Cotton Weary is a major character in Scream, 2, and 3.
Biography[]
Wrongly accused
Cotton, a local of Woodsboro, had a covert relationship with Maureen Prescott before being wrongfully detained and convicted of her rape and murder in late September 1995. Gale Weathers had strong convictions about his innocence because he believed Maureen had seduced Cotton and that the murderer had hidden evidence, such as his coat, in his car to frame him.
Scream (1996)[]
Cotton's only appearance in the movie was in the news, getting arrested after "murdering and raping" Maureen Prescott.
Scream 2 (1997)[]
The news media, including local journalist Debbie Salt, converge on Windsor College where Sidney Prescott studies alongside her closest friend Hallie McDaniel, her new lover Derek Feldman, fellow Woodsboro survivor Randy Meeks and Derek's best friend Mickey Altieri. Two additional Woodsboro survivors arrive: police officer Dewey Riley to provide Sidney security, and reporter Gale Weathers to chronicle the case. Cotton Weary, who is hoping to earn notoriety by being cleared of the rape and murder of Sidney's mother, Maureen Prescott, is the subject of an attempt by Gale and her new cameraman, Joel Martin, to manufacture a confrontation between Sidney and Cotton Weary.
Sidney and Hallie go to a sorority house party that night. Student Cici Cooper is killed by Ghostface at a different adjacent sorority house. Ghostface breaks into the house after the partygoers have left and assaults Sidney. Ghostface injures Derek but leaves when the cops come. Later, after finding that Cici's true name is Casey, Gale theorizes that the new Ghostface is targeting pupils with the same names as the Woodsboro murder victims. Randy theorizes that the killer is likely someone Sidney knows and is patterning the crimes on a movie sequel. Soon later, Ghostface phones Gale, Dewey, and Randy when they are gathered in daylight on the college campus green. Despite their attempts to find him, Ghostface finally ambushes Randy, forcing him into Joel's media van, where he is slain. Joel, scared he will be targeted next, skips town. In an effort to identify the assailant near the previous crime locations as campus darkness falls, Dewey and Gale visit a building to check tapes of footage captured by Joel. However, the assailant approaches them and stabs Dewey. Sidney and Hallie are being driven to a safe home by two cops when Ghostface catches up with them and kills them. In the subsequent battle, Ghostface is knocked unconscious, but recovers and murders Hallie.
Sidney discovers Derek in the auditorium bound to a cross from a previous fraternity hazing ceremony when she is drawn to the music playing in the college theater and searching for safety. Ghostface arrives, revealing himself to be Mickey, and shoots Derek, killing him. Mickey plans to murder Sidney and then consent to being caught so he can claim at his trial that the killings were caused by movie violence. Then it is revealed that Debbie Salt, a local reporter Sidney knows as Mrs. Loomis, is his sidekick. Mrs. Loomis betrays Mickey by shooting him, and Gale is shot in self-defense before collapsing. Sidney brings out the absurdity of Mrs. Loomis' motivation, given that she abandoned her own son in the past, which led him to become a serial killer. Mrs. Loomis explains that she is seeking retribution against Sidney for killing her son, Billy. The struggle continues until Cotton steps in. Mrs. Loomis attempts to coax Cotton into murdering Sidney, but to her horror, he decides to shoot Mrs. Loomis in return for an interview with Sidney and Diane Sawyer. Mickey reappears out of nowhere, but Gale and Sidney shoot him dead right away and brutally. Then, to be sure Mrs. Loomis is dead, Sidney shoots her in the head.
When the police come, Dewey is discovered to still be alive and Gale hops into the ambulance with him rather than seizing the chance to report to the returned Joel, revealing that she cares more for Dewey than for the renown she always craved. By telling the media to focus on Cotton, Sidney diverts attention away from herself while giving Cotton the celebrity he has been seeking.
Scream 3 (2000)[]
Ghostface calls Cotton Weary on his vehicle phone, who is now the host of a popular talk program. The voice begs to be told Sidney Prescott's whereabouts. Ghostface enters Cotton's house and assaults his girlfriend Christine when he doesn't cooperate.
Death[]
Cotton's death
Christine assumes Cotton was responsible for the incident after Cotton hurries home. Ghostface murders Christine as he attempts to reason with her and then is killed by Roman since he refused to give him Sidney's whereabouts. This leads to Cotton becoming the second legacy character to die (as well as the first to be killed in the opening scene). James gave him the Dull Machete in the Recount because of how big actor Liev Schreiber loses to Roman Bridger.
Victims[]
Scream 2[]
- Mrs. Loomis - Shot