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"I can’t tell you what to do. I’ve been wrestling with this one my whole life. I see fifteen people held hostage on a bus, and everything else goes out the window. I will do whatever it takes to save them – and I mean whatever it takes."
Jack Bauer, "Day 7: 7:00am-8:00am"

Jack Bauer (born February 18, 1966) was an American serviceman and, later, a federal agent, who was responsible for saving countless American citizens from potentially devastating terrorist attacks on more than one occasion.

He took a leadership role in various covert and undercover missions, and served as both Special Agent in Charge and Director of Field Operations of CTU Los Angeles. His dedication to keeping U.S. citizens safe led him to make some deep personal sacrifices. Jack lost his job, his family, his friends, and, for a period of nearly two years after Day 5, his freedom. He showed his willingness to sacrifice his life on multiple occasions, but each time his sacrifice ultimately proved to be unnecessary.

Following Day 8, Jack was forced to flee the United States, wanted by both the U.S. and Russian governments for killing several Russian diplomats involved in a terrorist conspiracy. After four years spent living in hiding in Eastern Europe, Jack resurfaced in London after receiving word of an assassination attempt against his former mentor, President James Heller and a possible prelude to a much more devastating attack.

Biography

Early life

"We grew up together, Jack. In all those years, I could never make you do anything you didn't want to do."
Graem Bauer, "Day 6: 12:00pm-1:00pm"

Jack Bauer was born in Santa Monica, California on February 18, 1966 to Phillip Bauer. (Day 6 Debrief) Jack was never close to his father, nor to his brother Graem; as of Day 6, he hadn't seen either of them in over nine years. He was, however, close to his father's butler and chief servant, Sam. ("Day 6: 10:00am-11:00am")

In high school, Jack rode motorcycles and often surfed for fun. He was familiar with Jessica Abrams and Tracy Zigler during this time. ("Day 1: 12:00am-1:00am", "Day 1: 7:00am-8:00am")

Jack attended the University of California, Los Angeles and graduated with a degree in English Literature. Later, he received a Master of Science degree in Criminology and Law from UC Berkeley. (Findings at CTU)

In his late teens, Jack was in a relationship with Marilyn, but broke it off when he left to join the military. ("Day 6: 2:00pm-3:00pm") He later met Teri, a Los Angeles graphic artist, and the two were soon married. The couple's daughter and only child, Kimberly, was born fifteen years prior to Day 1. (Findings at CTU)

Military and law enforcement career

Jack's family expected him to become a leader in BXJ Technologies, his father's company, but he chose his own course, causing him to become estranged from Phillip and Graem. ("Day 6: 3:00pm-4:00pm")

1x19 Jack Army

Photograph of Jack Bauer during his military service

Jack joined the United States Army, completing the Special Forces Operations Training Course and graduating from the John F. Kennedy School of Special Warfare. He served as an instructor for the Special Forces Robin Sage Exercises and the "Q" Course Phase III Training programs, and met Richard Walsh, who would become something of a mentor to him. Through a third-party invitation by Walsh, Jack joined the elite 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, commonly known as Delta Force, and rose to the rank of captain. While in Delta, he took part in classified missions all over the world, many of them in the Balkan countries in eastern Europe. These included Operation Closed Coffin in Hac, Operation Lost Paradise in Chechnya, Operation Downtown in Pristina, and Operation Collegiate in Belgrade. Bauer's decorations included the Purple Heart and Silver Star. Eventually, Jack ended his term of active duty, but remained a reserve officer in Delta Force and was periodically reactivated to lead critical missions. (Findings at CTU, Operation Hell Gate)

While in the Green Berets, Bauer saw action in the Persian Gulf region alongside James Ricker, whose life he saved during an engagement in Damascus. ("Day 8: 1:00pm-2:00pm")

During his army career, Jack served in the same unit as Carl Benton, with whom he became close friends, and whose life he saved on multiple occasions. (24: Redemption)

After his term of duty, Jack attended the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Special Weapons and Tactics school and joined the Los Angeles Police Department as a SWAT specialist, where he worked with Frank Castalano and Nat Greer. (Trojan Horse)

Counter Terrorist Unit

Some years before Day 1, Richard Walsh and his colleague Christopher Henderson invited Jack to join the Counter Terrorist Unit, a specialized CIA program Walsh had helped spearhead that investigated and neutralized domestic terrorist threats. At the time, Jack had been working "on loan" to the CIA when a lead on the notorious Abdul Rahman Yasin, architect of the 1993 World Trade Center attack, led him to Los Angeles and into the middle of one of CTU's major investigations. Despite his initial skepticism, Jack took part in the unit's successful effort to stop Yasin's planned bombing of the inter-faith Unity Conference, attended by Pope John Paul II and other major religious figures. During this mission, he first met and worked with Nina Myers and Tony Almeida, as well as analyst Jamey Farrell. Ultimately, Jack accepted Walsh and Henderson's offer to join the agency, where he would later take a central role in preventing many more devastating terrorist attacks. Jack became close to Henderson, under whom he served in the agency's Field Operations division. (Trinity)

On Jack's first official day of employment, he was assigned to protect Moira O'Neal, a defector from the Irish Republican Army who had turned herself over to Division. Jack and a CTU team escorted O'Neal to a CIA safe house near Kingman, Arizona, where they came under attack by a crew led by Tim McGinnis. After an intense firefight and chase that lasted several hours and resulted in the loss of the rest of the team, Jack (with O'Neal's help) managed to take out the attackers, killing McGinnis with the last bullet in his gun. (One Shot)

Over the next few years, Jack took part in many more anti-terrorism operations, several of which were declassified following the 9/11 attacks. (Operation Hell Gate) He was the Section Captain of the Hotel Los Angeles attack in 1998, and the Team Leader of Operation Proteus in 2000. (Lx01)

After working together for many years, Jack and Henderson's relationship soured when Jack was poised to be a key witness in an internal affairs investigation regarding misappropriated CTU funds. Henderson, who had conspired with his subordinate Peter Jiminez in stealing the missing money, took advantage of a deep-cover mission by Jack and Ryan Chappelle to attempt to have Bauer killed without before he could implicate them. This effort failed, and Jiminez was framed as the sole party behind the missing funds. (Trojan Horse) Some time later, Jack played a key role in building the case that Henderson had sold classified information to defense contractors, resulting in his firing from CTU and the end of their friendship. ("Day 5: 4:00pm-5:00pm")

A year before Day 1, Jack built a case against Seth Campbell, and two other CTU agents and had all three arrested for taking bribes. This was a controversial operation that earned Jack the scorn and distrust of many at CTU, including Tony Almeida and Teddy Hanlin. Campbell's wife Judy ultimately committed suicide from the shame and the pressure of raising their four children alone. ("Day 1: 5:00pm-6:00pm")

By Day 1, Jack attained the rank of Special Agent in Charge of CTU Los Angeles, with Nina Myers serving as Chief of Staff. ("Day 1: 12:00am-1:00am")

Operation Nightfall

"You remember a couple of years ago when he went away for a few weeks?"
"Uh... for some training thing?"
"That's what he told us, but I'm sure it was a mission."
Teri and Kim Bauer, "Day 1: 9:00am-10:00am"

Two years before Day 1, Jack was reactivated by Delta Force for a mission in Kosovo to assassinate Victor Drazen, a military commander and war criminal in the regime of Yugoslavian president Slobodan Milosevic. The mission, codenamed "Nightfall", would prove to have dire and profound consequences for both Jack himself and the United States. The mission was authorized by Senator David Palmer in his capacity as a member of the Senate's Special Defense Appropriations Committee and coordinated by NSA operative Robert Ellis. Jack hand-picked a team of five Delta operatives, as well as an agent on loan from Britain's MI6, Stephen Saunders.

During the course of the operation, Bauer's team was betrayed by their contact on the ground, resulting in the deaths of all of the team members except for Bauer and Saunders. Moreover, their efforts were compromised by the actions of CIA Deputy Director Tony Webster, who inadvertently learned of the mission and intended to capture Drazen alive for information on his dealings with terrorist and organized crime groups around the world. While Bauer and Saunders managed to destroy the command bunker where they observed Drazen entering, it was later revealed that the man had been a body double, and that Drazen's wife and daughter had both been inside the building and perished. Bauer and Saunders were separated following the explosion; while Bauer escaped, Saunders, presumed dead, was actually captured by Milosevic's security forces and tortured for several years before being released. Victor Drazen was captured by a team sent by Webster and held in total secrecy in the United States for the next two years, while his sons Andre and Alexis plotted their revenge against those responsible for their mother and sister's deaths. (Nightfall, "Day 1: 7:00pm-8:00pm", "Day 3: 5:00am-6:00am")

Following the mission, Jack became distant and withdrawn, causing his relationship with Teri - already strained by the secret nature of his profession - to suffer, and the two decided to separate six months before Day 1. During their separation Jack had an affair with Nina Myers, his CTU colleague. Shortly before Day 1, Jack moved back in with Teri and Kim and the couple began working in earnest to repair their marriage. Kim remained very resentful towards her mother even after Jack moved back in. ("Day 1: 12:00am-1:00am", "9:00am-10:00am")

Day 1

Read more about Jack Bauer on Day 1
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Jack Bauer pleads for Ira Gaines not to kill his family after he refuses to assassinate Senator David Palmer
("Day 1: 7:00am-8:00am")

Shortly after midnight, Jack's daughter Kim snuck out of the house. Jack and his wife Teri were handling the situation, when Jack was called into work. Jack was forced to leave and after he arrived at CTU, he learned that there was a possible assassination attempt on Senator David Palmer (a Presidential candidate). As the Special Agent in Charge of CTU, Jack was put in charge of the investigation. He also learned from Richard Walsh that there is a mole inside CTU.

After the death of Scott Baylor and Walsh, the only people Jack could trust were Nina Myers and Jamey Farrell. Jack eventually learned that his daughter was kidnapped and Ira Gaines began to blackmail him. If Jack didn't follow Gaines' orders, Gaines would kill Kim. After Jack switched a keycard, that had information on the Palmer hit, he was forced to help Jonathan Matijevich assassinate Palmer. However, Jack was able to create a diversion and save Palmer's life.

Jack was arrested by the FBI, but he was able to escape. Teri was also kidnapped and Jack was able to get in touch with her. With help from Nina and Tony Almeida, Jack successfully rescued his family. However, Ryan Chappelle and Alberta Green took him into custody for the attempted assassination of Senator Palmer. When Jack met with Palmer, they realized that the sons of Victor Drazen were getting revenge for their father's death (Jack had lead the team that killed him, while Palmer had authorized the mission). With help from Palmer, Jack was reinstated at CTU.

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Jack kills Victor Drazen at the end of the day...
("Day 1: 11:00pm-12:00am")

Eventually Jack was lead to a detention facility and discovered that Drazen himself was still alive. With help from Mark DeSalvo, Jack transported Drazen, but Andre Drazen had the power shut down at the facility. Jack ended up getting taken hostage and the Drazens were willing to trade Jack for Alexis Drazen, who was in CTU custody. After George Mason received pressure from Palmer, he went forward with the trade.

After stopping a second attempt on Palmer's life, Jack went to meet with the Drazens, as they recaptured his daughter. Before going forward with the trade, Jack got a call from Nina (who is now revealed to be a traitor) who falsely told him Kim was dead. Jack killed Victor and Andre in cold blood and when he realized Nina lied to him, he sent proof to Mason that revealed that it was Nina who murdered Jamey and she was arrested. The day did not end without a personal sacrifice for Jack: Teri was shot and killed by Nina moments before her capture. Jack discovers this too late, arriving only in time to see Teri's lifeless body; he cradled her, saying, "I'm sorry, so sorry."

Grieving

Though Jack committed several felonies during the events of Day 1, nobody sought to prosecute him for them due to the special circumstances. After testifying before the House Special Subcommittee on his actions and his history with the Drazen family, Jack stepped down as the Special Agent in Charge of CTU Los Angeles, and George Mason replaced him. Due to the death of his wife Teri and the betrayal of Nina, Jack isolated himself from the world. He tried to stay in contact with his daughter Kim, but she felt being around Jack would remind her of the emotional pain of her mother's death. ("Day 2: 8:00am-9:00am") After Teri's funeral, Jack stopped talking to his father, brother, and sister-in-law. ("Day 6: 10:00am-11:00am")

Day 2

Read more about Jack Bauer on Day 2
JackAppearsonDay2

Jack at the start of Day 2 ("Day 2: 8:00am-9:00am")

During the events of Day 2, Intel suggested that a nuclear bomb would detonate in the city of Los Angeles. Tony Almeida and George Mason suggested that it would be best if Jack was brought into the operation, as he had a connection CTU needed. Jack didn't go into CTU until President David Palmer called him and asked him to. Jack agreed to help the investigation if CTU found Kim and transported her out of the city.

Jack went undercover, working with terrorists Eddie Grant and Joseph Wald. When Jack learned Grant planned on bombing CTU, Jack called Lynne Kresge, but CTU's phone lines were already disabled. Jack managed to warn CTU through a civilian, but CTU didn't get chance to evacuate the building until moments before the bomb went off. Jack later learned that Wald got the schematics of CTU from Nina Myers. Nina was released from prison and brought to CTU. She agreed to help find the nuclear bomb in exchange for immunity. She took Jack hostage, only to have him escape; Nina was then apprehended and brought back to CTU.

With help from Kate Warner, Jack was able to bring Syed Ali into custody and he eventually found the location of the nuclear bomb. Jack planned on flying the bomb to the Mojave Desert, so it could detonate in an area where no civilian lives were lost. Jack said a tearful good-bye to his daughter Kim, and was shocked when he found Mason on the plane. George was dying from radiation poisoning and he wanted to fly the plane. He asked for Jack to parachute out of the plane and put the pieces of his life back together. Jack agreed to check on Mason's son John and he parachuted out of the plane.

JackGeorgeS2E16

Jack says good-bye to George Mason, who sacrifices himself.
("Day 2: 10:00pm-11:00pm")

Audio recordings were found in Syed Ali's possessions and they proved that three Middle Eastern countries funded Second Wave's operation. Ali told Michelle Dessler the recordings were fabricated and Jack decided to work with Michelle in proving it. Jack escaped from CTU with Kate Warner, and in the process he injured Tony. President Palmer decided not to go forward with the retaliation attack until he was certain the recordings were legit. This caused Vice President Prescott to activate the 25th Amendment.

Jack eventually found help from Yusuf Auda and they recovered the microchip that proved the recordings were falsified. However, Jack ended up getting kidnapped by men working for Peter Kingsley, and Yusuf was killed by angry civilians. Jack rescued Kate from the civilians, but the microchip was damaged and would no longer be a reliable source. Eventually Jack was lead to Alex Hewitt, who created the conversations. Jack also discovered that Sherry Palmer was working with Hewitt.

Eventually President Palmer regained his power as president back and Ryan Chappelle dropped charges against Tony and Michelle, who were aiding Jack. In the final moments of the day, Sherry entered a sting operation that proved Kingsley was behind the conversations. Jack killed all of the hostiles, but he was out of ammo when Kingsley approached him. Kingsley was taken out by CTU field agents, and Jack was brought to the hospital, with Kim in his arms.

Return to CTU

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Jack during The Game

Read more about Jack Bauer during The Game

Following Day 2, Jack rejoined CTU Los Angeles as the Director of Field Operations, working under Tony Almeida, who had assumed his previous position as Special Agent in Charge.

Six months after the events of Day 2, a new terrorist threat introduced Jack to Chase Edmunds, and the two found they worked well together. Kim was kidnapped during the course of the day, but Jack rescued her - only to have girlfriend Kate Warner taken as well. He killed Peter Madsen, who kidnapped Kim, and then took off after Max. After a firefight on a yacht, Kate was safe, and Chase and Tony Almeida took a wounded Jack to the hospital. (The Game)

Undercover with environmental group Global Peace for a Cleaner Environment, Jack took down a group of eco-terrorists trying to sabotage the oil field under the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge. Chase was also loaned to CTU Fairbanks for this operation. (Midnight Sun)

Two years before Day 3, Jack went undercover with drug lords Hector and Ramon Salazar and became addicted to heroin as part of his cover. During this time, the Salazars sent him to the Hotel Long Beach to pick up a package and prove his loyalty to them. While there, he and undercover DEA agent Enrique Hinojosa stopped a group of Chechen separatists from blowing up the hotel and two ambassadors.

Jack tried to fight his addiction; however, he was not able to quit until he got into a drug rehabilitation program. He also organized an operation to get Ramon Salazar put in prison. At the same time, Chase Edmunds transferred over to CTU Los Angeles as Jack's partner. Jack got Kim a position at CTU Los Angeles, hoping to keep her safely under his watch. ("Day 3: 1:00pm-2:00pm")

Day 3

JackAndRamon

Jack and Ramon Salazar work together in Mexico.
("Day 3: 11:00pm-12:00am")

Read more about Jack Bauer on Day 3

During the events of Day 3, Jack was the Director of Field Operations of CTU Los Angeles. Jack and his partner Chase Edmunds recently jailed drug lord Ramon Salazar, who had several terrorist cell connections around the world. The government got a call from an unknown caller, who threatened to release the Cordilla virus if Ramon wasn't released from prison.

Jack was forced to break Ramon Salazar out of prison to comply with the threat, but it was all part of his sting operation that had been organised with Tony Almeida and Gael Ortega.

His operation led him to Mexico where he worked with Ramon and his brother Hector to get the virus. In the midst of the day he ran into Nina Myers who was also trying to buy the virus.

Jack's cover was eventually blown and the virus ended up in the possession of Michael Amador who gave the virus to Stephen Saunders, a man who had formerly worked with Jack on a previous mission with CTU. Saunders released a vial of the virus at a hotel in Los Angeles and threatened to release eleven other vials.

Jack seized all of the vials with the help of CTU oranizations across the country and stopped the release of the final vial by kidnapping Saunders' daughter, Jane Saunders.

Final CTU missions and dismissal

Sometime after Day 3, Jack went undercover with Pete Malo at CTU New Orleans to help track down the elusive Hector Beltran. He also went to Alaska to assist CTU Alaska agent Amy Seelaki in stopping Oleg Malenov from releasing a computer virus that would halt wireless communications. He beheaded Malenov after stopping the virus, in vengeance for Sergeant Buchanan who was part of his team during a Delta Force mission in Afghanistan who suffered a similar fate at the hands of Malenov. (Storm Force, Cold Warriors)

Jacks4prequel

Jack is fired from CTU
("Season 4 Prequel")

While Jack was on a vacation in December, CTU agent Samuels called him and told him that Marcus Johnson, another CTU agent, had gone rogue en route to Arizona, not far from Jack. He told Jack to track Johnson and bring him into custody. Jack did so, and also found some van rental papers that Johnson had, which Samuels tracked to San Diego. Jack got on a chopper, found the rental van, and prevented it from causing a catastrophic explosion at a nuclear facility. Samuels then sent Jack to Las Vegas and told him to stop a terrorist cell, who they found out about from the rental company, who had rented another van from California. He told Jack to find a dirty bomb somewhere in a large vehicle within the city. Jack successfully found the bomb in the truck just before 12:00am, and received a call from the President to thank him for his efforts. (Countdown)

Three months after the events of Day 3, Erin Driscoll became the Special Agent in Charge of CTU Los Angeles. She was uncompromising and saw Jack's previous addiction to heroin as a major weakness, so she fired him. She offered to help him find a job, but he fiercely declined. He got a job at the Department of Defense, working for Secretary of Defense James Heller. Jack met and became romantically involved with Audrey Raines while working with her father. ("Season 4 Prequel")

Day 4

Read more about Jack Bauer on Day 4
HellerandJack

Jack working for Secretary of Defense James Heller.
("Day 4: 7:00am-8:00am")

During the events of Day 4, Jack had to go back to CTU Los Angeles to attend a budget meeting with Erin Driscoll. When Jack returned to CTU, he helped CTU apprehend Tomas Sherek, who was responsible for a train bombing that happened at 7 AM. Jack realized that another attack would happen at 8:00am and he tortured Sherek. Jack shot Sherek in the leg and added pressure. He learned the target was Secretary of Defense James Heller. Jack attempted to warn his girlfriend Audrey Raines, but both she and her father were kidnapped.

Jack forced Erin to reinstate him to CTU and Jack had to work with Ronnie Lobell, who had his old job. When Andrew Paige, CTU's only lead, was taken by a hostile, Jack thought it would be best to track the hostile. Ronnie had a different perspective and he ended up getting killed. Jack followed the hostile and went against Driscoll's orders. With help from Chloe, Jack was able to save Andrew and follow the hostile undetected. However, Jack was arrested when he was forced to stage a robbery. Driscoll realized Jack was right and she continued to keep coverage of Kalil. She told LAPD that the robbery was a sting operation and Jack took over Ronnie's job.

After the successful rescue of Heller and Audrey, Jack brought Audrey to Felsted Security. Audrey had recognized one of her kidnappers, who was American and not among the captured or deceased hostiles. Hostiles entered the security building and took out Jack's TAC unit. Jack and Audrey were about to be killed by the hostiles, but Tony Almeida arrived and saved their lives. Tony was eventually convinced to return to CTU by Jack.

Jack was eventually lead to the Rockland Building, where Habib Marwan was. Marwan had the Dobson Override device in his possession and he attempted to cause nuclear plant meltdowns. Curtis Manning managed to stop the meltdowns from help with Edgar Stiles, and Marwan managed to escape. Jack then discovered a hard drive at the apartment of Mitch Anderson. It had schematics of a stealth fighter and Jack contacted Anderson, with an attempt to convince Anderson to stop his attack. Anderson shut off all communication and shot down Air Force One, which caused President Keeler to be incapacitated.

JackTorturesPrado

Jack tortures Joe Prado
("Day 4: 12:00am-1:00am")

Jack managed to recover the Nuclear football, but Marwan was able to gain the access to the country's nuclear warheads. Jack was then lead to Lee Jong, but he sought cover at the Chinese consulate. President David Palmer, who was acting in the position of newly sworn in President Charles Logan, attempted to have the Chinese to cooperate. When China's cooperation didn't meet the proper time frame, Palmer gave authorization for the consulate to be raided. In a covert operation, Jack worked with Tony, Curtis, and Howard Bern in the apprehension of Jong.

Jong was shot and he sought medical attention. The only available surgeon team was working on Audrey's estranged husband Paul, who was shot when he saved Jack's life. Jack forced the doctors to work on Jong and Paul died as a result of it. Audrey claimed she hated Jack and he then got a location on Marwan. Though CTU captured Marwan, Jack and Curtis' team were ambushed and he managed to escape.

Jack and Curtis eventually recaptured Marwan, but he committed suicide by jumping off a ledge. Marwan had a nuclear missile launched, but the military was able to shoot it down. Jack was also forced to turn himself when China learned about his involvement in the raiding of the consulate, as Consul Koo Yin died in friendly fire. Jack learned from Palmer that Dale Spalding was sent to kill him. With help from Tony, Chloe, and Michelle, Jack managed to stage his own death and he walked away with a new identity.

In hiding

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Jack reunites with Chloe O'Brian in Chicago ("Season 5 Prequel")

With chances of being handed over to the Chinese by President Charles Logan's administration, Jack was forced to go into hiding, not having contact with his daughter Kim, or his lover Audrey Raines. Because of his situation, Jack had to move from location to location often and at random, keeping in touch with only Chloe O'Brian.

Twelve months after Day 4, Jack met up with Chloe in Chicago, and she informed him on how Kim handled his death. She also reveals that someone hacked into her hard drive and found out that he is alive. After Chloe left, Jack was pursued by a motorcycle and a black automobile. After an intense chase, Jack is able to lose them. ("Season 5 Prequel")

Eventually Jack went under the alias Frank Flynn, and got a job as an oil driller working in the Mojave Desert. Jack rented an apartment from Diane Huxley. Diane's son Derek had a hard time accepting Jack, as he felt Jack was hiding something. ("Day 5: 7:00am-8:00am")

Day 5

Read more about Jack Bauer on Day 5

Jack was living as Frank Flynn when he learned that President David Palmer was assassinated in Los Angeles. When Chloe called Jack and told him that Michelle was killed and Tony was critically wounded, Jack decided to go back to his old life, as all the people who knew he was alive were targeted and/or killed. He eventually learned he was being set-up for Palmer's assassination, Michelle's death and the attempts on Chloe and Tony. With help from Wayne Palmer, Jack was led to the Ontario Airport, but terrorists seized it. Jack, inside the airport, provided intel to CTU and a TAC team stormed in, rescuing the hostages. Jack was brought back by CTU and cleared of Palmer's death.

JackHoldsTony

Jack holds Tony, who was supposedly killed by Christopher Henderson ("Day 5: 7:00pm-8:00pm")

CTU reinstated him and Jack was eventually led to Walt Cummings, President Charles Logan's Chief of Staff, who helped supply Sentox nerve gas to Russian terrorists. Jack was asked to remain at CTU at the request of President Logan.

Eventually Jack found a connection between the Sentox and Christopher Henderson, the man who recruited him to CTU. Jack brought Henderson back to CTU, but CTU was infiltrated and nerve gas was released in the building. When the gas was flushed out, Jack rushed down to medical, where he found Tony on the floor. Henderson managed to inject Tony with Hyoscine-pentothol and escape.

Jack and Manning were able to stop Vladimir Bierko from his final attack and he was taken into custody. Instead of heading back to CTU, Jack met with Wayne Palmer and Aaron Pierce. Jack learned that President Logan was involved in Palmer's assassination and the Sentox conspiracy. Jack was able to get access to an audio recording that proved it, but Henderson and his men had several attempts to get it back. The recording was destroyed, but Jack was forced to put the Logan situation aside when Bierko escaped and took over the Natalia. Jack and Henderson were able to get on board the Russian ship and Henderson disarmed the missiles. Jack killed Bierko and all of the hostiles, and he also killed Henderson in revenge for the death of Palmer, Michelle, and Tony.

With help from Aaron, Mike Novick, and First Lady Martha Logan, Jack was able to gain access to Marine One and he kidnapped Logan. Jack failed to get Logan to confess, but he planted a micro-transmitter on Logan's pen. Martha was the one who tricked Logan into a confession and Secret Service released Jack from custody. After a reunion with Audrey, Jack went to take a call from Kim. However, he was kidnapped by masked men and brought to Cheng Zhi, who wanted payback for the events that happened 18 months earlier.

Imprisonment

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Jack Bauer beaten and taken to Cheng Zhi ("Day 5: 6:00am-7:00am")

The Chinese sought American national security information and they brought Jack back to China, torturing him until he would give up any sensitive information. Jack stayed silent and he struggled to stay alive, not wanting to die for nothing. Seven months into his incarceration, Jack was tricked into revealing that Hong Wai was a spy for the United States. While Jack wouldn't reveal any information through torture, Cheng Zhi created a false rescue attempt in which two American mercenaries masqueraded as Special Operations agents to retrieve Jack from China. As they escaped, the two agents and Jack met up with Hong, who Jack clearly recognized. Cheng was able to determine Hong was the spy and he executed him, and had Jack returned to his cell. ("Season 6 Prequel")

Day 6

Read more about Jack Bauer on Day 6
JB S6 1

Jack after being in Chinese custody for twenty months ("Day 6: 6:00am-7:00am")

During Day 6, Jack Bauer was returned by the Chinese government on the request of the United States to end the recent terrorist attacks, during this time Jack was relieved to know he would die for a cause. Terrorist Abu Fayed demanded that Jack be killed as vengeance for murdering Fayed's brother. CTU delivered Jack to Fayed in order to supposedly stop the attacks.

Learning that Fayed was the main conspirator behind the terrorist attacks throughout and shortly before Day 6; and that Hamri Al-Assad, the former terrorist blamed for the attacks was actually innocent, Jack escaped from Fayed's custody and saved Assad from being assassinated by the American government. Fayed would later detonate a suitcase nuclear device in the city of Valencia, resulting in Jack searching for the people responsible for the terrorists acquiring this weapon.

In his investigation, his father and his brother were implicated for their company's involvement with the nuclear devices, as well as the events during Day 5. Jack would discover from his family members that four more nuclear weapons were in the possession of Abu Fayed and Russian general Dmitri Gredenko. Jack personally secured the remaining nuclear suitcases by 11pm, but discovered that Audrey Raines was still alive and in custody of Cheng Zhi.

Jack sought CTU's help in the matter, but when that was not possible, Jack went rogue, embarking on a personal rescue mission to retrieve Audrey from her captors. The attempt was successful, but Jack was arrested in the process, while his bargaining chip, an FB subcircuit board from one of the nuclear suitcases, ended up in the hands of the Chinese. Jack learned that Audrey became deeply mentally disturbed after the effects of Cheng's extensive torture. At CTU, Jack and Audrey were separated and James Heller forbid him from being near his daughter again.

As CTU followed up on a lead from Audrey, Cheng's paramilitary crew successfully raided CTU and held the staff hostage. They then intercepted a breakout attempt by Jack, his nephew Josh, and Josh's mother Marilyn; Cheng's group then prepared to kidnap Josh and turn him over to Jack's father, Phillip Bauer. The rest of CTU, including Jack and Marilyn, are held hostage. After this Jack and some of CTU's staff stage a break out. Jack then goes after Josh with the help of Doyle and a TAC team.

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Jack grieves after a long first day back in the US ("Day 6: 5:00am-6:00am")

He successfully retrieved Josh only to be arrested again. Jack was then loaded for transport to a detention facility but with a little help from Karen Hayes and Bill Buchanan, he escaped. He arrived at the beach rendezvous point after Mike Doyle had been blinded and Josh kidnapped by Phillip's men. Jack and Buchanan hijacked a CTU chopper and pursued the men to an oil rig.

With only 18 minutes remaining before F-18 Hornets could target the oil rig, Jack kills more than a dozen of Cheng's and Phillip's men. He captured Cheng, sent Josh back to the chopper, and left Phillip to die. Jack, Buchanan, Josh flew off with Cheng before the F-18 missiles destroyed the platform. Buchanan returned with Josh and Cheng to CTU after Jack leapt into the water to confront James Heller. At Heller's residence, he demanded to have Audrey back in his life, but after a heated conversation, Jack realized that as long as Audrey would be with him she would be in danger. Jack departed Heller's house, went to the cliff top, and looked out over the ocean.

Debrief

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Jack threatens Rick Burke ("Day 6 Debrief")

Fifteen hours after Day 6 concluded, Jack was alone in a hotel room watching a news report on the nuclear explosion in Valencia when there was a knock on his door. He answered to find two agents from District, Ramirez and Moss, who asked Jack to return to CTU to debrief the White House on the events of the day. He reluctantly agreed and left with the two agents.

At CTU, Bauer was questioned about his time in China, and specifically if he had anything to do with the death of Marcus Holt, one of the US Government's best operatives in China, who died two months after Bauer's capture. Appalled by being accused of giving up a fellow agent, Jack told Ramirez that he had nothing to do with Holt's death. By taking his interrogator Rick Burke hostage, he managed to convince Ramirez to let him leave, though not before promising to kill Ramirez the next time they met.

In exile

Jack traveled the world and eventually ended up in the African nation of Sangala. Here, he stayed with his old friend, former Special Forces colleague Carl Benton, who ran a school for rescued war orphans.

During this time Bauer assisted his friend and former colleague Carl Benton at the Okavango School in Sangala. By this time a subpoena had been issued for Bauer's return to the US to face criminal charges for torture from his time at CTU. Frank Tramell, a State Department Official at the US Embassy in Sangala, attempted and subsequently failed to convince Bauer to answer the subpoena.

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Jack looks at Youssou Dubaku, just before killing him. (24: Redemption)

Following rumours of a rebel uprising led by General Benjamin Juma, a group of his followers led by Youssou Dubaku encroached upon the school in order to recruit the students into Juma's army. With the students safely hidden, Bauer, somewhat successfully, confronted the assailents killing several before being captured. During a brief captivity Bauer was interrogated and tortured by Dubaku to reveal the location of the children. At this point Carl Benton had returned and signalled Bauer of his arrival. When Carl Benton told Jack that he had just learned Youssou Dubaku and his men were coming to the Okavango School, Jack helped Benton bring the orphans to the U.S. embassy. Benton was killed in the pursuit by rebel leader Colonel Iké Dubaku, and Jack had to forgo grieving for his lost friend to get the children out of Sangala. After Jack and the pupils reached the U.S. embassy, Tramell would not let him and the children, so Jack allowed himself to be arrested at the embassy in order to let the children be evacuated. (24: Redemption)

Day 7

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Jack Bauer in the Senate hearings ("Day 7: 8:00am-9:00am")

Read more about Jack Bauer on Day 7

Following the subpoena served by Frank Tramell, Jack Bauer attended a Senate investigation headed by Senator Blaine Mayer at the Russell Senate Office Building, and was questioned for human rights violations committed by the now-disbanded Counter Terrorist Unit. The investigation was interrupted by FBI Agent Renee Walker, who transported Jack to the FBI headquarters and briefed him about the national security threat of the CIP firewall presented by Tony Almeida; Jack's former friend who had been presumed dead for five and a half years. Jack found out that Tony was actually working undercover with Bill Buchanan and Chloe O'Brian to uncover a conspiracy in the government, and helped him get to Colonel Iké Dubaku who had a list of all the corrupt government agents.

Jack thought he had successfully helped to avert the threat, but Tony came to him with news of another attack; this time on the White House. Benjamin Juma and his men raided the building to force a confession out of the President, but his plan was foiled by Jack and Buchanan. This is when Buchanan sacrificed himself by igniting explosives to take out the mercenaries holding employees in the White hostage. This led to a realization the involvement of Jonas Hodges and Starkwood, who planned to use bio-weapons on US soil. Jack and Tony Almeida went to the storage area where the bio-weapon was being held. Jack managed to escape with the truck with the weapon, but he found a leak in the prion variant container and was infected when sealing it up.

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Jack Bauer with his daughter in the hospital after being put into a medically induced coma ("Day 7: 7:00am-8:00am")

In spite of his infection, Jack continued to work eventually succeeding in apprehending Tony before he could carry out a personal vendetta against Alan Wilson, the head of the cabal who planned to use the prion variant bioweapon. With Tony and Wilson in custody, Jack went to the hospital to prepare to die, allowing himself to be put into a morphine induced coma in his final hours. While unconscious, however, Kim (who had flown to D.C. to see him at the Senate hearings) intervened and asked to undergo an experimental stem cell transfusion against his prior objections.

Recovery

As a result of Kim's treatment, Jack survived his imminent death, but continued to receive treatments in New York until two weeks before Day 8. He re-established a loving relationship with Kim, and formed a relationship with his son-in-law, and his granddaughter. Before Day 8, Kim and Stephen decided to move back to Los Angeles for Stephen's work. They asked Jack to move back with him and he contemplated the decision but had not given them a definite answer.

Several hours before Day 8 began, Jack went to the zoo with his granddaughter Teri, where they looked at the bears. ("Day 8: 4:00pm-5:00pm")

Day 8

Read more about Jack Bauer on Day 8

Just after 4:00pm, Jack sat watching cartoons with his granddaughter. When Kim and her husband Stephen arrived, Jack announced that he was going to move back to Los Angeles with Kim as she had asked. Teri was overjoyed when Jack said he would fly back with them tonight. However, after they left Victor Aruz came to Jack's room. An old informant of Jack from when he worked at CTU, he hoped that Jack could help stop an assassination attempt against President Omar Hassan of Kamistan. Jack called Chloe O'Brian at CTU New York and told her about the hit. Director Brian Hastings said he would send a chopper to pick them up. They arrived, but before the chopper could leave it was shot with a rocket launcher by Davros from a building opposite. Jack checked on Aruz, who was close to death. He said that there was someone on the inside close to Hassan, but he died before he could say anything else. And so Jack was drawn back into CTU to assist stopping the threat.

After Jack successfully managed to help neutralize the threat, he was informed by CTU that a faction of Russians had some nuclear material and it needed to be intercepted. Renee Walker had been called in to assist as she was knowledgeable of the group, but after her actions of Day 7, Jack felt she was not fit to go undercover. He decided to go with her, and they managed to get to Sergei Bazhaev who had the rods. However, when they finally apprehended him it was too late; Farhad Hassan who was conducting the threat against his brother had them in his possession. Hassan's men turned against him so he called CTU and offered to give them all the intel they needed if they saved him. Jack was sent to recover him, along with the rods.

The rods were recovered, at the expense of Omar Hassan's life. Fulfilling his obligation to recover the rods in exchange for Renee's freedom, he returned to his apartment with her, only to discover tragically that the day's events were not over. Renee was killed by Pavel Tokarev, a sniper working for Mikhail Novakovich, the Russian foreign minister. Jack tried to save her by taking her to the hospital, but Renee died of blood loss and arterial damage. Jack was beside himself with grief at the loss.

Afterwards he headed to CTU to interrogate Dana Walsh but was stopped by Allison Taylor and ordered to stand down. When he was about to be transferred to McGuire Air Force Base, Jack stole a helicopter and evaded the Air Force. After landing in Downtown New York, Jack met with an old friend Jim Ricker, who helped him with supplies and weapons. He then attempted to enlist Chloe O'Brian's help in locating Dana Walsh, who had been taken into custody by Mark Bledsoe. Chloe attempted to lure Jack into a trap, but he realized what was going on and went right into it with the sole purpose of recruiting Cole Ortiz into helping him. The two recovered Dana Walsh and escorted her to where she was holding the secret files that could expose the Russian's involvement in the conspiracy. Once Dana escaped with the files, Jack caught up with her and killed her, and retrieved the secret files she had escaped with.

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Jack looks up at the aerial drone just before Arlo switches off the feed

He then arranged to meet with Meredith Reed to give her the secret files obtained. However, their meeting was being watched by Pavel Tokarev and his henchmen. Jim Ricker sneaked up on Pavel and managed to disarm him. Jack, Meredith and Jim escaped with Pavel. Jack proceeds to torture Pavel, and eventually disemboweled him to obtain a SIM card Pavel had previously swallowed, to cover his tracks. Jack then discovered that Charles Logan was Pavel's contact.

Jack then proceeds to track down Logans motorcade. He ambushed it in a narrow tunnel, rendering all of Logans Secret Service agents unconscious. He took Logan, and, roughing him up questioned him about the Russian leadership of the conspiracy. Fearing for his life, Logan told him that Mikhail Novakovich was one of the men responsible for the conspiracy which spurred the nuclear fuel rods recovery crisis. Jack, after rendering Logan unconscious and planting a micro-transmitter on him, proceeded to Novakovich's safehouse, killing all but one of Novakovich's guards. He impaled Novakovich with a golden rod through the stomach.

Jack then snuck his way into the U.N intending to kill the Russian President. Chloe, determining she was the only one who could stop him, approached Jack and begged him to stop. Despite having Suvarov in his crosshairs, Jack backed down and forced Chloe to shoot him to ultimately protect her. Once Jack was detained by CTU, Logan ordered his ambulance to be ambushed. Shortly before 4pm, Jack was moments away from being shot by mercenaries, but the men are stopped by President Taylor, with the assistance of Chloe, Arlo, and Cole. President Taylor informed Jack that the governments of both America and Russia will come after him. Jack then asked Chloe to protect his daughter and her family, and he escaped.

International fugitive

Jack's disappearance resulted in a worldwide manhunt by the governments of multiple countries. A bulletin in the New York Times indicated that he was wanted on charges of terrorism and suggested he may have crossed into Canada while evading capture. Globepol issued an advisory on Jack's description and urged those with information to contact Interpol or their local or national police. Meanwhile, the FBI threatened many of his recent associates, including Chloe O'Brian, with prosecution unless they divulged where he had gone. (Underground #1, Open-Cell.org, "Chloe's Arrest")

Jack Listens

Jack, while living in hiding in Odessa

Bauer managed to leave the U.S. and escaped to Europe. Some years later, he had assumed a new identity as "Borys," working in Odessa, Ukraine at a commercial seaport, and began dating Sofiya, the sister of his coworker Petro. His new life was threatened when Petro found himself in debt to Mishka, a high-ranking member of the Russian mafia who recognized Jack from a previous encounter during Jack's CIA career. (Underground)

Four years after Jack's escape, CIA agents in Prague uncovered actionable intelligence indicating that Bauer was hiding in London, England, coinciding with a planned state visit by President James Heller. The CIA station in West London, under the command of Steve Navarro, was authorized to locate and capture him. (Open-Cell.org)

Day 9

Just after 11:00am, Jack let himself become apprehended by the CIA.

Relationships

Teri Bauer

Teri was Bauer's wife during Day 8, though she was later shot and killed by Nina Myers.

Kim Bauer

Kim is Jack's daughter.

Tony Almeida

Tony was Jack's comrade prior to Day 7, where Tony became a terrorist. Their relationship was rocky at first due to them having both had a history with the same woman (Nina Myers), but their bond grew stronger when it was revealed that Nina was a terrorist. Jack and Tony crossed heads frequently but by Day 4 Jack considered him the only person he could trust.

Nina Myers

Nina was Jack's ex whom he had an affair with. Nina was later revealed to be a terrorist and Jack killed he in Day 3.

Chloe O'Brian

Audrey Raines

Renee Walker

Background information and notes

Character information

  • Originally, the character's name was going to be Jack Barrett.
  • The character was originally optioned by the show runners to be played by Richard Burgi.
  • Bauer is German for Farmer.
  • Jack has killed 272 people on screen to date. For more information, see On-screen kills by Jack Bauer.
  • Jack has knocked out and rendered 66 people unconscious. For more information, see Knock-outs by Jack Bauer.
  • He is fluent in Russian and German, and is capable of speaking Spanish and Arabic, as well as recognizing some Serbian.
  • It is mentioned on several occasions that Jack blew the whistle on several agents at CTU who were laundering money before Day 1. In the original draft of the pilot script, this was supposed to occur at another agency (not CTU) and Richard Walsh brings Jack in because he thought Jack's actions were courageous.
  • Bauer bares similarities to movie and video game characters such as Die Hard's John McClane, Splinter Cell's Sam Fisher, The Bourne Identity's Jason Bourne and is said to have influenced recent characters such as Bryan Mills in the Taken movie franchise.
  • The Bauer home phone number during Season 1 was 310-555-3067 and they lived on 10th.
  • During Season 1 and Season 2, Jack's primary weapon was the Sig Sauer P228. His weapon of choice during Seasons 3 through 8 was the Heckler & Koch USP Compact.
  • Jack has shown to be an expert fighter: Several of his kills have come through a hand-to-hand fight. However, he is not infallible as he's been defeated in hand-to-hand several times.
  • On Day 2, the license plate of the car he drove to the car garage was 4HCO810.
  • As seen in the premiere episode of Season 3, Jack's badge number was 9431066 and Jack's employee number was 68025638X. We also see that he is 5' 11'', 170 pounds, and has green eyes.
  • Like various characters on the show, Jack was prepared to undertake suicide missions to spare others. He almost did so on 7 separate occasions; read more on the suicide page.
  • According to Howard Gordon, Day 8: 3:00pm-4:00pm was originally scripted to end with Jack's death.

Show/real world references

  • Jack has used a variety of vehicles on the show. He initially owned a gold GMC Yukon (Season 1) but is normally seen driving CTU-owned Ford Expeditions, in several different colors: light green (Season 2), black (Seasons 3, 5 & 6) and blue (Season 4). This is due to Ford being the primary sponsor for the show during first four seasons. During the 5th & 6th season, Toyota became a primary sponsor. This is evidenced by Jack owning a silver Toyota Tundra at the beginning of Day 5, as well as operating a dark blue CTU-owned Tundra during Day 6. By Day 8, Jack is shown driving a Chevrolet Malibu, as Chevrolet has moved into the role as the official auto sponsor of 24.
  • Kiefer Sutherland voiced Jack Bauer in the 399th episode of The Simpsons (entitled "24 Minutes").
  • With regards to Jack's actions towards the end of Season 8, Howard Gordon stated that it "was very much designed from the beginning. How it would end, however, was something that was really unknown. I saw a little bit further ahead than I generally do, and we wanted to knit Jack and Renee together, only to take them apart, and for that to have a really profound effect on Jack. That’s about as far as we knew in the broad strokes. How that was going to happen, and how it would impact Allison Taylor and Chloe — those were late-to-the-party additions that I think helped bolster that initial idea."

Appearances notes

  • Jack Bauer is the only character to appear in every episode of 24, and the only character to appear in all nine seasons.
  • He has had his name featured in all but two Previously on 24 segments ever broadcast. "Day 7: 4:00am-5:00am" and "Day 9: 1:00pm-2:00pm" are the only ones without his name appearing on-screen.
  • As of Live Another Day, he is the only character remaining that appeared in the pilot.

Live appearances


See also

Preceded by:
Christopher Henderson
CTU Los Angeles
Special Agent in Charge
Succeeded by:
Alberta Green
Preceded by:
Tony Almeida
CTU Los Angeles
Special Agent in Charge
Succeeded by:
Erin Driscoll
Preceded by:
Christopher Henderson
CTU Los Angeles
Director of Field Operations
Succeeded by:
Ronnie Lobell



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