Luke Ward

Infobox character | colour = #ffaa44
name = Luke Ward
other_names =


caption = Chris Carmack as Luke Ward
portrayer = Chris Carmack, Conner Webb "(Flashback)"
creator = Josh Schwartz
species =
gender = Male
first = Premiere (episode 1.01)
last = The Distance (episode 2.01)
The Case of the Franks (episode 4.13) (Flashback)
cause = Moved to Portland
age = 17 (last appearance)
occupation = Student
episode = 22
title =
family = Carson Ward (father)
Meredith Ward (mother)
Brad Ward (brother)
Eric Ward (brother)
spouse = Amanda (girlfriend)
Julie Cooper (ex-girlfriend)
Marissa Cooper (ex-girlfriend; deceased)
Holly Fischer (ex-girlfriend)
children =
relatives =
footnotes =

Luke Ward is a fictional character from the FOX television series "The O.C.", played by Chris Carmack.

History

Life Before Season 1

When Luke, Summer Roberts, and Seth Cohen were all 13 years old, he had his birthday party, a paintball party, at the same time that Seth had his Bar Mitzvah. Summer's father, Neil Roberts, was going to make Summer go to Seth's party, but Summer's Mother left abruptly, so they did not attend so that they could deal with the sudden divorce. This, coupled with most students choosing to attend Luke's party, caused Seth to have self-confidence issues for several years.

Luke had dated Marissa for a long period of time before Ryan came to Newport Beach, beginning their relationship in the fifth grade on a class trip to the Museum of Tolerance (according to Seth in the episode The Model Home.) Luke seemed to love Marissa, even crying when they broke up. Despite this, he had cheated on her for a long period of time.

eason 1

Luke is a rich, spoiled and popular Newport Beach student who does not have much of a tolerance for outsiders, as shown by his fight with Ryan Atwood (who came from Chino), in the pilot episode. After beating Ryan up, Luke utters the line "Welcome to the O.C., bitch!" which was used as a tagline in trailers for the first season. However, Luke later becomes good friends with Ryan, even accepting Ryan's relationship with Luke's ex-girlfriend Marissa.

Luke was the boyfriend of Marissa Cooper since fifth grade. When Marissa catches him cheating on her during a trip to Tijuana, she is very upset and overdoses, which at first looks like a suicide attempt but she later makes it clear to Ryan that she wasn't trying to kill herself. Ryan, Seth, and Summer find her unconscious in a Tijuana alley and Ryan carries her to safety. She then starts seeing Ryan. After being paired together for a school project, Luke and Ryan see Luke's father kissing another man. When word spreads about his father's homosexuality, the once popular Luke falls out of favor with his clique and starts to hang out with Ryan, Marissa and Seth Cohen, who had been bullied by Luke for many years. Luke eventually becomes sexually involved with Marissa's mother, Julie Cooper. Ryan and Seth see them kissing outside a motel and Ryan tells Luke that he has to end the affair. Luke does, but Marissa overhears him talking to Ryan about it and runs away. When Luke and Ryan track Marissa down, she slaps Luke. Luke decides to leave Newport Beach for Portland to live with his father, after his parents' divorce. On the night before Luke leaves Newport he sees Julie and Caleb Nichol become engaged at a party for Jimmy Cooper and Sandy Cohen's restaurant, the Lighthouse. Distraught, he drives away intoxicated and is involved in a car crash. Ryan and Marissa visit Luke in hospital where Marissa forgives him and says that she will miss him. In Luke's last scene of the season Ryan promises to visit him in his new home and Luke jokes "Welcome to Portland, bitch."

eason 2

Luke appeared in the first episode of the second season. Seth had apparently been living at Luke's house after Seth fled Orange County.

eason 4

Luke appears only in a cartoon drawing of Seth's in The Avengers when Ryan, Seth, Summer, Sandy and Kirsten are at the comic book shop watching a slide show.

In another episode, Luke briefly appeared in a flashback sequence in the episode The Case of the Franks set in 1998 when he was 10 years old and attended class with Seth, Summer, Marissa (not seen), Holly and Taylor