In the film, he moved to New York City after following Sam and Tara and helped his kids get accepted into Blackmore University where they took up the mantle of roommate to Tara and Sam, and Chad. Wayne was threatened by the arrival of FBI Special Agent Kirby Reed as she could've blown his cover but he kept up appearances.
Wayne and Ethan helped Quinn fake her death so she could take on the mantle as Ghostface whilst they kept up appearances with the group. He eventually unmasked himself and was killed by Sam after she wore Billy's mask and robe and stabbed him over forty times with one final stab to the eye.
Wayne married an unnamed woman and the two gave birth to three kids: Richie Kirsch, Quinn Bailey and Ethan Landry. Wayne indulged Richie's love of the Stabfilm franchise, and used his high ranking detective status to steal evidence from previous Ghostface murders to help him build a shrine in an old, abandoned, New York City theatre.
After Richie formed a plan with Woodsboro teenager Amber Freeman, possibly unknown to his father, the two tried to stage the events of a new Stab film which led to Richie being stabbed and killed by Sam. As a result of his death, Wayne felt anger about losing his son and this only worsened when Gale Weathers published a book detailing the events. Wayne went mad and sought revenge against Sam and Tara.
Together with Quinn and Ethan, they formed a plan to go to New York where Sam and Tara now lived. Wayne took a position as an NYPD Detective and he and Quinn kept up their appearance as father and daughter whilst Ethan formed a new identity completely unrelated to them.
The New York Ghostface Murders
Wayne stalked Blackmore University student, Jason Carvey and watched as he murdered his professor, Laura Crane, and then followed him back to his dorm room. Quinn calls Jason and she plays a game of Hot and Cold leading him to the refrigerator which contains the decapitated body of Greg Bruckner whom he already killed. Wayne then stabs Jason in the back as he groans in pain before Wayne asked ''Do you feel like a animal, Jason? Like Meat?'' before proceeding to stab his stomach Repeatingly before Jason fell to the floor from the pain. He looked up at Wayne and asked ''We have to finish the movie..'' as blood came out from his mouth, trickling. Wayne says in response to that saying ''Who gives a fuck about movies?!'' before bringing the blade down to Jason's Upper chest and slashing it, Killing Jason as his body went motionless. He then leaves Sam's ID and Richie Kirsch and Amber Freeman's mask.
Whilst on the way, Wayne called Sam using Richie's old phone and threatened her before Ghostface emerges from an alley. He attacked Sam and Tara and they evaded him by running into a Bodega where he followed them. One of the customers in the bodega asked the killer, ''You have a problem here, guy?''. Ghostface then proceeded to stab him in the stomach and then in the chest. He held his chest before falling backwards and dying. Another customer attacked Wayne while he was looking at the body, grabbing his wrist until he spun backwards and plunged the knife into the customer's throat, dipping and twisting before he pulled it out and blood sprayed across himself and his body fell to the floor. Wayne stood motionless as he looked at Samantha and Tara as he was about to strike them. The Bodega Clerk aimed a shotgun at Ghostface and yelled ''HEY!'' Ghostface took notice and ducked as the Bodega Clerk shot, dodging the shot. As the Bodega Clerk was looking around, Tara and Samantha asked for the keys to the door. As the clerk was about to give the keys to the girls, the killer approached from behind and stabbed him in the heart, before pushing him back to the counter as Ghostface snatched his gun and aimed it at his chest. As the man was pleading for his life, Wayne fired the shot into the Clerk's chest. As the impact caused blood to spray, his body relaxed and went motionless as Ghostface looked and tried to find Tara and Sam who were shocked from the sudden attack. As Ghostface finds Samantha, He tried to shot them but Samantha and Tara pushes over a shelf as Ghostface fell backwards and again, fired his shotgun now at the celling. Samantha and Tara ran outside as the police arrived. As Tara looks back at Ghostface isn't there anymore. Leaving behind Charlie Walker's and Jill Roberts' mask.
Wayne questioned Sam and Tara and was then introduced to FBI Agent Kirby Reed who wanted to assist him in investigating the murders after she almost fell victim to Ghostface in 2011. Wayne was threatened by her arrival but kept up appearances by teaming up with her. Wayne then kills Christopher Stone by stabbing him in the face and leaving Roman Bridger's mask and takes Sam's personal files. Later that night he fakes Quinn's death by swapping her real body with a decoy and feigns grief over the murder of his daughter.
He then devises a plan to track down Ghostface, unbeknownst to the group that this was a setup between him, Quinn and Ethan. Wayne stood guard in a park whilst Sam and Tara walked around and waited for a phone call from Ghostface. When the call came through, Kirby tracked it to Gale's penthouse where Quinn was waiting to attack her. Sam and Tara stop Wayne's police car to go after her.
When Gale is wounded, Tara comes up with a plan to capture Ghostface and shares this with Wayne who says they should use the warehouse and that they should travel in public, allowing for Quinn to attack Mindy Meeks-Martin on the subway. When Chad, Tara, Sam and Kirby arrive at the theatre, Wayne calls and tells them that Kirby was discharged from the FBI for mental health reasons, in an attempt frame her as the killer.
Wayne arrives at the theatre and then shots Kirby twice as he reveals himself as one of the killers along with Ethan and Quinn and that they're seeking revenge for Sam killing Richie. Sam and Tara kill Quinn and Ethan and Sam and Wayne fall over a railing where Wayne is knocked out after smashing into a glass display case. When Wayne comes to, he gets a phone call from Sam who uses the Ghostface voice and she then emerges behind him in Billy Loomis' old mask and robe and she stabs him, Wayne groans and screams in pain as the knife went in, over and over again every stab felt like it's burning. It only got worse as Sam stabbed him over 40 times. As Sam takes off the mask and tries to strike again in the shoulder but Tara comes from behind. Wayne is bleeding uncontrollably, the pain unimaginable as Tara gives Sam an approving nod, Sam grabs Wayne's back head and purges the knife into his eye, He screamed out in pain. Screaming loud as the blood began coming out from his eyes. Before Sam lets go, he fell to the floor, twitching as blood came to his face and cheek until he choked on blood as his leg went motionless, his body as it relaxes and his breathing stops as he dies.
"I already lost one son. Now I've lost both my kids."
"Remember Samantha Carpenter's alibi, the therapist? He was stabbed to death, through the nose. Through the nose, how messed up is that? He turned her in for making threatening remarks, ended up dead. And guess which patient's notes were stolen?"
"Do you have a license? What are you doing? It's a cop car! You can't steal a cop car!"
"Did you kill Quinn? Did you kill my daughter?!" (to Kirby)
After reveal
"Good work. Both of you."
"You are a killer. Just like your father!" (to Sam)
"There's a very special bond between a father and his first son."
"All the best lies are based from the hard truth."
"You'd be amazed at what a grieving father can get away with."
"Everybody dies, Sam. Everyone who had anything to do with the death of my son, suffers and dies!"
"I'm a fucking police officer. How do you think this is gonna go, Sam? Who do you think they're gonna believe, huh?"
As Ghostface
"Do you feel like an animal, Jason? Like... meat?"
"Who gives a fuck about movies?"
"You should be thanking me, Sam. Jason and Greg were gonna kill you and your sister. I gutted them before they had the chance."
"I'm going to show the world who you really are: a liar and a killer. I'm going to punish you, Sam."
"Don't you know the legacy characters are disposable now? Nobody cares about last century's heroes."
"Strange that you and I have never spoken on the phone. This is long overdue."
"Call it nostalgia. Or maybe you deserve to be PUNISHED for all that money you made off the misery of others. Maybe it's time, someone make a buck, reporting - YOUR death." (to Gale)
By recruiting his own children to his cause, Wayne was the first Ghostface who's confirmed to purposely corrupting his own family members. Furtheremore, In deleted dialogue from Scream VI, it is revealed that Wayne forced Ethan to help him murder their mother after she refused to assist with their plans to get revenge against Sam. Had this dialogue stayed canon, it would've made Wayne far worse.
At the age of 58, Wayne Bailey is the oldest Ghostface.
It is also noted that Wayne was the only Ghostface who used a gun while being masked.
Due to his law Enforcment background he is likely the most skilled Ghostface in firearms.
Wayne is similar to Nancy Loomis as both of their actions led to their respective child becoming killers, desired revenge for said child, and both shown no geniune remorse for their failure as parents, whether by refusing to admit their own faults (Nancy) or giving back-handed apologies that are more self-pity than actual taking responsibility (Wayne). At the same time, Wayne is actually worse than Nancy. Whereas Nancy's angry and reckless actions by proxy infected Billy, she never meant for Billy to go down a dark path. Wayne on the other hand deliberately corrupted his children, shamelessly spoiling one child and encouraging his love of the "Stab" franchise while pushing his other two children into committing murders with him.
In that sense, while Nancy is very similar to Pamela Voorhees, Wayne is very similar to Roy Burns.
The name Wayne Bailey was a reference to two characters mentioned by Sherrie in Stab 6: "It could be anyone we know. Lisa, Bailey, Wayne. Or the hopeful long shot, Channing Tatum."
Both are cops, both wear similar clothes
In an interview, Dermot Mulroney said that his character, Detective Bailey, honors the image of the franchise's previous main sheriff, Dewey Riley, played by David Arquette: "The thing that I liked best about being a policeman in Scream VI is that I could follow in the footsteps of the great David Arquette playing Dewey for so many beloved films of the franchise. To be genuine, itās a great legacy to continue playing a cop in the Scream series."[1]
This also confirms the original script of the movie, where Wayne is described as follows: "A small cop in the big city. Might remind us of another recently deceased policeman."[2]
Dermot Mulroney starred in the 1995 movie, Copycat alongside Sigourney Weaver, Holly Hunter and Harry Connick Jr. He played Reuben Goetz, a detective hunting down a serial killer just like his Scream character, Wayne Bailey. Just like Bailey, Goetz is ultimately killed. Goetz death is a sad irony as he was killed in the line of duty by a man already in custody, While Bailey was ultimately reveled to be one of the killers (along with his children) and killed by the one of the protagonists.
Wayne shares similarities to Ben Willis from I Know What You Did Last Summer, which was also written by Kevin Williamson:
Both are family men out for revenge. Although in the case of Ben, before targeting Julie James (played by Jennifer Love Hewitt) and her friends for accidently striking him with their car, its revealed that he killed David Egan (who they initially believed they ran over before learning it was actually Willis himself, they hit), who was driving drunk and struck his daughter, Susan. While Wayne is after the Carpenter Sisters for the death of his murderous Son, Richie.
Although both Ben and Wayne already seemed to have some sort of psychotic tendency before the start of their movie. Wayne encouraged his son, Richie's love for the Stab movies and even went as far as building a shrine in honor of the murders the movies were based on, which eventually led him (along with Amber Freeman) to start his own killing spree. In I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, the character Estes (played by Bill Hobbs) mentioned that Ben had murdered his own wife.
Both have Murderous Children.
In I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Will Benson is revealed to be Ben's son and helps him take part in his murder spree just like Ethan Landry is revealed to be Wayne's youngest son and takes part in his murder spree.
Their children are ultimately killed by the protagonists, although in Will's case technically Ben indirectly kills him with his hook after Will had a Struggle with one of the Protagonists, Ray Bronson (played by Freddie Prinze Jr).
Both of their targets include a pair of siblings. Although Ben is successful in killing one of the main characters, Helen Shivers (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar) and her older sister, Elsa (played by Bridgette Wilson) while Sam and Tara Carpenter survive and Sam and Kirby ultimately kill Wayne and his children.
First Killer in the franchise to successfully kill a victim with a shotgun.
The Shallow Grove SlasherTom Martin from the TV series predates him as being the first killer to at least be armed with a shotgun, but he was unmasked and only aiming it at Jermey Blair before killing him later on with his signature garden sheers and aiming it at Emma Duval, when she learned who he truly was.
The 14th (15th if counting Dewey Riley, who technically retired in the 5th film) law enforcement death in the franchise.
Not Including the TV Series he is the 7th (8th if counting Dewey) law enforcment death.
However due to being one of the Ghostface killers in the 6th film, he is the first villainous cop in the series.
Only killer in the franchise to not use a knife in his reveal, insteading uses his handgun.
