Peter Petrelli

Character history
Origins

In the premiere episode, Peter Petrelli is a hospice nurse living in New York City. Differences between Peter and Nathan, an ambitious politician focused on his congressional campaign, cause tensions between the two, which are exacerbated when Peter starts having extraordinarily vivid dreams of flying. He confides in Nathan, who passes them off as a sign of psychological distress. Peter summons Nathan to witness as he jumps off a building to prove he can fly. However, it's Nathan who flies, catching Peter as he falls. Peter blacks out after the brothers lose their grip on each other, waking up in the hospital with muddled recollections of what happened. Nathan claims neither of them flew and Peter is led to believe he's going crazy. Attempting to discover the truth, Peter threatens to jump from another rooftop if Nathan doesn't tell him what really happened. Nathan admits that they both flew. Peter first thinks Nathan is only telling him what he wants to hear, until Nathan points out that Peter is levitating as they argue. Peter's later attempts to fly, when away from his brother's presence, are initially unsuccessful.

Peter decides to quit his job as a nurse. He confides to Simone Deveaux, the daughter of his dying patient, Charles Deveaux, that he has loved her ever since he first saw her. The two of them spend a night together, even though Simone doesn't know how she truly feels about him.

The first hint of things to come arrive in the form of Hiro Nakamura, a man with the power to manipulate time and space, who travels back in time to give Peter a message: "Save the cheerleader, save the world." He urges Peter to be "the one we need". He tells Peter to go and visit Isaac Mendez, a painter and ex-boyfriend of Simone. Hiro notes how strange it is to see Peter without his scar.

Saving the cheerleader

Peter visits Isaac and convinces him to see past their amorous connection to Simone. He learns that Isaac has predicted an explosion will happen in New York soon, and they are both convinced saving this unknown cheerleader is connected to averting the catastrophe. While in Isaac's company, Peter also confirms that his superhuman ability involves copying those of others, when he mimics Isaac's powers. He finishes a painting of Isaac's showing the cheerleader being killed by Sylar

Peter has a dream of showing Simone's ailing father that he can fly, and is awoken by her ringing his doorbell to tell him that her father died shortly after telling her that he had dreamed of flying with Peter and is worried about the state of the world. Peter told him that there are people who care, who will save the world from destruction. Simone then tells Peter that she has sold the painting by Isaac to a man named in Las Vegas. Peter believes the painting will help him to save the world.

Peter goes to Nathan's house, hoping that his brother can help convince Linderman to give up the painting. When he gets there, he finds Nathan, their mother, and Nathan's family attending a brunch with a newspaper reporter. Peter saves his brother from adultery charges by claiming Nathan was arranging for a private clinic to treat Peter's mental illness. That night, Nathan tells a skeptical Peter he was temporarily kidnapped in Vegas, and warns that people will want to lock them up if they realize the two of them have powers.

Simone shows Peter a photograph of the painting which sends Peter to the high school in Odessa, Texas where he meets Claire Bennet, the cheerleader with superhuman regenerative abilities. Sylar soon shows up to kill Claire, and Peter manages to fight him off while Claire escapes, ending with the pair fall off the roof of the school. Sylar survives the fall, but it seems as if Peter hasn't. However, when Claire shows up, Peter mimics her Healing Powers. As he begins resetting his bones, he asks Claire to call the police. They show up while Peter is still covered in his own blood and arrest him.

During a dream, he sees Nathan and his wife get into the car accident that paralyzes her from the waist down. He realizes the accident was partially caused by Nathan's first use of his flying ability (leaving the car with no driver). Peter later asks Nathan about "the other car" (one chasing Nathan's in the dream) involved in the accident, a detail no one else knew except for Nathan and Heidi.

Training

Peter is in jail holding cell when he has a dream in which he is visited by his brother, who metamorphoses into Sylar. He is then interviewed by telepathic LA cop, Matt Parkman, during which they telepathically piece together Sylar's attack on Union Wells High. He tells him Claire Bennet was the real target. Claire visits Peter in his cell later, believing he shares her powers, and tells him that he is her hero. A short time later, Nathan gets Peter out of jail. Peter's health is visibly and quickly deteriorating for yet unknown reasons. On their way out of the building, he passes out and has a vision in which he sees the other main characters in a city street just before he explodes. In the vision, as Nathan walks up to him, he begins to explode. After recovering from the vision, Peter tries to explain it to Nathan, but falls into a coma.
Isaac Mendez' painting of an exploding man that causes the devastation.
Isaac Mendez' painting of an exploding man that causes the devastation.

Peter is comatose. In his comatose state, Peter continues to have the same vision, with a little variation. Eventually, a new face appears in his dreams. This man, a tall, bearded Englishman, is shown laughing. Another new scene indicates that Peter may be mimicking Ted Sprague's radioactive powers. Eventually, Peter wakes up, and decides that his next destination is "the desert". He makes travel plans, looking for a place where nuclear testing has been done. Las Vegas is recommended. As he's put on hold, he notices the Englishman from his dreams stealing from a purse. Peter confronts the man, who is shocked that someone can see him. Calling himself "Claude", he tells Peter to leave him alone. However, Peter instead insists "Claude" teach him how to control his abilities. "Claude" declines, and tells Peter to stop following him. Peter returns to his apartment to find Mohinder and Nathan there. Mohinder believes he can help him while Nathan is insistent that Peter not go running off again. To get away, Peter pretends to consider their help, then runs out the door. Mohinder and Nathan see an open window and assume Peter has flown out it. However, this was misdirection, as Peter is actually hiding invisibly with Claude. Claude agrees to train him.

The lessons commence in "Distractions". Claude tells Peter to separate himself from his loved ones. Peter fiercely disagrees, but Claude says that caring about people—particularly Nathan—is holding him back. Claude reminds Peter that he must learn to harness the powers he's previously mimicked intentionally (or face exploding), and without their inherent users present. Then, Claude pushes Peter off a tall building and tells him to fly. Peter falls onto a taxicab suffering fatal injuries, but survives by remembering Claire Bennet and mimicking her powers. Peter realizes that he does not need to push people out of his mind; he just needs to remember how those people made him feel to regain use of their abilities. He then starts to lose control thinking about too many others at once leading Claude to knock him out.

In "Unexpected", Peter is shown to have more control over the abilities he has absorbed. During a sparring session with Claude, Peter uses telekinesis to shield himself from a blow, which puzzles Claude since none of Peter's acquaintances has that power. Peter surmises that he must have picked it up from the man who attacked him in Texas. Later in the episode, when assaulted by Mr. Bennet and the Haitian, due to a betrayal by Isaac, Peter stops the taser darts in mid-air, then uses flight to save himself and Claude. After their escape, Claude blames Peter for bringing Bennet and Haitian after him (revealing that he has remained invisible in order to elude them) and leaves Peter on his own.

Peter then confronts Isaac about his betrayal but Isaac is adamant that what he was doing would save the world. Peter, however, concludes jealousy was Isaac's main motivation. When Isaac tries to shoot him, Peter becomes invisible. Thoroughly unnerved, Isaac begins to firing indiscriminately and accidentally shoots Simone three times in the chest as she walks through the door. Peter cradles Simone as he and Isaac both watch her die.

Saving the world

Peter goes to to see Mohinder Suresh and is attacked by Sylar. Fighting him off, Peter becomes invisible, but Sylar foils the attempt at evasion by spraying glass shards everywhere, one of which strikes Peter in the back of the head, rendering him dead. He is saved by Suresh, who takes his body to Nathan's home. Everyone believes him to be dead, but Claire - drawing from her own near death experience, finds and removes the glass in the back of Peter's head, allowing him to recover.
Unable to control his ability, Peter is about to explode.
Unable to control his ability, Peter is about to explode.

Believing that he will be the one to cause the catastrophe, he tries to convince Claire to stay, as her ability will allow her to get close enough to stop him from exploding. The moment Peter comes in range of Ted, Peter's hands begin to glow, but Peter barely manages to rein in the newly-absorbed power. They decide to leave the city immediately and thwart the foreseen catastrophe, but Ted is captured by the FBI. Sylar attacks the transport vehicle carrying him and steals Ted's power, killing him. Realizing that Sylar now has Ted's power, Peter assumes Sylar will become the bomb instead of him.

Peter confronts Sylar face to face in an attempt to stop him at Kirby Plaza. Matt Parkman and Niki Sanders intervene as well, and Hiro runs Sylar through with a sword. Peter discovers to his horror that his own lack of control over Ted's ability makes himself the one who will explode, causing the catastrophe. Nathan arrives and flies Peter high into the atmosphere where the younger Petrelli forces Nathan to let go, and explodes. Immediately after the explosion, Peter flies up to and catches a falling and radiation-burned Nathan.

Amnesia

After taking his brother to a hospital, Peter is apprehended by Bob and Elle and taken to a Company facility. Peter is told that the Company is developing a cure for his "disease," and that it would be best for him to stay in the facility until then. Peter, not willing to endanger any more lives after the near-miss at Kirby Plaza, readily agrees. Part of the treatment includes pills to suppress his powers, which Elle calls "Haitian pills."

Aside from dealing with an obviously smitten Elle, Peter leads an unremarkable life until he comes into contact with the inmate in the adjacent cell, Adam Monroe (who had been known as Takezo Kensei to Hiro Nakamura in feudal Japan). The four-hundred-year-old Adam insists that the Company has no interest in helping anyone. After Bob refuses to allow Peter to see his family, Peter comes around to Adam's point of view and covertly stops taking his medication. After five days, he is able to use his acquired phasing ability, to pass through the wall between his and Adam's cell. After the two finally meet face-to-face, they use the phasing ability to escape from the facility.

Fulfilling a promise he made to Peter, Adam goes with him to see his brother Nathan, who is still recovering from Peter's meltdown and explosion, in a Manhattan hospital. Mindful of his regenerative powers, Adam injects his blood into Nathan's IV, and the elder Petrelli's wounds begin to heal almost instantly. Knowing that Nathan's bedside would be the most logical place to find the pair, Adam urges Peter to flee quickly. They make haste but are confronted by Elle and the Haitian. Adam tells Peter to meet him in a warehouse in Montreal, and the two split up. Peter is pursued by the Haitian, who corners him in an empty container. Peter resists but is told by the Haitian that he deserves a better life than one spent imprisoned by the Company. The Haitian says that Peter's mother helped him in his time of need, so he is returning the favor. Peter does not understand what sort of alternative the Haitian has in mind; the Haitian puts his necklace around Peter's neck and erases his memory.

While Peter's family and friends mourn his death, an amnesic Peter is found half-naked and handcuffed inside a cargo container at a port in Cork, Ireland, by a group of thugs led by Ricky McKenna. The thugs accuse Peter of stealing the cargo container's alleged contents, which they had intended to take. After he and his henchmen beat him, Ricky is finally convinced that Peter is suffering from amnesia. He tells Peter his name and reveals that he has a box containing items (which were found on Peter's person) that will provide clues to Peter's former identity (credit cards, driver's license, etc.). However, Ricky will only hand over the box if Peter helps him and his gang with a job. Upon accepting and completing the job - by helping the gang rob a gambling house - Peter earns the box but is initially unwilling to open it for fear that he might not like who he was before. Caitlin, Ricky's sister, encourages him to do so, stating that she believes him to be a good person. The two quickly form a romantic relationship.

In the episode "Fight or Flight," Peter experiences a sudden resurgence of his acquired precognition power, painting a picture of a street intersection in Montreal, specifically the intersection of Boul. Saint-Laurent and Boul. Saint-Jacques (spelled Boul. Saint-Jaque in the painting), with a building that appears to be La Cathedrale de Notre-Dame in the background. Peter is unaware of it, but this is the warehouse that Adam had told him to meet him at two weeks prior (in "Four Months Ago..."). In "The Line," Peter and Caitlin travel there and find a note from Adam warning Peter about the Company. Peter accidentally jumps ahead in time with Caitlin to a desolate Times Square in New York City. A flyer on the ground, dated June 14, 2008, explains that Homeland Security had ordered an evacuation of the entire city.

The virus

In "Out of Time", Peter and Caitlin are captured and separated by a bio-hazard team in 2008. After being told he had already died, he meets his mother. His mother tells him that he is the one who can stop this future and save the world. When Peter sees Caitlin, they meet and hold hands through the fence barricade separating them. Before he can help her, he unwillingly returns to the present, leaving Caitlin trapped in the future. Repeated attempts by Peter to return to the future fail. Peter is soon startled by someone entering the Montreal safehouse and uses his acquired electricity power to attack the intruder. The person blocks the attack with his hand, which regenerates, and reveals himself to be Adam Monroe. He curiously asks why Peter attacked him, quickly discovering Peter's amnesia. He then helps Peter to restore his memories by encouraging him to use his acquired healing abilities to repair the damage to his mind. In "Truth & Consequences", Adam and Peter track down Victoria Pratt, who Adam says discovered the virus. Peter tells her he needs her help to save the future. When Victoria sees Adam, she shoots him. Peter reads Victoria's mind to discover the virus is at Primatech Paper in Texas. When Peter and Adam arrive at Primatech, time stops for everyone but Peter, a result of Hiro's powers. Hiro is shocked to find that Peter is working with Adam Monroe, then declares his intent to kill the man who killed his father. When Peter refuses to let Hiro pass, Hiro charges at him with his sword.

In "Powerless", Peter and Hiro fight in Primatech, though Hiro is ultimately knocked unconscious. Peter helps Adam Monroe break into the Primatech vault, but he is confronted once again, this time by a revived Hiro, Matt Parkman, and Peter's brother, Nathan. After a mental struggle with Matt, Peter is convinced by Nathan that Adam cannot be trusted. Peter turns to find that Adam had already slipped into the vault. Peter runs in to see the virus falling to the floor. He catches it and destroys the virus. Together, Matt, Nathan and Peter decide to reveal what the Company has been doing. During a press conference, headed by Nathan, an unknown assassin shoots Nathan twice in the chest, preventing him from revealing his power. Peter tends to his brother as the crowd panics.