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Your A-to-Z guide to the ‘Bourne’ franchise

“It seemed like it was done,” Matt Damon says of his involvement in the “Bourne” franchise.

After playing the killing machine known as Jason Bourne in 2002’s “The Bourne Identity,” 2004’s “The Bourne Supremacy” and 2007’s “The Bourne Ultimatum,” Damon walked away from the role.

He’d even been pseudo-replaced by Jeremy Renner in the spinoff, “The Bourne Legacy.”

But, Damon says, fans wouldn’t stop asking when he was going to make another sequel.

“Speaking as somebody who’s made plenty of movies that nobody’s gone to see,” the actor reveals, “it’s a big deal to have a loyal audience who wants to see a movie.”

Now that he’s back onscreen in the made-in-Vegas “Jason Bourne,” here’s a refresher course on the movies with your A-to-Z guide to the “Bourne” franchise:

Abbott, Ward: CIA section chief, portrayed by Brian Cox, who antagonized Bourne in “Identity” and “Supremacy.” Corrupt and compromised, he killed himself rather than face treason charges.

Amnesia: Condition Bourne suffers from. “I can see the faces. Everyone I’ve ever killed,” he says in “Ultimatum.” “I just don’t know their names.”

Blackbriar, Operation: An upgrade of Operation Treadstone. Begun as a surveillance program, according to Noah Vosen, “it is now the umbrella program for all our black ops. Full envelope intrusion, rendition, experimental interrogation.” It’s the evil organization at the heart of “Ultimatum.”

Chases: The signature of the “Bourne” franchise, whether he’s on a motorcycle or scooter, driving a beat-up Mini, a stolen taxi or police car, or on foot scampering across rooftops and hurling himself through the windows of innocent Moroccans. You even may have read a little something about a chase scene that shut down the Strip for “Jason Bourne.”

Conklin, Alexander: The head of Treadstone, portrayed by Chris Cooper, whom Abbot had murdered at the end of “Identity.”

Cross, Aaron: A genetically enhanced member, portrayed by Jeremy Renner, of a black-ops program called Operation Outcome in “The Bourne Legacy,” the placeholder movie to keep the franchise alive until Damon would agree to reprise his signature role. It did not turn out well.

Dead: How most people who encounter Bourne end up.

East River: The last place Bourne was seen, after being shot at and falling off a building, at the end of “Ultimatum.”

Flip phones: What most of the characters were still using to communicate with the last time we saw Bourne.

Greengrass, Paul: Director of “Supremacy” and “Ultimatum” without whose participation Damon wouldn’t agree to make “Jason Bourne.”

Hairstylist: Occupation that pretty much anyone can do, apparently, given the chic new disguise ’do Bourne gives Marie in “Identity” and Nicky gives herself in “Ultimatum.”

Hirsch, Dr. Albert: Portrayed by Albert Finney, he ran Treadstone’s psychological conditioning program and created the master assassin known as Jason Bourne through behavioral modification.

Internet cafe: Where Bourne used to have to go to Google things while he was on the run.

India: Where Bourne and Marie were living happily ever after, trying to reconstruct his memories, at the beginning of “Supremacy.”

Jerky: Filming style for which certain “Bourne” scenes have been criticized. To this day, I’m still fairly certain the final chase in “Legacy” gave me a mild seizure.

Kirill: Assassin, portrayed by Karl Urban, who kills Marie and plants Bourne’s fingerprints at the scene of a CIA mission gone wrong, which brings Bourne in from the cold to exact revenge in “Supremacy.”

Kreutz, Marie: Woman, portrayed by Franka Potente, whom Bourne meets at the U.S. Embassy in Zurich, pays $20,000 to drive him to Paris and ultimately falls in love with.

Landy, Pamela: Deputy CIA director, portrayed by Joan Allen, who hunts Bourne in “Supremacy” before eventually becoming his ally and releasing documents exposing Blackbriar in “Ultimatum.”

Ludlum, Robert: Novelist who created Jason Bourne with 1980’s “The Bourne Identity.”

Mediterranean Sea: Where Bourne, shot multiple times and floating unconscious, is rescued by fishermen at the beginning of “Identity.”

Moby: Vegan dance-music artist whose song “Extreme Ways” plays at the end of every “Bourne” movie.

Nixa, Mo.: Bourne’s hometown.

Off-road: Where Bourne prefers to drive. Seriously, if he’s on a street and happens to see a set of concrete steps, you can be absolutely certain he’ll drive up them, down them or both.

Parsons, Nicky: A low-level CIA field operative, portrayed by Julia Stiles, who’s assigned to monitor Bourne only to end up teaming with him. She’s the only character other than Bourne to appear in every entry in the franchise, except “Legacy.”

Quarters, close: How Bourne prefers to fight: hand-to-hand, cramped and dirty.

Russia: The site of Bourne’s first assassinations. When he recovers that memory in “Supremacy,” he returns to apologize to his victims’ daughter.

Sexiest Man Alive: Honor bestowed on Damon in 2007 by People magazine, which should be a major disadvantage when it comes to Bourne’s blending into crowds. You really should hear more “Bourne” characters exclaiming things like, “My word! Look at that sexy man!” Or, “Darling, why has that ridiculously handsome young man been following us all day?”

Treadstone, Operation: Top-secret black-ops program that recruited members of the military, like Bourne, to turn them into nearly unstoppable assassins.

Unconventional: Type of weapons Bourne uses against his adversaries. So far, those have included a book, a rolled-up magazine, a towel and a ballpoint pen.

Vodka: What Bourne uses to disinfect a gunshot wound in his shoulder while driving a battered, stolen taxi during a high-speed chase in “Supremacy.”

Vosen, Noah: Rogue deputy CIA director, portrayed by David Strathairn, who oversaw Operation Blackbriar and intended to keep it that way, even if it meant assassinating other CIA assets, in “Ultimatum.”

Webb, David: Bourne’s real name.

Xenization: Meaning to travel as a stranger, it’s how Bourne lives most of his life.

“You’re a malfunctioning $30 million weapon”: How Alexander Conklin refers to Bourne in “Identity.”

Zurich: Where Bourne heads in “Identity,” straight from the fishing trawler, to access a safe deposit box containing a variety of passports under multiple names, plenty of cash and a gun. It’s also where he meets Marie.

Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com. On Twitter: @life_onthecouch

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