Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Nun 2!
Valak may have taken advantage of Father Burke’s absence in The Nun 2 to strike. Despite being defeated by Sister Irene in The Nun, Valak survived the Blood of Christ by possessing Irene’s savior, Frenchie. A few years later, it’s time for Irene to face Valak again and pay back the favor, exorcising Frenchie and casting our Valak once and for all. Of course, Valak needs to survive to haunt the Warrens in The Conjuring 2, but the demon is still able to wreak havoc before its temporary demise.
One major character in Sister Irene’s first encounter with Valak was Father Burke, played by Demián Bichir. Father Burke escorted Sister Irene to Romania, where they identified the demon and stopped it with a vial of the Blood of Christ. Yet, Father Burke doesn’t appear in The Nun 2, and Irene is able to defeat Valak without the help of a priest. Although brief, The Nun does provide a reason for Father Burke’s absence, though there may be more to it than it seems.
Father Burke Died Off-Screen Before The Nun 2
Father Burke and Sister Irene formed a close relationship in The Nun, but they seemingly lost touch after their first encounter with Valak. Irene left Cârța Monastery and traveled to Italy, where she’s later contacted by a Cardinal to investigate Valak’s recent appearances. The Cardinal informs Irene about all the priests and nuns that have died in strange conditions, which prompts Irene to ask him about Father Burke. While Father Burke wasn’t one of those unfortunate religious figures, he did die of cholera some time before the events of The Nun 2.
Now, cholera was no longer common in mid-twentieth century Europe, so Father Burke’s cause of death is rare. It’s possible that the priest’s death had something to do either with his encounter with Valak in The Nun or with Valak’s later manifestations prior to The Nun 2. In the first scenario, Father Burke’s efforts to cast out the demon could have left him with physical side effects. In the second scenario, Valak could have tried to kill Father Burke violently afterward but only succeeded by giving him a deadly illness.
What Demián Bichir Has Done Since The Nun
Demián Bichir didn’t reprise his role as Father Burke in The Nun 2, but the Oscar-nominated actor has kept himself busy with other projects since 2018’s The Nun. Bichir starred as Santiago Mendoza in the 2019 American adaptation of the Spanish mystery TV series Grand Hotel before playing Detective Goodman in the 2020 supernatural horror film The Grudge, which is part of the famous Japanese horror franchise started by 2002’s Ju-On: The Grudge. Demián Bichir then appeared in George Clooney’s 2020 sci-fi The Midnight Sky and Robin Wright’s 2021 psychological drama Land.
Two big 2021 releases Demián Bichir was a part of were Doug Liman’s sci-fi Chaos Walking and Adam Wingard’s Godzilla vs. Kong, where Bichir played Ben Moore and Walter Simmons, respectively. Bichir returned to horror in 2022 with the TV series Let The Right One In, where he starred as Mark Kane. Demián Bichir’s latest project prior to the release of The Nun 2 was the lighthearted fantasy drama Chupa, where he played the protagonist’s grandfather, Chava.
