Robbert Knepper ( T-Bag ) Joins Heroes!
4 Jun
Are you excited for season four? Season four of Heroes begins filming next Monday ( yep, that means a lot of spoilers!! 
), and the cast of guest stars is beginning to fill out:
Former villain from Prison Break Robert Knepper (T-Bag) has been cast as the new villain for Season 4 of Heroes!! He will be in at least 6 episodes for Season 4 Redemption and will play the “Carnival Barker” named Samuel.
Samuel is a Jim Jones type — charismatic but evil, with a twisted sense of humor — who will veer into the lives of all heroes.
Also, Madeline Zima from Californication has been cast in a recurring role as Claire’s roommate Gretchen for Season 4 of Heroes.
Latest Spoilers From Kristin
Also there’s a new character Emma, who is hot, hearing impaired and smart. Emma will first appear in episode three and recur throughout the volume. She is expected to be a new love interest for Peter Petrelli.
Masi Oka’s Hiro Nakamura will also be a major focus of Volume Four, as he works to undo some of the damage done to his life since the eclipse unleashed his powers.
Force will be with Heroes next season from Ew.com
British actor Ray Park, whose role as Darth Maul in Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace made him an icon to fanboys far and wide, is in talks to join the cast for a sizeable arc. Additionally, Deanne Bray (Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye, The L Word) is nearing a deal to come on board for multiple episodes.
Little is known about Park’s role, except that he would be playing one of the colorful characters at the center of the show’s Carnivale-esque storyline. ( is he the character described in the breakdowns as “Knife Thrower.” ? )
@ Karinboutheroes:
I seem to recall Angela or Dr. Zimmerman actually saying that Tracy, Nikki and Barbara were triplets that the Company came across, not created. Then again, if it were Zimmerman who said this, it’s possible he wouldn’t have known if they were created by the Company or not – and if it were Angela, it’s possible she wasn’t being completely honest when saying that they came across the triplets.
However, they were injected, as if they were only clones or whatever, then there would be no reason to have Dr. Zimmerman in the know about their existence – and he even states that he injected them, as far as I recall.
But the theory that they were test tube babies created by the Company is an intriguing one, and would clear up the plot hole another poster brought up, about how triplets are not identical.
@ Andy
“As for the idea that synthetic abilities shouldn’t evolve or expand – could it be possible that the original ability Tracy was injected with was control over water, and she just learned to manifest it, originally, as ice? That seems to be how abilities work, in general, regardless of if they’re natural or synthetic (on science fiction and fantasy as a whole, and not just this show) – if the owner of the ability doesn’t know that they have an ability, then it takes longer for them to reach their potential.”
One prob I have with that, bro, is that it isn’t the ABILITY that is injected, just the FORMULA. The type of ability that is manifested (whether synthetic-via-formula or natural-via-evolution) is dependent on several other factors (situation, mentality, environment, etc). For instance, if you were locked in a meat freezer and in danger of freezing to death, you might manifest a pyrokinetic ability – and either naturally keep yourself warm, or melt/ burn your way out of there. Or you might develop a cryogenic ability instead and be able to manipulate the cold temperatures, becoming immune to them. Or you might feel trapped and manifest Phasing (like D.L. Hawkins) to walk right through the walls and out of your prison.
I don’t know why Tracy first manifested Freezing when confronted by a reporter… I guess she has a somewhat ‘cold’ attitude (or she wanted to put the news story ‘on ice’, haha). But you can’t inject an ability – otherwise Ando could have injected himself with a nice little vial of Time Travel.
Sorry, but “Bartender, could I have a pint of Teleportation, and a double shot of Regeneration for the missus please?” doesn’t quite work for me lol!
@ sk74:
haha, not what I meant when I said “injected with was control over water”
I simply meant injected with the formula and that’s the ability (I don’t know if it has a scientific or science fiction name) which manifested, as opposed to cryokinesis – which many people originally believed it to be.
And well, we haven’t actually seen proof that the explanation you gave is really the case. It certainly wasn’t it for Ando, who desperately tried to travel back in time to save Hiro. True, instead, he manifested an ability which can supercharge the abilities of others and he was able to use that with Daphne to effectively travel back in time – but it seems like a stretch to say that he manifested that ability because he *needed* to travel back in time.
Mohinder states at the beginning of the season that the factors which determine which ability manifests is dependent on the DNA of the host prior to injection. So, theoretically, if we had two separate characters injected with the formula and placed them in a meat freezer, one may develop pyrokinesis, yes, but one may develop super speed.
We have yet to test this on the show, but we can also see hints of this when Peter injects himself. Logic would dictate that – if the body, after injection, develops an ability based on environment and actual *need* – then Peter should’ve developed some form of flame resistance or pyrokinesis. His body was in *need* of a way to survive the forthcoming explosion. His *survival* depended on it. But instead, he developed an ability similar to his original ability.
Of course, this begs the question, why didn’t he manifest Empathic Mimicry if the ability which manifests is dependent on his inherit DNA. However, do we really know, yet, that Empathic Mimicry was the ability Peter was born with? Whose to say he wasn’t born with this “touch and go” ability (not to be confused with Baby Parkman’s “touch and go”), and the Company performed experiments on him, for the purposes of their New York bomb plan?
Or, whose to say that the ability he has now is not the beginning stages of Empathic Mimicry? We can’t say for sure yet.
As for Tracy manifesting cryokinesis as a result of need, technically, ANY ability would’ve helped her in that situation. She could’ve killed the guy (unintentionally) with super strength, could’ve wiped his mind or taken control of him with mind control, could’ve set him on fire, could’ve electrocuted him, re-arranged his molecules, opened up a black hole to suck him in, fried him with laser vision, froze time or teleported him some place far away, and the list goes on.
Same goes for when Nikki manifested her ability.
And Nathan could’ve manifested indestructibility, rapid cellular regeneration, telekinesis, or teleportation, just to name a few when he manifested his ability for the first time (when he was in the car with his wife), and all of those abilities would’ve caused less damage to him than him flying out of the car, then falling on toe asphalt bellow caused him.
In short, yes, abilities manifest in times of stress, at times when the adrenaline is racing in the person’s body, at times when they *need* them the most – however, their circumstances do not determine what ability they manifest, at least as we’ve seen thus far. Their DNA does.
The analysis regarding the development of powers seem to be centred largely around the evolutionary aspect. But let’s not forget the importance of good old fashioned application. If we look at “normal” human beings most of us are born with enormous capabilities for maths, languages sport, science etc. But how many of us reach our full potential? Generally (all other things being equal) those with the highest levels of drive, focus and application display the the highest levels of excellence across the widest number skills.
This is illustrated through Sylar’s story. He is fiercely driven by a sense of inadequacy precipitated out of his parental issues. When Sylar takes a power we note that he wields it with greater precision and effectiveness than the original bearer.
Another example is Peter, in season one he is lacking in direction and his powers are erratic. Yet as he develops more purpose in his life he gains more mastery over his powers. Matt Parkman who is a cop which is a disciplined profession also develops his powers relatively quickly.
There is also the issue of those who embrace their powers and those who are frightened by their powers. Take the man whom Sylar stole telekinesis from, he actually wants to get rid of his what he thinks is an illness. Or Angela Petrelli’s sister whose moods controlled the weather. Then there was Mya. Her christian upbringing causes her to eschew any scientific explanation for her powers. She is convinced that they are an ungodly curse and wishes to be “exorcised”. She is completely unable to control her ability, causing mass death everytime she becomes emotional. Yet when Arthur Petrelli takes her powers he has them under complete control. Speaking of emotions…
I’m not sure I agree with the idea that the need/circumstances play a part in the type power which is manifested when a person is injected. If that were the case why would Peter have developed a power that allowed him to mimic other peoples’ power in the middle of a fire? Surely he would have just developed a water based power, or just been able to fly immediately? Because if you remember he actually had to touch Nathan to be able to fly out of the window. He would have been pretty screwed if no one else with powers had been around.
I think (as someone else has said on this site) that the type of power which manifests is influenced by the subjects unique DNA configuration. The powers are controlled however, by the subjects emotions. This is why a person who is unaware that they have an ability will usually manifest it for the first time during an extremely emotionally intense situation (e.g Nathan during the car crash). Once the individual realises this they then learn how to learn to generate those feelings at will in order to wield their power. This is why Claude beats Peter up and throws him off a roof when he is trying to teach him to control his power. He is trying to put Peter into a situation so terrifying that his power manifests, and then get him to recall how he felt.
@ Andy
Sorry mate, I did kinda get the gist of what you originally meant, but just the way that it was worded led me to believe that you might have been slightly confused as to how the abilities thing worked. My bad!
And as it turns out, I didn’t quite get my point across too clearly either
I was kinda rushing my reply (there’s not enough hours in the day to get everything done).
You are right in a way… the ability manifested does depend to an extent on the DNA of the person, but in some respect it DOES depend on ‘mentality’ and situation/ circumstances IMO, amongst other things. This is probably where I’m not explaining myself properly. Maybe it would be better to say that ability manifested depends LARGELY on the INHERENT NEEDS of a character (I think this has been stated by writers/ Kring).
For instance, Ando being the ’sidekick’ to Hiro means that he manifested a power that ‘assists’ another power. The writers themselves have said this.
Nathan has always been raised to be ambitious, to ‘reach for the skies’… a ‘high flyer’. No explanation needed.
Peter’s characteristic has always been empathic – caring, wanting to save people. That’s why he became a nurse. He can’t help but connect with people.
If we are to say that abilities depend on DNA, then Nathan and Peter’s abilities would be similar in some way (Flight has no connection to EM), would somehow be derived from their parents’ abilities (Ability Theft/ Precog Dreaming: OK, Arthur’s/ Peter’s abilities have similarities, but that’s as far as it goes), and Claire would have got an ability that somehow derives from Flight and Fire Manipulation (Meredith)… but instead she developed Rapid Cell Regeneration which is completely unconnected to either.
I remember reading a GN focussing on Meredith and Flint, and Meredith had manifested her power but Flint had yet to manifest his. He desperately tried over the years to make flame like his big sister… eventually he did, and it was blue flame (hotter than Meredith’s). I think the INTENSITY with which he wanted to manifest this PARTICULAR power meant he developed the same ability, rather than something completely different, but hotter/ more intense. Hence why I said that ‘mentality’ comes into it.
Niki’s ability was originally meant to be “being in two places at the same time, a power that any mother having to raise a child on their own could find useful”. (I originally heard that she was able to ‘channel the spirit of her dead sister’!) In the end, they settled on Super Strength, which still kinda makes sense in accordance with her needs (’single’ mother , needs strength to cope with life).
Mohinder manifested Super Strength (prob coz he felt so weak and helpless, especially against Sylar. Now he is still weak – mentally – and USELESS: He’d rather run than fight even tho he has a power now, and he’s ALWAYS getting captured/ knocked out, etc. What a pussy! WORST… ‘HERO’… EVER! He should stick to narrating lol!)
So yes, you are right when you say it’s not really circumstance that determines the ability, but it’s not as simple as saying that it’s down to DNA, at least not in every case. I’m sure I read somewhere that this season, they will explore the fact that someone with abilities can be born to two parents have have none, or something like that. Just in the same way that two people with abilities (Angela & Arthur) can give birth to a child who is has no genetic marker for abilities (Nathan, which is why he was injected).
@ Ade
“I’m not sure I agree with the idea that the need/circumstances play a part in the type power which is manifested when a person is injected. If that were the case why would Peter have developed a power that allowed him to mimic other peoples’ power in the middle of a fire?”
Read my post above, the needs/ circumstances bit is a tricky subject. But as for Peter, let’s not forget that he was BORN with the genetic marker and DNA – his original ability was natural. Because he is a caring, empathic person ANYWAY, he developed EM as a power. Then Arthur stole his power(s). Injecting himself with the Formula meant that his ability was no longer natural, but SYNTHETIC… but Peter is still the same. He CARED for his brother enough to want to save him. Inwardly, he is still the same, so it makes sense that he would manifest the same power – or a variation of it (personally, I think that he has just lost a lot of trust in people especially his family, so his power is limited atm). But you are right, if there was no-one else around he’d have been completely f**ked!
“I think (as someone else has said on this site) that the type of power which manifests is influenced by the subjects unique DNA configuration.”
The problem I have with this is that in the case of identical twins or triplets etc (e.g. Niki, Tracy, Barbara), since they have identical DNA that means that they should manifest the same power, no? But the fact that at least two of the triplets (who all look identical – i.e. like Ali Larter – so they obviously came from the same egg and therefore have identical DNA) have manifested COMPLETELY different abilities leads me to believe that it isn’t just DNA. The writer have said something along the lines of “the INHERENT NEEDS of the characters play a part in determining what abilities they manifest” – something along those lines, so don’t quote me on that lol! This is why Ando the SIDEKICK developed a sidekick ability which HELPS other characters with abilities.
@ sk74
Your theory that the type of power is somehow linked to the inherent needs of a person is compelling. However, room for confusion lies in the absence of an agreed definition of the term “need” for this discussion. To me, Peter’s need in the situation with the fire is not the same as his inherent long term need. That is an immediate short term need. An inherent need is something which is constant and unchanging often latent. The idea of it being latent would tie in nicely with the heroes powers also being latent and manifesting at a certain age. Because as we grow we learn more about ourselves often discovering personality traits and needs that we did not know existed. so it is with the heroes powers.
Thus, if we are to accept this theory, then it cannot be true that in a time of crisis a person can manifest any power necessary to get them out of a tight spot. Because certain powers would be inconsistent with his or her inherent long term needs. At most then we can say there is a small range of powers that they might be able to manifest in a crisis or, in the least case the power has already been predetermined by the interaction of DNA, need and, in the case of synthetic powers, the formula.
Furthermore, I believe that our true needs are few and derive from our personalities which in turn derive from our DNA. Many of the other things we refer to as needs are actually myriad manifestations of the same basic needs, often referred to as wants. For example, somebody who craves power could choose to be a Politician, a General or Business Tycoon. The same basic need, three different ways of fulfilling it. This brings us back full circle to the idea that it is chiefly the DNA that influences the nature of a person’s ability. Ultimately it is the DNA code which is the force behind all life.
The triplets having different abilities, in no way rules out the DNA theory. If you have ever known identical twins then you will know infact that they are only indistinguishable to the untrained eye. Once you get to know them they are very easily distinguishable. This is because they are not 100% identical. Furthermore, they have completely separate and distinct personalities. Remember, the fertilized ovum splits into two. Even when a biscuit is broken into two the halves are not exactly the same, so what are the odds of something as massively complicated as an embryo splitting exactly. There are bound to be some minute differences in the genetic code of each half. And small differences in DNA can manifest as huge differences between organisms. Look at primates and humans for example.
Even if we take the view that the triplets are not identical but clones as a previous blogger pointed out the DNA theory still holds true. Because in that case we can witness that even clones develop disparate personalities because personality is a function of DNA plus sum total of personal experiences (nature plus nurture) and in turn needs are a function of personality, thus bringing us back to the DNA argument.
@ Ade
(I’ll have to keep this one brief coz I gotta go out, but I will get back to you later and debate properly. Very good points, tho, you got me thinking deeply on this one!)
“…it cannot be true that in a time of crisis a person can manifest any power necessary to get them out of a tight spot.”
That’s true, although when I was talking about circumstances etc, I didn’t mean to imply that they can manifest any power necessary – that would be a bit too corny and convenient. (That’s why I liked the fact that Ando didn’t just manifest Time Travel, no matter HOW hard he tried/ how much he wanted to).
I was going to disagree with your ‘personality is a function of DNA’ argument’, but to an extent this does hold some weight… The reason I say this is coz I’ve remembered cases of dogs (such as Pittbulls) that have been born and raised in a domesticated setting, but turning on their owners or small kids when a bit older…. They still have a ‘wild streak’ in them even though they haven’t been raised in that environment or manner. It’s like having a tiger as a pet from a cub: when it grows to full size, you still have to be wary! So, maybe there is a point that side of the argument… BUT (you knew it was coming!) there is always gonna be the argument of Nature vs Nurture. I believe that this is partly why the triplets were split up and placed with different families. Raised in different families/ environments/ circumstances etc. with different ideals and morals. They might indeed all have at least one basic personality trait that is common to all three of them because of DNA, but because of the ways they were raised, they would have differences in the ways they would view/ deal with different situations etc. And therefore be more likely to manifest different abilities than if they were kept together in the same family unit IMO. Hey, it WAS an experiment! What are your thoughts on this?
And I agree with your comment on twins: there were identical twins in my class at school (we’re going wwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy back now, so consider this Ancient History 101
) and as similar as they were, I could always tell them apart… but it was easy coz one was always happy and smiley, and the other one always looked miserable… so I guess their personalities were slightly different. (Classic case of the ‘Evil Twin’, LOL!)
Anyway, really gotta go, will post later… but good argument, you’ve got me thinking now. PEACE!
Comment
@sk74
On the subject of the triplets I think we are saying the same thing. Which is that although they have the same DNA their different experiences have given them differering personalities. Is this not the case?
I think we are also agreeing on the nature vs nurture argument in that both of these will play a part in how a person’s personality evolves. The only thing I have done differently is place more emphasis on the nature element by claiming that DNA is the driving force behind all life. That said, I am not stating that DNA determines an indivisual’s personality rather, it determines how a person will react/interact with his or her environment and circumstances. And it is this continual reaction and interaction that will determine the personality.
The implications for this are that because a person’s enviroment and circumstances are constantly changing their personality is therefore, constantly changing (evolving) also. Which brings us neatly back to the original point about why a person’s abilities are constantly evolving.
Think of it like this, two people who were raised in exactly the same way in exactly the same circumstances (not that this would be possible) in all probability would still not turn out the same. What would be the differentiating factor? The DNA. This is why I place greater emphasis upon it.
On the other side of the coin, you got people like Adam and Claire who didn’t really ask to be invincible in the first place. On the contrary, they both seemed to not care so much about themselves (Adam getting drunk and pissing everyone off, Claire self mutilating). Adam also got his ability like 400 years before everyone, pretty much screwing the evolutionist theories. Ted wasn’t exactly wishing to be a nuclear bomb either and Nikki didn’t even know she had super strength (only her alter-ego was displaying it).
I doubt writers will ever give us a clear, definite answer on this matter. They’d much better of to keep feeding theories, since this kind of mystery is part of what makes the show that great IMO.
i think peter absorbed I.A during the fight in finale and he imediately new how to absorb many powers from ability replication. He then dropped the I.A. so he wont have the hunger and took shapeshifting
Hi guys; Re-watching the ”Coyote Sands” I believe it was Charle’s Devaux who wiped Chandra Suresh’s memory. That’s why he thought Sylar was ”Patient Zero.”
Great news about Robert Knepper joining the show; he’s a great actor. Ray Park & Dawn Oliveri joining the show is awesome news too; I can’t wait to see all 3 of their characters in action & interact with likes of Sylar, Tracy, Peter, Matt, Hiro & co.
Okay, I just saw Peter’s fight scene against Ray Park in “redemption” from the Comic Con 09. Wow, Peter can fight and looks to use more than one ability as he grabs Ray and threw him with what appears to be super strength when protecting HRG.
HRG: Take his Power
Peter: Got it!
Than they both start fighting with Park’s super speed and knives and Peter uses martial arts. catches a knife thrown at HRG at super speed too
i didnt actually read through everyones comments but i guess they gave up on givin peter the ability to hold on to more than one power at a time plz somebody let me know!!!!!
Derrick,
No Petter hasnt had the ability to hold more than 1 power for awhile now…. like since S3 began..! But hopefully he gets it back, at least some of it this season.
well, in the comic con preview, Peter did toss Edgar(with super strength) and took his power of super speed, which didn’t effect Peter’s strength until he activated it. So maybe Peter does learn to recall past abilities again, but needs to touch still. We can’t forget that Arthur did tell Peter the formula would give him his power back, the only reason Peter used it to save himself and Nathan, because he believed in his ability. He also knew he had to touch to take power in “clear and present danger”, just not how to control them. He’s been learning to control them throughout V4. I still can’t fully agree he took only Shapeshifting from Sylar in the season finale, what did he do, kept saying to himself “shapeshifting-shapeshifting!!” when he touched him? HRG asked him “did you take his power” not shapeshifting power, so there’s a little bit of hope for me only, that Peter’s equipped with multiple powers and that he used the acknowledgement of Sylar having the shapeshifting power to use it for himself. We’ll see in 6 weeks
@derrick
btw, they removed the link of peter vs edgar I posted, so sorry about that
You can Watch Heroes Online for free using our website getheroes.com. It wont be long now until you can also Watch Heroes Redemption via our website, which will be streaming this month SEPTEMBER 21ST
i can’t wait to see peter petrili i love him so much….