Haitian (Heroes)

Last updated
The Haitian
Heroes character
First appearance"One Giant Leap"
Last appearance"Sundae, Bloody Sundae"
Portrayed by Jimmy Jean-Louis
In-universe information
OccupationCompany agent
AbilityMemory manipulation and ability suppression.
Real nameRené

The Haitian is a fictional character on the NBC television series Heroes , portrayed by Haitian actor Jimmy Jean-Louis. In the show he is an associate of Noah Bennet. For the first three seasons, he was only referred to on-screen as "the Haitian", including by his associates at Primatech. In "Shadowboxing" Claire reveals that his name is René.

Contents

Character overview

Throughout the series, The Haitian wears his father's necklace, which displays the helix symbol seen throughout the series. He is an aloof character. He does not speak until "Fallout" and his associate Eden McCain expresses the belief that he is mute. He kisses his necklace before erasing Matt Parkman's memory and expresses a belief in God—specifically, a belief that superpowers are a gift from God and should be respected.

Powers and abilities

The Haitian has the ability to selectively erase the memories of anyone he wishes. In the graphic novel "It Takes a Village, Pt. 1", he is shown to accidentally clean out the minds of nearby villagers, but precise memory removal appears to require prolonged physical contact. The Haitian describes the experience as ranging from being like "picking flowers just after a spring rain" to "reaching into the moist soil of freshly dug graves" with "grubs biting at your fingers." When removing specific memories, he describes it as becoming "one with [the subject's] mind." He can erase memories of short periods, as demonstrated on Matt Parkman in "Collision", or erase a person's memory so thoroughly that they cannot remember their own name, as he does to Brody Mitchum in "Hiros" and Peter Petrelli in "Four Months Ago". While the Haitian cannot restore erased memories on his own, as revealed in "Godsend", the process can be undone by those with healing or regenerative powers. While armed with a copy of the Haitian's powers in "The Fifth Stage", Peter Petrelli was able to use this aspect of his abilities to suppress Sylar's consciousness and bring forward the copy of Nathan's mind within Sylar.

He is also shown to be able to force a person into unconsciousness through physical contact, as he does to Baron Samedi in "The Eclipse" and apparently Sylar in "Homecoming".

The Haitian has a constantly-active ability to dampen or completely negate the powers of anyone within a certain distance of himself, akin to telepathic static. This ability deactivates if the Haitian is unconscious or if he selects specific individuals to allow the use of their abilities in his presence. His ability is not insurmountable; various characters have overcome it with great effort and the Haitian can exhaust himself from concentrating to suppress unusually strong abilities. In "Send in the Clones", Matt Parkman was able to stun Rene with a gunshot next to his head which caused an intense ringing in his ears. While disoriented, Rene was unable to use his powers and Matt was able to use his telepathy on him.

Character development and concept

In an interview on The Post Show on G4, Jimmy Jean-Louis stated that the Haitian was originally supposed to be from New Zealand, and that the character was going to be "The Kiwi." Kiwi is a colloquial term for the people of New Zealand. Jimmy Jean-Louis also stated that he auditioned three times for the role of D.L. Hawkins, which he did not get.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

Nathan Petrelli Fictional character

Nathan Petrelli is a fictional character portrayed by Adrian Pasdar on the NBC superhero drama series Heroes. He is a New York City lawyer-turned-senator with the power of self-propelled flight. Ambitious and pragmatic, Nathan has a decidedly anti-hero streak, which exacerbates his complex relationship with his brother, Peter Petrelli. Nathan serves as a main villain at the beginning of Volume 4: Fugitives.

Mohinder Suresh Fictional character on the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes

Mohinder Suresh is a fictional character on the NBC drama Heroes, portrayed by Sendhil Ramamurthy. He is from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India and is a genetics professor at the University of Madras holding a PhD in parapsychology. He is attempting to find the truth behind the sudden death of his father, Chandra Suresh, and to continue his father's research finding the 'superhuman' beings on Earth. In character, Suresh also provides many episodes with opening and/or closing dialogue, generally philosophical musings regarding the events that take place during the episode.

Sylar Fictional character

Sylar is a fictional character and a primary antagonist of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes. Portrayed by Zachary Quinto, he is a superpowered serial killer who targets other superhumans in order to steal their powers. He served as the primary villain of the first season and then as a recurring antagonist. Over the course of seasons two, three and four, the writers depicted Sylar attempting at various times and under different circumstances to become a hero or curb his desire to kill, undergoing relapses at various stages. In the series' penultimate episode he experienced over three years of penitence in a mental prison, and later identifies himself as a hero in what became the show's series finale due to cancellation.

Ando Masahashi is a fictional character on the NBC superhero television drama series Heroes, portrayed by James Kyson Lee. The character was promoted to series regular in the first season. Introduced to television audiences in the pilot episode “Genesis” as an employee at Yamagato Industries, Ando is a partner to his co-worker and friend Hiro Nakamura on various quests to save the world. He often has to overcome insecurities about being undervalued and being seen as a sidekick or liability due to his lack of special abilities in contrast to Hiro and other characters. At the end of the third volume, "Villains," he acquires the ability to massively amplify the power of any posthuman he touches. Later, in the fourth volume, "Fugitives," Ando has learned to channel this energy into concussive blasts, projecting the energy outward to knock back any targets.

Angela Petrelli Fictional character

Angela Petrelli, portrayed by Cristine Rose, is a fictional character featured in the television show Heroes. She is the mother of Nathan and Peter Petrelli. The character is based upon the Angela Lansbury's character Mrs. Iselin in the film The Manchurian Candidate. In both cases the leading female role has a hidden agenda and wishes to make her son President or a leader at any cost. Angela's special abilities were not revealed until the show's third-season premiere. She possesses the ability to see into the future and the past through dreams, as well as to enter and manipulate other people's dreams. Angela served as the main antagonist of the webseries: "The Recruit".

"The Kindness of Strangers" is the fourth episode of the second season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes. It originally aired on October 15, 2007. This episode marks the first appearance of Monica Dawson, played by Dana Davis, who joins the main cast.

Elle Bishop Fictional character on the NBC science fiction drama series Heroes

Elle Bishop is a fictional character who appeared on the American psychological thriller superhero series Heroes, which aired on NBC from 2006 to 2010. The character was created by series creator Tim Kring and portrayed by actress Kristen Bell. Elle was created by Kring to act as a contrast to the rest of the characters, who had all recently found out they had abilities, whereas Elle had known her whole life. Bell, who had previously starred in the then recently cancelled series Veronica Mars, was a fan of the series and had met up with the writers that informed her they would love to have her on the show. While the character of Elle was created before Bell was cast, following her casting, the character was slightly altered to better resemble her. Elle was one of the new characters introduced in the second season and according to contract, would continue on the series for at least 13 episodes into season three.

"Eris Quod Sum" is the seventh episode of the third season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and forty-first episode overall. The episode aired on October 27, 2008. "Eram quod es, eris quod sum" is a Latin phrase that is often found on gravestones and translates as "I was what you are, you will be what I am".

Dying of the Light (<i>Heroes</i>) 6th episode of the third season of Heroes

"Dying of the Light" is the sixth episode of the third season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and fortieth episode overall. The episode aired on October 20, 2008.

"Angels and Monsters" is the fifth episode of the third season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and thirty-ninth episode overall. The episode aired on October 13, 2008.

Building 26 16th episode of the third season of Heroes

"Building 26" is the sixteenth episode of the third season of the superhero drama series Heroes and fiftieth episode overall. The episode aired on February 16, 2009 on the NBC network in the United States, its country of origin. The episode was written by Rob Fresco and was directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan.

Shades of Gray (<i>Heroes</i>) 19th episode of the third season of Heroes

"Shades of Gray" is the nineteenth episode of the third season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and fifty-third episode overall. The episode aired on March 9, 2009.

I Am Sylar 24th episode of the third season of Heroes

"I Am Sylar" is the twenty-fourth and penultimate episode of the third season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and fifty-eighth episode overall. The episode aired on April 20, 2009. It is the penultimate episode of season 3, and volume 4.

Orientation (<i>Heroes</i>) 1st episode of the fourth season of Heroes

"Orientation" is the first episode of the fourth season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and the 60th episode overall. The episode aired in the US on September 21, 2009. Produced and filmed as two separate episodes, the episode's title for the second hour was initially announced as "Jump, Push, Fall"; however, it aired as a single double-length episode.

Acceptance (<i>Heroes</i>) 3rd episode of the fourth season of Heroes

"Acceptance" is the third episode of the fourth season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and sixty-second episode overall. The episode has aired on October 5, 2009.

Shadowboxing (<i>Heroes</i>) 8th episode of the fourth season of Heroes

"Shadowboxing" is the eighth episode of the fourth season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and sixty-seventh episode overall. The episode aired on November 9, 2009. It was viewed by 5.35 million viewers in the US.

Brothers Keeper (<i>Heroes</i>) 9th episode of the fourth season of Heroes

"Brother's Keeper" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes and sixty-eighth episode overall. The episode aired on November 16, 2009.

The Art of Deception (<i>Heroes</i>) 16th episode of the fourth season of Heroes

"The Art of Deception" is the sixteenth episode of the fourth season of the NBC superhero drama series Heroes, and the seventy-fifth episode overall. The episode aired on January 25, 2010.

<i>Heroes</i> (season 3) Season of television series

The NBC superhero serial drama series Heroes follows the lives of people across the globe who possess various superhuman powers as they struggle to cope with their everyday lives and prevent foreseen disasters from occurring. The third season premiered on September 22, 2008, and was released on DVD on September 1, 2009.

References