Meredith Gordon

Meredith Gordon
Portrayed by	Jessalyn Gilsig
First appearance	The Fix
In-story stats
Known ability	Pyrokinesis
Nicknames	Mere, Bio-Mom
Gender
Age	34
Date of birth	1973
Place of birth	Kingsland, AR
Date of death	2007
Home	formerly Kingsland, AR, formerly Mexico and Kermit, TX (see other residences), currently Costa Verde, CA
Residences	formerly a Farm home in rural Arkansas (now destroyed), formerly an apartment in Kermit and a trailer in the Forever Young Trailer Park, currently the Bennets' residence
Occupation	Agent of the Company
Significant other	formerly Nathan Petrelli (deceased)
Parents	Flint Gordon, Sr. (deceased), Unnamed mother (deceased)
Child	Claire Bennet
Siblings	Flint Gordon, Jr. (younger brother, deceased)

Meredith Gordon was the biological mother of Claire. She was an evolved human with the ability to create and manipulate fire.

About

Meredith, many years ago, was one of Nathan Petrelli's brief lovers (as, according to Meredith, Nathan has a "weakness for blonds"). The two eventually drifted apart, due to them coming from different social worlds, but not before Meredith became pregnant and had Nathan's illegitimate daughter; Claire. After just over a year together, Meredith believed she had lost her child when, during a Company Bag and tag operation gone bad; Meredith accidentally used her powers to burn down her apartment complex, presuming Claire was still inside the collapsing building. Allowing everyone else to believe she had perished, Meredith went traveling around the United States and Mexico, until many years later where she reconnected with her grown-up daughter. After being recruited by Noah Bennet to protect his family in the aftermath of the Level 5 breakout, Meredith accepted a new position at the Company. In this capacity, she assisted Noah in recapturing the Level 5 escapees.

Character History

The Fix

Claire finds out from the Haitian that her mother died in a fire 14 years ago. Checking old newspaper reports, Claire finds a report that Meredith Gordon died in a fire in Kermit, TX, at the age of 21, along with her 18-month-old daughter. Calling everyone named Gordon in Kermit, Claire reaches a woman who claims to be Meredith, her birth mother.

Distractions

Claire visits Meredith at her trailer park home in Kermit, TX. Meredith describes how she thought Claire had been killed in the fire and then wandered for years afterward, only returning to Kermit a few months ago. When Claire demonstrates her self-healing ability, Meredith demonstrates her own power to create fire. After the visit, Meredith gives Claire a necklace, and places a call to Claire's biological father, Nathan Petrelli.

Run!

Meredith tells Nathan that she has received a visit from their daughter, Claire, and asks if there's anything he would like to do. Nathan offers $100,000, which Meredith accepts. When Claire visits and asks again about her father, Meredith says that he would disappoint Claire, but that he has offered the two of them $50,000, of which Claire is entitled to half. She also tells Claire that she is planning to return to Mexico. When Nathan later visits Meredith to deliver the money, Meredith tells him that Claire would like to see him if he's interested, but he tells Meredith that she did well to keep them from meeting.

Company Man

Claude wonders whether the Company was aware of Meredith's daughter before ordering Meredith to be bagged. Then, Mr. Bennet reports to Kaito that they believe Meredith died in the fire.

Graphic Novel:Hell's Angel

In 1992, Mr. Bennet and Claude go to Meredith's apartment in Kermit for a "bag and tag". When they enter, however, they are thwarted by a destructive fire.

Season Three

For an episode-by-episode summary, see Meredith Gordon: Season Three History.

When the prisoners of Level 5 escape, Meredith is contacted by Noah Bennet and brought to Costa Verde to help protect his family while he is gone. Sandra is reluctant to accept any help or advice from Meredith regarding Claire, who begins to show an interest in hunting down villains. Meredith helps her and the two of them go to a shipping container to train. Meredith generates fire and uses it to get rid of all the oxygen, torturing Claire into admitting that she really wants to hunt villains to hurt Sylar. Meredith apologizes to Claire when they return home and assumes that she will now stay in Costa Verde.

Meredith learns from Sandra that Claire has gone to hunt villains, so Meredith goes after Eric Doyle in the hope that she may run into Claire. Eric uses his power to force Meredith to stay with him, despite the repeated insults of disgust from Meredith. Claire and Sandra attempt to save Meredith but they are also captured by the puppet master. When a game of Russian Roulette ensues, Meredith begs Eric not to hurt Claire. Claire manages to fool Eric and knock him out. When Noah Bennet arrives, Meredith claims that her work is done, as Claire is perfectly capable of protecting the family. Following that, she begins to work with Noah as his partner.

Via spirit walk, Hiro learns that prior to the first eclipse, Meredith worked as a Company Agent with Thompson. She brought in Danny Pine before escaping with her brother Flint. In present time, Meredith and Noah recapture Danny and bring him back to Primatech. After meeting up with Angela and Claire, Meredith and Noah prepare to take down Pinehearst. Sylar intervenes and holds all four of them prisoner within Primatech. Meredith tries to hunt down Sylar but is attacked by him and pumped full of adrenaline. Placed in a Level 5 cell, Meredith slowly starts to lose control of her ability. Claire promises that no matter what, she will come back for her but by the time Sylar has been defeated, Meredith is barely capable of keeping her fire inside her. She begs Claire to leave her and, upon hearing that her daughter loves her, backs away into her cell. While Claire and Noah escape, Meredith lets out a final scream and explodes, destroying both Primatech and herself.

Heroes Evolutions

According to a tip in the assignment tracker map, Meredith has been linked to a series of fires across the U.S. and Mexico.

According to Eric Doyle's assignment tracker profile, Meredith met Eric at an antique flea market, where Meredith was admiring a rare 19th century marionette. Meredith was initially polite, but Eric became increasingly desperate. Despite abducting her and manipulating her, he was unable to make her love him. When the Company bagged and tagged Eric, Meredith survived.

Recently Meredith's own assignment tracker was released, but as of yet no personal history or psychological profile has been added.

Evolved Human Abilities

Cranial imaging

Meredith has the power of pyrokinesis, the ability to create fire (The Fix). In addition to creating fire, she seems to be resistant to some of the consequences of its use; her flames heated the walls of a shipping container enough to burn Claire's hands, and they consumed enough oxygen to nearly suffocate Claire, but Meredith showed no discomfort from the heat or lack of oxygen (One of Us, One of Them).

In Villains, Meredith was seen using her powers offensively for the first time, able to throw fireballs and conjure large flames to launch them in directed, continuous streams. She can also control the heat of her flames, able to distract Danny Pine instead of injuring him and merely disorientating Thompson on another occasion.

In the graphic novels, Hell's Angel and Playing with Fire, Meredith can ignite her whole body on fire without harming herself and release her flames in an omni-directional explosive blast. In Distractions Meredith reveals to Claire that after she exploded, while she was unharmed by the flames around her and she thought that Claire had died in the fire and fled.

According to her assignment tracker, her control index is 74%. Her data analysis shows her biological level at 35, cerebral at 15, elemental at 70, and temporal/spatial at 25.

Memorable Quotes

"Some family."

- Meredith (to Claire) (Distractions)

"I see you've still got a weakness for blonds."

- Meredith (to Nathan about Tracy) (Eris Quod Sum)

"They're trickin' you because you're dumb! You know what Daddy used to say: 'God gave you a big sister instead of a brain.'"

- Meredith (to Flint) (Villains)

Notes

• Since "Meredith Gordon" has been reported dead, she may be using a different first name now, at least for legal purposes. However, no one has yet referred to her by any other name, and she may have spent enough time out of the country for this to be a non-issue.
• After the fire, Meredith Gordon lived several places before returning to Kermit, TX:
  • Cuernavaca, Mexico — 50 miles South of Mexico City. (Of possible interest, Unnamed #6 was listed in Chilpancingo, Mexico, which is 90 miles from Cuernavaca.)
  • La Paz, Mexico — There are at least 16 La Paz, Mexicos, none being particularly close to either Cuernavaca or Kermit.
  • Meredith tells Claire that she "just got back to Kermit a couple of months ago". (Distractions)
• According to her assignment tracker, Meredith is 5'7 and weights 120 pounds.
• The Volume Three finale ends with Meredith in a burning building, just like Niki Sanders in the Volume Two finale. Coincidentally, also, both of their fates are/were unknown at the time.
• Suresh confirmed that Meredith didn't survive the Primatech fire in The Natural Order of Things.

Trivia

• Her first name, Meredith, is of Old Welsh origin, and its meaning is "great, noted ruler" or "sea lord".
• Her last name, Gordon, is of Old English and Gaelic origin, and its meaning is "large fortification".

See Also

• For other uses of Gordon, see Gordon (disambig).
• For others that could be considered Claire's parents, see Claire's parents (disambig).
• For articles related to Meredith, see Related Articles:Meredith.

Fan Theories

Please refer to Theory:Meredith Gordon for fan-created theories and other speculation.