Claude Rains

Claude Rains
Portrayed by	Christopher Eccleston
First appearance	Godsend
In-story stats
Known ability	Invisibility
Gender
Home	New York, NY

Claude Rains has had the power of invisibility for 15 years.

Character History

Godsend

Peter sees a bearded man in his recurring visions. Later, while walking down a New York City street, he sees the same man nonchalantly picking through the property of others. Peter follows the man and yells to him. The thief is shocked to be seen; he grabs Peter and the two tussle.

The Fix

Peter quickly informs Claude that he can "do what you can do," and Claude promptly wants nothing to do with Peter. He disappears around the corner, and Peter fades back into sight. He then follows Claude to the rooftop of Charles Deveaux's building, where the two fight a bit more and Claude threatens Peter for following him again. Later, when Peter is running away from his brother and Mohinder, Claude shows up outside of Peter's apartment and helps him escape. The two then talk about Peter's power as an empath, and they go off to steal a cab.

Distractions

Claude continues to work with Peter, trying to teach him to use his power consciously and not just as a reflex. Claude takes a purse from a woman standing nearby and hands it to Peter. He leaves Peter to see if he can maintain his invisibility without Claude's help, but Peter fails his test. Claude, realizing that Peter is too attached to people, tells him that people are selfish, deceitful and gassy. Peter insists that at least Simone is different. To find out whether or not this is true, Claude and Peter follow Simone to the roof of her father’s building. Claude uses Simone’s intimacy with Isaac to taunt Peter, and they argue. Claude insists Peter flies, and he pushes Peter off the roof, causing him to crash into a taxi and impaling his chest on a piece of metal. However, he is saved by his absorbed power of regeneration. Claude tells Peter that he freed his mind and called out his power, but Peter believes that it was his recollection of Claire that brought out his powers. Unfortunately, he begins to overload, so Claude promptly punches Peter, knocking him out.

Unexpected

On Charles Deveaux's rooftop, Claude attacks Peter with a pole; Peter eventually stops the blows, using telekinesis Claude asks Peter which of his friends is telekinetic, and Peter realizes it was Sylar. Claude tells Peter that they may have a chance at stopping him from exploding, then strikes him in the face with another pole and knocks him down.

As Peter and Claude discuss evolution, Claude is struck by tazer darts and collapses. Peter stops the tazer darts meant for him and throws Claude off of the building before jumping after him and flying them both to safety.

Claude awakens in Peter's apartment. He shows Peter the mark on his neck, explaining that he's been hiding from Mr. Bennet's organization for years, and vanishes.

Powers

Claude has the ability to become invisible, and has been living with the power for 15 years. He uses the power to his advantage, stealing from others. It is not clear, but it seems that Claude has the ability to make other objects invisible (since he can pick up wallets, phones, etc.. without other people noticing he is looking through their wallet, right in front of them). (Godsend)

Notes

• In an interview with TV Guide, Tim Kring stated that this character would become a mentor to Peter Petrelli.
• Based on the December promo, it would appear that Peter is the first person that Claude has met that was able to see him while he used his ability. This suggests that invisible heroes may be able to see each other as part of the ability, much the same way that Hiro & Peter were able to talk while time was stopped on the subway. (Hiros) This also suggests that the abilities of most of our heroes are new, as Claude appears surprised to meet someone else with an extraordinary ability (even though he's had his invisibility power for some time).
• When Isaac references the power of invisibility, Mr. Bennet immediately assumes he is referring to Claude. Mr. Bennet is aware of Claude's existence, and assumed he had died. He also most likely doesn't know anybody else with the power of invisibility. (Distractions)

Trivia

• Claude Rains is the name of the actor who played the title character in the 1933 movie The Invisible Man.
• Claude mutters, "Fantastic," which is the Ninth Doctor's catchphrase. The Ninth Doctor, from Doctor Who, is portrayed by Christopher Eccleston. (The Fix)

Fan Theories

Please refer to Theory:Claude Rains for fan-created theories and other speculation.