Maya Herrera
| Maya Herrera | |
|---|---|
| |
| Portrayed by | Dania Ramírez |
| First appearance | Four Months Later |
| In-story stats | |
| Known ability | Maya's ability |
| Gender | |
| Home | Dominican Republic |
| Residence | Maya Herrera's apartment |
| Sibling | Alejandro (twin brother) |
Maya and her twin brother Alejandro are on the run, attempting to reach New York and seek medical help.
Character History
Graphic Novel:Maya y Alejandro
On the back of a truck taking Alejandro and Maya north, Maya reads chapter 5 of Chandra Suresh's book, Activating Evolution. While their desired destination is Brooklyn, the truck driver says he can only go as far as San Cristobal.
Four Months Later
Maya and Alejandro are running from border patrol and they finally lose them in a small home. Maya admits that she is too tired from running and if they get caught people will die. Alejandro replies by saying that people will only die if they stop running. He then says they will be in America soon and they will find the answers they need there. The siblings continue to run. Maya and Alejandro fix a deal with a man who drives people close to the American border. They argue over whether Maya sits in the front with the driver scum or with Alejandro. Eventually the car stops and the driver scams Alejandro and twists his deal. Alejandro then punches the driver but the driver points a gun and then punches him back. Maya is taken by the driver and his friend and Maya screams that they have no idea what they're doing. Later when Alejandro finds the truck everyone is dead with black eyes that bled at one point. Maya is crying on the side of the truck.
Lizards
Alejandro and Maya arrive at the home of Nidia, a family friend in Guatemala who also helps people cross the border into Mexico. While waiting for night to make the crossing, another woman waiting there claims to be a healer and tries to cure Maya. She appears to sense a terrible blackness inside Maya, pronounces her cursed, and refuses to be in a group with her crossing the border.
That night, they attempt the crossing into Mexico. When border guards start searching in the area, Maya and Nidia become separated from Alejandro. Distressed by the situation, Maya's eyes start to leak black fluid. She tells Nidia to run, but the border guide soon sheds black tears of her own and collapses. Alejandro catches up and comforts his sister. He holds Maya's hands, and the black tears on her face become clear, his own eyes becoming dark. His power also revives Nidia, who declares that Alejandro and Maya are evil and runs away.
Kindred
Maya and Alejandro are still in Mexico, only a few days from the border. Alejandro is worried for Maya so he tries to get them a car by breaking open the window of a Cadillac. A cop sees them and chases them. Eventually, Maya and Alejandro try to jump a fence, but Alejandro is caught and arrested.
Later, Maya tries to get Alejandro from the police station by pleading and trying to make the cop feel guilty. After failed attempts, she explains that she is a murderer. She then uses her power and causes the two cops and Derek to collapse. Maya breaks Alejandro out and he uses his power to heal her and everyone else. Derek asks to go with them because he has a car. The three run to his car, and drive away.
The Kindness of Strangers
Maya and Alejandro are driving through the Mexican desert when they spot a body on the road in front of them. Rushing out of their car, they turn the body over, presuming it is dead - it is Sylar, and when they see he is alive, they take him with them on their journey.
Maya shows Sylar Chandra's book, and Sylar tells her that he too is on his way to New York. Sylar tells Maya that he has read the book, knows Suresh, and can take them to him. When Sylar introduces himself as "Gabriel Gray", Maya remarks that it is "like the angel", believing that this is a sign from God that they are on the right path.
They stop to buy a newspaper, and Sylar asks Maya if the mugshot on the front of the paper is them, and despite being told by her brother not to tell the truth, she does, but says that she did not mean it to happen. Crying, her power manifests again, also affecting Sylar. Alejandro uses his ability to heal her. Sylar then drives away, using the keys he has stolen from Derek (who he has killed).
Powers
In Four Months Later, there are hints that if Maya is upset or separated from her brother, something bad will happen. Maya and Alejandro both seem to believe that Maya is responsible for causing the deaths of people around them. They believe that they need to get to New York, where there is a doctor who can help her. Since they have been reading a copy of Activating Evolution, they are presumably seeking Chandra Suresh.
When Alejandro finds Maya after she is kidnapped by some "Coyotes", everyone else in the truck has died; their eyes have bled and turned black.
In Lizards, Maya's virulent power is confirmed when she begins leaking black liquid from the eyes. Then, her guide to cross the border dies just like the Coyotes. However, Alejandro is somehow able to reverse the condition, by gripping Maya's hands tight and praying. The guide comes back to life and flees, and all the black liquid returns to Alejandro's eyes.
Her power manifests once again in The Kindness of Strangers, this time while she is crying. It also affects Sylar, making his eyes turn black, before Alejandro reverses it.
Notes
- Press releases have placed Maya and Alejandro in their mid-20s.
See Also
- For other uses of Maya, see Maya (disambig).
- For a list of her victims, see Maya's victims.
- For images of Maya, see Images of Maya Herrera.
Fan Theories
Please refer to Theory:Maya Herrera for fan-created theories and other speculation.