader" (3.04)
Portrayed by	Moon Bloodgood
Information
Gender	Female
Occupation	Miami Police Detective

Miami Police Detective Michelle Paxson (Moon Bloodgood) appeared at the start of the third season almost immediately after Michael opted out of protection from "Management" at the end of the second. Paxson had noticed shady activity from Michael, Fiona, and Sam, and worked to shut down their operation. In "Fearless Leader", Michael and the others find one of the most dangerous men in Miami, and plan to hand him over to Paxson in order to get her off their backs. The plan works, and Paxson leaves them alone. So far she is the only antagonist in official authority Michael has faced.

Tyler Brennen

Tyler Brennen
First appearance	"Sins of Omission" (2.15)
Last appearance	"Out of the Fire" (4.17)
Portrayed by	Jay Karnes
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Former spy, Arms Dealer, "Full-time sociopath"
Children	Annabelle Brennen (daughter)

Tyler Brennen (Jay Karnes) was a ruthless gunrunner and former military intelligence operative. He is the first villain-of-the-week to become a recurring character and the first person whom Michael can never smooth-talk into doing anything.^[1] In the season two episode "Sins of Omission", he kidnaps the young son of professional thief (and Michael's former fiancée) Samantha Kees's (Dina Meyer) to force her to steal the MacGuffin-of-the-week, which he expects will yield enough money to retire. Michael, dispensing with the use of cover identities and approaching Brennen as himself, frees Samantha's son and tricks Brennen into letting him return the item to its rightful owner, forcing Brennen to go on the run from his buyers.

In the third season episode "End Run", he returns, having dispatched his pursuers by a particularly clever ruse. He poses as an investor in the latest business venture of Michael's younger brother Nate. Brennen tells Michael he will have Nate killed if Michael does not agree to help him. Although Michael gains access to the device, he bluffs Brennen into believing that he has drained Brennen's offshore accounts and sent a hitman to kill his daughter. Brennen releases Nate and leaves empty-handed, swearing vengeance.

At the end of the fourth season episode "Dead or Alive", when Michael and Jesse hand over information for use by the government, Jesse's former handler is killed and the flash-drive is stolen. As the killers speed away, Brennen smiles playfully at Michael from fleeing vehicle. Brennen officially returns in the following episode "Out of the Fire". He blackmails Michael into assassinating members of Management and framing a terrorist group. He also hires Michael's old associate "Dead" Larry Sizemore to assist. When Michael and Larry return from the first job, Larry kills Brennan.

Tom Strickler

Tom Strickler
First appearance	"The Hunter" (3.06)
Last appearance	"Long Way Back" (3.09)
Portrayed by	Ben Shenkman
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	"Agent" to the Spies

Tom Strickler (Ben Shenkman) is first seen in the third season episode "The Hunter", where he is introduced with the caption "Agent to the Spies". He tries to recruit Michael with gifts such as a basket of yogurt and lotion delivered by a sexy masseuse. Michael refuses each time, insisting that he is not a mercenary and is not interested in Strickler's money.

Strickler seems to know every detail of Michael's life and keeps tabs on Sam and Fiona as well. He is powerfully connected and appears to be able to control just about anyone, including government agencies. A man with a silver tongue, he is able to convince Michael to do things the same way Michael does with everyone else.^[1]

In the episode "Shot in the Dark", Michael agrees to work with Strickler only to get his old job back. Fiona is uncomfortable with Michael working with a "weasel" and prepares to leave for Ireland in the following episodes.

In the mid-season finale "Long Way Back", Strickler tell Michael that Fiona's influence on Michael's life is "holding him back" and that he has arranged to have her kidnapped and sent back to Ireland, where her enemies are waiting. Michael kills a hostile Strickler and rescues Fiona, leaving Strickler's body with Fiona's kidnappers. However, after his death, Strickler's people start to "clean up", killing off Michael's local CIA contact.

Mason Gilroy

Mason Gilroy
First appearance	"Friendly Fire" (3.11)
Last appearance	"Good Intentions" (3.15)
Portrayed by	Chris Vance
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Freelance Psychopath

Gilroy (Chris Vance) is a former MI6 spy who freelanced all over the world and worked for Tom Strickler. Before Strickler was killed both were working on "secret business". Gilroy has no problem killing innocent people and rather enjoys it, going as far as to kill his own teammates if they fail during a mission (Gilroy informs Michael that a thief partner ("Claude") died due to "complications from his injury", where he only broke his ankle). He is rather good at what he does, committing violent acts and killing people without getting caught or being blamed for it. Michael figures out who he is when Gilroy reenacts his crimes to Michael. He is approached by Michael to join him on his "secret job" but turns Michael away, saying he is not good enough for his job, but after seeing Michael pull off a job he is impressed and decides to hire Michael.

After performing some errands for Gilroy and doing some investigative work of his own, Michael discovers that Gilroy's operation in Miami involves a plane heading from Chile to Poland. The plane is transporting an extremely high-risk prisoner, and it is implied that Gilroy wants to intercept the plane. After diverting the plane off course, he was paid 10 million dollars for securing the release of the prisoner. By the time Michael arrived, Gilroy had been shot in the abdomen, strapped to an explosive device, and handcuffed to the steering wheel of his vehicle. After briefly speaking with Michael (and ruefully acknowledging that he himself had been manipulated and betrayed), Gilroy dies when the explosive device detonates and the vehicle explodes.

Larry Sizemore

Larry Sizemore
First appearance	"Double Booked" (2.08)
Last appearance	"Dead to Rights" (5.12)
Portrayed by	Tim Matheson
Information
Nickname(s)	"Dead" Larry
Aliases	Larry Garber, Larry Berecher
Gender	Male
Occupation	Former spy, assassin

"Dead" Larry Sizemore (Tim Matheson) is an old friend and somewhat enemy of Michael. Larry was a covert operative who worked with Michael during his spy days in Serbia and Russia, until he became disillusioned with his government (he even tried to persuade Michael that it was their government that burned him); Larry, by nature, is outwardly friendly and cordial, but is also extremely violent, hot-tempered, ruthless, and sociopathic (seeing their work as "some people live, some people die"). According to Michael, compared to the crazy times in Serbia they were serving in, Larry seemed "somewhat sane in comparison" and the two bonded. Larry eventually saw their government superiors as restrictive and even traitorous towards their own operatives, and so he eventually decided to enter retirement – doing so by walking into an oil refinery right before it exploded, witnessed by 15 others. Presumed dead, Larry became a contract killer, and, after Michael was burned and numerous terrorist attacks were pinned on him, Larry, believing Michael had finally adopted his philosophy on life and business, resurfaced long enough to make contact with him and ask for his assistance on a planned assassination of a rich woman in Miami.

The son of a wealthy socialite plotted to kill his stepmother so he could inherit his family's fortune. Michael quickly spoiled the contact hit by impersonating Larry and pressuring the son into backing out of the assassination. But Larry, recognizing what Michael had done, turned around and impersonated "Michael Westen" in order to intimidate the son into continuing with operation, threatening to make him a "Dead-ee" (a term that Larry coined for targets). With the assistance of Michael and his allies, however, the assassination was ultimately foiled. However, when Michael attempts to take out Larry while the son pretended to pay for the hit, he fails to get a clear shot and Larry escapes.

In a third season appearance ("Enemies Closer"), Larry returned to Miami with members of a vicious Mexican drug cartel on his trail. He killed one of the would-be assassins, Justino, in Michael's flat, using the body, and the fact that he used Michael Weston as an alias, to force them to help. He had also adopted the persona of "Larry Garber", who he killed and used his identity to launder money. Almost succeeding to drive Michael from Sam and Fiona by deflecting his and their calls, Michael worked out Larry's endgame and set Larry up as an innocent civilian who called the police after finding evidence of money laundering. Larry, due to his investments, could not simply kill Michael and disappear, forced to cooperate with police.

In the fourth season episode "Out of the Fire", Larry once again returned to trouble Michael's life. Working in conjunction with Tyler Brennen, the new owner of Management's NOC list, Larry and Michael were paired up again for the first time in years to assassinate everyone on the list; starting with an IMF agent named Albert Machado. Michael attempts to buy time by having Machado kidnapped rather than killed. Regardless, Larry killed Machado anyway. While furious, Michael tried to deceive him into helping him, Sam, Fiona and Jesse steal evidence Brennen had on him and then continue in hunting down Management.

At a rendezvous point, Brennen was pouring glasses of champagne in celebration for the victory as Larry and Michael arrived. Larry, having considered Michael's offer, made a move that benefitted only him; killing Brennan. This forced Michael to work with Larry to regain some form of leverage, but Michael's team outmaneuvered Larry, with Michael retrieving the flash drive and leaving Larry with nothing but a murder charge.

In the summer finale of the fifth season, "Dead to Rights", Larry reappears at Michael's loft with a hostage - Anson Fullerton - who claims to have high security clearance to a local British consulate. Larry has his wife hostage with a bomb placed around her neck, threatening to kill her unless Anson and Michael aide him in robbing the consulate for several million dollars. In order to bribe his way out of the prison Michael sent him to its revealed Larry has exhausted all of his fortune he had in escro and also murdered an Albanian warden to ensure his escape.

No longer treating Michael even remotely amicably, Larry fakes a chemical exposure alert in the floor below the British Consulate, sealing off the wing. He forces Michael to replace a document which would have Larry gain millions in land contracts. In the meantime, he hacks building security, forcing Fiona, Sam and Anson to back off. Unusually, he happens to have killed his leverage–Anson's wife–before the job was done.

Fiona locates the office where Larry is monitoring security, and places an RDX bomb on the bulletproof window. Luring him with a few sniper shots, she sets off a bomb near the room he is in, killing him, which in turn kills two guards after a secondary bomb is set off. Michael wanders out through his position in the vault.

When Anson begins his exploitation, he reveals he hired Larry as the catalyst for Fiona to cause the massive explosion, using the attack on the consulate as leverage against Michael.

Larry is despised by both Sam and Fiona, who feel that he is a bad influence on Michael. Though they share a mutually antagonistic relationship, Sam and Larry apparently know each other very well and could therefore have had dealings with one another in the past. Michael has admitted that there is a small part of him that is like Larry, but that this part grows smaller the longer he is around his friends. For his own part, Larry seems to have slightly paternal feelings for Michael and is constantly frustrated by his former comrade's reluctance to embrace the darker side of his personality. Larry is the closest the series has to a recurring villain.

John Barrett

John Barrett
First appearance	"Blind Spot" (4.11)
Last appearance	"Guilty as Charged" (4.12)
Portrayed by	Robert Patrick
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	International Power Player, Merchant of Death

Barrett (Robert Patrick) was the powerful and wealthy CEO of Drake Technologies - an international telecom company that has numerous high-profile connections abroad, including a contract with the United States government. He is also involved in the military–industrial complex with several allies inside the U.S.

Having compiled a complete file on Management's organization, Simon Escher realised he would need an ally to be able to use the information. For this, he collaborated with John Barrett, who had powerful allies and such capabilities. However, with Simon detained and the cyper-key bible locked in a safety deposit box, Barrett's associates made their own moves.

Barrett and his allies planned to have a team of freelance thieves rob the safety-deposit box and recover the Bible, but they failed the operation and were caught. An assassin named "Kendra" was hired to kill the thieves for their failure. Michael and another burned spy, Jesse Porter, later captured "Kendra" and learned of her part in the conspiracy. They then broke into the safety-deposit box and stole the bible, only to learn that it was a book code; and Simon's.

While in New York City, Barrett was contacted by Michael and Jesse, who offered him the Bible in exchange for answering their questions about the contents of the Bible. While hesitant to admit his complicity, he sent a Colonel to retrieve the book, a plan Michael anticipated and countered. Barrett then arrived in Miami with an effective army to negotiate with Michael for the Bible. Despite the high security lodgings, Michael infiltrated the mansion to secure a meeting.

At a harbor, Barrett and several of his mercenaries arrived in black SUVs. After obtaining the Bible and confirming its authenticity, Barrett explained how he was Simon's unofficial partner and his intentions of eliminating the members of Management. He even showed interest in recruiting Michael to achieve this goal. However, the deal went bad when Barrett was notified that members of Management including "Vaughn" approached the pier in a convoy of vehicles. Vaughn and his agents began a shoot-out with Barrett's mercenaries.

As a full-scale war erupted on the harbor, Barrett ordered one of his mercenaries to capture Michael for interrogation. While Jesse's timely intervention prevented Barrett's two-man team from taking Michael, the distaction left Michael vulnerable to Barret. Weakened and bleeding out, he was snatched by Barrett and thrown into the passenger seat of the SUV. Barrett drove the vehicle through the war zone until they were on the open road again. Nearly unconscious, Michael forced the steering wheel into a sharp turn that flipped the vehicle. The resulting crash left Barrett dead, Michael gravely injured and the bible lost.

By the next episode, the media has gotten a hold of his activities, as many international powers had taken Drake Technologies down after the revelations of their international crimes.

Vaughn

Vaughn
First appearance	"Friends and Enemies" (4.01)
Last appearance	"Last Stand" (4.18)
Portrayed by	Robert Wisdom
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Handler

"Vaughn" (Robert Wisdom) is the alias of a high-ranking and connected member of Management who serves as Michael's point of contact. It is implied he is the replacement for Carla. He explains to Michael that there is a person or organization orchestrating wars internationally for profit and shows him a dossier containing seemingly unrelated documents. Michael is able to see the "big picture" from the documents and identifies a man, Gregory Hart (played by Michael Ironside) as an arms dealer supplying both sides of the war. Vaughn and Michael track Hart using his "sat phone" to apprehend him. When Vaughn and Michael question him, he refuses to share any information. Vaughn responds by shooting him in the leg. Before they are able to extract any information, a Predator drone destroys the camp, wounding Vaughn in the process. Without any other leads, Vaughn asks Michael to retrieve classified information using a copy of counter-intelligence operative Jesse Porter's security pass, which ultimately ends in Jesse being "burned" by his superiors in the same fashion as Michael.

As Michael and his team slowly unravel the conspiracy, tensions between Vaughn and Michael become strained; as Vaughn vocally is against the softer side of Michael's methods of solving problems, preferring intimidation and torture to Michael's preference of manipulation and stealth. He is eventually convinced to return former terrorist/assassin Simon Escher - once again in the custody of Management - to Miami for questioning, in which Simon nearly escapes, but not before leading Michael to a tape-recording marked "Berlin 2007." The tape from Simon's box implicates Vaughn in Michael's burn notice, as well as efforts to assassinate Simon. When Michael seems to go rogue, Vaughn attempts to manipulate Fiona into getting Michael back on the side of Management; which ultimately fails. This leads to Vaughn and other Management commandos storming the pier with guns blazing where Michael is meeting with John Barrett: a decision that nearly gets Michael killed, results in the death of their only lead and the loss of the Bible containing the names, aliases and locations of all Management members.

While on the surface Vaughn is a friendlier and more positive representative of Management than Carla, he is also extremely ruthless and makes it known he will commit atrocities himself in order to prevent even larger-scale acts of destruction. He lies to Michael about not being involved in his burn notice, though Simon's tape contradicts this. His first reaction to the "accidental" burning of Jesse is to have him captured and hauled away to the same super-max prison Simon is held in. And he seems to regularly have information that he doesn't share with Michael. In the episode "Eyes Open", Vaughn promises to leave Miami because of his failure during Michael's sting operation but says he still has "big plans" for Michael, suggesting he will return at some point down the road.

In the fourth season finale "Last Stand", Vaughn and numerous mercenaries of "Management" return to Miami - having been alerted by an anonymous email from the now-deceased Tyler Brennen. He and his men are determined to retrieve the contents of Simon's Bible at any cost. Vaughn makes it clear to Michael immediately that he is finished "playing nice" with him and is now here to do what's necessary to accomplish his task. Vaughn and his army corner Michael, Fiona and Jesse in an abandoned building. Through his various connections in Management and the apprehension of Madeline, he forces them into two options of surrender or death. With Jesse's leg badly wounded Michael opts to divert the forces while Fiona and Jesse escape with the drive; Fiona returns to Michael, and are saved from their suicidal mission from a military platoon directed by Sam, authorised by Congressman Cowley, who was promised the flash drive. Vaughn is outgunned and arrested.

Simon Escher

Simon Escher
First appearance	"Good Intentions" (3.15) "Devil You Know" (3.16) (official)
Portrayed by	Garret Dillahunt
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Rogue Operative

Simon (Garret Dillahunt) was the ace professional assassin/operative for Management prior to Michael Westen being "burned." He is responsible for numerous bombings, arsons, kidnappings and assassinations for the organization and apparently was high-ranking enough to gain access to the names and occupations of all members of Management. Sometime prior to the third season, he went insane and began carrying out terrorist attacks for his own interests. According to "Vaughn", his handler, Simon became too high-risk for Management to continue doing business with and so they attempted to have him killed; an effort that failed, and led to Simon beginning his vendetta against Management.

He compiled a list of names, aliases, occupations and locations of all members of Management as an insurance policy. He used a book-code of the names in the Escher Family Bible, which can only be decrypted by a second portion of the code. Realizing he was too small a cog in the machine to strike at Management, he enlisted the help of a private-sector corporation called Drake Technologies, and its CEO, John Barrett, who he promised the list to in exchange for assisting him in taking Management out. Sometime after, however, he was captured by Management and taken into exile as a super-max prisoner. Management then turned their sights to another skilled and talented spy - Michael Westen - and had him burned and all of Simon's crimes pinned on him to secure his dismissal. Somehow this information was discovered by Simon, who became obsessed with/furious at Michael for taking the "credit for his work."

Barrett, desperate to obtain the Management List, enlisted the services of a freelance spy-wrangler named Tom Strickler and his associates to have Simon broken out of a super-max prison so he could lead them to the Family Bible. He offered them $10-million dollars to intercept a flight meant to transport Simon out of the country. After Michael gunned down Strickler, a professional assassin, Mason Gilroy, took it upon himself to break Simon out for the price-tag promised to them, ultimately forcing Michael to assist him in the dangerous jail-break. Once the pilots of the plane were bribed by Gilroy to release Simon, he turned on Gilroy: shooting him in the abdomen and strapping him to an explosive device that blew him up inside of his car.

Now a free man and on the loose once again, Simon first turned his attention to Michael, who he needed to lure Management to him in Miami. After a game of cat-and-mouse between them, Michael ultimately contacted "The Old Man" - a high-ranking member of Management that Michael had alluded in the past - and asked for his help in capturing Simon again. Their meeting atop a helipad turned deadly, however, when Simon detonated a bomb that blew up the helicopter and then stormed the rooftop under the disguise of a police officer. He killed several bodyguards working for The Old Man until he was able to capture him, with Michael barely escaping death by sliding down a construction chute. Simon restrained The Old Man inside the back of an ambulance that served as his escape vehicle and then fled the scene of the bombings. Michael hijacked another car and crashed it into the side of the ambulance as Simon was fleeing. A brief struggle between Simon and Michael ended with Simon once again captured; promising Michael that he'd soon "end up just like [Simon]."

Once again a prisoner of Management, Simon resurfaced towards the middle of the fourth season, when Michael requested he be returned to Miami for interrogation about who he was working for. Simon broke free of his restraints and attacked Michael, hurling them both out of a window and onto a deck. There, he told Michael of the location of a buried stash he had hidden inside a cemetery containing an audio-tape that implicated "Vaughn" in Michael's burn notice. He also led Michael and his allies to John Barrett.

Anson Fullerton

Anson Fullerton (Jere Burns) is the final member, and original leader, of the Organization that burned Michael. He and Management started the Organization together when Anson was evaluating burned spies for the DIC. He orchestrated a plot to gain leverage on Michael, tricking Fiona into killing two innocent people, and recording her confession to blackmail Michael into continuing to work for him.

Recurring characters

Management

Management
First appearance	"Lesser Evil" (2.16)
Portrayed by	John Mahoney
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Criminal syndicate

Management is a professional black ops syndicate that works independently of any known government. They utilize burned spies, assassins, mercenaries, and independent contractors within their own group. Because of Michael Westen's reputation as a talented and creative operative, Management engineered his "burn notice" in order to put him in a vulnerable enough position to recruit him. After he was disavowed by the United States, they watched Michael for months before sending in Carla, a wrangler of assassins, to recruit and use him. But they did not realize how stubborn and determined Michael was until he began sabotaging their operations. At the same time, a vengeful Victor Stecker-Epps began a string of elaborate assassinations of Management's employees that made it clear Carla had lost control of Miami.

Though implied to be a large cartel with several members, the only representative Michael ever met is a humorless old man who possibly leads the group ( and is called "Management" himself) that arrived in a chopper following the shoot-out at the docks in the second season finale. He flew Michael atop the ocean and explained to him that they had been protecting him from his enemies and the police and offered him the chance to take over Carla's role in the group after the deaths of Carla and Victor. When Michael refused their offer, he opened the hatch of the chopper despite the fact that they were at least 30-feet in the air. To defy them, Michael leapt from the chopper and landed in the middle of the ocean. As Michael began swimming back toward Miami, Management's chopper left the city.

After Michael returned to land and was arrested, Management had a letter delivered to him, with his sunglasses, his car, and a promise to someday return. In the third season finale ("Devil You Know"), it was revealed that Management employed the terrorist Simon and used his crimes to fabricate Michael's burn notice. Michael broke his promise to never again associate with Management by calling "Management" (the old man) on a secure phone to warn of Simon's escape and murderous plans. Both agreed they needed to work together to stop him. Management arrived at a helipad above Miami where Michael awaited him. However, Simon wired the helipad to blow, and it exploded, killing most of Management's bodyguards. Simon quickly captured Management, taking him at gunpoint in a van and fled the area. Michael stole a truck and pursued them throughout the city, ultimately driving the truck into the side of the van, which took the vehicle out of commission. As Michael contemplated killing Simon, he was warned by Management that murdering an unarmed man would "ruin [his] big future". He left the scene before FBI agents arrived to arrest both Michael and Simon.

Harris and Lane

Agent Harris
First appearance	"Pilot" (1.01)
Portrayed by	Marc Macaulay
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	FBI agent

Agent Lane
First appearance	"Pilot" (1.01)
Portrayed by	Brandon Morris
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	FBI agent

Agents Harris and Lane were initially assigned to track, and if possible keep in line, Michael Westen, through Sam Axe. They controlled him by tying up his pension, thus strong-arming Sam into providing intel on Michael, his movements, and his activities. Constantly thwarted by Michael, they eventually turn up the pressure on Sam, but Michael rescues Sam by providing him the location of a rogue Czech hitman, in Miami to kill Michael. This, along with Sam turning over some high-level documents Michael got his hands on, not only clears Sam, but ends their assignment of watching Michael.

Later on, Michael and his crew develop an almost friendly relationship with Agents Harris and Lane. In multiple instances through seasons two to four, the FBI agents work with Michael, usually to achieve noble ends both sides want, despite the two both vocalizing their wishes that they could arrest Michael.

Nate Westen

Nate Westen
First appearance	"Old Friends" (1.04)
Portrayed by	Seth Peterson
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Entrepreneur
Spouse(s)	Ruth Westen (2010–present)
Relatives	Madeline Westen (mother) Michael Westen (brother) Frank Westen (father, deceased) Charlie Westen (son)

Nate Westen (Seth Peterson) is Michael's younger brother. When introduced, he is a degenerate gambler and sometime con man. During the first season, Nate learns that Michael has returned, and attempts to exploit his skills to make enough money to pay off his gambling debts. In the season finale, however, he risks his life to help Michael save Fiona and Sam from drug smugglers. During the second season, he proclaims that he has given up gambling and is trying to put his life back together, but his recovery is threatened when he is arrested as part of Carla's plan to pressure Michael. During this incident, his mother revealed to Michael that Nate idolized him as a child and feels that Michael does not like him and thinks he is better than Nate. After being released, Nate leaves for Las Vegas. As the third season opens, Nate returns to announce that he has started a limousine company, and is lining up investors. His plans fall apart, however, when it is revealed that his chief investor is actually Tyler Brennen, an old foe of Michael's, who kidnaps him to gain leverage over his brother. He got married to a blackjack dealer named Ruth after only being with her for a month, and had a son named Charlie with her.

When he is around, Michael often calls on him to aid the mission in various capacities. Often he is tasked with protecting Madeline, especially when Michael believes the people chasing him may come after her as well. Nate is also used as an "extra body", acting as a bodyguard, driver, or whatever simple role Michael needs filled.

Barry Burkowski

Barry Burkowski
First appearance	"Pilot" (1.01)
Portrayed by	Paul Tei
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Money launderer

Barry (Paul Tei) is a metrosexual and very successful money launderer who is often used by Michael as a source of information about, and introductions to, members of the Miami underworld. Michael also sometimes pays Barry to use his skills at doctoring financial records to help him create cover IDs and to frame his enemies for misconduct, gaining the nickname "Bad Checks Barry". Barry is fully aware of Michael's burn notice, but could not care less, as it is his business to deal with shady characters, but dodged Michael for awhile when he felt his life was in danger. As Michael's requests usually end up being high-risk for Barry, he is generally rather reluctant to deal with him.

Victor Stecker-Epps

Victor Stecker-Epps
First appearance	"Bad Blood" (2.06)
Last appearance	"Lesser Evil" (2.16)
Portrayed by	Michael Shanks
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Wrangler
Spouse(s)	unnamed (deceased)
Children	unnamed son (deceased)

Victor (Michael Shanks) is an employee of Carla's, a flippant, misanthropic, and more than vaguely psychopathic operative who styles himself as a "wrangler", sent in to force unruly recruits (like Michael) to do Carla's bidding. In the second half of season two, however, it is revealed that he has gone rogue, and that it is he who killed Carla's assassin and nearly killed Michael, in order to foil Carla's operation. Captured by Michael, he explains that, when Carla recruited him from the CIA, she killed his wife and son, pinning it on a Mexican drug cartel. When he discovered the truth, he resolved to destroy her. Deciding to work together, the two formulate a plan to lure Carla's superiors to a meeting, then supply them with evidence of Carla's misappropriation of her organization's resources, in the hope that she will be killed. However, Carla discovers their plan and attacks the houseboat where Victor keeps the contact information for Management, critically wounding him. As the superiors arrive for the meeting, Carla is killed by Fiona and Sam, and Victor makes Michael aware that the wound is fatal, and forces Michael to kill him, saying that it will boost Michael's credibility to Management. Before he dies, Victor warns Michael to get out of the spy business while he still can.

Virgil Watkins

Virgil Watkins
First appearance	"Unpaid Debts" (1.06)
Last appearance	"Rough Seas" (2.07)
Portrayed by	Chris Ellis
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Boat repossessor
Significant other(s)	Madeline Westen (2007, 2008)

A former Navy SEAL and Vietnam veteran, Virgil (Chris Ellis) was Sam Axe's mentor, and is now retired and running his own business repossessing boats. He first appears in the episode "Unpaid Debts", hiring Sam and Michael to help him out with the repossession of a valuable motorboat. This turns out to be more dangerous than at first suspected, as it is revealed that the boat's owner (Laurence Mason) is a ruthless smuggler using the boat to transport several million dollars in drug money marked for laundering, while Virgil's client (Antoni Corone) is a dirty cop who planned to use Virgil to steal the money, then kill him to cover his tracks. During the course of the episode, Virgil develops a romantic relationship with Madeline Westen, although this is cut short by Michael's insistence that Virgil leave town to avoid being killed. In the second season episode "Rough Seas", however, he returns to recruit Michael to help the daughter of an old friend foil a band of modern-day pirates, who have stolen a shipment of pharmaceuticals earmarked for humanitarian aid.

Seymour

Seymour
First appearance	"Rough Seas" (2.07)
Last appearance	"Seek and Destroy" (2.12)
Portrayed by	Silas Weir Mitchell
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Arms dealer

Seymour (Silas Weir Mitchell) is an erratic, eccentric, and clinically paranoid gunrunner who has an obsession with health food, particularly smoothies. His closest companion is his bodyguard, whom he has nicknamed "Jackass" (Brett Taylor) for his incompetence. When Michael needs help finding out the recipient of a high-powered sniper rifle he was forced to steal for Carla, and later in learning the identity of the bomber who tried to kill him, Fiona suggests that he ask Seymour, whom she has worked with several times, for help. Although Seymour is able to help Michael in both cases, he also causes a great deal of trouble, as he repeatedly draws Michael, on whom he has a "man-crush", into his deals, which invariably go bad.

Veronica

Veronica
First appearance	"Family Business" (1.05)
Last appearance	"Scatter Point" (2.05)
Portrayed by	Audrey Landers
Information
Gender	Female
Significant other(s)	Sam Axe (2007–2008)

Veronica (Audrey Landers) appears repeatedly in the first season as Sam's latest "sugar momma". A very wealthy woman, she provides Sam with a luxurious apartment and a Cadillac sedan (which Michael promptly decimates during a car chase). However, in the second season, she breaks up with Sam, kicks him out of the apartment, and takes back the Cadillac, after proposing to Sam and learning that he is, in fact, already married, albeit to a woman he has not seen in decades.

Adam Scott

Adam Scott
First appearance	"Guilty as Charged" (4.12)
Last appearance	"Eyes Open" (4.13)
Portrayed by	Danny Pino
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Attorney

Scott (Danny Pino) was a high-profile and very wealthy criminal defense lawyer. His numerous victories in court earned him a slew of dangerous allies, who owed him favors for helping them get away with various crimes. His knowledge of the law, and his success has left him arrogant and self-perceived to be untouchable, as long as he maintains his right to silence and the Fifth Amendment; as such the only morals he follows are those upholdable in a court of law. When a murderous gang-lord, Dale Lawson, kidnaps his daughter and demands Scott defend and acquit his brother or else they'll murder his kid; Scott turns to Michael for assistance in returning her because of his reputation. Although he offers Michael an unlimited amount of money/favors, the only thing that Michael ends up taking from Scott in return is a submersible vehicle he intends on using to capture John Barrett. Once Michael returns his daughter to him, Scott swears vengeance upon Dale Lawson and his entire crew.

Shortly after awaking from a coma, Michael learns of a massive bombing in a crowded restaurant that kills numerous people; among them, Dale Lawson and some of his men. Michael and Fiona confront him and Scott implies he has used one of his many criminal allies to follow through with his promise of killing Lawson and his whole group. He hired a psychotic mad bomber/vigilante, Dennis Wayne Barfield, to carry out the assassinations in retaliation for his daughter's kidnapping. Eventually he is convinced by Michael to call off Barfield, though he underestimates the madness of his hired gun man and is shot and killed by Barfield in his home later that day.

Diego Garza

Diego Garza
First appearance	"Signals and Codes" (3.05)
Last appearance	"Long Way Back" (3.09)
Portrayed by	Otto Sanchez
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Spy

Diego (Otto Sanchez) is a spy who was moved to an undercover job loading crates in an airport, an occupation he is happy with. Michael meets with Garza to attempt to get back into his old job, and Garza agrees to try and help him, albeit reluctantly. Garza is impressed with Michael's apparent success in returning to his job, but unaware that he was working with Strickler. When Garza learns this after Strickler's death, he is horrified, revealing that the two of them are now being tracked by Strickler's cleaners, and tries to set up a meeting with Michael. However, the cleaners get to Garza before the meeting can occur and Garza "falls" from his apartment building to his death, with Michael finding his dead body. Garza's death was ruled a suicide by investigating federal authorities, though upon meeting Mason Gilroy, Michael learns Gilroy arranged for Garza's murder for getting too close to his business.

Sugar

Raymond (last name unknown)
First appearance	"Pilot" (1.01)
Portrayed by	Arturo Fernandez
Information
Aliases	Sugar
Gender	Male
Occupation	Drug Dealer
Relatives	Dougie (cousin)

Sugar (Arturo Fernandez) is a drug dealer who used to live next to Michael's loft. He was first seen in "Pilot", where he threatened Michael to leave. Michael eventually ran Sugar out of the area. Sugar's next appearance was in the third season episode "Noble Causes", where he became the client, hiring Michael to help his handicapped cousin who had gotten accidentally mixed up with some bad people. Sugar appeared again in the fourth season episode "Neighborhood Watch", where he was used as a resource for information, much in the same way as Barry. He then appears in the fifth season episode "Bloodlines", where he supplies Michael with morphine for an injured human trafficker he is attempting to coax information from. Though hostile towards Michael during their first encounter, Sugar eventually gains a large amount of respect for Michael that borders on hero worship.

Bill Cowley

Congressman Bill Cowley
First appearance	"Past and Future Tense" (4.7)
Last appearance	"Last Stand" (4.18)
Portrayed by	John Doman
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	United States Congressman

Congressman Bill Cowley is a slick Miami congressman with ambitions of higher office during a gathering of intelligence officials in the state. An old associate of his, Paul Anderson (Burt Reynolds), had accidentally revealed sensitive information that reignited a hit contract on his life from Russian military operatives and proved his fake death false. But Paul had a long-forgotten ledger signed by Cowley back in 1986, which illegally deployed U.S. soldiers into Bogota, Colombia in what was ultimately a blood-bath and failure.

After a failed attempt to talk to Cowley by Sam Axe, they bring in the more empathetic Madeline to gain access to him. As she already dislikes him as a politician, she takes pleasure in threatening to expose the Bogota ledger and effectively destroy his career. Cowley, however, blows her off and tries to leave, when Madeline threatens to scream this to his constituents. Both Sam and Madeline break him from his entourage and Cowley is returned to his home, where Michael and Paul are awaiting his arrival.

Paul explains that he needs to be placed in Witness Protection (WITSEC) to keep his Russian enemies from killing him. Cowley scoffs that the Bogota ledger is useless, as he framed a two-star General for the botched mission years ago. He threatens yearly tax audits for Sam and Madeline for kidnapping him, and promises suffering for Michael and Paul as well. An infuriated Paul then breaks free of Michael's grasp and beats Cowley unconscious on his own floor. The Russian black ops team then mounts a raid on the house, forcing Michael and Sam to board up the windows and quickly formulate a plan. As one of the commandos breaks in, they subdue him and slip outside; reversing the situation, and holding the black ops team hostage inside. All four of them surrender, including their leader - Vitali. As Vitali and his men are being subdued, he makes a last-ditch effort to avenge his homeland, and pulls a gun on both Paul and Michael. Paul takes out his pistol and kills Vitali in self-defense. Michael then makes Cowley an offer: he can either have Paul placed in the Witness Protection Program and take the great press of having taken down a black ops team single-handedly, or explain to the authorities why he's associating with two burned spies. Cowley agrees, and Paul is relocated.

Cowley returns in the fourth season finale "Last Stand", where he is again approached by Madeline at a speaking engagement. This time he is slightly less-reserved about speaking with them. Sam tries to explain the existence of "Management" to him and the fact that they have members high-up in the government infrastructure. When Sam mentions this involves John Barrett and his company, Cowley becomes more interested, as he headed the sub-committee hearing concerning the Drake Technologies conspiracy. Again untrusting, he calls an ally in the F.B.I. and is quickly ordered to surrender himself to Protective Custody by the crooked Director. However, Cowley is eventually convinced of Sam's truthfulness and has Marines deployed to the structure where Michael, Sam, Fiona and a kidnapped Madeline are being held. This ends in the capture of "Vaughn" and the N.O.C. List containing the identities of all members of "Management."

Marv

Marvin Peterson
First appearance	"Past and Future Tense" (4.07)
Last appearance	"Dead or Alive" (4.16)
Portrayed by	Richard Kind
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Handler

Marv was a member of the U.S. Department of Defense and the handler for counter-intelligence operative, Jesse Porter. In the aftermath of Jesse's mysterious firing, he tried to prove Jesse's innocence but was to keep his mouth shut. He is reunited with Jesse during the International Intelligence Conference at the Eden Rock Hotel in Miami. Marv was given information about Simon Escher's Holy Bible, which contained the names, aliases and locations of "Management," an international criminal syndicate. This information eventually led to the take-down of Drake Technologies and its C.E.O., John Barrett.

In "Hot Property," Marv was again lured to Miami by Sam Axe, posing as a private investigator who would expose to his wife a love affair he had a decade earlier. Of course, this was a ploy by Jesse to talk with his old handler. Jesse wanted $5-million dollars in cash (that was to be destroyed by the Treasury anyway) to buy his way into an auction for the Holy Bible, which had been lost and then stolen by a surviving Drake Technologies bodyguard, Justin Walsh. Once he was warned of the stakes, Marv agreed and arranged for the money to be delivered. But it came with a condition: he wanted to have a meeting with Michael Westen to establish some trust and make sure he wasn't financing a muderous criminal, as Michael's dossier makes him out to be. Marv convinced Michael to undergo a polygraph test and check out his entire story. It did, and he agreed to have the N.O.C. List taken out of Miami once they obtained it.

In "Dead Or Alive," Marv returns and promises the arrival of Homeland Security officials to have the data-chip taken into custody. He arranges for the meet to take place on the roof of a parking structure, but after handing off the list, Michael deduces that Homeland Security agents wouldn't have silencers on their pistols. He calls out for Marv to return the chip. As the situation becomes chaotic, Marv cries out that he had to "give it to them" or they'd kill his wife. Marv is shot to death from behind by the fake Homeland Security agents and collapses on the ground. As the SUVs dissipate, a grinning Tyler Brennen sitting in the back seat of one of the SUVs smiles to Michael in passing.

Max

Max
First appearance	"Company Man" (5.01)
Last appearance	"No Good Deed" (5.04)
Portrayed by	Grant Show
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	CIA operative

Max is a CIA operative assigned as Michael's partner in hunting down all the people on the NOC list after the events of series 4. Once they are seemingly finished with their work, they are doing small-scale field operations while Michael is in the process of being reinstated with the CIA. Max, just like the others, does not share Michael's paranoia regarding certain inconsistencies in the documents on the organization they just destroyed. However, at the end of the episode "No Good Deed", things take a sudden twist as Max is shot to death by an unseen assassin, and Michael is framed for his murder.

Kim Pearce

Kim Pearce
First appearance	"No Good Deed" (5.04)
Portrayed by	Lauren Stamile
Information
Gender	Female
Occupation	CIA operative, bloodhound investigator

After Max's death, Agent Pearce is assigned to investigate his death as well as be Michael Westen's new point of contact for the CIA. Michael uncovers a slew of evidence that frames him in Max's murder and stalls Pearce's investigative hunches and questions. Pearce trusts Michael until she finally gets the documents he was "looking through" where she arrests him. Michael convinces Pearce to trust him one last time to find Max's real killer, which she reluctantly agrees to.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International panel, available on Season 3 DVD box set

External links

• Official Burn Notice Site at USA.com