Lyon Hunter

Lyon Hunter is a fictional character on the popular American daytime soap opera, As the World Turns portrayed by Evan Alex Cole. He made his debut on the show on Thursday, April 30, 2009.

Character history

Hunter first arrived in Oakdale after being promoted from the IT Department of Worldwide by Lucinda Walsh to become Emily Stewart’s new Co-editor at The Intruder, when the decision was made to move the paper online.

Early days in Oakdale

On his first day Hunter did not make a good first impression with Emily when it became apparent that he was quite clumsy and when Emily asked him if Hunter was his first or last name, he replied saying that it was his last name and that his first name was not important as everyone calls him Hunter. Later when Emily started to get agitated at Hunter’s suggestions for the site, including changing the name of the paper, she decided to head out to Yo’s for a drink with Hunter following her. Once they were there Hunter once again put his foot in it when he commented on Emily’s age by saying that people of her “generation” may not understand how the Internet works; as the time went on Hunter once again showed his clumsy side by falling into Emily, with Alison, Casey and Jade looking on thinking that he’s her new boy toy.

After Emily left, Alison went to talk to Hunter and told him that if he wants Emily to listen to him the best way is to just agree with her. She then invited him to join her and her friends but, things do not go well when he accidentally knocks Jade’s drink all over her and feeling embarrassed he quickly left. When he got back to the office Hunter told Emily that he’d met Alison and she’s nothing like her also, having taken on board what Alison said Hunter told Emily that she was right about changing the name of the paper, and in doing so she started to warm to him.

As Emily and Hunter started working together on the new online Intruder, he continued to point out every mistake she was making which frustrated her causing her to kick Hunter out of the office so that she could concentrate. Later, Alison arrived at the office looking for Hunter and Emily told her that she’s told him to stay away, when Emily asked what she wanted him for Alison told her that Casey was having a barbecue and she wanted to invite him but, also try to fix him up with Jade which Emily told her wasn’t a great idea as Hunter wouldn’t know what to do if he had a girlfriend as her was raised by “cyber wolves in a techno forest”. When Alison found Hunter at Al’s she invited him over to Casey but he was quite confused as to why she would want him there but, he turned down the invitation under the impression that Emily would need him to help her, so Alison told him that they’d hang out another time; thinking this meant setting a date Hunter asked when but she had to explain that “another” time is only an expression which, again showed how literally Hunter takes everything in life. Afterwards Hunter went back to Worldwide to see how Emily was getting on and his continued to point out every mistake she made and she had to tell him that in order for her to get it right she’d have to figure it all out on her own. Wanting rid of Hunter again she told him to go to the barbecue that Alison mentioned which at first he was resistant to however, when she said that if he didn’t leave one of them would die he quickly changed his mind especially when she told him that Alison had big plans for him. As Hunter and Alison waited for Casey and Jade to arrive, they started talking and learned that they have quite a bit in common, when Alison suggested that he helped by grilling the meat and he started telling her the scientific effects of grilling which confused her so, she offered him a beer and he told her that he doesn’t drink, and she asked if he doesn’t like putting toxins into his body or if he has a sordid past like she does, when Jade and Casey finally arrived he welcomed them buy emptying a bag on candy over her. As time passed Hunter showed that he is unable to recognize when people are being literal or telling a joke, and once again Jade become his target when he drops her burger on the floor, feeling out of place Hunter quickly makes his exit. When he got back to the office he found that Emily had successfully formatted a page for the paper and she asked him how things went at the barbecue and he told her not very well. He then showed his interest in Alison and whether she and Emily have different fathers and she told him that they have different biological fathers and mothers, leading Emily to tell him that Alison are biologically her sister and daughter and she explained how this was possible.

When Alison found that she’d taken Emily’s MP3 player by mistake she called the office and he told her that it would get him out of the office Emily sent him to Casey’s to switch them. When Casey got a call to go into work Hunter stayed behind to help her paint while, Casey was gone Hunter asked Alison out on a date much to her surprise and, she had to explain that she was dating Casey and it became clear that he’d been misreading the signals and he went to leave but he walked into the paint resting on the ladder. Hunter went back to Worldwide and Emily was shocked to see the state that he was in, and he explained how he asked Alison out but she explained how Alison’s seeing Casey, as she started to take Hunter’s shirt off he shocked her with a kiss and he explained that he did it because he thought that she was coming on to him in a sexual way when helping him with his shirt later, Alison called to invite Hunter to lunch with her and Casey however, when he arrived at Al’s to see them kissing he decided not to go in and join them.

When Alison graduated from the nursing program, Casey and Emily decide to take her for a dinner, when Emily told Hunter of this he asked if Alison’s father had been invited Emily told him that no one had bothered. Thinking that this was just an oversight Hunter contacted Dr. Larry McDermott and when he told Emily of this she told him that Larry is the last person Alison would want to see. Hunter later turned up at the Lakeview to stand guard if Larry decided to turn up, which Emily thought was weird and creepy and said that he has the “intimidation factor of a zygote”, when Alison heard Emily telling Hunter to leave she told him to join them but she got a shock when she saw her father standing in the doorway. Confused as to why Larry was there Alison got upset especially when she learns that Hunter was behind it, when Hunter left the Lakeview he found Alison and Casey in Old Town and tried to apologize but Casey told him to stay away. Larry later found Hunter at Java and got confused when he started reciting an apology written on a napkin, but he told Hunter that it wasn’t necessary because even though it wasn’t the best idea it did bring him back into his daughter’s life, and feeling that it would help Hunter told Larry where he could find Alison. Having gone back to Worldwide Hunter again started his apology to a stunned Emily who found it to be a joke, seeing that he was sincerely sorry for his actions she told him not to worry but, that changed when she learned that he’d sent Larry after Alison. Emily then called Alison to see how she is and found that Hunter was off the hook as Alison was happy to get the chance to clear the air with Larry, then as Hunter went to leave Emily stopped him and got him to offer her half of his sandwich and told him that there may be hope for him yet.

Hunter’s search for his father

When Hunter’s mother suffered from a stroke it hit him hard and not wanting to go and see his mother alone Alison offered to go with him. When they got to Chicago, Hunter was worried about what to expect and Alison explained some of the possible symptoms, when the nurse came she told them that only one visitor was allowed at a time. Hunter later came back and was in a state of shock after his mother told him that the man he always thought to be his father wasn’t. Alison’s tries to reassure him that maybe the stroke had an effect on her memory but, he couldn’t handle it and left. Back at Java Hunter told Alison about his childhood and how he never really knew his father and about his mother’s career.

While hanging out with Alison, Hunter got a call from the home where his mother was staying saying that she was agitated so they headed out to Chicago to see her. When they got to the home they saw that Aurora (Hunter’s Mother) was calm and sitting with the nurse, as he approached her she was excited to see him, and asked him to get her out of the home and called him Tristan which confused him and she got upset when he told her that his name wasn’t Tristan and she got worse when she saw Alison. Back at Java, Hunter and Alison discussed why his mother had called him Tristan, and he said that her favorite opera was Tristan and Isolde but, she suggested that maybe Tristan was a past lover who she kept a secret with and he wondered whether Tristan was his father. As they try figure it out Alison suggests that they look for his father which he agrees to although he was a bit hesitant to begin with, and he tells her that he’d never met anyone like her before which said was a mutual feeling on her part about him.

When, Hunter finally decided that he was ready to look for his father he ran into an upset Alison in Old Town but, instead of comforting her, he made her feel worse. Later they decided to go and see Aurora again, however this time she’s calmer and they play her favorite opera on a CD player and asked her about Tristan. As they talked to her she starts to cry and Alison told him not to pressure her, when he decided to leave she told him that his father’s information would be on his birth certificate but he told her that he’d never seen it so, they headed to city hall to get a copy of it. When he got a copy he told her that the name on the certificate for his father wasn’t Jeremiah Hunter the man he thought to be his father but that of a Tristan Wagner, so they decided to look him up. They later found the address of as Tristan Wagner in Chicago but when they got to his apartment they found that he couldn’t possibly be Hunter’s father.

Hunter finds his father and new family

Hunter was sitting in Al’s when Alison found him and he told that she’d happily continue to find his father and he told her that his mother had died after suffering from another stroke. Casey later turned up to talk to Alison but she wasn’t that open to listen, and when Hunter stood up to Casey for Alison, Casey lashed out at him. While, Alison went to change her shift at the hospital, Emily and Larry arrived at Als’ to talk, when she was finished with Larry Emily went over to talk to Hunter to see if he was going into work and she learned of his mothers’ passing. As they spoke Hunter told her of the mystery of his father’s identity and of his mother’s revelation, and when he told her of the name Tristan on his birth certificate Emily starts to suspect something and asks for Hunter’s mothers’ name. After Hunter left Al’s, Emily found that he’d forgotten an old program from an old performance of Tristan and Isolde and she started to investigate her suspicions, that Larry is Tristan and therefore being Hunter’s father she later confronted him at the Lakeview to get some answers. Alison arrived at Hunter’s room, and he told her of his anger towards his mother and her revelation, and they got close and ended up kissing, until Alison stops them saying that she’s still not over Casey and he’s grieving and she told him that sleeping with him was tempting but would have been a mistake. As Hunter and Alison talked things through Casey turned up and got the wrong end of the stick so Alison, and started to berate Alison for something she hadn’t done and Hunter stood up for her. Later, Hunter turned up at Worldwide and started packing up his stuff and he told Emily that he’s quitting, when he couldn’t find his coffee mug which Emily had taken h decided to leave it behind and she told him to call her before leaving and once he left she phoned her friend at the hospital lab and order a DNA test. After getting the DNA results, Emily turned up at Hunter’s room and told him that he couldn’t leave because she had to tell him something important.

As Emily tried desperately to get Hunter to stay in Oakdale he was extremely resistant thinking she only wanted him to stay so that he could help her at The Intruder, but she told him that it had nothing to do with that and that she’s his mother. Confused at her revelation Hunter takes it hard thinking that she’s messing with him to get him to stay, but she explains to him how even though Aurora raised him she wasn’t his biological mother because, he’s her biological son in the same way that Alison’s her biological daughter. Still not understanding what she was telling him Emily told him how her fertilized eggs were stolen and transferred to the University of Chicago where his mother worked, and she was then implanted with one of the eggs however, Hunter still chose not to believe what she was saying to him. As she tried to get Hunter to understand Emily suggested that maybe because of her age Aurora couldn’t get pregnant in the traditional way and knew that Larry could help her but he’s confused as to how his mother knew Larry until, Emily told him that Larry admitted being his mother’s lover and that his money clip was engraved ‘To Tristan From Isolde’ and he told her of how his mother once called him Tristan after her stroke and she promised to keep his secret forever. Struggling to accept the news Hunter asked Emily for proof and she gave him the DNA results which confirmed that she’s his mother and she tells him that he was a little wrong thinking he had no family in town because, he has her along with his grandmother Susan, his half-brother Daniel. He then asked her about Alison and said that if Daniels’ his half-brother then she must be his half-sister but, Emily explained that she’s his sister as they have the same biological parents which, made him feel sick and he quickly left the room leaving a confused Emily behind. Later, Alison finds Hunter at Java but when she reached out and touched his shoulder he quickly pulled away telling her never to touch him. He then had to explain to her that nothing could never happen between them because, every times that he’s with her the thoughts he has are those that one should never have about their sister and, he was confused to find that she didn’t know what he was talking about. Hunter then explained to Alison how they have the same biological parents, and they then discovered why they had some special connection but, he felt that he had to leave as the feelings he had for her were too toxic and strong but, she was willing to see where their new sibling relationship lead and that she understood what he was going through as she went through he same thing when she learned that Emily was her biological mother and that it didn’t change how she felt because, Susan was her true mother as she raised her in the same way that Aurora raised him but, unable to accept it Hunter chose to leave town. Afterwards, Alison went to see Emily and told her how Hunter thought he was in love with her, much to Emily’s horror and she gets even more hurt when Alison tells her how Hunter left because, she wanted a new child and now she learned that she already had one.

Aftermath and new identity

Wanting to find some kind of clue as to where Hunter was Emily, went to his room and was shocked to find that Hunter hadn’t left but was asleep under a load of clothes in his bed and was a bit worse for wear. As she tried to help him he told her to stop acting like his mother and she again reiterated how he’s stuck with her whether he liked it or not, and he hurts her by saying that even though they have some biological connection he wants nothing to do with her. Not wanting to pressure Hunter, Emily told him that all she wants is to be a close friend of his, and asked him to go for lunch with her; while she waited for him to get ready Emily phoned Alison to come with them along with Susan. Later Emily and Hunter head to the Lakeview to meet Susan and first Susan thought that Emily was repeating her mistake with Casey, until Emily explained how Hunter is her son because one of her fertilized eggs was given to Hunter's mother. When Alison arrived along with Larry, Susan gets confused as to why the latest family revelation concerned him and is shocked and angered when she learns that he’s Hunter's biological father especially, as everything happened when he was still married to her. When Larry told Hunter that he would like to be a father to him, he got upset and left telling them all, that he doesn’t want anything to do with them and Alison followed him out. When she caught up with him in Old Town, and she tells him that he shouldn’t run away from his newfound family and that they should accept their new relationship and that she’s ready to have a brother in her life and how Emily and Susan are always there when you need them. Later, they went back to the Lakeview and they see that Larry’s gone after literally being kicked out by Susan but, Emily says that they should focus on the fact that Hunter’s now officially apart of the Stewart family but he told her not to push it.

After finishing lunch Hunter tells Alison that it may be awhile before he can consider them all family but she tells him that despite the Stewarts’ reputation in Oakdale they’re not that bad, and she told him that they don't take being alone lightly in the family so he should just get used to it. When Riley (Adam) turned up at the Lakeview he initially thinks that she and Hunter are together but, she explains that he’s really her brother. He asked her whether Casey know as it would help them because he can’t be jealous of Hunter if he’s her brother but she says that it won’t change anything. Casey later turned up at Memorial after learning of Alison and Hunter’s new connection but he failed to apologise in an appropriate way and Hunter told him to take a hint as Alison didn’t need him in her life. After, Alison explained to Casey that they had broken up when he walked into Hunter's room, and she told him that she doesn’t need him in her life. After cutting her ties with Casey, Hunter tried to comfort Alison but when he put his arm around her things got extremely awkward and he left.

While, Hunter was formatting pages on the website he was shocked to see Larry enter the office to see him, and he offers to give Hunter something of his mothers’ but Emily arrives before he can answer. When Emily started berating Larry and telling him to stay away from her family Hunter, told her that he didn’t need her to defend him. Hunter then accepted the gift Larry had which was an old music box of his mothers’, Emily then told him to leave and Hunter agreed. After, Hunter decided to stay busy with work but got upset when he thought of how his mother kept everything special to her from him, and Emily told her that he is not alone as he has family, but he continued to reject her as his mother. Hunter then went to find Alison at Memorial and invited her to lunch but she told him that she is going Casey’s party which he doesn’t take well as he doesn’t understand why it’s still important to her; in the end to help her Hunter decided to go to the party with her. When they got to party Margo and everyone else were wondering how Alison knew Hunter and he explained how he’s her brother much to everyone’s amazement, especially Lisa who wondered how Susan could have a child that no one knew about, so Alison and Hunter explain about the situation with the stolen fertilized eggs, which made Larry his biological father and Emily his biological mother. After Tom told Hunter that he should meet his half-brother Daniel, and without knowing the details Hunter asks Tom if he was married to Emily much to Margo’s horror and when he asked how he could have a child with Emily not having been married to her things get a bit awkward. When Casey arrived and saw that Alison has come he was happy to see her and to help them Adam distracted Hunter to give them time alone, when they went outside Hunter continued to spy on them and got agitated when he saw them getting close, he then told her that it was time to leave but she chose to stay behind with Casey so he left alone. Emily later found Hunter at the office and tried to talk to him about his grief and how it’s hard for everyone but that you have to move on in time, and she told him how she’s not trying to replace his mother and that even if they couldn’t be family that maybe they could be good friends and see how things go but, he doesn’t give her an answer.

At the office, Emily told Hunter that was working on a story but was going to get some breakfast and he wondered why she was always trying to feed him but she offered to go for a working breakfast with him but, he said that he had to take care of his mother ashes and she got a strange feeling knowing that his mother was in the office and she told him to figure something out as it was too crowded for the three of them. While he was working Lucinda turned up at the office looking for Emily and he told her his plans for The Intruder, later Hunter went to find Emily at Al’s as she was talking to Paul to tell her that Lucinda was looking for her. When Emily finds Lucinda she was shocked to learn that her job was no longer available and that Hunter would be taking over which, she saw as a way of him putting her in her place and, she told him that if her didn't want her to be his mom that was fine but he didn't have to get her fired. When Emily walked out of the office Lucinda told Hunter to let her go and he berated her for firing Emily as she is The Intruder which Lucinda failed to acknowledge, and even though he loved his job in support of Emily, Hunter quit his job.