Peter Petrelli

Peter Petrelli
Portrayed by	Milo Ventimiglia
First appearance	Genesis
In-story stats
Known ability	Power mimicry
Gender
Age	30
Residence	Peter Petrelli's apartment
Parents	Angela Petrelli, Father (unnamed, deceased)
Sibling	Nathan Petrelli (older brother)

Character history

Genesis

The series opens up with Peter Petrelli standing on a building before falling. Peter then wakes up in the home of Charles Deveaux, a patient under his care. Peter keeps "having these amazing dreams" when he closes his eyes. (Dreaming he can fly, to be exact.) Turning to his brother Nathan, Peter talks about his intense dreams. However, Nathan is a politician running for Congress and extremely busy. Although he does listen, he disregards Peter's claims that he can fly and wonders why Peter would come to him, anyway. News of their mother arrest for shoplifting interrupts their conversation. At the police station, Peter and Nathan talk with their mother. Recently widowed by their father's death, she has been doing odd things such as this for several months. Nathan, more concerned with his campaign than his mother, tells her to "get over it.” Peter attempts to be understanding and talks with his mother while Nathan eventually leaves. As they talk, Peter tells his mother about an almost metaphysical connection he feels he has with his brother, recalling a time in the past where Peter knew Nathan had been hurt prior to anyone contacting him; his mother is unconvinced.

Later at the campaign headquarters, Nathan managed to sweep his mother's arrest under the rug and wishes she'd just get a hobby. Peter, on the other hand, simply sees it as a cry for attention and a sign of loneliness. Nathan then transitions the conversation into offering Peter a job as his coordinator. However, Peter is turned off by Nathan's self-serving intentions and attempt to "do the right thing" by him. He declines, saying he doesn't want his brother's pity and walks out. There in the street, Peter hails a cab. The driver just happens to be Mohinder Suresh and the two begin a conversation. Peter asks Mohinder about "being special” and Mohinder eventually tells him about evolution. Suddenly, Peter gets a call from Simone Deveraux—daughter of the patient whose home he woke up in at the start of the first episode—telling him to hurry over to her father's place.

Peter and Simone arrive at the apartment of her boyfriend Isaac Mendez. Simone explains Isaac's ability to "paint the future". Simone finds Isaac lying on the ground, apparently overdosed on heroin. She frantically calls 911 while Peter discovers a painting that depicts him flying off of a building. It is also revealed that Isaac painted a large floor mural depicting the city being destroyed in a nuclear explosion. Isaac's only words are, "We have to stop it."

Later, Peter stands above a building and summons Nathan to prove that he can fly. However, after jumping off, we quickly learn that his brother can fly. A cliffhanger ensues as the brothers lose their grip on each other.

Don't Look Back

In the next episode, Peter awakens in a hospital bed. At his side is Nathan, who, when asked, claims neither of them flew and Peter simply jumped, nearly killing himself. Between this and his mother's revelation that Peter's late father had apparently been mentally unstable as well as suicidal, Peter is lead to believe he's going crazy. Drawing a crude stick figure image with one figure levitating/flying a few feet above the ground, Peter gets an idea. Attempting to cope and find out the truth, Peter stands on the edge of another rooftop later that evening. Nathan arrives, and Peter threatens to jump if Nathan doesn't tell him what really happened. Nathan tells Peter that they both flew. However, Peter thinks that Nathan is lying to make him feel better, and he becomes angry. Nathan then points out that Peter is walking on thin air, Peter is relieved to know that they can both fly.

One Giant Leap

In the third episode, Peter repeatedly tries to fly (or at least levitate) while at a playground, only to crash to the ground each time. Heading back to Campaign HQ, Peter tells Nathan about a book written by Chandra Suresh. Peter believes the author "knows what's going on" and wants to find him, but neither Nathan's focus or his disinterest in his powers have changed. Bumping into Simone after just leaving Charles Deveraux's apartment, Peter tells her he has given up his job as a nurse. He says he no longer feels right "trying to save the world one person at a time" and is meant for something more. As Peter leaves the building, the two comment on hoping to see each other. Later, they do just that at an event held by Nathan. During the event, Peter confesses his love to Simone, stating "I've been in love with you since the moment I first laid eyes on you." During Nathan's speech, he talks about his family, particularly his ill late father. Over the course of the speech, the focus turns to Peter and Nathan publicly refers to Peter's attempt to fly in the first episode as a suicide attempt. Shocked and offended, Peter eventually leaves, followed by a concerned Simone. After the event, Peter punches Nathan as he is getting into his car, calling him an SOB. Immediately held back by Nathan's bodyguards, Peter furiously denounces Nathan's comment during the speech. When the guards let Peter go, he goes in for another blow to his brother's jaw. Asked by Nathan if he'll at least go along with what was said, Peter angrily shrugs and walks away.

Out in the pouring rain, Peter meets up with Simone while trying to hail a Cab. He quickly insists that what Nathan said about him wasn't true and Simone says she knows. Then the two exchange a kiss under her umbrella.

Collision

Early on in episode four, Peter and Simone are seen waking up, implying that they slept together. Nathan comes to Peter's door and tells him about his "visit" from Mohinder whom he mistakes for Chandra Suresh. He asks Peter to "disappear for a while" and offers him money to do so. Peter refuses the money but instead decides to visit Mohinder at his apartment. Peter confesses that he does indeed have the ability to copy other people's powers and the two travel to Isaac's apartment to see Peter's power in action. Since Isaac was high on heroin at the time they arrived, they assumed he wasn't home and they began to ride back on the subway. Suddenly time stopped and everyone was frozen still except Peter. Soon he was confronted by Future Hiro, who said he did not recognize Peter "without his scar" indicating Peter should get in some sort of accident in the future and be left with a facial scar. Or Hiro may be shaving Peter's head in the future and it will be seen he has an existing scar 1]. The episode ends with Future Hiro telling Peter that he has a message for him.

Hiros

Episode five opens with Peter on the subway speaking with Future Hiro. Future Hiro tells Peter that if he "Saves the Cheerleader" he'll "Save the World". Hiro also tells him to relay the message to Hiro's present day self when he attempts to call Isaac's apartment. After this Hiro teleports away and time starts again. Peter travels to Isaac Mendez's apartment as instructed by Hiro, where he proves to Isaac that he doesn't need drugs to paint the future by copying Isaac's power and finishing one of his paintings. The episode ends in a clever fashion, mimicking the end of episode four, where Peter speaks to present day Hiro on the phone and says he's got a message for him.

Powers and abilities

Much mystery surrounded Peter's status and powers, or lack thereof before and after the series debuted. While every main character was said outright to have a power in press releases, Peter was simply billed as "trying to convince his power he can fly". Later, after his brother flew, Peter himself displayed the ability to levitate not long afterward. The exact power he had and its nature were officially explained in an article from the October 9-14 TV Guide. Peter is a actually a power mimic who absorbs the powers of others. It's unclear if he can mimic the precognition of Isaac Mendez, though he was believed to have this power long before he met the man. His crude levitation sketch shows that he may have gained Issac's ability to draw the future, but possibly without needing to be induced by drugs. This is proven in episode five when Peter visits Isaac and he finishes Isaac's painting without the aid of heroin or any other drug. It is also unclear what affect, if any, his power has on those whose powers he absorbs. Still, if Nathan is any example, the effect seems to be unnoticeable. Peter's powers appear to be only temporary, as he is shown unable to fly when not in the presence of Nathan.