Nathan Petrelli
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| Nathan Petrelli | |
|---|---|
 Adrian Pasdar as Nathan Petrelli |
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| First appearance | "Genesis" |
| Portrayed by | Adrian Pasdar |
| Information | |
| Ability | Self-propelled flight |
Nathan Petrelli, portrayed by Adrian Pasdar, is a fictional character on the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes. He is a New York lawyer-turned-congressman with the power of self-propelled flight, the older brother of Peter Petrelli, biological father of Claire Bennet, and son of Angela Petrelli. Nathan, ambitious and pragmatic, has a decidedly anti-hero streak, which exacerbates his complex relationships with his brother, Peter, and his biological daughter, Claire, and sometimes his mother, Angela.
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[edit] Plot
[edit] Genesis
Nathan is the son of Angela. He is a lawyer working with the District Attorney's office. The District Attorney wanted to expose the Mafia connections of his late father's client, Daniel Linderman. As he was driving his wife home from a party in a convertible, another vehicle attempted to run them off the road. Nathan inadvertently flew from his car, causing the car to lose control and veer off the freeway. The resulting crash caused his wife, Heidi, to suffer a paralyzing spinal injury.
Six months later, Nathan is running for Congress. In the pilot episode, he was approached by his brother Peter, who told him that he'd been having strange dreams and believed he could fly. Nathan claimed to be unconvinced. The following morning, Nathan watched from an alley as Peter jumped off a building in an attempt to fly. As Peter fell, Nathan flew into the air and grabbed his hand. They descended for a few seconds, but then the brothers lost their grip on one another.
The next day, Nathan denied that he flew and tried to explain away what happened as if it were simply a failed suicide attempt by Peter. Much later that night, Nathan was called to another rooftop, where Peter threatened to jump unless Nathan admitted that he flew. Nathan eventually admitted that he did fly. Still more focused on his campaign and his family, Nathan held a press conference where he broached the subject of depression. He revealed that his father suffered from it, and that it was the cause of his death. Nathan then claimed that Peter's attempt to fly was actually a suicide attempt, to satisfy the press. Peter stormed out of the press conference, later cursing Nathan out and assaulting him, but went along with the story in public.
[edit] Vegas
On his way to Las Vegas to meet with Mr. Linderman, Nathan encountered Mohinder Suresh, who attempted to warn him that his life may be in danger. Nathan mistook Mohinder for his recently murdered father, Chandra, assumed that Peter sent him, and ignored the man. In Las Vegas, Nathan encountered Jessica Sanders and the two slept together. The one-night stand was recorded on a sex tape in a blackmail attempt by Linderman. Afterwards, Noah Bennet monitored them and had the Haitian kidnap Nathan.
Barefoot and in pajamas, Nathan escaped when Bennet was distracted. Flying away, Nathan broke the sound barrier in the process. Nathan landed outside a diner in the desert outside Las Vegas and called an aide for help. While waiting for his ride, Nathan met Hiro Nakamura, who enthusiastically announced that he too had powers. Nathan was skeptical, but humored Hiro, who said he could teleport and manipulate time. Nathan asked about the upcoming election; Hiro said he won by a "landslide". When Nathan's ride arrived at the diner, Nathan agreed to give Hiro a ride back to the city.
After dropping Hiro off, Nathan went back to meet with Linderman, only to run into Niki on the way. Niki confessed her alter-ego Jessica's role in the blackmail attempt, saying that she had been blackmailed herself. When Nathan met with Linderman's associate again, he worked out a deal with her: Though their original deal was for two million dollars, Nathan became more certain than ever of his victory and negotiated for four million, saying, "for two million, you got a congressional candidate in your pocket; for four, you'll get a congressman."
[edit] Destinies
After Nathan returned to New York, he and his family had brunch with a newspaper reporter. During the brunch, the reporter questioned Nathan about his connections to the reputed mobster Linderman, and Nathan's meeting with a blond woman (aka Jessica Sanders) in Vegas. Peter covered for Nathan, telling the reporter that Nathan was arranging a private clinic to treat him for his mental health issues. Before leaving, Nathan told Peter about the failed kidnapping attempt, and warned his brother to be careful, saying that people would want to lock them up if they realized the two brothers had powers.
At home, Nathan enquired about a painting by Isaac Mendez which Linderman had purchased and Peter wanted. Linderman sent it "straight to Simone's gallery". When the painting arrived, Nathan viewed it with Simone. The image depicted a man resembling Peter, dead under a homecoming banner and a clock. After seeing it, Nathan destroyed it, telling Simone that he was protecting Peter from getting himself killed. Nathan later appears to bail Peter out in "Fallout". As they walk away from the jail, Peter collapses. Eventually, Nathan watches helplessly as Peter is comatose for two weeks.
Finally, Nathan becomes tired of waiting and goes to the loft of Isaac Mendez. There, Nathan finds several of Isaac's finished "future paintings". Nathan is especially thoughtful about the "exploding man" image, which he and Isaac both worry is Peter. Soon, Hiro appears, and happily greets Nathan. Nathan and Hiro talk about their role in stopping the "bad man" who may blow up New York. Later, Nathan returns to Peter's bedside only to discover that Peter has revived and checked out.
In "The Fix", Nathan goes to Mohinder to find out where Peter is, but neither has heard from Peter in days. Mohinder tells Nathan about a list made by Mohinder's father and explains to Nathan how Peter's DNA causes him to absorb and mimic other people's abilities. Nathan initially refuses to let Mohinder help find Peter, but Mohinder convinces him by stating that if he can study Peter, he may be able to find a cure.
They go to Peter's apartment, where Peter is preparing to leave town. Without fully hearing them out, Peter says he doesn't have time to be Mohinder's "guinea pig". Peter then tricks the two and gets away.
At the end of the episode "Distractions", Nathan receives a telephone call from Meredith Gordon, a woman in Texas with whom he once had a relationship. She informs him that their daughter Claire is still alive. Nathan assumes that her timing the call right before his election means that she wants money, and offers $100,000 to stay quiet, which she accepts;she later lies to Claire saying the amount is only $50,000 and Claire is entitled to half. In "Run!", Nathan shows up to visit Meredith and deliver the money but states he does not want to get too involved with Claire. Claire was secretly listening to the conversation which, due to lies Meredith told her, did not portray Nathan in a very positive light. At the end of the episode, back in Vegas, Jessica gets a call from Linderman saying that he wants Nathan assassinated.
[edit] Linderman
The FBI, who is investigating Linderman, gives Nathan a wire to wear so that they can gather evidence. Just before Nathan goes to meet Linderman, Niki Sanders confronts him and tells him that Linderman's people know of his plans, including that he wears a wire, and plan to kill him. She advises him to either accept a deal with Linderman or run with his whole family. Nathan refuses, suggesting instead that he should kill Linderman. Niki gives him her gun and tells him to knock her out, to prevent her more ruthless alter-ego, Jessica, from seizing control. Nathan takes the gun and punches Niki.
A nervous Nathan goes down to the kitchen to shoot Linderman. Linderman, anticipating Nathan's actions, calmly reasons that if Nathan were to shoot him, his men would kill Nathan within moments. Linderman then tells Nathan that he can give him answers, stating that he knows about his abilities. He offers him the seat in Congress, suggesting that it will lead eventually to the White House, "a heartbeat away from the Presidency." Nathan, wavering at this point, puts down the gun.
In ".07%", Linderman shows Nathan a painting of Nathan standing in the Oval Office.[1] Linderman tempts Nathan with the prospect of being President and informs him that it will happen the day after Peter blows up. While Nathan is troubled that he will lose his brother and is devastated when he sees the dead body of Peter at his mother's house, he believes that it is Peter's destiny to explode.
Later, Nathan meets his biological daughter, Claire, for the first time. Though he tells her that he can't deal with her in his life right now because of the election, he does add that he wants her to return after the election is over so they can be a family.
After Claire talks to Peter about Ted, Peter and Claire confront Nathan about Ted. With someone else having the ability to explode, Peter is hopeful that the explosion can be stopped. Nathan is doubtful, and points out that Peter's vision was of his own explosion. Peter responds that he had a vision of flying as well, despite the fact that it was Nathan who could fly - a fact that impresses Claire. After Peter and Claire leave, Nathan makes a phone call, saying "Mr. Linderman, we have a problem."
It is revealed that Nathan may play a bigger role in the company than expected when, Peter and Claire go to Petrelli Campaign Headquarters to meet with Nathan. Upon arriving, they see Nathan meeting with Thompson, whom Claire recognizes as her adoptive father's old boss. She identifies him to Peter as the man she is running from. Thompson and Nathan, meanwhile, discuss the planned explosion, and Thompson tells Nathan not to worry or have second thoughts. Thompson tells Nathan that Mr. Linderman has a grasp on the situation and that they are aware of who Sprague is. Nathan is upset that he was kept in the dark about Sprague. Later, Nathan's mother arrives and reveals her part in the planning of the explosion in New York. She tells Nathan that after a catastrophe like this, a leader is needed, and tells him that he needs to be that leader.
[edit] Election and disappearance
Nathan then encounters Hiro again and Hiro told him what happened to him in the future. Nathan, however, tells Hiro that the explosion cannot be stopped. Hiro then calls him a villain as Nathan waves to the cameras and drives away. Much later, in "Landslide", Linderman delivers on his promise and, with Micah Sanders' help, assures Nathan's win as Congressman by a majority of votes. At the same time, Linderman uses his healing powers to restore Heidi's legs as a gift to even further keep Nathan on his side.
In "How to Stop an Exploding Man", the finale to Season 1, Nathan appears committed to the fact that Peter will explode, destroy the city, and kill millions; paving his way to power and the destiny designed by Linderman and others. However, Claire, who has been strong-armed into traveling into Paris with Angela, shames him into changing his mind, stating that the "future isn't written in stone." Nathan appears after Peter and Hiro kill Sylar. After saying, "You saved the cheerleader so we could save the world," Nathan grabs Peter and flies far into the stratosphere. With the other heroes looking to the sky, Peter detonates miles above the ground, instead of destroying New York City.
[edit] Generations
In "Four Months Ago...", it is revealed that Nathan suffers severe radiation poisoning and is badly burned by Peter, who he drops after being convinced to do so, and is knocked back when Peter explodes in mid-air. Peter rescues Nathan from falling after his explosion. After regaining consciousness, his mother told him that the coast guard never found Peter's body. He recovered after being injected with Adam Monroe's regenerative blood.
In "Four Months Later...", it is revealed that Nathan has become a drunk, while hoping for Peter to return. In the opening scenes, he is seen bumping into Ando on the street. He has presumably resigned from his office[2], and his wife and children have left him due to his erratic behavior. After a confrontation with his mother, who blames Nathan for Peter's apparent death, he goes to a bar for a drink. Claire calls him to tell him how she is coping, and Nathan glances in the mirror. In the mirror, a severely scarred image of himself appears.[3] A moment later, it is gone.
In "Fight or Flight", and goes to Philadelphia to help Matt Parkman find his father, with the intention of finding out who really murdered Kaito Nakamura. (Nathan's mother, Angela, confessed to the murder under duress.) When Maury Parkman is confronted with the fact that Matt has the same powers, he agrees to tell them everything; however, instead of helping them, he uses his power to trap them in their own personal nightmare before leaving the apartment. Nathan is on top of the Deveaux Building, watching helplessly as New York burns in the aftermath of the explosion. He is then confronted by himself, still scarred from his attempt to rescue Peter. A fight ensues between him and his disfigured self, which ends when Matt inserts a thought in Nathan's head, causing them to realize they are actually fighting one another. They then find another photo marked with the Symbol, this time of Bob.
In "Out of Time", Nathan confronts Bob about the original 12 members of the Company and it is the first time he is told that Adam Monroe, and not Linderman, was the founder of The Company. Nathan also learns from Bob that his brother, Peter Petrelli is still alive, although Bob admits that they lost track of him. In "Four Months Ago...", he is seen getting out of a taxi in front of the bar in Cork, Ireland, where Peter spent the first few episodes of the season.
In "Powerless", Nathan convinces Peter of Adam Monroe's intentions to release the Shanti virus and cause worldwide devastation. After the destruction of the virus, Nathan decides that they must schedule a press conference to make their abilities known to the public. It is his hope that public awareness will help stop the actions of the Company. Near the conclusion of his speech, as he is about to announce his ability of flight, Nathan is shot twice in the chest and lies in Peter's arms.
[edit] Villains
Tim Kring, commenting on the episode, claims that his fate is "up in the air" and will be determined after the strike.[4]
[edit] Alternate futures
[edit] Genesis
In the future of "Five Years Gone", Nathan has been elected President of the United States; however, he is revealed to be Sylar masquerading as Nathan using Candice Wilmer's illusion-casting powers. After his identity is revealed to Peter, Sylar says Nathan had turned against the heroes before he was killed. Peter calls him a liar before they face off.
[edit] Generations
In the future of "Out Of Time", Angela Petrelli explains to Peter Petrelli that Nathan died in the first outbreak of the Shanti Virus.
[edit] Powers and abilities
Nathan possesses the power of self-propelled flight. He is one of the characters who has least demonstrated his power in the series, saying that he is afraid both of being seen as a freak and taken in for scientific study. In contrast, however, he also demonstrates a great deal of control over his power. As demonstrated in "Hiros", Nathan can reach speeds exceeding the sound barrier with no apparent physical effects.
Nathan first discovers his power when he inadvertently uses it to save himself from a car crash which leaves his wife wheelchair-bound. The first on-screen flight is in "Genesis", when he attempts to save Peter from falling to his death. He also uses flight to save a woman from a burning building in an issue of the Heroes webcomic.
[edit] References
- ^ .07 Percent (2007-03-13). Retrieved on 2007-03-14.
- ^ As confirmed by the statement on his campaign web site: "Without going further into further details, I am resigning from my elected seat as Junior Senator of New York state, effective immediately."
- ^ "SEASON 2 EPISODE 2 - “FOUR MONTHS LATER”. Retrieved on 2007-09-25.
- ^ Exclusive: Tim Kring Explains Heroes' "Generations" Finale. TV Guide. Retrieved on 2007-12-04.
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