Matt Parkman

Matt Parkman
Portrayed by	Greg Grunberg
First appearance	Don't Look Back
In-story stats
Known abilities	Telepathy, Precognition
Formal name	Matthew Parkman
Nickname	Carnac
Gender
Age	38
Date of birth	June 10, 1968
Place of birth	Los Angeles, CA
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 others	Daphne Millbrook, formerly Janice Parkman
Parent	Maury Parkman (deceased)
Ward	Molly Walker

Matt Parkman is a former detective of 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.

When Future Peter sent Matt to Africa, he encountered Usutu, an evolved human with the ability to paint the future. He taught Matt how to do this so that he could save Daphne from a horrible future. It was seemingly a one-off, but several months later Usutu's spirit appeared to Matt and told him he is destined to become a prophet and help the Heroes fight whats to come. Matt began drawing pictures which came true almost immediately.

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.

Matt is now a detective with the NYPD and lives with Mohinder to take care of Molly. When picking up Molly from school, her teacher shows Matt frightening drawings that Molly made of eyes intertwined with the symbol and informs him that she thinks Molly is living in a bad environment due to his recent injuries and divorce from Janice. At their new residence, Matt and Molly eat, and Matt tried to talk to Molly about her drawings and her nightmares but she refuses. Later he uses his telepathy to listen to Molly's dream and discovers that she is dreaming about the someone who can see her. She awakens and tells him that the person in her dreams is extremely dangerous, and if Matt tries to go after him he will die.

Matt is assigned with the investigation of Kaito's death. Detective Fuller shows Matt a portion of a photograph of Kaito with the symbol drawn on top. He informs Matt that Ando was a witness and that he saw Kaito being pushed off the building despite there being only one body found. Fuller continues and tells Matt that the photo had Angela Petrelli's fingerprint on it. While interviewing Angela, Matt hears her thoughts, and finds out that someone is seeking revenge for something terrible they did. Matt meets Nathan when Angela starts screaming in the interrogation room, and Matt breaks through the glass in the adjacent room. Nathan holds her as Matt asks who did this. Matt finds Angela holding another picture fragment of her with the symbol also drawn across her face.

The next few days, Matt and Nathan try to figure out who killed Kaito and attacked Angela. Nathan recognizes the photos that the killer sent to Kaito and Angela and shows the original to Matt. Matt sees his father in the photo and tries to get Molly to find him. Molly uses her ability and becomes unconscious after revealing Matt's father's location. Matt and Nathan find Maury, and after finding that Maury is stronger than Matt with the same ability, Maury escapes using his ability. Nathan and Matt find a picture of Bob, and go to warn him. Working with Niki and Mohinder, Bob plans to capture Maury using Matt's ability. However, Maury outsmarts Niki and turns her against Bob, Nathan and Mohinder. After dealing with them, Maury finds himself in his old home where he is keeping Molly, and where Matt has found her. Matt argues with his father, then leaves the nightmare with Molly.

Matt discovers his ability allows for him to implant thoughts into other people's mind, and uses it to his advantage on Molly and Det. Fuller. Matt interrogates Angela Petrelli to find out who the last woman in the photo is, but is too late to save her. Later, Angela explains to Matt and Nathan that 30 years ago, Adam decided the world needed to be wiped clean, and so the founders locked him away. Matt and Nathan are told to put a bullet through Adam's head to stop him, and before leaving, Matt hears Angela's thoughts, telling him to kill Peter, too, if he must. Matt and Nathan go to Primatech Paper Co., and they run into Hiro. They go to the Company vault. Matt tries to use his telepathy to convince Peter to stop Adam, but Peter resists and starts pushing Matt back with telekinesis. Later, after Peter destroys Strain 138, Matt, Nathan, and Peter discuss how they will expose and take down the Company. With Matt's telepathic assistance, Nathan calls a press conference to expose the nature of the various evolved humans and the Company. During his speech, he is shot twice in the chest by an unknown assailant. Matt looks up at the crowd, and tries to catch a glimpse of the shooter before he exits the building.

The Second Coming

After Nathan is shot by Future Peter, Matt and Peter follow the assassin. Matt finds Peter in a bathroom holding a black coat and black cap. He asks Peter if he got a good look at the assassin's face, but Peter lies and says no. Later, Matt finds Peter lurking in a storage cupboard. Matt shows him the gun and asks if he's looking for it. Peter replies that he is, but then Matt starts asking questions. Peter eventually confronts Matt and drops his illusion. He then teleports Matt to a distant location in the middle of a desert. Matt tries to use his ability to see if anyone is near by, but he finds nothing.

The Butterfly Effect

After being teleported into a large desert in an unknown area and having walked for a day in the burning sun, Matt passes out. He hears a voice and finds a turtle who appears to be talking to him. He starts to feels insane when it tells him to drink water from a plant, but as he thanks the turtle a man tells him it's not the turtle who is speaking to him. The man gives Matt his water bottle which helps Matt get back on his feet. As the two begin to walk the man tells him he is not supposed to be here and they must "spirit walk for many miles". Matt asks the man for his cellphone. Unfortunately the cellphone doesn't receive any service from where they are now and that he should have gotten Sprint. Eventually, the man refers to Matt as "Park-man", and tells Matt that his presence in Africa means the future he has foreseen has changed.

One of Us, One of Them

Matt is still in Africa getting a lesson in spirit journeys from his guide, Usutu. Parkman sees many of Usutu's paintings showing prophetic scenes from his past. He also sees one that has not yet come to pass: a happy scene in which Matt and a blonde woman are holding a baby. However, Usutu says that painting no longer depicts the future and replaces it with a new picture, in which Matt is crying and holding the blonde woman's limp body. Later, Matt enters Usutu's hut, and obtains tribal markings on his face. He eats a bowl of unknown contents, and claims that nothing is happening. Usutu then gives Matt music to listen to, and Matt seems to fall asleep. Suddenly, his eyes open wide and turn white as he enters a trance.

I Am Become Death

Matt eats some unknown substance from a bowl and has a vision of the future. In it, he finds that his future self is married to a woman named Daphne Millbrook. He has also adopted Molly Walker and has a baby girl named Daniella Parkman. In the future, Daphne is killed in the explosion of Costa Verde, and when Matt comes out of his trance, he knows he has to find her. Matt leaves Usutu and his hut, following a turtle, which he believes is his guide.

Angels and Monsters

Daphne is assigned by Linderman, who is actually an illusion created by Maury Parkman, to find and recruit Matt to the Pinehearst Company.

Dying of the Light

Matt arrives at JFK airport with his spirit guide turtle, and meets Daphne. Matt and Daphne discuss the information she knows from his file and the information that he learned about her from his vision of the future. Daphne asks Matt to wait at the airport for her return. Daphne returns to Matt and tells him that he is not a good fit for Pinehearst. Matt attempts to convince Daphne to leave Pinehearst, but she refuses his offer of protection.

Eris Quod Sum

Arthur sends Daphne back to Matt to recruit him for the Pinehearst Company. Knox follows her, and when he hears Matt and Daphne talking about going to The Company instead, he comes in and kills them after a showdown with Matt. After Knox leaves, Matt and Daphne come back into the room, revealing that Knox had only killed them in an illusion created telepathically by Matt.

It's Coming

Matt travels to Primatech with Daphne and discover a comatose Angela. When he tries to read her mind to discern what is wrong with her, he gets a glimpse one of her dreams and experiences sharp pain. He attempts to reach out to her again and save her like he did Molly. Meanwhile, Daphne says she will try and get a nurse first, but rushes to warn Arthur. When Matt enters Angela's mind, he finds Angela handcuffed to a chair. Angela tells him its impossible to escape because Arthur has also locked all the doors. Suddenly one of the doors open and Daphne walks through. He approaches her to hug her, but she promptly stabs him with a knife. The real Daphne arrives after touching Matt when she notices he is bleeding. The Daphne that stabbed Matt transforms into Arthur and he reveals her treachery to him. Daphne then professes her love for him and they kiss. When Arthur sees their affections, he releases them at the urging of Angela. When they are all conscious they are met by Peter and Claire. Matt, under the impression that Peter sent him to Africa, attacks Peter, only to be restrained by Claire. Matt is present when Angela reveals that their is a catalyst required for the genetic modification formula.

The Eclipse, Part 1

Matt has been tasked by Angela to find Hiro Nakamura. As he looks through his files on Kaito Nakamura's homicide, trying to find a contact number for Hiro, Daphne protests that they are being used and don't need Hiro's help. He pauses when she asks if he really cares for her, he says yes, but then are interrupted by Ando and a dancing Hiro at the door. Ando insists Matt has to help them regain Hiro's memory, showing him the Japanese print of 9th Wonders, which Matt can't read, but he points the way to the bathroom for Hiro.

Matt then tries probing Hiro's mind, but he can't understand Hiro's internal Japanese dialog. He tells Ando this while Hiro bobs heads with the turtle. Daphne claims they have no chance against Arthur and tells Matt he hesitated before answering her earlier, claiming it was like an eternity for her in that moment. Matt tries to get an explanation, but is only able to get Lawrence, KS from her mind before she speeds off, much to Hiro's amusement. When Matt tells Ando this, Hiro recognizes the name from the comic, shows them the page with the farm and teleports the trio to a cornfield.

Matt senses Daphne is inside the house and they start toward it before Ando notices the eclipse has begun. Matt goes to the house and tries to talk Daphne's father into letting him in. He denies that she is home. From somewhere inside, Daphne calls out, "Go away, Matt." When Matt tries to make Mr. Millbrook into allowing him in to see Daphne, his powers fail him.

Matt returns to the pair in the cornfield and tells them he couldn't get in to see her, as his "mind thing" isn't working. Neither are Hiro's abilities, it seems. With Ando translating, Hiro claims that a true hero carries on despite the loss of power, and begins throwing ears of corn at Matt. Matt finally catches one and gets the point. Matt waits until Mr. Millbrook leaves, then approaches the house. He confesses through the door to Daphne that the spirit walk, their future together, and everything else doesn't matter because he finally realizes he loves her. She finally tells him to come in, as she comes out from a back room and reveals that she now has to use crutches to get around without her powers.

The Eclipse, Part 2

Daphne explains to Matt that she has cerebral palsy, when Mr. Millbrook walks in (apparently, he only went down the driveway to get the mail?) and Matt leaves. He makes his way into town and finds Hiro and Ando at Sam's Comics. As the eclipse ends, Matt returns to the Millbrook farm, where Mr. Millbrook informs him Daphne has left. He realizes that his powers are back, and hears Daphne's thoughts out in the field. He approaches and convinces her she is a good person and can make a difference, and to come with him to stop Arthur Petrelli. They return to Sam's Comics after Daphne embraces her dad. They meet up with Ando, but Hiro is gone. When they don't know where to go next, Matt suggests seeing what the 9th Wonders comics say. Sam and Frack tell them there are no more published comics, but there is the urban legend of Isaac's last story.

Graphic Novel:The Caged Bird, Part 2

Matt convinces Daphne to make amends to her father. Once Daphne has accomplished this, they drive off with Mr. Millbrook watching from the porch of his home.

Our Father

Matt, along with Daphne and Ando, go to the late Isaac Mendez' former bike messenger service in Manhattan and confront the dispatcher. When the man claims that he isn't allowed to talk about delivery records due to city regulations, Matt's familiarity with the law lets him call the dispatcher's bluff. He reads the man's mind and determines that he has Isaac's sketches and is embezzling from the company. When the dispatcher flees out the back, Matt spots him and Daphne gives chase. Later as they go over the sketches, Matt believes that Arthur's formula could work to their advantage if they can find someone who has acquired space-time manipulation powers as the result of taking the formula and have them go back and rescue Hiro from 1991.

Dual

Matt, still with Daphne and Ando arrives at Isaac's old loft, looking for Mohinder. He is not there, and they realize he is in his lab at Pinehearst. Since they need a syringe of the formula Daphne decides to use her ability to run to Pinehearst and get one. When she returns, Ando is more than ready to inject himself. Matt delays him by pointing out that the ability he can get can be bad. Daphne tells Matt that he wanted to know what people thought, and he got telepathy, and she wanted to run, and she got super speed. Matt gives up, Ando injects himself, and faints.

When Ando wakes up, Matt tells him to try to travel back in time. It doesn't work and Ando gets frustrated, banging his hand on a table. His hand sparks with red energy. They try to figure out what he got, and Matt touches him. Matt almost collapses, when he hears the thoughts of all the people in the city. When Daphne touches him and travels several seconds back in time. Matt concludes that Ando's new ability is ability supercharging. While Daphne and Ando go back in time to save Hiro, Matt stays in the present. When they come back, Hiro and Daphne want to go to Pinehearst and get the formula. Daphne looks at Matt for acceptance. He tells her, "Go. Be the good guy...or gal."

Later, with the formula retrieved from Tracy, Hiro rips it to shreds as Matt and Daphne embrace and Ando finally welcomes his friend back. Matt looks up and sees a vision of Usutu on the loft's steps.

Webisode:Hard Knox, Part 1

Eighteen months ago, Matt and Knox buy tacos, and Matt advises Knox to leave his gang.

Webisode:Hard Knox, Part 2

Matt talks to Knox on the street and asks him if he was involved in the Hancock Park heist. Matt tries to persuade Knox to turn in Bartell and to get out of the gang. Knox accuses Matt of using Knox to get a promotion with the LAPD.

Webisode:Hard Knox, Part 4

Matt is directing traffic past the scene of an accident on the interstate. When one truck slows down, he approaches it, telling it to move along. Knox rolls down the tinted window and makes a comment about Matt being knocked down to traffic duty. When Matt sees the gang members inside the truck, he asks what happened to Bartell. Knox replies he heard he was "eaten by a shark". The gang laughs and drive off, leaving Matt disappointed in his onetime friend.

Graphic Novel:Almost Famous

After previous events, Matt strives to maintain a "normal" life with Daphne in New York City. He is working as a security guard at a concert. He hears someone planning to kill the lead performer of the concert but is unable to discern who it is in the large crowd. Leaving the other security guard to tend to the crowds, Matt races through the crowds desperately trying to locate the assassin. Falling into himself and trying to put himself in the killer's shoes he realizes where the killing will go. Matt races down to Heather Haze's dressing room and finds her held at gunpoint by a scorned former lover. Matt forces the man to give up his gun and the would-be assasin is dragged off by a Matt's superior. Heather Haze tries to thank Matt but he makes her forget he was ever there and quits the job. He returns home and warmly embraces Daphne, trying to persuade her to keep a low key.

A Clear and Present Danger

Matt is seen in Mohinder's apartment and talks to Daphne about their lives and futures, and expresses a desire to be "normal." Daphne tells him that they will never be normal and leaves. Matt then begins seeing visions of Usutu, who tells him that he has been "chosen" to tell the future. Matt then begins making precognitive drawings. Later, Claire walks into the apartment and looks over the drawings with Matt, one of which depicts Matt being shot with a taser. Several seconds later, Matt is in fact hit by a taser and is dragged off, along with Claire, by the Hunter. Matt is then seen in Flight 195 with the other subdued evolved humans. Claire wakes him up and he screams as the plane begins to crash.

Heroes Evolutions

Matt's case file (file: C002; 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

Cranial imaging

Matt has the ability of telepathy, an ability that he was originally only 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 afterward. 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 mentally.

Matt's mind reading abilities have improved, able to read Daphne's thoughts quickly with little effort and only needing to concentrate to read more complex thoughts. In Eris Quod Sum, Matt can implant telepathic illusions in another's head, making Knox think he killed Matt and Daphne when they were actually in the other room. The illusion was convincing enough to fool Knox's sense of touch, something his father Maury was seemingly unable to accomplish (Daphne was able to reach through Maury's projection of Linderman). Matt also implied that he can kill with his power. Matt was able to use his power to enter Angela's mind and release her from her coma after Arthur "unbound" her mind, even managing to bring Daphne in with him.

Though Matt was initially unable to control his abilities and would often become overwhelmed, he has apparently overcome this obstacle. In fact, he has gained considerable control over various aspects of his ability. For instance, Matt was able to use his ability to discern Daphne's location when she was nearby, but hidden from view (The Eclipse, Part 2). The range of this aspect of Matt's ability is unknown.

An illusion of Usutu appeared to Matt and told him he must become the prophet. Afterwards Matt seemed to manifest the power of precognition (A Clear and Present Danger). How he gained this new ability and whether or not it is another innate ability or a result of some external influence is unknown.

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
• Photo of group of twelve--used to investigate the murders of the group of twelve
• Bob's death threat--found in his father's apartment
• Future Claire's gun--found in a closet after Nathan's shooting
• Usutu's paste--eaten to induce a spirit walk.
• Matt's drawings--drawn after a visit from Usutu.

Memorable Quotes

"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)

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)
• In a deleted scene from Seven Minutes to Midnight, it is revealed that Matt is allergic to avocados and hates coconuts.

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.
• According to Matt's birth certificate, Matt was born in Los Angeles, CA on June 10, 1968. His mother was from Van Nuys, CA, was born in 1939, and was 26 when she had him. Of course this is impossible--if she was 26, she would have been born in 1942.
• The LAPD squad car that Matt drives has California license plate number 1939871. (Six Months Ago)

See Also

• For other uses of Matt, see Matt (disambig).
• For other uses of Matthew Parkman, see Matthew Parkman (disambig).
• For Matt Parkman's history in the "explosion future", see Matt Parkman (explosion future).
• For Matt Parkman's history in the "exposed future", see Matt Parkman (exposed 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.