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I'm not trying to be a bad ass or a hero or anything, I just want to do something that matters.
—Alex in his diary

Alex Shepherd is the protagonist of Silent Hill: Homecoming. Alex comes home to find that his father, and later his brother Joshua, have disappeared, and his mother has gone into a catatonic state. Alex begins to search for his brother, leading him through his hometown of Shepherd's Glen and ultimately to Silent Hill.

Background[]

Alex was born to Lillian and Adam Shepherds. Due to his father's history as a soldier, Adam taught Alex various combat skills throughout his childhood. Since the Holloway family worked with the Shepherds on occasion, Alex would often play with Elle Holloway, though they eventually stopped spending time with each other as time went on.

When Alex was eight years old, he was involved in an accident which left him trapped in a schoolbus on the Toluca River during a freak thunderstorm. Alex nearly died of hypothermia but was saved by Dr. Martin Fitch, who kept him warm. Details on this can be found in a newspaper article.

When Alex was about nine or ten years old, Joshua was born. Alex's parents' affection for him gradually stopped until they began to show no love towards him at all, displaying sibling favoritism. Despite his younger brother receiving all the attention from his parents, Alex would still often look after Joshua. During every summer, Alex and Joshua went to Toluca Lake together.

When high school began, Alex initially ignored Elle, but the two eventually resumed seeing one another once again. Alex had a strong desire to leave Shepherd's Glen, having become tired of all the pressure to live up to his family's name, but had a hard time discussing this with Elle. He admired Elle for not allowing family pressure to affect her, despite her mother's position as a judge. During his high school days, Alex worked at the docks, filling gas in order to make some money. It is also implied that Alex once did a paper route in order to buy a bike for himself.

After graduating, Alex often visited the Holloway house mainly to see Elle since Adam was often busy, and Lillian remained indifferent. After the summer ended, Shepherd's Glen hosted a large party in 2003 to celebrate its 150th anniversary. Alex worked at the petting zoo to ensure the animals didn't attack the children.

About a week after the anniversary of the town, a certain incident occurred at Toluca Lake in which Alex was responsible and Alex suddenly disappeared without saying goodbye to Elle, leaving her extremely disappointed and somewhat angry. Elle visited Adam and Lillian for information, but Adam simply told her that Alex had left and never said anything further. Alex's status as the "black sheep" of the family was worsened.

Appearance[]

AlexFace

Concept art of Alex with crow's feet.

Alex has disheveled, medium-length, brown hair similar to a fauxhawk, pale brown eyes, and some very faint facial hair on the sides of his face. He can be interpreted as looking on the older side for a 22 year old, which can occur due to stress, childhood abuse and trauma. Concept art even shows him with crow's feet, something that may not have been able to be fully expressed in his in-game model due to graphical limitations. He also has some eye bags and darkness around his eyes, implying sleepless nights.

While the player can change Alex's clothes prior to starting the game, his default attire is composed of what appears to be an M-1965 field jacket, bearing a camouflage pattern similar to M81 Woodland but using a tan colorway; on the left shoulder it carries an American flag with stars forward (a wartime standard symbolizing the stars going forward into battle), and on the right arm it bears the US Army Special Forces tab and sleeve insignia. Beneath his coat he wears a black shirt, as well as gray pants, leather shoes, and rubber-lined dog tags later revealed to belong to his father.

Personality[]

During the events of Homecoming, Alex appears rather sullen and grim, focusing mainly on finding his missing brother Joshua. Similar to James Sunderland, the player can choose Alex's choices, thus his personality can be viewed differently depending on the perspective. He can be seen as compassionate and merciful, or heartless and apathetic. Elle mentions Alex is "one of the calmest people I know", implying he has a natural relaxed and laid-back attitude. However, in-game, he can be very stern and direct to people who frustrate him, especially when they refuse to give him answers or try to lie to him. She also says Alex has "perspective" and he could talk about anything with her for hours.

Due to being admitted to a mental hosptal for 4 years, it is known that Alex possesses a mental illness of some sort, likely one resulting in delusions, seeing as he suffers from one throughout the game. A cassette tape can be played on a tape recorder which includes audio of Adam talking about Alex "playing with his friends" and warning Josh that playing make-believe might make him turn out like Alex, implying that Alex might possess schizophrenia, although this is never stated or implied further.

Alex appears to be somewhat of a loner. Asides from Elle, no mention is made of any other friends. Alex says he hasn't "really been in touch with anyone". Based on the aforementioned cassette tape, he seemed to enjoy playing "pretend make-believe", and also enjoys comics and watching TV when he was young. He also enjoyed playing baseball as a child, and collecting and trading baseball cards.

Perhaps due to Elle seemingly being his only friend, they appear to be very close, with both of them being able to comment on each other's personalities and behaviors. This is evident in the good ending especially, where Alex and Elle hug each other for a relatively long period of time, and walk away leaning on each other. However, all throughout the game, they act rather familiar and caring towards each other.

Alex wants to make a positive difference in the world; some of his quotes include, "I just want to do something that matters" and "I left because I wanted to make a difference and the people around me were too blind to see that I could." He feels as if most people underestimate his true potential. The dialog between Alex and his father hints at two reasons why he chose to believe he was a soldier. His whole life, he believed that his father hated him and thought that enlisting would make his father proud of him. He also wanted to become someone strong and capable of protecting/saving people, most prominently his brother Joshua.

Despite Alex teasing and being jealous of his younger brother, it is known that Alex truly loved Joshua, and Joshua's death was an extremely traumatic event for him. As such, Alex may be suffering from repressed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), unable to bear the responsibility and burden of Joshua's death.

Silent Hill: Homecoming[]

RobbieOffer

Alex offering Robbie to Joshua.

Alex is first introduced in a nightmare sequence that takes place in a hospital, where he starts his search for his younger brother Joshua. Every time he reaches out to his brother and gets closer to him however, Joshua runs away. Further progressing through the hospital, Alex follows Joshua's trail into an elevator. During its descent, Alex hears the screeching of metal, and the elevator car shakes violently before a huge blade is thrust through the door towards him. He jerks awake after being impaled by the Bogeyman in his nightmare, now sitting in the passenger seat of a truck being driven by Travis Grady, who is giving Alex a ride to Shepherd's Glen, Alex's hometown.

AlexLillian

Alex reunites with his mother Lillian.

When Alex makes it to Shepherd's Glen, he realizes the town is covered in a foggy atmosphere, and parts of the roads are missing and have fallen apart. On the way home, he runs into Margaret Holloway, the mother of Elle Holloway, in front of the Town Hall. She acts surprised to see Alex and tells him he should go visit his mother. When he makes it home, his mother Lillian is in a near-catatonic state and tells him that his father Adam has gone to look for Joshua. Alex promises his mother to bring Joshua back. While doing this, he takes a gun from his mother's lap. He then hears a sound coming from the basement, where he soon discovers that the monsters from his nightmares are, in fact, real. Alex comes to his father's hunting room and has a flashback of his father stopping him from coming in, shouting at him to never enter that room again. Alex then proceeds to leave the house, finding a hidden way that leads to Rose Heights Cemetery.

ElleAlex

Alex reuniting with Elle Holloway.

Eventually, Alex runs into his old childhood friend, Elle Holloway, outside of the police department. She informs him that many other people in the town have started to go missing and is seen putting up missing posters. When he tells her he is going to go look for his brother, she hands him the radio Deputy Wheeler gave to her, so they can keep in contact. While searching in a graveyard near Alex's house, Alex goes to a repair/junk shop owned by Curtis Ackers and asks if he could fix the gun he took from his mother. He eventually trades in his gun for a newer gun and learns that all of the clocks stopped at 2:06 everywhere in the town and cannot be fixed. Having no choice but to leave Curtis, and with more monsters approaching him, Alex made his way again through the cemetery.

When Alex unlocks the Bartlett Mausoleum, he discovered a suspicious watch. Alex suddenly fell to the floor, and when he wakes up, he's already in Silent Hill. As Alex goes to the Grand Hotel, he once again runs into Joshua. Navigating through the monster-infested hotel, Alex comes to find a mysterious lady named Carol Doyle, who asks him to retrieve "three memories" in exchange of a strange key. As he catches up to Josh, Alex attempts to reach him by jumping through a hole, in which he fails to do so, despite him pleading to Josh to help him up.

Alex fell into the hotel's greenhouse and runs into Mayor Sam Bartlett, whom he saw earlier at the cemetery (but did not know it at the time), partly drunk. Bartlett's son Joey used to be friends with Joshua. Alex attempts to gain information from Bartlett, but a monster called Sepulcher comes out and attacks Bartlett, crushing and killing him. When Alex fights and defeats Sepulcher, a hole appears in the floor, and he collapses into it. He awakens later in a prison cell and meets Deputy Wheeler. He tells Wheeler that he is looking for Joshua and tells him what happened to Bartlett. Deputy Wheeler eventually agrees to help Alex escape and find Joshua after learning that Alex too has seen the monsters. Wheeler becomes separated from Alex as a Siam drops through the ceiling. When Alex escapes the jail, he sees Elle being attacked by yet another Siam. After rescuing her, they realize more creatures are coming and both decide to go into the sewers. Alex learns that Elle's sister, Nora Holloway, is also missing. Eventually, they both end up separated, and Alex makes it out of the sewers.

Homecoming scarlet doll

Alex, collapsing after holding Scarlet's doll.

Alex receives a radio transmission from Wheeler, telling him to find and meet up with Dr. Martin Fitch. Alex ends up running into Dr. Fitch, who is covered in cuts and blood. Alex follows him into the clinic and enters the room of Scarlet Fitch, Dr. Fitch's daughter. When Alex picks up Scarlet's doll, it begins to deteriorate, losing its hair and eye, and then the room transitions to the Otherworld. Here, he sees Joshua a few times and eventually runs into Dr. Fitch again. Dr. Fitch is seen cutting himself to "repent for his sins". Alex hands Dr. Fitch Scarlet's doll. Dr. Fitch looks at it and starts to ask Alex where he found his daughter's doll, when suddenly the doll looks at Dr. Fitch, causing all of his cuts and scars to bleed profusely. Dr. Fitch drops Scarlet's doll into his pool of blood creating a monster in the likeness of Scarlet. It appears and attacks Dr. Fitch, biting his head off. Alex eventually kills it and reawakens in the normal clinic to find that a key was hidden in the doll he found in Scarlet's room.

Alex then heads to the Town Hall and unlocks a secret passageway. While sneaking through the passage and avoiding the Nurses who are guarding the area, Alex finds a ceremonial dagger. The dagger looks like the door handle from Adam's hunting room. When he enters the hunting room back in his house, he finds a key to the attic. Alex goes up to the attic and has a flashback of his father giving Joshua the family ring. The ring was passed down generation from generation and was supposedly very important. Joshua was told not to show anyone, not even his brother Alex. After the flashback, Alex finds a note written by his father, saying that he was told he had to choose just one of his sons for something unknown. It also mentions the town of Silent Hill.

Alex_confronts_Lillian

Alex confronts Lillian

Alex confronts his mother.

Alex intends to confront his mother about the note and of Silent Hill. Before his mother can answer his questions, a group of masked people, soldiers of the Order, come and attack Alex and kidnap his mother. As the Order members are in the process of escaping, the door locks itself, and it transforms into the Otherworld. At this point, Alex comes to, and realizes this. In order to escape, Alex has to complete four different puzzles, all of which involve his family's past and the personal guilt of all his family members.

Lillian's_Death

Lillian's Death

Alex's final moments with his mother.

After the puzzle, the house returns to normal, and Alex escapes, only to run into Elle and eventually Wheeler. They agree to go to Silent Hill to find everyone. On the way there, via boat on Toluca Lake, Alex mentions how his and Elle's parents told them to never go to Silent Hill. Elle tells Alex she was wearing a locket she took from her mother's room since her sister vanished. She hands it to Alex, and the boat gets ambushed by the Order. The Order kidnaps Elle and Wheeler and sends them to the penitentiary, while Alex gets knocked unconscious again, and washes ashore near Silent Hill after he slips into the water. After this, Alex attempts to save both Elle and Deputy Wheeler, running into Wheeler along the way. Still looking for Elle, he eventually discovers his mother strapped to a stretching rack, in the process of being tortured. Depending on whether Alex kills Lillian or not, out of mercy, will affect the ending. If he chooses to kill her, Alex will shoot her before the machine rips her in half; if he does not, she will be alive as the machine rips her in half.

Alex meets back up with Wheeler and they enter the Otherworld. They eventually find Judge Holloway, strapped to a chair. They try to save her, with Alex unstrapping her as Wheeler goes to shut off gas valves. However, Wheeler gets attacked by a monster deemed Asphyxia. While Alex proceeds to help Wheeler, it is shown that Judge Holloway was not really scared, but had a devious intent. After Alex defeats Asphyxia, he sees Joshua, who runs outside to the church.

Adam_Shepherd

Adam Shepherd

Adam asking Alex for forgiveness.

Alex followed his brother into the church and enters a confessional booth, where he's told a confession from a man, most likely Adam Shepherd, Alex's father. He tells how they (Alex's parents) feel sorry for always mistreating Alex, and that they really did love him, but they could never show him that love. Alex eventually finds Adam, who reveals that Alex was never a soldier, and that the dog tags and jacket Alex wears are from Adam's own previous duty. He further adds that Alex's delusion of himself as a soldier began after an accident of some kind, and Alex has been in an unspecified mental hospital for years. Alex then sees the Bogeyman of Silent Hill slice Adam in half. Passing through the church, Alex enters a mine shaft and disguises himself in an abandoned Order uniform. He enters an elevator, where he is surprised to see Curtis is also there. They take the elevator down as Curtis chats nonchalantly with him. As the elevator stops, Curtis allows him to go first and clobbers him over the head, knocking him out.

Drill

Alex being tortured by Margaret.

Alex reawakens in a room, where he is locked to a chair. Judge Holloway appears and informs him as to the intent of the Order, and that the true reason the children were missing was because of a ritualistic sacrifice. She then tells Alex that the founding fathers, from the four families: Fitch, Bartlett, Holloway, and Shepherd, were all from the town of Silent Hill. They were allowed to leave the town under one condition: they had to sacrifice one child from each family every fifty years. In doing so, they would protect Shepherd's Glen from the terrors that Silent Hill suffers from, due to the wrath of their god through an appeasement of blood. Though the other sacrifices were made from three families, one family, Shepherd, did not sacrifice their child. Adam never sacrificed either of his sons, thus throwing off the Order. The only thing left was to go back to their original views and back to Silent Hill. Holloway said they needed to kill the townspeople who opposed the change, specifically Alex, Elle, and Wheeler. She then attempts to kill Alex using a power drill and succeeds in causing mild damage to his left thigh, only to die when Alex's restraints fail, and he forces the drill through her jaw. Alex later admits to being glad she died after all that she did.

Alex rescues Elle from the facility and kills her intended murderer Curtis. They work their way through the Order's lair to find Wheeler severely injured, having had several knives stuck in his chest. Saving him is another option that will affect the ending, requiring the use of a medical kit if chosen to save him. Alex proceeds to find Joshua, leaving Elle behind, and enters a room with the four family tombs with the list of the children who were to be sacrificed. According to the list of children that were supposed to have been sacrificed for the 150th anniversary of Shepherd's Glen, the children were Scarlet Fitch, Joey Bartlett, and Nora Holloway, Elle's missing sister. Alex then realizes his name is also listed as well and experiences a flashback about Joshua.

Shh plot 08

Alex's flashback of Joshua's death.

Alex was never really a soldier in the army as believed. For about four years, he has been in a mental institution instead of a hospital for war injuries. He then learns what really happened to Joshua: one night, Alex decided to sneak out with Joshua on a boat on Toluca Lake, disobeying his father's orders. Alex teased Joshua, and in retaliation his little brother eventually shows him the ring in hopes of appearing "more special". Alex took the ring from Joshua, who attempted to take it back. In doing so, he fell, onto the side of the boat, snapping his neck, before plunging into the lake. Alex was shocked and screamed for Joshua to no avail. Later, Adam retrieved Joshua's body from the lake, and Alex went into mental shock, leading him to believe he could fix the problem. Adam told Alex there is nothing he can do since Alex was the one who was chosen for sacrifice, and Alex ruined everything for Shepherd's Glen with the pact being broken. Alex's parents sent him to a mental institution and lied to everyone, telling them that Alex instead joined the army.

After a flashback, Alex realizes why his parents were always cold towards him, and he is thrown again into the Otherworld. He is confronted by the final boss Amnion. After defeating the monster, Alex cuts Amnion open and finds the corpse of his brother Joshua. Alex finally has the chance to apologize to Joshua and does so, leaving the family ring and his flashlight on Joshua's chest. He walks away, leaving Joshua's body. What happens to him after this point depends on what ending the player receives.

Fate[]

Silent_Hill_Homecoming_-_All_Ending

Silent Hill Homecoming - All Ending

All of the endings.

  • Smile - Alex is seen exiting a manhole, where he is reunited, once more, with Elle. After a brief conversation, they then walk into the darkness of the fog and leave Silent Hill. Attained by forgiving Alex's father and killing his mother out of mercy.
    • Smile (Bonus Scene) - After the credits, a special scene will play. In first-person view, Alex enters his house and sees wet footprints leading up the stairs. He follows these into his and his brother's bedroom. Inside, he finds a wet Joshua sitting on his bed with a camera, snaps a picture of him, and laughs. The picture that emerges from the camera is the one of Alex found earlier in the game. Attained by collecting all 11 photos or beating the game on Hard.
  • In Water - Alex, waking in a bathtub filled with water, sees his father walk in. Adam tries to assure his son that he has no reason to be afraid. Joshua will be safe to carry on the Shepherd name, and Alex's sacrifice will keep Shepherd's Glen safe for another 50 years. Adam then holds Alex below the water, drowning him. Attained by not forgiving Alex's father and killing his mother out of mercy.
Judgement

The Bogeymen punishing Alex.

  • Judgement - Alex comes to, bound in a chair, with a Bogeyman approaching from both sides of him. Each bears a piece of helmet, identical to theirs and each side lined with large, sharp spikes. As Alex screams, they attach the pieces to him, transforming him into one of them. As Alex stands, it's revealed that he has taken on the physical characteristics of the Bogeyman. With a final triumphant/horrified scream, the screen goes black. Attained by not forgiving Alex's father, not killing his mother, and not giving Wheeler a med-kit.
  • Intensive Care - Alex is restrained on a medical gurney, examining the number 206 on the wall. Two doctors stand nearby, and Alex begins to panic. Realizing he has been dreaming, or hallucinating, he struggles, asking if he had truly never left. One of the doctors tells him that no, he had never left and won't be leaving until he learns to accept reality and responsibility for his actions. Electrodes are placed against studs located on either side of Alex's head, and the doctors begin administering electroshock therapy. Attained by forgiving Alex's father and not killing his mother.
  • UFO ending - Alex resurfaces in Silent Hill through a manhole, with Elle waiting for him. They begin to embrace, but are lifted into the air. Overhead, a UFO is seen hovering. The pair has been abducted. Below, Wheeler sees the event, and expresses his feelings on the matter; he was sure this is what was happening all along, and he knew that that's why people were disappearing all around town. Attained by not forgiving Alex's father, not killing his mother, and giving Wheeler a med-kit.

Quotes[]

Alex's Diary

  • "War is hell, right?"
  • "But I guess the main reason I joined up was I wanted to make a difference, do some good. I know it sounds cheesy, but who knows? Maybe I'll learn something about myself. I'm not trying to be a bad ass or a hero or anything, I just want to do something that matters."
  • "Back in high school, I knew I had to get out of town."
  • "I saw a guy's legs get blown off today. He was walking patrol alongside an APC when an anti-personnel mine went off on the side of the road. The top half of his body did a back flip and landed right in front of me. Without thinking, I wrapped a tourniquet around each bloody stump and began to give him CPR. I was at it for an hour before the medics showed up. Then I went around the corner and threw up for twenty minutes."
  • "I grew up in a small town. I left because I wanted to make a difference and the people around me were too blind to see that I could. I don't care if I ever go back there, but I'd like the people I do care about to know that in a bad situation I did everything I could to make it better. I'd want them to be proud of me."
  • "I had the dream again. It went on even longer this time. No matter how close I got to Joshua, he always got away. He kept asking me for things, but whatever I got him didn't seem to help. He didn't look good. Something was wrong. I know it was just a dream, but I've had this bad feeling all day long that something's wrong with him."
  • "Yeah, asshole, I'm stressed out about this stupid dream!"
  • "I dread the thought of going back home to Shepherd's Glen, but it's a necessary evil."

Silent Hill: Homecoming

  • "Where's my squad? Are they here? Did they make it? Ah, ahhh! Hey, hey talk to me. Say something! Oh God... oh, oh God!"
  • "Hey, hey what are they doing? What's going on there? Hey, where are you taking me? No! Hey! No! Where am I? Hey, what is this place? Hey, where are you taking me?! No! Where am I, man?!"
  • "This toilet is disgusting. This toilet smells like death."
  • "Sometimes I wonder how things would have turned out if I were born into a different family..."
  • "Home. It feels strange being back here again."
  • "Everyone always thought we were the perfect family. I guess people believe what they want to." (examining family photograph)
  • "This is the same TV my parents had when I left. I always begged them to buy a new one, but my dad says that kids shouldn't sit in front of the TV all day. What does he know?"
  • "Mom loves to bake. She's pretty good at it too. When she bakes brownies, the whole house smells like chocolate. That smell haunted me while I was in the hospital."
  • "You always were a klutz." (to Elle)
  • "What the hell...? You gotta be shittin' me!" (Alex sees a Needler)
  • "What is this thing? What did you do? Where's Joshua?!"
  • "What the hell's happened to Shepherd's Glen? You're the mayor. These people are your responsibility."
  • "Where's... my... BROTHER?!"
  • "I can't tell you what happened. You'll never believe me! Shit, I don't even believe me."
  • "Stop lying! I'm tired of it!"
  • "GODDAMMIT, TELL ME! Stop pretending you care about me and start telling me what's going on! Joshua is the only one you ever cared about, and I can help him if you tell me the truth!" (to his mother)
  • "Forget it. I should apologize. It's just... this place brings back bad memories for me."
  • "I should have listened to her. She asked me to... and I... didn't. I'm sorry, Mom... I was weak." (about his dead mother)
  • "I never thought I'd hear Mom say that she loved me. But I guess it took the fear of death to make her realize it. I spent so long hating her, and now, I can't believe she's gone." (unused text)
  • "I feel that you could start loving your son at any time."
  • "The only prayer I say for you is this: whatever hell awaits you, it won't be long before you see it."
  • "And why do you think God cares about your problems?"
  • "That isn't God, that's your conscience making sure you never forget what you have done."
  • "If you truly want forgiveness, then you already have it."
  • "Stop giving me orders, Dad. You have no idea what I'm capable of."
  • "I don't hate you. I forgot you... a long time ago."
  • "No... that's not true. I'm a soldier. I protect people."
  • "Don't! Look, I can help you with all this! There must be another way!" (to Margaret Holloway)
  • "What a piece of crap." (examining the Shepherd Family Ring)
  • "Dad thinks you're a little baby who can't do anything on his own."
  • "Josh...? Josh..." (Alex begins to cry) "I'm sorry, Josh... I never meant for this to happen... Josh... I'm sorry..."
  • "No... no... he's okay... right...? No, I can save him... I can, I can save him. I can save him... he's okay..."
  • Elle: "What did you see in there?"
    Alex: "What I needed to."

Trivia[]

Silent_Hill_Homecoming_all_death_animations

Silent Hill Homecoming all death animations

Alex's brutal deaths.

  • Alex has some of the most brutal death scenes in the series for a Silent Hill protagonist such as getting his arm sliced off, his throat mauled by a Feral, being sliced in half by a Schism, being decapitated by Scarlet, a drill to the eye, and being drowned alive.
Alexbetavsfinal

Alex's early and final design.

  • Alex's original design included his hair being shorter, lighter-colored, and having a slick appearance that is similar to that of Harry Mason. Early screenshots of the game depicted Alex's original hairstyle, even showing him with blonde hair.[1] In the final version, Alex's hair is longer, shaped into a crew-cut, darker, and has more of a disheveled look. In the loading screens, Alex retains his original look; this is a minor mistake by the developers of the game.
  • The military M-65 nyco jacket and the "G.I" style flashlight used by Alex are both traditional military equipment issued by the U.S army from the 60s well into the 80s, after it was replaced by compact flashlights and gore-tex fatigues. Considering that the game is set in 2007, it is likely that the gear is from Adam's military service days or was acquired by Alex in an attempt to emulate his father and the gear he used when he was a soldier. The tan camouflage indicates service in desert environments such as North Africa or the Middle-East, which could also mean that Alex imagined himself to have served in the recent and ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which began in 2003, the same year in Shepherd's Glen in which the children were sacrificed and Alex was sent away.
  • Isaac Shepherd is Alex's great great great great great grandfather.
  • The meaning of the name Alex is "defender of mankind". This is likely a nod to his belief that he is a soldier who protects people. Ironically, Alex wasn't able to save Joshua and his parents; however, near the end of the game, he is given the opportunity to save Wheeler and Elle, thus fulfilling the meaning of his name.
  • Unlike Josh and Joey, whose full names are Joshua and Joseph, Alex's full name is not Alexander. Alex is his full name, as evidenced by the Shepherd family sacrificial altar.
  • Alex is the only protagonist of the series to have training in combat due to his talent with melee weapons and his physical abilities such as jumping on to his feet immediately after being knocked down and dodging attacks without much trouble. Even though Alex was in a mental hospital for years, he still retained combat skills, even though he is not a soldier at all. Tomm Hulett said in an interview that Alex was trained by his father Adam.[2]
  • As of the events of Homecoming, Alex may be the only living member of the Shepherd family.
  • The flag on Alex's jacket is backwards, to note, depending on how old his uniform is, as today's military flag is patched on or put on like this to symbolize the soldier running into combat, with the flag facing the way it is because of the direction the soldier is running. In simpler terms, the flag is flapping in the wind of victory and not retreat.
  • Alex appears to have a "love/hate relationship" with water, which could easily be connected to how it was him who was meant to be sacrificed via water instead of his brother. This contradictory emotion towards it can be first noted by Alex examining the gate that would normally lead to the Toluca Lake docks, but is locked. His silent commentary is that he used to spend all his summer days by the lake or on it with the family's canoe, hinting that he loved the water. However, if the player makes Alex investigate the tub in his parent's bathroom, he then claims that it was chaos to try to get him to take a bath, seeing as he vehemently hated doing so. This perplexing outlook on water could very well allude to the Shepherd oath of aquatic sacrifice, even though at the time Alex was oblivious to the pact.
  • In the Xbox 360 version of Silent Hill: Homecoming, if the player does not forgive Adam Shepherd, they get an achievement called "Angela's Choice". Angela never forgave her father (and brother) for sexually abusing her.
  • If the player examines a picture in the Shepherd House of Alex and his family at Toluca Lake, it can be noticed Alex, who is standing in the water, is completely shadowed, unlike the other individuals.[3]
  • Alex can read the two inscriptions on the Janus statue in Dargento Cemetery, which implies that he must have some knowledge of the Latin language as there are no English subtitles. These two inscriptions are "I Novus" ("One New") and "XII Vetus" ("Twelve the Old").
  • Alex is the first protagonist of the series to curse the most second being Heather
  • The good ending gives Alex a pretty poetic survival, as he was the one in the family that was meant to die, yet become the only one to survived out of all of them in the game events.
Alex Shepherd BOM

Alex in the Book of Memories joke ending.

See also[]

Gallery[]

Art[]

Silent Hill: Homecoming[]

v · e · d
Characters
Main Characters
Alex Shepherd - Joshua Shepherd - Elle Holloway - James Wheeler - Margaret Holloway - Curtis Ackers
Other Characters
Adam Shepherd - Carol Doyle - Lillian Shepherd - Nora Holloway - Sam Bartlett - Joey Bartlett - Martin Fitch - Scarlet Fitch - Travis Grady - Order Soldier - Nash - Robbie the Rabbit
Families
Bartlett Family - Fitch Family - Holloway Family - Shepherd Family
Monsters
Amnion - Asphyxia - Bogeyman - Feral - Lurker - Needler - Nurse - Scarlet - Schism - Sepulcher - Siam - Smog - Swarm
Weapons
12 Gauge Shotgun - BlueSteel Shotgun - Chrome Hammer Pistol - Ceremonial Dagger - Circular Saw - Combat Knife - Crowbar - Fire Axe - Laser Pistol - M14 Assault Rifle - Mk 23 Handgun - Police Marksman Rifle - Pulaski Axe - Steel Pipe
Locations
Alchemilla Hospital - Central Silent Hill - Church of the Holy Way - Dargento Cemetery - Dr. Fitch's Office - Grand Hotel - Hell Descent - Koontz Limited - Lair - Overlook Penitentiary - Rose Heights Cemetery - Salvage Yard - Sewers of Shepherd's Glen - Shepherd House - Shepherd's Glen - Shepherd's Glen Town Hall - Shepherd's Glen Police Station - Silent Hill Docks - Toluca Lake - Toluca Lake Offices - Toluca Lake Water and Power - Toluca River - Dog House
Terms
Bogeyman Knife - Flashlight - Fog World - Map - Monster - Otherworld - Real World - Siren - The Order - Walkie Talkie - Manifestation - UFO Ending - Great Knife - Welcome Sign - Sexuality - Halo of the Sun
Archives
Keys - Puzzles - Soundtrack - Secrets and Unlockables - Items - Memos - Photos - Child's Drawing
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Characters
Major Characters
Ashley Baker - Derek Copeland - Graham Reynolds - Howard Blackwood - Jack Merrick - Katie Collins - Matthew Collins - Protagonist - Lorelai Reynolds - Shannon - Trent Baker
Other Characters
Alex Shepherd - Cybil Bennett - Emma - Harry Mason - Heather Mason - James Sunderland - Jason - Joshua Shepherd - Lisa Garland - Mary Shepherd-Sunderland - Mira - Murphy Pendleton - Travis Grady - Walter Sullivan - Robbie the Rabbit
Monsters
Air Screamer - Blood Baby - Blood Guardian - Blood Mama - Bogeyman - Bubble Head Nurse - Butcher - Double Head - Earth Guardian - Fire Guardian - Flesh Lip - Ghost - Grey Child - Insane Cancer - Light Guardian - Needler - Mother - Pyramid Head - Raw Shock - Tremer - Schism - Steel Guardian - Swarm - Valtiel - Water Guardian - Wood Guardian - Wood Sapling
Weapons
A. Y. Guitar - Assault Rifle - Baseball Bat - Bare Hands - Beam Saber - Bogeyman's Hammer - Chainsaw - Circular Saw - Crossbow - Crowbar - Dagger of Melchior - Earth Sword - Fire Axe - Fire Sword - Flamethrower - Great Cleaver - Great Knife - Great Spear - Grenade - Guitar - Handgun - Hyper Spray - Katana - Knife - Maul - Meat Cleaver - Laser Gun - Pickaxe - Pillow - Pipe - Princess Heart - Robbie Doll - Rock Drill - Shovel - Shotgun - Steel Sword - Stun Gun - Sword of Obedience - Submachine Gun - Television - Torch - TV Remote - Water Sword - Wine Bottle - Wood Sword - Wood Plank
Locations
Howard's Shop - Library - Forsaken Room - Otherworld
Terms
Monster - Flashlight - Accessories - Artifacts - Karma Meter - Book of Memories - Welcome Sign
Archives
Memos - Broadcasts - Michelle's Diary
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