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John B. Routledge

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“ You killed my father, and you framed me for a murder I didn’t commit. You took everything from me! But I’m still here. And I swear to God, Ward, I will come back one day and take what’s mine. So you listen to me, all right? I’m comin’ for you. ”
— John B in The Phantom

John Booker Routledge (also known as John B) is the main protagonist in Outer Banks. He is portrayed by Chase Stokes.

He is the charismatic leader of the Pogues crew. His father went missing while trying to salvage a sunken ship, and he will stop at nothing to uncover the secrets behind his disappearance. John B convinces his friends to join him on the epic search for his father, and what his father was looking for, leading them on a life-changing summer adventure with good and bad obstacles along the way. He is actually called little John John a few times by Ward and Sarah.

Early Life[]

In the intro, John Booker Routledge explains that he grew up as an only child and was raised by his father. His mother bailed to Colorado when he was three years old.

History[]

Biography[]

John B is seventeen years old and grew up as a Pogue on the poor side of Outer Banks, also known as The Cut. Nine months prior to the Pilot, John B's father went missing at sea and was presumed dead, but his body was never found. John B remains convinced however that his father is still alive. He had been living with his uncle following his father's disappearance, but his uncle, known as uncle T left three months prior to the pilot to build houses in Mississippi.

John B is the leader of his friend group, The Pogues. This group consists of JJ, who has been John B's best friend since the 3rd grade, Pope, and Kiara.

Throughout the Series[]

Season 1[]

Throughout Season 1, John B goes on an adventure with his best friends to continue what his father started and to find the gold from the famous Royal Merchant wreck. John B also hopes to solve the mystery of his father after he disappeared 9 months earlier.

John B follows a series of clues throughout the season that eventually lead him to the gold - but he encounters several obstacles along the way. First, is DCS, who are trying to put him into foster care. Eventually, he gets adopted by Ward Cameron, although under false pretenses because Ward just wants to get more information about the gold. It is then revealed that Ward killed John B’s father.

John B goes on an adventure with Sarah Cameron and they end up falling in love with each other, despite being from different worlds. They start to date, at first to the shock and horror of his friends, but eventually they get on board.

At the end of the season, John B witnesses Rafe Cameron shoot Sheriff Peterkin to defend his father after the Sheriff tried to arrest him. John B runs and Ward ends up blaming the murder on John B instead of his son, which turns the whole city and police force against him.

There is a giant manhunt for John B at the end of the first season, but he manages to get away with the help of Sarah. They get on a boat and start to ride away but are forced into the storm when the police chase them which results in their boat capsizing and they almost die. A passing ship ends up saving them and they ask to be dropped off at the nearest dock so they can continue their escape from the police. The dock they are headed to is the Bahamas where the gold is.

Season 2[]

John B's new wanted poster

John B's new wanted poster

John B is still running away, and wanted to turn himself in so he could show that he is innocent and Ward is not. While at, Nassau he met a lady called Cleo, he helped him have a home and save his life, they then escaped everything there with Sarah almost dying, on the Camerons' Nassau boat to Charleston, South Carolina. There, Sarah Cameron and him reunited with Kiara, JJ, and Pope, and escaped back to the OBX, to party at John B's house.

After being surrounded by police he went to jail after he was sentenced to death for the murder of Susan Peterkin. While there, he was attacked in his jail cell by a man assigned to attack him by Deputy Plumb. He almost died but the man escaped.

His charges were dropped after the gun used by Rafe to kill Peterkin was found to have his fingerprints.

After an escape from the Coastal Venture on a rescue boat, John B, along with the other Pogues and Cleo, arrived on a deserted island where they talked about what just happened and then came to the compromise that they should find surfboards and surf the waves. They then made a campfire and chilled out together.

Season 3[]

John B and the Pogues are getting by on the deserted island. They see a plane and flag down the pilot- thinking they are going to be rescued.

John B and the group think that he is their only chance of getting off the island so they just go along with what he says. They get on the plane. JJ asks Jimmy why he was flying in this area and he tells them it’s to fish for Wahoo. The group realize Wahoo aren’t in season and so he must be lying. They see a photo of the boat they used before in Jimmy’s bag and this confirms their fears. They fight with Jimmy and the plane crashes in the water. John B, Sarah, JJ, Pope, and Cleo swim away. Kiara gets kidnapped.

John B and The Pogues are desperate to find Kiara, who was separated from them. They try to find her but Carlos and his men find them first -determined to kidnap them still. The Pogues run away.

John B has an emotional reunion with his father after tracking him down with the bells. He goes back to the Outer Banks with him.

John B and his dad are on the hunt for a special artifact called a gnomon.

The Pogues try to steal the cross from Ward but Rafe gets it first and melts it.

John B distances himself from Sarah. She tells him she hooked up with Topper and John B punches Topper. Sarah has to beg Topper not to press charges against John B. Eventually, they make up.

The Pogues try to find their way to South America to rescue Big John. They get on Ward’s plane to fly down to Venezuela. They find Big John. John B, Big John, and Sarah go to a dig site and have a showdown with Carlos and his men but they get away. Big John gets shot. They find the treasure of El Dorado.

In a flash forward, John B owns a surf shop with Sarah. An old man approaches the group complimenting their discovery of El Dorado. He has a proposition for them- help him find Blackbeard’s treasure.

Season 4[]

Fresh off the high of discovering El Dorado and returning with gold, they pool their wealth to buy JJ’s property, hoping to start fresh with a bait-and-tackle shop and charter business. Yet their finances become strained, especially after JJ's rash dirtbike bet wipes out their last funds. They are soon thrust into a new mystery involving Blackbeard's amulet, promising both riches and danger, as they encounter eccentric Wes Genrette, who believes the amulet is cursed and insists they retrieve it to lift his family curse.

Their treasure hunt leads the Pogues to Goat Island, where they confront Lightner, another treasure seeker, while uncovering clues about Blackbeard’s legacy. Underwater, John B and his friends narrowly escape an attack by Lightner, emerging victorious with the amulet but physically battered. Their victory is clouded when Wes is found dead, and the group becomes murder suspects, raising tension as they face police scrutiny. John B and Sarah later consult an old friend of his father's to decode Arabic script on the amulet, which they learn is both a curse and a key, drawing them deeper into the mystery surrounding Blackbeard and the “Blue Crown” treasure.

John B is also pulled into a mounting rivalry with Topper, whose provocations test the group's resolve, especially after Topper and his friends disrespectfully crush turtle nests on the beach. Amid this rivalry, Pope makes a daring rescue to save Cleo from Lightner and Terrance, who hold her hostage, demanding the amulet. Pope arrives just in time, though the encounter leaves bloodshed and heavy consequences, pushing the Pogues to hide Terrance’s body to avoid implicating themselves. John B, taking charge, organizes the clean-up, while JJ distracts the police to cover their tracks, but the authorities are now watching them closely.

Ultimately, John B and the Pogues head to Charleston, determined to follow the trail of clues leading to Blackbeard’s treasure. Their journey through hidden church crypts and family secrets becomes both personal and dangerous when they encounter Lightner again. John B’s discovery of a gravestone with his family name triggers painful memories of his father, deepening his resolve. As the Pogues continue, John B balances his mission to uncover Blackbeard’s legacy with the ever-mounting threats around him, as the line between friend and foe blurs, and old family secrets, especially regarding JJ’s heritage, add new layers to their quest.

John B wrestles with balancing his responsibilities to the Pogues' treasure hunt and his growing responsibilities as a future father, after finding out Sarah is pregnant. Sarah's pregnancy becomes a turning point for him, and while he reassures her that they’ll face it together, he remains deeply conflicted, particularly after JJ’s sharp comment about his potential as a father. John B leads the charge in the search for the Blue Crown, steering the group through perilous situations in Morocco and the desert ruins. His quick thinking helps him and Sarah narrowly escape Groff’s boat with the lens, and he bravely navigates a deadly storm that nearly claims Sarah’s life. The loss of JJ deeply impacts him, leaving him reflective and committed to avenging their friend alongside the group.

Personality[]

John B is a loyal and caring friend, he is protective and out-going. He is kind and friendly to most people, although he can be quite rude to the people he despises. He is emotional and gets angry fast, especially when people he cares about are involved. Just like JJ, he normally doesn't have the safest plan as the first option but goes for the more dangerous plan. His main goal is to find his father, which gets him into a lot of trouble. John B is smart, but sometimes he has stupid or weird ideas that don't seem to make sense at all, like when he had the idea to throw a rock at the motion censor lights which obviously was not helpful at all.

Relationships[]

Sarah Cameron[]

Main article: John B and Sarah

John B and Sarah are married. They first met while he was stealing scuba gear off the Druthers to explore the sunken Grady White. Then in Spy Games, they grow closer as she helps him get into Chapel Hill. When John B is wanted for the murder of Sheriff Peterkin, she goes on the run with him. Later on, they get married on their way back to the Outer Banks.[1] After Ward Cameron's supposed suicide, they break up.[2] They later go to find the cross together, as friends, with the rest of the Pogues. They then get back together when John B apologized and told her that he wanted her back.[3]

JJ[]

Main article: John B and JJ

JJ and John B have been friends the longest out of the Pogues, since the third grade.[4] They sometimes fight, but they're always there for each other and they can relate to each other the most out of the Pogues, JJ stated in the the Pilot that "he and John B have nothing to lose". They would do anything for each other and it has been proven many times that they are both ready to go to jail, or even die the for the other. Most often, John B is the one who JJ does stupid and reckless things with. At the end of season 1, JJ, Pope and Kiara helped John B and Sarah escape on The Phantom after John B was wanted for the murder of Sheriff Peterkin.

When John B was presumed dead at sea, JJ grieved him and even got a tattoo on his ankle in honor of John B and the other Pogues. Before the Pogues found out that John B and Sarah were both still alive, JJ was shown drinking out of a flask, he was also seen holding his chest on numerous occasions throughout Season 2, presumably to cope with loosing John B.[5]

Kiara[]

At the beginning of the series, John B admits that all of The Pogues had a bit of a thing for Kiara. However, Pogue rules dictate that a Pogue can never have romantic relations with another Pogue, thus none of them ever made outright moves on her (no Pogue-on-Pogue-macking). Nonetheless, JJ convinces John B that Kiara is interested in him because she was particularly caring towards him and kissed him (on the cheek) when he was scuba diving. John B is not fully convinced but is swayed, and impulsively kisses Kiara on the beach at night. However, Kiara reacts awkwardly, and rejects him, using the excuse that Pogues cannot kiss each other. It is unclear throughout Season 1 whether Kiara views John B as a really good friend or as more than that. She brings up the kiss on one occasion and suggests that she only rejected him because the timing was bad.

However, soon after this, John B and Sarah together. Kiara who already dislikes Sarah reacts badly to their relationship and she comes across as jealous, trying to force John B to choose either her or Sarah and gets upset when he says "both". She gradually begins to accept their relationship, realizing that the two of them really love each other.

Pope[]

Pope and John B are best friends. They remain close throughout the first season, except when Kiara and John B get closer. Pope has a crush on Kiara so he lashes out in one episode saying "Why is it always about John B?". In the end, he cares about him and grieves him when he thinks he is dead. In the beginning of Season 2, Pope and the other pogues do everything they can to try and clear John B's name.

Cleo[]

Main article: Cleo, Sarah and John B

Cleo, Sarah and John B started out as enemies, with Cleo trying to turn them in to the Nassau Police, but they later became allies when they, along with Terrance and Stubby, attempted to steal the gold from Sarah's family, twice. They then became friends and Cleo helped the two of them escape Nassau.[5] [6] [1]

The Pogues later ran into Cleo on the coastal venture ship in the season 2 finale, and she helped the group save Sarah, and she attempted to help them steal the cross of santo domingo back, but they failed. She is now stranded on an island with the pogues, and she is an official pogue.[1]

Sarah, John B and Cleo haven't known each other for very long, but they trust each other and worry about each other when one of them is in peril. When Sarah was shot, Cleo was scared for Sarah's life, and when she found out that Sarah survived, she was very happy.[1]

Family[]

 
 
Big John
 
Unknown
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
John B
 

Physical Appearance[]

John B is a tall, tan, freckled teen with dark blond hair and hazel eyes. He's usually seen wearing board shorts and a patterned button-down short sleeve shirt with a faded light blue bandana tied around his neck.

Appearances[]

Season 1[]

Season 2[]

Season 3[]

Season 4[]

Quotes[]

John B: The Outer Banks: Paradise on earth. It's the sort of place where you either have two jobs or two houses. Two tribes, one island.

John B: Pogues, Pogies, the throwaway fish, the lowest member of the food chain. Okay. So, the downside of Pogue life is that we're ignored and neglected. The upside of Pogue life? We're ignored and neglected, which means we do whatever we want, whenever we want.

John B: And that’s where the story starts. My dad missing, my uncle MIA, and the bride of Frankenstein threatening foster care.

John B (to Sarah): It might be stormy now, but it can’t rain forever.

John B: Denials underrated, you should try sometime. It's always effective and it's only denial if you're wrong.


Trivia[]

  • John B can be seen almost always wearing his father’s bandanna around his neck.
  • His father's nickname for him is “Bird.”[7]
  • His boat's name is the HMS Pogue, presumably in honor of The Pogues.
  • John B. was a good student until his father’s sudden disappearance.[4]
  • He took Sarah’s virginity.[8]
  • He took his driver’s license in North Carolina.[1]
  • He’s left handed.[9]
  • His mother left when he was three.
  • He knows some basic French phrases.[10]
  • He has punched Kelce and Topper, who are Kooks.
    • These occurrences both happened in the seventh episodes of the second and third season.
  • He knows how to drive stick shift.[6]
  • John B and Sarah got married with a torn piece of his father’s bandanna.
  • Big John taught John B how to shoplift.[11]
  • He has a fear of graveyards/cemeteries.[12]
  • Some viewers agree that he bears a certain resemblance to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse character, Miguel O’Hara.
  • He is one of the main characters to have appeared in every single episode of the series.

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Prayers, 2x03
  2. ↑ The Bonfire, 2x07
  3. ↑ Trapped, 2x09
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Pilot, 1x01
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Gold, 2x01
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Heist, 2x02
  7. ↑ The Forbidden Zone, 1x03
  8. ↑ Dead Calm, 1x07
  9. ↑ The Darkest Hour, 2x05
  10. ↑ Spy Games, 1x04
  11. ↑ Heists, 3x05
  12. ↑ Albatross, 4x05
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