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 | 38 |
| Date of birth | 1969 |
| Home | New York, NY; formerly Los Angeles, CA |
| Residences | formerly a single-family home in Los Angeles, CA, currently Mohinder Suresh's apartment in Brooklyn, NY |
| Occupations | NYPD detective, former private security guard, former LAPD Officer |
| Significant other | formerly Janice Parkman |
| Parent | Maury Parkman |
| Child | Matthew (possible future) |
| Ward | Molly Walker |
Matt Parkman is a detective in the New York Police Department, though he had immense trouble getting to his desired position because his dyslexia made it difficult for him to pass the entrance exam. He is an evolved human with the ability of telepathy.
Character History
Season One
For an episode-by-episode summary, see Matt Parkman: Season One History.
Matt Parkman is an officer for the LAPD, busy securing a crime scene, when he discovers he has the power of hearing people's thoughts. This enables him to locate a missing girl. However, upon mentioning the name "Sylar", Matt is arrested, but proves to Audrey that his power is real, and goes to work for the FBI. Meanwhile, after a row with his wife, Matt goes to a Los Angeles bar, collapses, and wakes up strapped to a table in a medical facility. Mr. Bennet instructs a mysterious man to "clean Matt out." Later, he discovers he has two marks on his neck, something he shares in common with Ted Sprague, the FBI's newest target.
Obsessed with Mr. Bennet, Matt orders a SWAT raid on Primatech Paper Co., which ultimately proves to be a bust. He is suspended from his job, takes a job as a body guard, and take some diamonds. Desperate, Matt joins with the fugitive Ted to confront Mr. Bennet in his own home. When things turn sour, Matt is apprehended by the Company, but quickly escapes his cell with Bennet's help. He joins with others to head to New York City and destroy the Walker System, and is horrified to learn that the system is actually Molly. Matt uses Molly's locating ability to hunt down Sylar at Kirby Plaza. However, just as he shoots the serial killer, Sylar telekinetically stops the bullets and flings them into Matt's abdomen, leaving him wounded.
Season Two
For an episode-by-episode summary, see Matt Parkman: Season Two History.
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Heroes Evolutions
Matt's case file (password: MPggtn75x) at primatechpaper.com contains a personal history about Matt:
Apart from suffering from Dyslexia, Matt Parkman was about as "average" a person as they come until his ability to hear others' thoughts manifested while investigating the Walker crime scene, a family apparently murdered by Gabriel Gray (see case file C004).
Parkman was tagged by the Company and released to continue his work on the Walker case with the FBI. Later, he participated in the capture and interrogation of Theodore Sprague (see case file C003) and the continued investigation of Sylar's murder spree. However, internal reports indicate that the ability may have caused personal problems on the job--he punched a fellow officer in the precinct locker room when he learned he had been having an affair with his wife, Janice.
Sylar's attack at Union Wells High School led Parkman and FBI Agent Hanson to Odessa, Texas where they continued their investigation, during which Parkman became suspicious of Company activities. Parkman's surveillance and unsuccessful raid on Primatech Paper Company resulted in a six-month suspension from the LAPD and ruined his credibility with the FBI. He is currently divorced and working at the NYPD at detective rank.
Since his wife was pregnant by another man, his offspring no longer holds interest for The Company so any case note referring to the baby may be disregarded.
The subject's father (see psychological profile) is Company founder Maury Parkman. When last under Company care, Matt Parkman was still at the beginning of his ability's manifestation and close watch is recommended lest he manifest the more-dangerous abilities associated with his father.
The case file also contains a psychological profile:
Perhaps until recently, Matt Parkman saw himself as an "everyman," an average American suburbanite struggling to get ahead and kept down by authorities who saw him as more of a "worker bee" then as material for something more. Rather then accept his position in life as an average law officer, Matt internalized this to the point of extreme neuroses, jeopardizing his marriage in the process, as evidenced by marriage counseling records. In fact, his wife cheated on him with a fellow LAPD officer, further undoing an already damaged and fragile ego.
The manifestation of his ability gave him a renewed set of confidence, and also a new set of conflicts in his life as he learned to incorporate it into his day-to-day routine. He did so to a limited extant and succeeded more in further alienating those around him. Parkman also displays equal measures naiveté and world-weariness along with a sense that he always must strive to do right, even if what he considers "right" slides around due to others' influence on him.
It's recommended to keep close tabs, especially if he manifests additional abilities or falls under the sway of someone who may pose harmful to The Company and its work.
Evolved Human Abilities
Matt has the ability of telepathy, an ability that he has until recently only been able to use to hear thoughts. In Fight or Flight, Matt is able to project his thoughts to another in a moment of crisis, though he cannot explain what happened afterwards. In Out of Time, Matt's power grows as he is able to bring Maury into the "nightmare" that Maury places Molly into. Matt then overcomes his father's advanced use of telepathy to trap Maury the same way Maury trapped Molly. By Cautionary Tales, Matt has learned how to use his abilities to command others.
Matt is sometimes unable to control his abilities and can be overwhelmed by intense thoughts, which cause him severe headaches.
According to his assignment tracker file at primatechpaper.com, Matt's control index is 25%. His data analysis shows his biological level at 25, cerebral at 90, elemental at 45, and temporal/spatial at 20.
Equipment
- Diamonds--located and kept after Aron Malsky was murdered by Jessica
- Gun--carried by Matt as a police officer and as a private security guard
Memorable Quotes
"You can't bribe me!"
- - Matt (to Aron Malsky) (Run!)
"If you take this secret from me, you're not just like your father. You are him!"
- - Angela (to Matt) (Cautionary Tales)
"No! I'm not scared of you anymore! I'm a good man; I'm a good cop. I'm a good father, which is something you know nothing about. You don't know what it's like to fight for someone that you love; you left. You left. All you have are your nightmares."
- - Matt (to Maury) (Out of Time)
"I love you."
"I heard!"
- - Matt, Molly (Out of Time)
Notes
- Matt is on the List.
- On the official NBC Heroes page for Matt Parkman, a link hidden in the monitor on the squad car displays a video clip of an unaired incident of Parkman using his powers to locate a man speaking in a foreign tongue under a grate in the floor. This scene is from the unaired 72 minute version of In His Own Image shown at SDCC 2006.
- In an interview, Greg Grunberg insinuates that Matt is Jewish. This is also backed up by Future Matt's use of the Yiddish phrase "Mazel Tov". (Five Years Gone)
Trivia
- In an interview, Jason La Padura said that originally, the prototype for Matt's character was Ryan Phillippe in Crash.
- Matt's NYPD detective badge is number 8954.
- According to his case file (password: MPggtn75x) at primatechpaper.com, Matt weighs 190 pounds.
See Also
- For other uses of Matt, see Matt (disambig).
- For other uses of Matthew Parkman, see Matthew Parkman (disambig).
- For Matt Parkman as he appeared in the dark future, see Matt Parkman (future).
- For the article about Matt's son in a possible future, see Matthew.
- For other members of the Parkman family, see Parkman (disambig).
- For articles related to Matt, see Related Articles:Matt.
- For images of Matt, see Images of Matt Parkman.
Fan Theories
Please refer to Theory:Matt Parkman for fan-created theories and other speculation.