Peter Petrelli

Peter Petrelli
Portrayed by	Milo Ventimiglia
First appearance	Genesis
In-story stats
Known abilities	Empathic mimicry Known powers mimicked: Flight, Precognition, Rapid cell regeneration, Telepathy, Invisibility, Telekinesis, Space-time manipulation, Induced radioactivity, Enhanced strength, Electromagnetism, Phasing
Nickname	Pete
Gender
Age	27
Date of birth	December 23, 1979
Home	New York, NY
Residence	Peter Petrelli's apartment
Occupations	Mobster, formerly a home hospice nurse
Significant others	Caitlin, formerly Simone Deveaux
Parents	Angela Petrelli, Arthur Petrelli
Sibling	Nathan Petrelli (older brother)

Peter Petrelli is a former home hospice nurse from New York City. His brother Nathan and mother Angela also live there. Peter discovers he has the ability to mimic the superpowers of others.

About

Peter believes he has a greater place in life than just saving one person at a time, and he's willing to sacrifice himself to save the world.

His brother, Nathan, seems to disapprove of Peter's choice to become a nurse. Nathan also considers Peter the less favored son of their father.

Character History

Season One

For an episode-by-episode summary, see Peter Petrelli: Season One History.

Peter Petrelli is a hospice nurse who keeps having amazing dreams that he can fly. Later, he stands on top of a building, throws himself off, and is met by his brother Nathan, who can also fly. Peter eventually learns that his power is actually the ability to absorb the powers of those he meets. Peter visits Mohinder Suresh, looking for the author of Activating Evolution. While Peter and Mohinder are on a subway train, time freezes, and Peter has a visit from a Japanese man, who tells him that Peter must "save the cheerleader, save the world".

When he meets Isaac Mendez, Peter finished a painting depicting a dead and mutilated cheerleader. Peter realizes he must save this girl, and upon seeing another painting, heads to a homecoming, in Odessa, TX. There, he meets Claire Bennet, and manages to stop her from being killed by a mysterious stranger. He falls off a building and breaks several bones, although he quickly regenerates, mimicking Claire's power.

Outside the sheriff's department, Peter collapses and has a vision of himself bursting into red flames and exploding in the middle of the city. Peter meets the invisible Claude Rains, who helps Peter discover that he can access the powers he has absorbed by thinking of the person from whom he absorbed the ability.

Later, Peter visits Isaac's loft again, and confronts the painter about his association with Mr. Bennet. A fight ensues, and Simone is accidentally shot. Then, Peter visits Mohinder's apartment, but is confronted by Sylar, who begins to cut off the top of Peter's head. However, Peter heals his wound, fights Sylar, and dies when struck with a shard of glass in his brain. He revives when Claire removes the shard. At Kirby Plaza, Peter absorbs Ted's power, and has difficulty controlling it. Peter has a final confrontation with Sylar. They trade blows, and Peter's hands begin to glow dangerously. He tells Claire to shoot him, but Nathan appears, picks up his brother, and flies away into the sky where Peter explodes.

Four Months Later...

At a shipping yard in Cork, Ireland, three thugs--Ricky, Tuko, and Will--search for a shipping container which they believe to contain iPods. Instead, they find a half-naked Peter handcuffed inside the empty container. They ask him where the merchandise is, to which he replies that he doesn't know. Tuko tries to strike him, but Peter defends himself by shooting an electrical bolt from his free hand, hurling his attacker to the ground. The other thugs draw their guns on him and ask him who he is, but Peter doesn't know.

Lizards

Will throws a bucket of water on Peter to wake him, which Tuko follows by punching Peter. Peter wonders where he is, and Tuko punches him repeatedly. Ricky asks Peter where he stashed the iPods, but Peter tells him he hasn't taken anything.

The door to the room Peter's in opens, and a woman enters. She tells Peter she likes his necklace and wants to know what it means, but Peter wants to known just as much as she does. She asks him his name, but he doesn't know. The woman introduces herself as Caitlin, Ricky's sister. Caitlin tells Peter he has to remember something, but Peter only remembers Ricky, Tuko and Will finding him. He tells her that the "electrical spark" that knocked Tuko down came from his hand. As she cleans his face, she finds that all the cuts from his beating have healed, which leaves them both wondering.

Alone in the room, Peter tries escaping his bonds, which results in him phasing through the ropes. Peter grabs a shirt and is about to climb out a window when two thugs walk in and start to attack Caitlin. Peter throws an electrical spark to knock out one of the thugs and then uses telekinesis to disarm the other. The man punches Peter in the face, and Peter punches him back, launching him across the room.

Caitlin asks Peter if he is going to say anything about the things he did, but Peter just tries to blow it off like he didn't do anything. Ricky returns and explains that the guy Peter put through the wall was the son of McSorley, an organized crime boss. Peter says next time he will leave him alone with Caitlin, but Ricky gets angry and tells him not to mouth off. Ricky tells him they will do a job so they can give McSorley a lot of money and get him off their backs, but Peter tells him he is no a thief. Ricky then pulls out a Box and calls Peter by his name. According to Ricky, the box contains everything that Peter had on him when they found him. Ricky tells Peter that if he does one job for them, they will give him the box and he can leave.

Kindred

Peter makes a deal with Ricky. If he helps the gang steal a vault out of an armored truck, Ricky will give him the box. However, as the two agree on this, Peter inadvertently hears Will's thoughts, and discovers that he plans to steal the money from Ricky and the others. When Peter attempts to warn Ricky, the mobster reveals a crest tattooed on his arm. It's his family crest, and he, Tuko, and Will have one. He tells Peter he trusts Will a lot more than he trusts him. When the night of the robbery arrives, Peter and Caitlin arrive, separate from the others. Peter goes towards the guards, and begins yelling at them, distracting them from the fact that Ricky and the others are behind them, pointing guns at their heads. While keeping the guards at gun point and attempting to steal the safe box, one of them hits an alarm, causing Ricky to knock him out. As they're about to get caught, Peter moves a truck crashing towards the guards. He gets back in Caitlin's car and escapes.

Back at the bar, Ricky is rejoicing in the amount of money stolen. However, Will pulls a gun on him, demanding the money. Peter comes out from the back room, and notes that he was right about Will the whole time. Will shoots Peter, and is about to take the money, when Peter stands and pins Will to a wall using telekinesis. Peter's body pushes out the two bullets from the entry wounds, and he begins to strangle Will with his telekinesis. However, he is brought to his senses by Caitlin, and releases Will.

Later, just as Caitlin finishes tattooing the crest onto Peter's arm, Ricky comes over and declares Peter family, and says that they shouldn't keep any secrets from each other. He places Peter's box on the table, and leaves. As Caitlin tells Peter to open it, he expresses his concerns of who he was before he lost his memory. He explains that he wanted to kill Will, and almost did. Caitlin tells him that he's a "good soul," and that if he's happy being their with them, that he should forget about his past for the time being. The two begin to kiss, leaving the box unopened. As they do so, unknown to both of them, Peter's new tattoo begins to change, turning into the symbol before disappearing.

Graphic Novel:Petrified Lightning

Peter is still thinking if he should open the box and see who he is, when Caitlin talks with him. Peter asks her out on a date. Instead, they take a walk on the beach. Peter asks Caitlin to tell him the tale about the great hero Cuchulainn and the Mermaid. When Caitlin is telling the story, Peter isn't paying attention and he's busy with his powers. Caitlin notices, and tells Peter to listen. She ends the story while Peter is still trying to use his powers. He uses his ability after saying Caitlin's name, and forms a piece of glass from his electricity. Caitlin gives him the glass, and Peter reads her mind before they head home.

Fight or Flight

Caitlin closes the pub in the middle of the afternoon and kisses Peter passionately. Caitlin tells him that he can't just forget his past, and Peter tells her that he doesn't want to dig deep because of what he's capable of. Peter asks why she's asking him to look when she told him otherwise, but she tells him that was because he hadn't kissed her yet. Ricky walks in on Peter and Caitlin kissing, and tells Peter that he needs to speak to him. Ricky brings forward a man who tells Peter that an American girl was asking about Peter by the shipping yard. Ricky tells Peter to go away with Caitlin while he deals with the blonde.

Later, Caitlin and Peter arrive at Caitlin's flat, where Peter finds a few canvases that Caitlin painted. Peter pulls out the box, and tells Caitlin that he has to face who he was. He explains that he wants to be with her, no matter what's in the box. He finds a plane ticket to Montreal, his passport, some money, and a photo of himself with Nathan, though he doesn't recognize him. Looking at the canvas, he sees flashes of something, then picks up a paintbrush. His eyes turn white, and he begins to paint. Caitlin stares in shock, as Peter paints. Peter finishes the painting and asks what happened. He doesn't realize he painted the painting, and Caitlin explains that his eyes went white. He sees the street signs in the picture are in French, and Caitlin wonders if they need to go to Montreal. She receives a phone call and the two rush to the pub. Tuko sits next to Ricky's burned body, and Peter apologizes to Caitlin. He tells her that they came after him, it's his fault, and that he can't hide anymore.

The Line

At the scene of Ricky's murder, Caitlin looks at an old picture of her brother. Peter apologizes for the incident, as the killer was looking for him, and he shouldn't have let Ricky cover for him. He states that he will not risk Caitlin's life, and that he has to go to Montreal. She insists to go with him, since she is in the painting with him. Peter asks why she has to go with him, and she claims the reason is to find the woman who killed Ricky and "kill the bitch."

In Montreal, Peter and Caitlin approach a door with the Symbol over it, as depicted in Peter's painting. The two enter the Montreal building, finding a room with several items, including banners with Whitebeard's insignia. Peter sees a mirror with a note on it with his name. He flips it over, and finds that the note is from a man named Adam, telling him that he and Peter were right about the Company, and that the world is in danger. Caitlin asks if he knows an Adam, but he doesn't remember any Adams or companies. Caitlin hugs Peter, and Peter asks aloud for someone to tell him who he is, and what the future holds. The two break the hug to find themselves in the middle of Times Square. The streets are abandoned with litter everywhere. The two wonder how they got there, and Peter picks up an evacuation notice dated June 14, 2008.

Out of Time

In the future, Peter and Caitlin wander through New York City looking for people. Suddenly, a hazmat group detains him and Caitlin, giving them chemical baths. Peter is separated and interviewed. The man notes that Peter died already, and explains a brief history of the Shanti virus. Later, Peter meets his mother, whom he does not recognize. She asks him to remember, and he remembers that she is his mother. She explains to Peter his ability and that he needs to fix history. They begin to walk when Peter sees Caitlin being deported. He tries to help her, but teleports back to the present. Peter tries to return, but is stuck in Montreal. He hears something, then shoots a bolt of lightning at someone behind a painting. A man steps forward, asking Peter what he's doing, then introduces himself as Adam.

Four Months Ago...

After teleporting back to Montreal from virus-stricken New York and reuniting with Adam, Adam tells Peter he must remember what happened in between the explosion and now. He is able to do so by using Adam's regeneration to "heal" his fracture mind.

Back on the day of the explosion, Nathan and Peter fly high above Kirby Plaza as Peter is about to explode. Peter tries to talk Nathan into letting him go, and after a few coercions, his brother lets him fall. He explodes, causing Nathan to suffer from severe radioactive burns and to fall unconscious. Fortunately, Peter recovers and flies down to catch Nathan. They arrive at a hospital, where Peter tells the doctors to make sure Nathan will be okay. Before a cop can question him, he turns invisible and runs away. Once he reappears and walks down a hallway, Bob appears around a corner behind Peter with Elle who zaps Peter in the back, knocking him out.

Peter wakes up in Bob's office with Bob, Elle, and the Haitian in the room. Peter tries to use telekinesis but fails to do so, thanks to the Haitian. Elle and Bob tells Peter they have a short-term cure for his problem in the form of a power negation pill, and promises Peter a permanent riddance of his power. Peter agrees to take the pills and to stay in their facility until the cure is complete.

Over a period of time, Peter meets Adam Monroe, who tells him all about the Company's true intentions. After three months of having a flirtatious relationship with Elle and of ignoring Adam, Peter finally introduces himself to Adam. He says he knows of his brother's condition, and that his blood will heal Nathan. Peter agrees to help them escape; he does so after not taking the "Haitian pills" for five days and phasing through the wall into Adam's cell. Peter makes a remark about Adam looking good for a 400-year-old man, and they phase through to the outside together.

Walking through a New York shipping yard, Adam hands Peter a plane ticket and a passport. He begins to tell him his plan, but is interrupted by Elle and the Haitian. Adam and Peter split up, but Elle sends a bolt at each of them, knocking Adam against a wall and setting Peter's shirt on fire. As Elle goes after Adam, Peter runs from the Haitian. Soon enough, the Haitian catches Peter and stops Peter from using any powers against him. Peter tries to fight, but the Haitian gets three good punches in and handcuffs Peter inside a shipping container. Peter says he'll keep escaping if they bring him back, but that is not the Haitian's intentions. As a favor to Peter's mother, the Haitian says Peter deserves a better fate, and the only way to do that is by starting a new life far away from here. He gives Peter his necklace, erases his memory, and locks him in the container.

Back to the present, Peter tells Adam he remembers everything. After Adam congratulates him, he asks, "Shall we go save the world?", to which Peter replies with a smile and a nod.

Powers

Much mystery surrounded Peter's status and powers, or lack thereof, early in the series. While every main character was said outright to have a power in press releases, Peter was simply billed as "trying to convince his brother he can fly". Later, after his brother flew, Peter himself displayed the ability to levitate not long afterward (Don't Look Back). Peter is actually an empathic mimic who duplicates the powers of others. His crude levitation sketch shows that he gained Isaac's ability to draw the future, but without needing to be induced by drugs (Don't Look Back). Later, Peter visits Isaac and finishes Isaac's painting without the aid of heroin or any other drug (Hiros).

Early on, Peter's duplicated powers typically only lasted while the person he was mimicking was nearby. He was unable to fly when not in the presence of Nathan, and he became visible when Claude walked away from him, but he was still able to use Isaac's precognition the day after he met him (Don't Look Back). In Distractions, he duplicated Claire's power of regeneration, even though he had not been near her for weeks; this was the first time he ever consciously "recalled" a mimicked power.

While Peter's crude stick figure drawings originally seemed to indicate that he could duplicate only someone's powers, and not their skills, the painting he completed at Isaac's studio seems fairly well done (though not of the same style). This could indicate that his ability is maturing and developing, much like the others with powers.

Powers Mimicked

Prior to having his power stolen by Arthur Petrelli, Peter was able to duplicate the abilities of other evolved humans; after he acquired the ability, he did not need to be in the person's presence. To date, Peter had conclusively duplicated the abilities of:

• Precognitive dreaming (Genesis) from Angela Petrelli (The Second Coming)
• Flight from Nathan Petrelli (Genesis)
• Precognition (Don't Look Back) from Isaac Mendez (Genesis)
• Rapid cell regeneration from Claire Bennet (Homecoming)
• Telepathy from Matt Parkman (Fallout)
• Invisibility from Claude Rains (Godsend)
• Telekinesis (Unexpected) from Sylar (Homecoming)
• Space-time manipulation (Unexpected) from Future Hiro (Collision)
• Induced radioactivity from Ted Sprague (The Hard Part)
• Enhanced strength from Niki Sanders (How to Stop an Exploding Man)
• Phasing (Four Months Ago...) from D.L. Hawkins (How to Stop an Exploding Man)
• Electric manipulation (Four Months Later...) from Elle Bishop (Four Months Ago...)
• Pyrokinesis (I Am Become Death) from Flint (One of Us, One of Them)
• Intuitive aptitude (I Am Become Death) from Sylar (Homecoming)
• Super speed (I Am Become Death) from Daphne Millbrook (Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration)

See also: Powers Mimicked by Future Peter

Powers Exposed

Other evolved humans had been within Peter's proximity, exposing him to their abilities. However, Peter never exhibited these abilities:

• Daniel Linderman's Healing (Villains)
• Arthur Petrelli's Ability absorption (Villains)
• Eden McCain's Persuasion (Collision)
• Sylar's Freezing (Homecoming)
• Sylar's Shattering (Homecoming)
• René's Mental manipulation (Unexpected)
• Sylar's Melting (Parasite)
• Sylar's Enhanced hearing (Parasite)
• Molly Walker's Clairvoyance (How to Stop an Exploding Man)
• Micah Sanders's Technopathy (How to Stop an Exploding Man)
• Bob Bishop's Alchemy (Four Months Ago...)
• Jesse Murphy's Sound manipulation (One of Us, One of Them)
• Future Mohinder's Enhanced strength and senses (I Am Become Death)
• Future Gabriel's Clairsentience (I Am Become Death)

In the original timeline, Peter was exposed to Sylar's enhanced memory. (Homecoming) However, Hiro Nakamura went back in time, preventing Sylar from obtaining it in the first place. (Once Upon a Time in Texas)

See also: Powers Exposed to Future Peter

Equipment

Formerly

• Activating Evolution--Chandra Suresh's book detailing the emergence of extraordinary abilities
• Paintings -- Drawn after absorbing Isaac's precognition

Currently

• A pendant of the symbol.
• A box containing some of his possessions.

Memorable Quotes

"I've been up here all night thinking about this, thinking about my destiny."

"What are you doing, Pete?"

"It's my turn to be somebody now, Nathan!"

- Peter, Nathan (Genesis)

"Saving you ...did I save the world?"

"I don't know, I'm just a cheerleader."

- Peter, Claire (Homecoming)

"Charles Darwin bred pigeons when he was working out his theory of evolution--married up various permutations to get maximum potential."

"What do you mean by that, 'maximum potential'?"

"I think he meant you, friend."

- Claude, Peter (Unexpected)

"Haven't I killed you before?"

"Didn't take."

- Sylar, Peter (How to Stop an Exploding Man)

Notes

• Milo Ventimiglia (Peter Petrelli), in a behind-the-scenes video, reveals that Peter passes out at the end of Fallout because he is overwhelmed by all of the abilities he has been absorbing.
• Nathan Petrelli is Claire's biological father (Distractions), which would make Peter her uncle. Despite their many interactions, Peter was unaware of his connection to Claire, according to his mother, Angela (.07%).
• According to Joe Pokaski, Peter has the ability to recall all of the powers of those he has been in contact with.
• On one of the covers of Entertainment Weekly's May 11th, 2007 issue (#933, cover 3 of 5), Peter is shown to be exhibiting pyrokinesis, although, as of yet, he has not even met Meredith Gordon, who is currently the only evolved human known to possess pyrokinesis. He does, however, seem to exhibit the ability at the end of Five Years Gone and in Walls, Part 2. Some have also speculated that the picture may be a form of induced radioactivity.

Trivia

• In an interview, Tim Sale said, "Peter's [likeness] is kind of easier to caricature because he's got that silly hair and that kind of knife-like face."
• Both his first name and last name, Peter and Petrelli, come from the Latin term petra meaning "rock".
• In an interview, Jason La Padura said that Peter and Nathan were originally written to be twins.
• According to the official site for the Season One DVD, Peter's AIM screen name is ppetrelli07.
• In the commentary for .07%, Andrew Chambliss says that Tim Kring's early drafts of the pilot call Peter "Harrison", "Ethan", and other names. His last name was Campbell, and he was supposed to be in his mid-30s.

See Also

• For Peter Petrelli as he appeared in the dark future, see Peter Petrelli (future).
• For images of Peter, see Images of Peter Petrelli.
• For articles related to Peter, see Related Articles:Peter.
• For other members of the Petrelli family, see Petrelli (disambig).
• For other uses of Peter, see Peter (disambig).

External Links

• Peter fan video

Fan Theories

Please refer to Theory:Peter Petrelli for fan-created theories and other speculation.