Amos Burton
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Amos Burton |
| Occupation: | Mechanic |
| Relationships: | |
| Fandom: | The Expanse |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Amos Burton is a character in the TV series The Expanse, which is based on the series of novels of the same name by James S.A. Corey.
Amos Burton is an Earther mechanic on the Canterbury. When the Cant responds to a distress beacon, Amos is one of a handful of crew members who survives an unprovoked attack from an unknown enemy.
Actor Engagement with Fans
Wes Chatham, the actor who plays Amos Burton in the TV show, has engaged with the show beyond acting, particularly in collaboration with Ty Franck, one of the two authors who use the pseudonym James S.A. Corey to write The Expanse book series. Chatham and Franck hosted a post-episode discussion on YouTube for all of Season 5 and all of Season 6.[note 1]
Chatham and Franck started hosting a podcast together in early 2021, Ty and That Guy, that does interview cast and crew from The Expanse TV show but broadens beyond that to other genres, “the art, movies, books, and ideas that inspired them.”
Fandom
In the books and TV show, Amos’ character and personality are initially confusing or threatening, because his easy, practical use of violence. Much initial fan discussion surrounded his motivations and mysterious backstory. Some believe that his use of violence may hint at sociopathy or a tragic childhood. Another popular headcanon is that Amos may be autistic, although this headcanon is rarely associated with the character's violent tendencies.
He is analytical and quick-thinking in crises. Although he resorts to violence quickly, he is often practical in explaining why he made that choice, such as his murder of Sematimba in S2 or his approach to Murtry in S4, and he is equally quick to offer a chance to resolve the aftermath interpersonally, such as his interactions with Det. Miller after the murder of Sematimba.
Throughout the show, Amos grows; trusting people other than Naomi to make the “right” choices (like Holden or the Rev Dr Anna), experiencing compassion and friendship for other adults (like Prax), realizing others are complex (like Naomi), eventually trusting himself to guide others (like Clarissa). All of Amos's close relationships in canon are platonic. In fanfiction, there are gen and shipping fics arising from Amos' canon friendships.
Pairings
Amos Burton/Clarissa Mao is a pairing that originated in the book fandom, so fans of this pairing were eagerly awaiting the arrival of Clarissa on the show. Gen Amos & Clarissa stories also appear.
From the TV show, Amos Burton/Praxidike Meng is a common pairing for Amos. “Prax” is a botanist in Seasons 2-3 who is on board the Roci to search for his 4-year-old daughter and Amos bonds with him for many reasons.
The other common pairings are Amos Burton/Alex Kamal or Amos Burton/James Holden; two other members of the Roci crew. Amos’ relationship with Naomi Nagata, the 4th member of the crew, is evident in the show as caring and loyal but platonic. Still Amos/Naomi fics, and the poly pairing of Amos/Holden/Naomi, also appear.
Events
- Amos Burton Appreciation Week was organised by fans on Tumblr and took place 24 July to 30 July 2017. In keeping with this fandom's norms, prompts revolved around discussions and meta posts, rather than creating fanworks.
Example Fanworks
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Fanfic
- Ones You Follow, and Ones You Need to Protect by days4daisy - this fic reflects on Amos’ easy use of physical intimacy to express emotion. It’s titled from a quote from Amos in S2E6, “The way I see it, there’s only three kinds of people in this world. Bad ones, ones you follow, and ones you need to protect.”
- A Moments Rest, a crossover with CW’s Legends of Tomorrow - a short bromance interlude between Amos and Mick Rory
Fanvids
- Amos Burton || What happened to you? by Shainira
- (The Expanse/Amos Burton) l "Human" by Withering Sage
Meta
- okay, so, the thing about Amos by almostdefinitelydying, is a character study of Amos that suggest he may be an autistic character suffering from PTSD. The meta post was read by actor Wes Chatham who called it fascinating and very intuitive. It also lead to a discussion on Reddit, here.
- The Expanse (book spoilers): Giant post all about Amos Burton by koalathebear
- Amos isn't a Psychopath (First season spoilers only.) discussion started by CommanderStarkiller
Archives & Fannish Links
- Amos Burton works on Ao3
- Amos Burton works on ff.net
- Amos Burton (Books) and Amos Burton (TV) page on The Expanse fandom wiki
Notes
- ^ The Expanse started airing on Amazon Prime for Season 4.