Arthur Petrelli was the husband of Angela, the father of Nathan, Peter, and was a founding member of the Company. He was an evolved human with the ability to steal other evolved humans' abilities through physical contact. He served as the primary antagonist of Volume Three.
Character History[]
Background[]
After having served in the Vietnam War alongside Daniel Linderman, he embarked on crimefighting activities with Adam Monroe and Linderman, activities which Angela Petrelli and Charles Deveaux frequently had to step in to mediate, after the three of them were arrested by the authorities.("Heroes: Godsend - Issue 5")
Arthur and his wife helped found the Company. He worked with the others in the group to perform acts they believed would help the world. Arthur continued his relationship with Linderman, as he was the criminal defense attorney for the Linderman Group. Arthur was reported to have committed suicide in April 2006 after a long battle with depression although in truth his wife Angela poisoned him. He survived, albeit completely paralyzed and faked his own death.
Season One[]
For an episode-by-episode summary, see Arthur Petrelli: Season One History.
Mr. Petrelli's death affects the Petrelli family and his memory continues to run through their thoughts. Hana Gitelman discovers files that discuss Mr. Petrelli and Linderman's involvement during the Vietnam War.
Four Months Later...[]
When Nathan comes home drunk, his mother remarks to him that she's glad his father isn't there to see him now. Kaito reveals that Mr. Petrelli was part of an elite group of twelve individuals.
The Kindness of Strangers[]
Nathan identifies his father amongst others in the photo of the group of twelve.
Graphic Novel:Elle's First Assignment, Part 1[]
Bob tells Elle that Claire's blood could make her a major player in the Company, comparing her to Arthur Petrelli.
Graphic Novel:War Buddies, Part 7[]
Arthur's name and location are in Linda Tavara's notepad, which Linderman currently possesses.
Season Three[]
For an episode-by-episode summary, see Arthur Petrelli: Season Three History.
Arthur appears in one of Angela's dreams of the future. In the dream, Arthur confronts Angela and forces her to be unable to move once she awakens. Meanwhile, at the Pinehearst building, Maury Parkman reports to a bedridden Arthur on the progress of Daphne Millbrook's recruitment. Knox soon brings Adam Monroe into Arthur's room and Arthur is able to take Adam's regenerative abilities, causing him to rapidly age and die. Arthur, now fully healed, addresses "the bad guys" but is interrupted by the entrance of his son. Arthur tricks Peter and removes all of his powers, leaving him powerless. Arthur also uses his power to remove Maya Herrera's poison abilities, thus winning the trust of Mohinder Suresh, whom Arthur gives the task of completing the formula.
Just as Mohinder begins an experiment on Peter, Sylar appears and kills Dr. Livitz and releases Peter. Arthur throws some lightning at Peter but misses, leading Peter to escape. Arthur stops Mohinder from hurting Sylar and reveals that Sylar is his son. Arthur tells Sylar that Angela tried to kill him as a baby and Sylar decides to side with Arthur, telekinetically throwing Peter out of a window. Via a spirit walk, it is revealed that Arthur arranged Nathan's accident, which led Heidi to become paralyzed. Arthur went on to plan another attempt on Nathan's life with the aid of Linderman. Angela attempts to kill Arthur upon learning of his plans for Nathan. Arthur, bedridden has Dr. Livitz to tell Angela and his family that he is dead. In present time, Arthur learns of Hiro's spirit walk and teleports to Africa and kills Usutu, also erasing Hiro's memories to the point where he thinks he's ten.
Returning to Pinehearst, Arthur teaches Sylar how to acquire abilities empathically. Arthur also learns from Daphne that Matt Parkman is attempting to help Angela. Arthur enters Angela's mind and after a few words from his ex-wife, he releases his hold over her. Knowing that the only way to perfect the formula is with a catalyst, Arthur sends Knox and Flint after his granddaughter, whom he also believes to be the catalyst. Arthur then uses his precognition to discover that another eclipse is on its way. Upon regaining his powers, Arthur travels 16 years in the past and removes all of Hiro's abilities, also absorbing the catalyst from him. He then throws Hiro off a roof and sends Claire back to Primatech with a warning for Angela. After returning to Pinehearst, Arthur implants the catalyst into the formula, perfecting it. Arthur is then confronted by Peter and The Haitian. The Haitian is unable to suppress Arthur's abilities for long so Arthur attacks Peter, who shoots him. The bullet is stopped mid-air by Sylar, who asks Arthur a question. Arthur answers but Sylar knows he's lying and kills him himself.
Orientation[]
Angela tells Nathan that Arthur got himself "a big expensive sports car and a younger woman with questionable morals" to get over his midlife crisis.
The Fifth Stage[]
Peter and Nathan sit on a rooftop and talk about the last time they were there, when they discussed their dad's depression and whether Peter could fly.
Powers[]
- Power Absorption: Arthur Petrelli had the ability to steal the abilities of other evolved humans. By making physical contact, Arthur took Adam Monroe's ability and was immediately able to access it, healing the nerve damage that had left him paralyzed. A person whose ability Arthur has stolen is left powerless though Matt Parkman Jr.'s power can restore a stolen ability. He claimed to have absorbed all of Peter's abilities after touching him, leaving Peter without his abilities; however, he did not demonstrate all of the abilities that Peter possessed. Arthur claimed that the effects of his ability are permanent.
- Telepathy: To be added
- Regenerative Healing Factor: To be added
- Empathic Mimicry: To be added
- Precognitive Dreaming: To be added
- Flight: To be added
- Precognition: To be added
- Mental Manipulation: To be added
- Space-Time Manipulation: To be added
- Telekinesis: To be added
- Invisibility: To be added
- Radiation Emission: To be added
- Enhanced Strength: To be added
- Electricity Manipulation: To be added
- Intangibility: To be added
- Pyrokinesis: To be added
- Intuitive Aptitude: To be added
- Enhanced Speed: To be added
- Poison Emission: To be added
Memorable Quotes[]
"Your father was weak."
"My father was my hero."
"Ah, it feels good to breathe again."
- - Arthur (Dying of the Light)
"The bad guys are here."
- - Arthur (Dying of the Light)
"You don't have your powers anymore, Peter...because I have them now."
- - Arthur (Dying of the Light)
"I am better, Peter. That's not a belief, it's a fact."
- - Arthur (Eris Quod Sum)
"Son, until you change that attitude, you're grounded."
- - Arthur (to Peter) (Eris Quod Sum)
"I understand you've been dreaming about me."
"It's coming."
- - Arthur (It's Coming)
Notes[]
Arthur Petrelli as he appeared in the photo of the Company's founders.
- Since the photo of the Company's founders was taken before Robert Forster was cast, it has another actor as Arthur. A similar problem happened with Chandra.
- Arthur Petrelli appears to have been financially successful as a lawyer, and seems to have left his wife considerably wealthy.
- According to Angela, at age 23 Arthur was diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Though this may have been a lie, as she said it was the reason for his suicide.
- Arthur 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."
- Mr. Petrelli's law firm used the Symbol in its logo (Lizards). Now he apparently uses two of the Symbols joined together as the logo for Pinehearst, his new place of business.
- At the time Arthur removed his powers, Peter had also been exposed to the abilities of suggestion, cryokinesis, mental manipulation, melting, enhanced hearing, shattering, clairvoyance, technopathy, alchemy, sound manipulation, Mohinder's power, and clairsentience.
- In an interview, Chuck Kim confirms that Arthur stole Peter's ability of empathic mimicry.
- When Peter wakes up and finds that he is handcuffed to a gurney and unable to escape, Arthur is sitting nearby reading Nietzsche (Eris Quod Sum). A major concept in Nietzsche's philosophy is the Übermensch (variously translated as superman, superhuman, or overman).
- Angela was put into a coma after a vision involving Arthur. In it, Arthur said that she "won't be able to move" (Angels and Monsters). It is unclear exactly how she became comatose/paralyzed but it looks like he simply trapped her in her mind like Maury did to Molly. Matt Parkman freed Angela after a telepathic struggle with Arthur that ended with Angela convincing him to let her go (It's Coming).
- Arthur has been an experienced user of telepathy since at least April 2006. (Villains)
- Arthur, having taken the the ability to erase memories from somebody (presumably from Peter), erases nearly two decades worth of memories and knowledge from Hiro (Villains).
- Arthur, during the Vietnam War, strongly resembled his son Nathan. (War Buddies)
- Despite all of his powers, Arthur was finally killed by the Haitian, Peter and Sylar. The Haitian used his ability to suppress Arthur's powers, while Peter fired a bullet at his father's head. Sylar temporarily stopped the bullet in midair but then, having discovered that Arthur lied about being his father, projected the bullet through Arthur's head, killing him permanently.
- In a deleted scene from Our Father (found on the Season 3 DVD), Arthur goes to Madras, India after reading Mohinder's mind, and steals Molly's ability.
- Arthur's great-grandson inherited his abilities, though he could only keep one power at a time, similar to Peter's second power. He also stole both regenerative healing factor and space-time manipulation like Arthur.
Trivia[]
- In the episode 'Eris Quod Sum', he is seen reading a book entitled 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra', by the German philosopher Nietzsche. Amongst some of the ideas in this book is the concept that God is dead, and humanity must rely on itself for moral guidance and purpose, and also of the 'Superman', individuals who possess such 'Wille zur Macht' (lit. 'Will to Power') that they will ascend and lead the course of society. All of these are themes partly explored and mirrored throughout the series and in Arthur Petrelli's character.