Matt Parkman

Matt Parkman
Portrayed by	Greg Grunberg
First appearance	Don't Look Back
In-story stats
Known ability	Telepathy
Formal name	Matthew Parkman
Gender
Age	35
Residence	Matt Parkman's home
Occupation	LAPD police officer
Significant other	Janice Parkman (wife)

Matt Parkman is a police officer with the Los Angeles Police Department. He would like to become a detective, but he has been unable to pass the test because he suffers from dyslexia. He discovers he has the ability to hear thoughts.

Character History

Don't Look Back

Matt is helping to secure a crime scene, the suspected serial killing/abduction of the Walker family, when he begins to "hear" the thoughts of the missing girl, Molly Walker. He locates her in a secret room under the stairs, and immediately draws suspicion from the investigating FBI agents. When Matt mentions the name "Sylar", which he picked up from the agents' thoughts, Audrey Hanson arrests him on the spot.

One Giant Leap

After proving his ability by reading Audrey's mind in the interrogation room, he is offered a position to assist in the investigation. Things turn dangerous when a man who appears to be Sylar shows up. Stopping the mysterious man from harming Molly Walker in the building, Matt tries to comfort the girl, while Audrey gives chase. Ultimately, the man escapes, but not before displaying apparent telekinesis, almost forcing Audrey to shoot herself in the head. Matt fires at the suspect, knocking him down. The suspect soon stands back up and disappears. Later, Matt comes home to his wife, Janice, with whom he is in couple's counseling. Though he apologizes for missing the day's session and tries to tell her about his amazing day, Janice is still upset with Matt and doesn't want to hear it. Janice also comments about how, when she got promoted, he seemed to resent her for it. Matt tells her he didn't mean to, but Janice turns away from him. Hearing Janice's thoughts that she wants Matt to leave, Matt responds "I will" verbally, and then storms out.

At a bar, Matt hears most, if not all, the thoughts of the various patrons. However, when he comes across a patron whose mind he cannot read, he begins to hear the other voices fade out. The mysterious other man sits and stares at Matt until Matt finally collapses on the floor, unconscious.

Matt, abducted, undergoing medical testing

Collision

Matt wakes up strapped to a table in a laboratory to find Mr. Bennet and the mysterious man standing over him. Bennet tells him he doesn't work for any agency, and that he knows Matt is telepathic, but that his abilities won't work with the mystery man present. Nevertheless, Matt is able to pick Claire's name out of Bennet's thoughts, and Bennet instructs the man to "go deep and clean him out."

Hiros

Matt wakes up on the couch at home. His wife Janice has been frantically searching for him. He believes he merely got drunk and passed out, but she tells him he's been missing for a full day. Matt reads her mind to assuage her anger, telling her he knows how frustrated she's been with him. He uses his powers to plan the perfect date. Later that night, he leaves to pick up some ice cream and talks a would-be convenience store robber into setting down his gun and leaving. Immediately afterwards, he is overwhelmed by the thoughts of the other shoppers, who panic at the sight of the gun. Matt finally passes out.

Nothing to Hide

Matt says everything has been going well at home and seems to want to confess to his wife about his power. However, Janice thinks she has been "found out" and Matt grows distressed and leaves.

Audrey Hanson arrives later at the police station and says they have found another murder victim, an oncologist who has been burned to a cinder and whose body is emitting high levels of radiation. Audrey believes this to be the work of Sylar. When they arrive at the morgue, Matt is skeptical of Sylar's involvement. Audrey tells Matt that a fingerprint was retrieved, seared into the bone, and a match comes up on the computer: Theodore Sprague. Audrey and Matt leave to investigate his place of residence. They investigate the burned and radiation-filled home, where Matt finds cancer medication prescribed to Karen Sprague by the murdered doctor. They leave for the hospital where Karen is being treated. After arriving, Matt defuses a tense situation by reading comatose Karen's mind, and communicating to her husband.

Matt calls his wife, whom he has been avoiding all day, and leaves a heartfelt voicemail while his wife listens. Back at the station, Matt's former partner Tom McHenry informs him that Matt will be able to retake the detective test in interview form, so his dyslexia won't be an excuse for failure anymore. Then, reading Tom's mind, Matt finds out he was having an affair with someone's wife, presumably with Janice. Matt punches him in rage and is pulled out of the locker room by other cops.

Seven Minutes to Midnight

Audrey yells at Matt for hitting his former partner, because any trouble Matt gets in jeopardizes her investigation of Sylar. Audrey leads him to an interrogation room to question Theodore Sprague. They upset Ted, but Matt manages to calm him down, and the two evolved humans discuss their blackouts, the Haitian, and the marks on their necks.

Janice Parkman looks through a photo album of herself and Matt as he arrives home. Janice tells him that she got a call asking why he punched Tom McHenry. Matt admits that he did punch him and hears his wife thinking "He knows. Dammit, I knew it." Matt tells her that he got suspended for one month without pay. Janice tells Matt that something happened between her and Tom. When Matt asks if they slept together, she admits it, but tells him it's over. Matt gets a call from Audrey saying that Ted has escaped.

Matt, under Eden's power, has a hankering for some donuts

Six Months Ago

Matt pulls Eden over in Los Angeles. After spotting a bottle of alcohol in the passenger's seat, he asks her to step out of the vehicle, but she uses her power of suggestion on Matt and convinces him that he "wants to eat a box of donuts."

The next day, Matt, zoned out, sits in his squad car with a donut in his hand. Tom McHenry pulls up beside him and supports him on his upcoming second try at the detective's test. He then criticizes Matt eating a donut as being a "walking cliché."

Later, at his home, Janice comforts Matt about failing the detective test a second time. He notes that the problem isn't knowing the answers, but that "half the letters look backwards" on the test. Matt reads her mind that she thinks he is her "hero". He argues with her about how she can love a failure such as himself.

Fallout

Arriving at the Union Wells High School crime scene, Matt tells Audrey Jackie's attempted brain removal looks like the work of Sylar. They investigate their suspect, Peter Petrelli. In the interrogation room at the Odessa Sheriff's Department, Audrey asks most of the questions, though she is interrupted by Peter and Matt's discomfort. Both men, exhibiting their unique powers, appear to be experiencing some "feedback" from reading each other's mind. Audrey questions Claire and Mr. Bennet next, as Matt tries to "listen" from an adjacent room. Unfortunately, he is unsuccessful, and only gets static, similar to when he was in the presence of the man at the bar.

Matt's intense concentration to break through the Haitian's power causes his nose to bleed.

As Matt and Audrey stake out Primatech Paper Co., Matt hears Audrey think that he's cute. They see Mr. Bennet leave the building, talking to the Haitian, whom Matt recognizes. Using a lot of effort, the telepathist attempts to enter their minds, resulting in a nose bleed and a single word—Sylar.

Matt appears in Peter's vision.

Powers

Matt has the power of telepathy, the ability to hear thoughts. It is not yet known whether he possesses other telepathic abilities, such as the ability to project thoughts. Matt sometimes is unable to control his abilities, and can be overwhelmed by intense thoughts.

Fan Theories

Please refer to Theory:Matt Parkman for fan-created theories and other speculation.