| Peter Petrelli | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Portrayed by | Milo Ventimiglia |
| First appearance | Genesis |
| Number of appearances | 2 |
| In-story stats | |
| Superpower(s) | Power mimicry |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 30 |
| Occupation | Nurse |
| Parent(s)/Guardian(s) | Mother (unnamed), Father (unnamed, deceased) |
| Sibling(s) | Nathan Petrelli (older brother) |
Peter Petrelli is a character on the NBC drama Heroes. He is a nurse who experiences strange dreams that lead him to believe he can fly [1]. He is played by Milo Ventimiglia.
Character history
edit{{spoiler}}
The series opens up with Peter Petrelli standing on a building before falling. Peter then wakes up in the home of a patient under his care. Peter keeps "having these amazing dreams" when he closes his eyes. Dreaming he can fly, to be exact. Turning to his brother Nathan, Peter talks about his intense dreams. However, Nathan is a politician running for congress and extremely busy. Although he does listen, he disregards Peter's claims that he can fly and wonders why Peter would come to him, anyway. News of their mother arrest for shoplifting interrupts their conversation. At the police station, Peter and Nathan talk with their mother. Recently widowed by their father's death, she has been doing odd things such as this for several months. Nathan, more concerned with his campaign than his mother, tells her to "get over it.” Peter attempts to be understanding and to talks with his mother while Nathan eventually leaves. As they talk, Peter tells his mother about an almost metaphysical connection he feels he has with his brother, recalling a time in the past where Peter knew Nathan had been hurt prior to anyone contacting him; his mother is unconvinced.
Later at the campaign headquarters, Nathan managed to sweep his mother's arrest under the rug and wishes she'd just get a hobby. Peter, on the other hand, simply sees it as a cry for attention and a sign of loneliness. Nathan then transitions the conversation into offering Peter a job as his coordinator. However, Peter is turned off by Nathan's self-serving intentions and attempt to "do the right thing" by him. He declines, saying he doesn't want his brother's pity and walks out. There in the street, Peter hails a cab. The driver just happens to be Mohinder Suresh and the two begin a conversation. Peter asks Mohinder about "being special” and Mohinder eventually tells him about evolution. Suddenly, Peter gets a call from Simone Deveaux—daughter of the patient whose home he woke up in at the start of the first episode—telling him to hurry over to her father's place.
Peter and Simone arrive at the apartment of her boyfriend Isaac Mendez. Simone explains Isaac's ability to "paint the future". Simone finds Isaac lying on the ground, apparently overdosed on heroin. She frantically calls 911 while Peter discovers a painting that depicts him flying off of a building. It is also revealed that Isaac painted a large floor mural depicting the city being destroyed in a nuclear explosion. Isaac's only words are, "We have to stop it."
Later, Peter stands above a building and summons Nathan to prove that he can fly. However, after jumping off, we quickly learn that his brother can fly. A cliffhanger ensues as the brothers lose their grip on each other.
In the next episode, Peter awakens in a hospital bed. At his side is Nathan, who, when asked, claims neither of them flew and Peter simply jumped, nearly killing himself. Between this and his mother's revelation that Peter's late father had apparently been mentally unstable as well as suicidal, Peter is lead to believe he's going crazy. Drawing a crude stick figure image with one figure levitating/flying a few feet above the ground, Peter gets an idea. Attempting to cope and find out the truth, Peter stands on the edge of another rooftop later that evening. Nathan arrives, and Peter threatens to jump if Nathan doesn't tell him what really happened. Nathan tells Peter that they both flew. However, Peter thinks that Nathan is lying to make him feel better, and he becomes angry. Nathan then points out that Peter is walking on thin air, Peter is relieved to know that they can both fly.
Powers and abilties
editMuch mystery surrounded Peter's status and powers, or lack thereof before and after the series debuted. While every main character was said outright to have a power in press releases, Peter was simply billed as "trying to convince his power he can fly". Later, after his brother flew, Peter himself displayed the ability to levitate not long afterward. The exact power he had and its nature were officiallly explained in an article from the October 9-14 TV Guide. Peter is a actually a power mimic who absorbs the powers of others. It's unclear if he can mimic the precognition of Isaac Mendez, though he was believed to have this power long before he met the man. It is also unclear what affect, if any, his power has on those whose powers he absorbs. Still, if Nathan is any example, the effect seems to be unnoticible.