List of Heroes characters and characterization issues
This is a list of Heroes characters and characterization issues.
See also Bob the Haitian for discussion.
Characters of Note
- Claire Bennet
- Niki Sanders
- Hiro Nakamura
- Isaac Mendez
- Mohinder Suresh
List of characters
- Claire Bennet (played by Hayden Panettiere), a teenage cheerleader from Texas, who discovers she has the ability to heal from any wound she receives.
- Mr. Bennet - her father
- Sandra Bennet
- her brother
- Zach her best friend
- the Haitian
- Hana Gitelman
- Candice Wilmer (a character with Mystique-like abilities)
- Niki Sanders (Ali Larter), a Las Vegas woman who both possesses super-strength and a violent split personality.
- her husband D.L.
- her son Micah
- her best friend
- Linderman
- Nathan Petrelli
- Peter Petrelli
- their mother Angela
- Simone
- Isaac Mendez
- Claude Rains
- Mohinder
- his father Chandra
- McCain (Nora Zehetner).
- Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka), a Japanese programmer, who discovers he has the ability to bend time and space, and who undertakes to save the world from a future catastrophe which he witnessed during an accidental leap forward in time.
- his friend Ando
- Charlie Andrews (Jayma Mays), a waitress with an infallible memory.
- Matt
- Janice (Matt's wife)
- FBI agent Audrey
- Sylar
- Ted
- Claude Rains
Notes on Character Representation
Of the four female characters with super powers to have been introduced in the first twelve episodes, two are already dead. Charlie Andrews was murdered by the power-stealing villain, Sylar, and Eden McCain shot herself in the head when her attempt to kill Sylar failed, rather than allow him to gain control of her power (the ability to command others with her voice).
Niki Sanders was introduced working as a webcam girl, but is also a devoted mother. Her character is the one who has been the most sexualised: in addition to her employment in the sex industry, she was asked to have sex with Nathan Petrelli in order to repay her creditor Linderman, for the money she had borrowed from his to pay for her son's school tuition. When Niki refused, her split personality, Jessica, went ahead with the plan unbeknownst to Niki.
Claire Bennet was the victim of an attempted rape by a fellow student. When she fled, her attacker pushed her to the ground, and she fell on a tree branch which pierced her skull. He disposed of her body, and she woke up during her own autopsy, when the branch was removed from her head, allowing her to heal. She returned home without telling anyone what had happened, and tried to take revenge by crashing a car while her attacker was in the passender seat. He survived. Later, her father had one of his associates wipe the mind of the boy who had attacked her.
The show's early tagline, "Save the Cheerleader. Save the World" referred to Claire -- when Sylar attempted to murder her, Peter Petrelli, who had been warned by a future version of Hiro Nakamura, intervened to save her life, and her own ability to heal herself, which he was able to copy thanks to his superpower to mirror others' while in their presence, saved his life.
Only one female of colour is among the series's regular characters: art dealer Simone Deveaux, who is not, as of yet, known to possess any superpowers.
Male Characters
The series stars several male characters of colour, many of whom have superpowers:
Hiro Nakamura and his non-superpowered friend, Ando Masahashi, who have both travelled to the United States in order for Hiro to fullfill his destiny. Hiro is one of the series' most pivotal characters: a future version of him travelled back in time to warn another hero, Peter Petrelli, to "save the cheerleader" in order to avert future catastrophe, and his present-day self foresaw the destruction of New York city by a nuclear explosion, which he has been working to prevent by investigating its possible causes.
Isaac Mendez, a Hispanic New Yorker, was initially only able to access his power of precognition while under the influence of heroin, but later successfully quit using drugs and became able to paint the future while sober.
Mohinder Suresh, an Indian professor of genetics, who continues his father's research on human evolution after his father's murder, and who is also the series' narrator.
D.L. Hawkins, Niki Sanders' husband, unjustly convicted of a crime she committed under her alternate personality. He possesses the ability to pass through solid matter. Micah Sanders, son of D.L. and Niki, has an extraordinary affinity with electronic machines and a gifted intellect.
The Haitian, whose name is yet unknown, and who works for Claire Bennett's father, has the ability to neutralise superpowers when he is in the presence of someone who possesses them, and to erase other people's memories.
Interracial Relationships
Hiro Nakamura had a brief relationship with Charlie Anders, whom he went back in time to try to save after her murder, but he was unable to change the timeline.
Niki Sanders, a White woman, is married with D.L. Hawkins, a Black man, and they have a son together; Niki/Jessica also had a brief fling with Nathan Petrelli.
Simone Deveaux had a relationship with Isaac Mendez, but broke up with him because of his heroin use, and later dated Peter Petrelli, a White man.
Gay and Lesbian Characters
The showrunners have claimed that some of the characters on Heroes are gay, but none have been revealed as such as of yet.
The character generally seen as most likely to be gay is Zach, Claire's best friend.