Dan Scott (2024)

Daniel Robert "Dan" Scott (1970-2012) was the original antagonist, villain and later on, anti-hero in Tree Hill. Dan was the ex-husband of Deb Lee and the biological father of Lucas and Nathan Scott. He abandoned his elder son Lucas, with his high school sweetheart and first love, Karen and he raised his younger son Nathan with his college sweetheart Deb. Both of his sons inherited his basketball skills which took him to college basketball until a knee injury ruined his future career. So instead he forced Nathan to his limit so he could achieve is dreams like Dan's father had done to him. But this attributed to the break down of his relationship with Nathan and Deb which ended with Deb attempting to kill Dan after struggling to divorce him and Nathan emancipates himself. Believing his estranged elder brother Keith tried to kill him, Dan shoots Keith and has Jimmy Edwards take the blame. But after improving his relationship with both of his sons and helping Lucas' mother Karen through her pregnancy with Keith's daughter, he gives himself up and goes to prison for 4 years, giving up his successful car dealership and being the Mayor of Tree Hill. After returning, he manages to form a bond with his grandson Jamie, Nathan's son. But due to his HCM, he leaves, believing he is about to die. Instead, he marries Rachel Gatina, gets a new heart and becomes famous for preaching about redemption, something he himself also tries to achieve by giving up his money and fame and hoping to gain his family's forgiveness. Eventually, Dan moves in with Nathan and Haley and passes time with his grandchildren Jamie and Lydia Scott. He works for Haley and Brooke Davis Baker in Karen's Café. Dan rescues Nathan from the kidnappers and kills most of them, and is shot by Demetri, who is then killed by Nathan. Dan later dies in the hospital and Keith visits him, taking him to the other side after telling Dan that he loves him and that he forgives him.

Character History[]

Before the Series[]

Daniel Robert "Dan" Scott was second child and son of May and Royal Scott. His father pushed him to become a great basketball player. During his teens years he dated the cheerleader Karen Roe who became pregnant with his child just before the end of high school. Dan promised to be with her, but he eventually abandoned her. At college, he met Deb Lee and dated her. After a few months Deb became pregnant and Dan decided to marry her. Karen gave birth to a son Lucas Eugene Scott, a few months before Deb gave birth to Nathan Royal Scott.

Season 1[]

Dan is protrayed as the original villan in the beginning of One Tree Hill. Dan and Karen Roe had a relationship in high school which led to her being pregnant. Dan left Karen behind and went off to college and met Deb. A few months later Deb was pregnant as well. He married Deb and Karen gave birth to Lucas whereas a few months later Deb gave birth to Nathan. In the beginning of season 1, Dan is shown to only care about one his sons, Nathan. Whereas, he left Lucas to be with his mother, Karen. Dan never acknowledged Lucas until Lucas' junior year in high school because Keith Scott, who is Dan Scott's brother, talked to Whitey, who is the coach of the junior varsity basketball team. Keith convinces Whitey to give Lucas a chance to be on the team which Dan wouldn't like to happen. Lucas was granted a spot on the basketball team by the coach, Whitey. Dan is furious with the fact that Lucas will be on the team and turns Nathan against Lucas. Dan tells Nathan that they've worked too hard and they don't need someone like Lucas to take Nathan's spot on the team. However, Lucas does take Nathan's spot as shooting guard which makes Dan even more furious. Lucas finds out that Dan actually tried to have joint custody of Lucas but Karen refused. Through out the season, Dan pushes Nathan too far to the point where Nathan actually takes drugs. Towards the end of the season, Deb and Dan are in the process of going through a divorce and Nathan breaks away from Dan because his girlfriend, Haley taught him to be a better person. Nathan moves out of the house and goes into an apartment. The final scene of Dan of Season 1 is him having an heart attack which plays a major role in later seasons.

Season 2[]

At the beginning of season two Dan has a heart attack.Deb finds him on the floor and call 911. Dan lets Keith take over the dealer ship while he gets better. He makes him Vice President. When Dan gets out of the hospital Deb lets him stay until he gets better and he tries to make things better with Lucas. Lucas decides to help Dan with rehab but it fails as Dan reverts back to his old ways. Dan finds out he is going to be fine. When Deb asks if he's going to be okay he Dan is paying Jules to be with Keith. Dan deliberately tells Karen that Deb and Keith slept together. Dan finds out that Lucas has HCM and tells him if he moves in he'll pay for his HCM medication. When Nathan and Lucas end up in jail Karen bails them out but Dan takes the credit. Dan and Karen go to court to see who Lucas wants to live with and Lucas says Dan. When Keith finds out Dan paid Jules to be with him he goes to the dealership and they get into a fight. When Nathan ends up in the hospital he is there for him. Dan finds out that Karen is dating Andy her college professor. Dan goes to Andy's class and exposed that he is dating Karen. Nathan is having money problems and Dan says he'll pay the bills only on one condition. Haley has to sign a annulment. On the season finale of Dan receives a bottle and a note that says " For all you've done". Later that night the dealership is set on fire.

Season 3[]

Dan survived the fire at the dealership, however, without any recollection of who caused the fire, and how he managed to survive it. He made it his mission to find who did it, and get his revenge on the culprit. Initially staying with Deb during the duration of his recovery, Dan retreated again to the beach house. After seeing Lucas standing near a bonfire, part of Dan's memory in regards to the arson is triggered and he remembered seeing Lucas there. Convinced that he was the one that had tried to kill him, Dan followed Lucas to the high school gym where he nearly strangled him. Due to Peyton's intervention, enlightening Dan that Lucas didn't kill him as much as save him, he released his son.

After having the dealership fire ruled as an accident, Dan ran for mayor. Blackmailing Deb into supporting his candidacy, by offering her a deal -support for Nathan's well-being- she stood by his side during the entire election while her best friend, Karen, was running against Dan. However, Dan's campaign was more than once dented by Deb's attempt to embarrass him. Eventually winning the election, Mayor Dan got access to the Fire Departments rulings that the dealership fire was an accident and the police reports, Dan set out the discover the truth. Discovering that his brother, Keith, had bought the same kind of liquor with which he was drugged only hours before the fire, Dan was convinced that the he had found his culprit. This information and his thirst for revenge drove Dan to the point where he shot Keith at point blank range in the hallway of Tree Hill High during the school shooting. Successfully blaming Jimmy who had only moments before took his own life, Dan managed to remain unpunished for this crime.

During Nathan and Haley's second wedding, Deb came clean to Dan, telling him that she was the one that had tried to kill him instead of Keith. Overcome by grief and guilt, Dan started seeing Keith's ghost everywhere.

Season 4[]

In the premiere of season four Cooper and Rachel get into a car crash. Nathan goes to save them. When Dan hears he goes to the hospital. Later Dan assaults Deb at the hospital. Nathan goes to Dan for help with money and he says no. Nathan tells Dan about Daunte and Dan helps him. Dan goes to Daunte and tries to make a bargain with him. When Nathan wins the game Daunte gets angry and runs over Haley and crashes into a wall. Nathan starts punching him and before the cops show up Dan tells Nathan to go. He takes the fall for his son. Dan faces murder charges for what happened to Daunte. Dan is released from jail and Deb attempts suicide. Dan finds Deb and calls the ambulance. He tells them to take her to rehab. He helps Karen out in various was like making her a crib, fixing her dinner, and helping out at the cafe. Dan gets strange texts and messages written on the walls at work and home from an anonymous person. Dan finds out the person who sending him texts and messages is Abby Brown. He goes to her house and tells her she didn't see anything. Also she didn't see him kill and threatens her and mom. Abby goes to Lucas's home and tell him that his father killed his uncle. Lucas attacks Dan after walking in on him and Karen kissing. Lucas tells Karen that Dan killed Keith, but Dan convinces Karen that Lucas is delusional and needs help. Lucas then steals Deb's gun. While Dan and Karen are eating dinner Lucas confronts Dan in front of Karen, having set him up by sending him a message from "Abby". Karen collapses and Lucas fires a warning shot at Dan, telling him not to touch her. Karen is rushed to hospital with eclampsia and has an emergency c- section. On the season 4 finale Dan goes to the police station and turns himself in for Keith's murder.

The Missing Years[]

He was locked up in the Tree Hill Prison for killing Keith. He then comes back, later on.

Season 5[]

Dan returns to Tree Hill after being paroled. He attempts contact with his sons, who want nothing to do with him, so he begins following and watching his family. Because of this, he is able to rescue Jamie from Carrie after she kidnaps him from Lucas' wedding. After this, Dan has some "secret" meetings with Jamie while he's at school. Jamie wished that Dan would go to his 5th birthday party but he was not allowed to but that didn't stop him from giving him a birthday present. The present was Nathans first jersey growing up. Later that night, Nathan goes to the beach house to tell Dan that he had no business going to the party and for him to stay away from him and his family. In which Dan gives him some papers. Nathan looks over the papers only to discover that Dan has left the beach house to Nathan and his family. Dan then lays the harsh truth that he only has 6 months to live because of his heart condition (HCM) and needs a heart transplant. Lucas pays Dan a visit because he thinks he's lying and tells him that he's going to check up on if he's dying or not only to find that he really is telling the truth this time.

Season 6[]

Dan is held hostage by Carrie, who hit him with a car outside the hospital just as the pager to alert Dan that a heart had been found for transplant. Carrie takes Dan to a remote house and remodels a room to look like that of one in a hospital to fool Dan when he comes to.

Carrie drives Dan' black SUV in front of Jamie's school, leading Haley and Jamie to believe he is still alive, but when Haley attempts to investigate, the SUV pulls away.

Dan attempts to break free, but when he discovers the shallow grave where Carrie buried her son, she knocks him out and chains him to the bed again. Carrie eventually makes contact with Deb in the park and contacts Haley as Dan's "hospice nurse", hoping to lure Haley into a trap and kidnap Jamie again.

Dan comes to again and finds Haley inside the house, but before Haley can help Dan, Carrie knocks out Haley and then goes after Jamie, who is in Haley's SUV. Jamie breaks out the window and runs into the corn field, with Carrie giving chase. Haley finds Jamie, but when her cell phone goes off as Nathan calls, Carrie gives chase again. As the three exit the field and run back in front of the house, Deb knocks out Carrie with a bottle of champagne.

Dan comes out and tells Carrie the police are on their way. Carrie laughs and tells Dan they will never catch her, and Dan responds by shooting her in the chest. Carrie gets up, but Dan shoots her again in the head, killing her once and for all.Dan is exonerated by the authorities and returns to Tree Hill to reconnect with Jamie. Eventually, Dan is placed back on the waiting list for a heart transplant.Jamie discovers the beeper going off in his room, and Dan goes to the hospital for surgery. However, as the heart is brought into the hospital for transplant, the courier trips, the ice chest containing the heart opens, and a dog belonging to a drug addict eats the heart. Dan angrily goes into the ocean and demands the tide take him away, but he survives. He later tells Nathan and Lucas they are good sons and he is sorry for all he's done.

Dan is waiting to die in the series finale when he visits Whitey at his ranch. Dan demands Whitey shoot him, but instead Whitey embraces his former player and tells Dan there's still time for redemption.

Dan goes to Lucas' house and finds Peyton on the porch with their newborn baby, Sawyer. Dan asks Peyton if he can hold his granddaughter. Peyton is hesitant at first, but she relents. As Dan departs, he encounters Karen and Lucas, who are returning from a visit to the cemetery to Keith's grave. The pair walk by Dan without saying a word.

Season 7[]

After being released from prison, the season jumps to a point where Dan has a new wife, Rachel Gatina, who graduated with Dan's son, Nathan. Dan is living in Los Angeles, with Rachel. Dan has his own television show called Scott Free Redemption, where he tells people to "step into the light and make yourself right." Rachel serves as the show's producer. Dan and Rachel claim to love each other, but they prove themselves to still be the selfish people they were years before.

Season 8[]

Quinn goes to Dan at his diner, and asks for help to murder Katie. Dan convinces Quinn that murdering someone is something that you can't take back. Eventually Quinn takes his advice and she leaves.

Season 9[]

Dan returns in season 9 because he loses everything when the diner burns down. He convinced Haley to let him stay with them for a few days, saying he has nowhere else to go. A flash-forward sequence shows Dan with Chris Keller, burning down a house and apparently ready to kill someone. Dan goes into the warehouse where Nathan is held with the help of Chris and Julian, he kills most of Dimitri's men and while trying to save Nathan, Dan takes a bullet and saves Nathan's life. He is still alive but is shown in the hospital thinking that he will not live "this time". Eventually, he does die in the hospital with Nathan, Haley, Jamie and Deb at his bedside. His brother Keith takes him to the other side once he has died, telling Dan that he forgives him.

Relationships[]

Family[]

• Family: Dan Scott/Family

Romantic Life[]

• Relationships: Dan Scott/Relationships

Career[]

Trivia[]

• His middle name Lionel. The initial was seen on a letter to Lucas about Dan's parole hearing.
• Dan is one of few main characters to appear in all 9 seasons of One Tree Hill. The other main characters are: Nathan Scott, Brooke Davis, Haley James Scott, Mouth and Skills.
• Dan was the main villain in Season One, and a supporting villain Season Two and Season Three. He became an anti-hero in Season Four, Season Five, Season Six, Season Seven, Season Eight. And finally became a hero in Season Nine.
• Dan is only character to have an episode named after him: Danny Boy.
• Dan was the second and final main character to be killed off, the first being Keith.
• Dan is one of the four main male characters to appear in all 9 seasons of One Tree Hill. The other three are: Nathan, Mouth and Skills.

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