Alexander " Alex " Michael Karev, M.D. is a fictional character on the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy, portrayed by actor Justin Chambers. Introduced as a surgical intern at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital. Karev eventually obtained the position of resident, later becoming a pediatric surgical fellow. His relationships with colleagues Meredith Grey ( Ellen Pompeo ), Cristina Yang ( Sandra Oh ), Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), and George O'Malley (T. R. Knight ) formed a focal point of the series.
The character is initially disliked by his fellow interns, and is often accused of being brusque and dismissive with his patients and co- workers. As a resident, Karev's negative attitude, temper and rudeness has occasionally earned the ire of the attendings, with former neonatal surgeon Addison Montgomery requesting him on her service as punishment for his rudeness to her and neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd, amongst others, throwing him out of their service for his inappropriate comments about patients. He demonstrates profound skill for the specialty which prompts praise from Montgomery and contributes to Karev's interest in pediatric surgery for the rest of the series. As the character developed, he displayed more empathy for patients and is shown to have a gift for connecting with young children, despite his repeated claims to dislike them.
Although Karev and Stevens had an on-off romantic history in previous seasons, it was not until the fifth season that the two formed a lasting relationship. Despite Stevens' advanced skin cancer, the two marry.
