Mr. Petrelli

Mr. Petrelli
First appearance	War Buddies, Part 2
In-story stats
Known ability	None
Alias	Dallas
Gender
Date of death	April 25, 2006, suicide
Residence	Mr. Petrelli's home
Occupation	Soldier Criminal defense attorney
Significant other	Angela Petrelli
Children	Peter Petrelli, Nathan Petrelli

Mr. Petrelli is Nathan and Peter's late father. He has inside knowledge of Mr. Linderman's affairs.

Character History

Genesis

Angela Petrelli is acting strangely after Mr. Petrelli's death.

Don't Look Back

As Peter Petrelli recovers in his hospital bed, his mother comes to visit. After asking about Peter's rooftop episode, Angela reveals that Mr. Petrelli was diagnosed with clinical depression at age 23. He eventually committed suicide, but not before two failed attempts to kill himself. Both attempts were covered up as heart attacks. Angela fears Peter's delusions of grandeur are signs that he is developing the same problem his father had.

Six Months Ago

Mr. Petrelli does not come to Peter's apartment celebrating his graduation from nursing school. Angela tells Peter that Mr. Petrelli is very proud of him, but couldn't attend the party because he has a meeting with Mr. Linderman in Atlantic City. Later at the celebration, Nathan Petrelli informs Peter that the District Attorney wants Nathan to prosecute Mr. Linderman. Peter points out that their father often defends Mr. Linderman in court. Going after Mr. Linderman will implicate their father, since he had knowledge of Linderman's crimes. Nathan explains that this is an opportunity to "take the stink off the family."

A while later, Nathan informs Peter that there's not going to be a deposition because their father is dead. Nathan claims that he died of a heart attack. He tells Peter to take comfort in the fact that their father didn't know what they were about to do to him.

Graphic Novel:War Buddies, Part 2

In 1968, "Dallas" goes on seven-day mission to recover a downed A4 Skyhawk. He travels on a boat heading toward a Vietnamese base. To pass the time, Dallas plays winning hands of poker much to the chagrin of the other soldiers. When Loredo takes Austin's book, Dallas unsuccessfully tries to befriend Austin by sharing a letter from home. During an unexpected shoot-out, Dallas gets mortally wounded in the abdomen. Austin uses his powers to completely heal Dallas's wound, which both astonishes and scares "the living hell" out of Dallas.

Graphic Novel:War Buddies, Part 3

Austin and Dallas continue their mission to find a downed Skyhawk. Dallas interrogates a Vietnamese soldier about the Skyhawk's location by beating him up brutally. He commands Austin to use his powers to heal the soldier. Dallas continues beating the native for four hours until he gives up the aircraft's location--it's right outside a peaceful village called Au Co. Dallas plans to destroy the village and its inhabitants, despite Austin's protests.

Graphic Novel:War Buddies, Part 4

Austin and Dallas prepare for the invasion of Au Co. When Austin questions attacking civilians, they both witness a girl seemingly raise massive vegetables from the soil. When Austin questions killing the girl, Dallas snaps into a rant on how the mission can end the war and orders Austin to get the explosives ready. After the explosives detonate, Dallas and Austin proceed to take out targets. Dallas, however, hears a woman scream "Au Co" towards the girl with a special ability, coming to the realization that the girl, not the village, is the target. Right before he takes aim, Austin tackles him to the ground.

Graphic Novel:War Buddies, Part 5

Austin's effort to keep Dallas from shooting Au Co fails, and Dallas restrains Austin until she dies to keep him from healing her. Both receive medals for their actions on the mission, but Austin refuses to corroborate Dallas' description of how Austin healed his wounds. Dallas career suffers because of his unsubstantiated claims.

Years later, "Dallas" receives a visit from his former army buddy, "Austin", who says he finally understands the sacrifices Dallas had to make for the greater good, and he believes they can do great things together. For the first time, Dallas shares his real name: Petrelli.

Notes

• Mr. Petrelli appears to have been financially successful as a lawyer, and seems to have left his wife considerably wealthy.
• Mr. Petrelli, as Dallas, tells part of his Vietnam War history in the Lonestar File. This file is found in the top secret Pentagon archives.
• The note that Dallas shares with Austin appears to be from the mother of Dallas's son--it reads, "Our son...took his first steps yesterday."

Fan Theories

Please refer to Theory:Mr. Petrelli for fan-created theories and other speculation. Template:Linderman