The X-Men’s archenemy Magneto is being transported by a military convoy. Magneto is unable to use his powers, trapped in a force field, until he is freed by the White Queen (Emma Frost), a member of his “Brotherhood of Mutant Terrorists”, allowing him to use his magnetic powers to tear apart his portable prison and escape.
Elsewhere, Kitty Pryde arrives at Professor Xavier’s school to begin training her phasing powers, allowing her to pass through solid matter. In the Danger Room, Kitty is introduced to the X-Men: Cyclops, Colossus, Dazzler, Nightcrawler, Storm, and Wolverine. Frightened by Nightcrawler’s demonic appearance, Kitty almost causes the Danger Room to go haywire, making Wolverine protest her recruitment.
Magneto sends Pyro and Blob to retrieve the tracking coordinates for the Scorpio comet approaching Earth, with the secondary goal of distracting the X-Men while Magneto and Juggernaut invade the X-Mansion. Xavier reads Magneto’s thoughts, learning that they seek to steal the “mutant power circuit” of Cerebro; he gives it to Kitty and orders her to flee, but Magneto manages to capture it.
The X-Men return from their confrontation with Blob and Pyro to find the mansion in ruins, and the Professor and Kitty unconscious. Xavier reads Magneto’s thoughts again and learns his full plan: to redirect the Scorpio comet onto a collision course with Earth and plunge the planet into another ice age, which would leave normal humans weakened, allowing the mutants to take over. The X-Men leave for Magneto’s sanctuary Asteroid M, but the X-Men instruct Kitty to stay, as the mission is far too dangerous and she has not been trained. Kitty, wanting to prove her worth and make amends for her previous failure, phases aboard the Blackbird and hides, with Xavier’s permission.
Upon reaching the asteroid, each X-Man meets an obstacle on the way to Magneto: Storm covers the breach the X-Men blow into Asteroid M, Dazzler takes on Pyro, Wolverine traps Toad, Colossus engages Juggernaut, and Cyclops battles White Queen. After teleporting past Blob, Nightcrawler confronts Magneto as the Scorpio comet approaches Earth. As Magneto is about to blast Nightcrawler, Kitty emerges from the floor, causing Magneto to accidentally blast the wiring of his device. Nightcrawler teleports up and uses his body as a conduct, while Kitty knocks Magneto onto the platform, using his power to redirect the comet’s course towards Asteroid M. Nightcrawler must risk sacrificing himself to complete the machine’s circuit, or the comet will change course back to Earth.
The X-Men watch from the Blackbird for Nightcrawler to teleport at the last minute. The comet and asteroid collide, but Nightcrawler rematerializes out in space. The team attempts to retrieve him with the Blackbird’s grappler arms, but they miss, and he apparently disintegrates. While the X-Men mourn Nightcrawler, he emerges from a storage locker, revealing that he teleported himself into the plane before the atmospheric compression burned up his suit. While the X-Men give Kitty credit for her efforts, Wolverine insists that Kitty is not yet a member of the X-Men.
REVIEW
Before “X-Men: The Animated Series” introduced Marvel’s mutants to a generation of television viewers in the 1990s, there was “Pryde of the X-Men”, a 1989 animated pilot that attempted to bring the team to television a few years earlier. Although it never progressed beyond a single episode, it has since become a fascinating piece of X-Men history, offering a glimpse at what could have been. While the pilot has plenty going for it, its shortcomings help explain why it never became the launching pad for a full series.
First, the animation is a real highlight. Produced by Toei Animation, the pilot has a level of polish that gives it an almost OVA-like quality, with fluid character movements, detailed backgrounds, and energetic action sequences. The character designs are colorful and faithful to the comic-book aesthetic of the period and the animators do a good job bringing the X-Men’s powers to life. Whether it’s Wolverine getting into a brawl, Nightcrawler teleporting around the battlefield, or the team facing off against Magneto and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, the action is easily one of the pilot’s strongest assets.
The voice cast is another major plus. Michael Bell brings authority to Cyclops, Alan Oppenheimer makes the Blob suitably intimidating, Susan Silo gives Emma Frost an appropriately cold demeanor, and John Stephenson provides the familiar gravitas expected of Professor X. Kath Soucie also does a good job as Kitty Pryde, the young mutant whose introduction provides the audience’s entry point into the world of the X-Men.
However, the three biggest standouts are Soucie, Earl Boen as Magneto, and Patrick Pinney as Wolverine. Soucie brings an appealing youthful energy to Kitty, making her an easy character to follow as she learns about her new teammates and their mission. Boen, meanwhile, gives Magneto the commanding presence befitting one of the X-Men’s greatest adversaries. Pinney’s Wolverine is particularly memorable, although for a rather unusual reason: he speaks with an Australian accent!
This might sound familiar to anyone who remembers Wolverine’s appearance in Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, where he also spoke with an Australian accent. Unlike that cartoon, however, there’s a behind-the-scenes explanation for the decision. Along with executive meddling, the production wanted to capitalize on the popularity of Crocodile Dundee, which had helped make Australian culture popular in American entertainment. There were even plans to make Logan Australian in the comics, though those ideas were ultimately abandoned. As with Amazing Friends, the result is amusing in hindsight, especially considering how firmly Hugh Jackman’s portrayal established Wolverine’s Canadian identity.
Finally, Stan Lee serves as the pilot’s narrator, introducing the X-Men and explaining their powers and backgrounds. It’s an appropriate touch for a show attempting to bring a complicated comic-book universe to an unfamiliar audience, even if the execution leaves something to be desired.
Unfortunately, that brings us to the pilot’s biggest weakness: it is incredibly exposition-heavy. If Stan Lee isn’t explaining who somebody is or why they matter, then another character is usually doing the same thing through dialogue. Some explanation is understandable, particularly when introducing a large ensemble of characters to viewers who might never have read an X-Men comic, but the constant need to explain everything can make the story feel more like a guided tour of the franchise than a naturally unfolding adventure.
There are also a few awkward character moments, particularly involving Nightcrawler and Kitty. Kurt occasionally comes across as unintentionally pervy when he describes Kitty as a “lovely vision” and seems to flirt with her. The problem is that Kitty is supposed to be fourteen, while Nightcrawler is in his twenties. Even allowing for the different sensibilities of the period and Nightcrawler’s playful personality, these moments are uncomfortable and distract from what should be a friendly relationship between teammates.
The pilot also suffers from the commercial considerations surrounding its production. According to writer and producer Will Meugniot, the original creative plans called for the Sentinels to be the principal antagonists. That would have made sense thematically, given the X-Men’s ongoing struggle against prejudice and humanity’s fear of mutants. Instead, the show was pushed toward a more toy-driven approach, resulting in a greater emphasis on Magneto and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. The Brotherhood certainly makes for a recognizable group of villains, but the change arguably sacrifices a more distinctive story in favor of something more immediately marketable.
What makes the pilot’s failure especially frustrating is what happened to Kitty Pryde afterward. She was intended to be the audience’s introduction to the X-Men, but Marvel apparently allowed the failure of Pryde of the X-Men and the decision to make Kitty the focal character to work against her chances of appearing in the subsequent X-Men: The Animated Series. She wouldn’t make another animated appearance until X-Men: Evolution debuted in 2000.
That is a shame, because Kitty is one of the more accessible characters in the X-Men mythos, and Soucie’s performance demonstrates how well she could have worked as a younger perspective on the team. It’s difficult not to wonder whether the pilot’s reception might have been different if Marvel had pursued another approach rather than seemingly letting this attempt influence Kitty’s animated future for so long.
Ultimately, Pryde of the X-Men is a mixed bag. Its gorgeous animation, strong voice cast, and colorful presentation make it an enjoyable showcase for Marvel’s mutants, and it remains an intriguing alternate version of what an X-Men cartoon could have been. However, the relentless exposition, awkward character interactions, and toy-driven creative decisions keep it from reaching its full potential.
It’s worth watching for fans interested in the history of the franchise, particularly those curious about the road not taken before the 1990s animated series became the definitive X-Men cartoon for many viewers. But as a standalone pilot, it feels more like a promising proof of concept than a fully realized series premiere.
RANK: 2 out of 5
Next, we bid farewell to David Banner in one last TV movie
For everyone who thought Netflix did the Frank Miller suit first. No.
PLOT
Still on the run, David Bruce Banner makes his way toward a large city with the hopes of staying incognito under the name David Belson. Unbeknownst to him, the city is under the control of a crime boss named Wilson Fisk and protected by a mysterious black-clad crimefighter known as Daredevil. While riding the commuter subway train, David witnesses two passengers sexually molesting a woman, Ellie Mendez, and intervenes. They strike him, you can guess how that goes for them. David is arrested by the police and charged with attacking Ellie, who claims her actual attackers saved her from David.
Blind defense attorney Matt Murdock offers to take David’s case pro bono publico, explaining that Ellie’s attackers work for Fisk, whom he is trying to bring down. David is uncooperative, but Matt can tell he is telling the truth when he says he tried to help Ellie. Matt visits Ellie, who continues to claim David attacked her, but conspicuously falters under questioning, especially after Matt reveals he overheard her talking to her nurse about some men visiting her with his hyper-sensitive hearing. Considering Ellie a risk, Fisk has the nurse, one of his agents, give her a lethal injection, but Daredevil breaks into the hospital and stops the nurse.
Angered that Fisk’s group tried to kill her when she was cooperating with them, Ellie calls Matt and offers to tell the truth about the attack in exchange for protection for her parents, who Fisk’s men threatened. Before Matt can meet with her to get her statement, Fisk has Ellie abducted from protective custody. In jail, David has a nightmare about transforming into the Hulk on the witness stand during his upcoming trial. The stress causes him to transform in reality, and the Hulk breaks out of prison.
Daredevil finds the apartment where David is staying, wanting him to stand trial. David suspects Daredevil is one of Fisk’s men, so he unmasks himself as Matt Murdock. Matt tells David that an accident with radiation blinded him when he was 14, while giving him enhanced senses and a “radar sense”, and that he was inspired to become Daredevil by Officer Albert G. Tendelli, who now acts as his police contact. David nonetheless refuses to help or tell what he knows about the Hulk. Fisk plants info about Ellie’s whereabouts as a trap for Daredevil. When Daredevil arrives, Fisk uses spotlights and blaring speakers to disorient him; instead, the speakers overwhelm Daredevil’s enhanced hearing, allowing Fisk’s men to beat him nearly to death. David arrives to save Matt, transforming into the Hulk in the process. Matt traces the Hulk’s face as he transforms back to David, thus learning David’s secret.
Using his training as a medical doctor, David treats Matt and spreads a cover story about his injuries being the result of falling down stairs. While Matt’s self-confidence is shaken, David’s confidence has been restored by seeing how Matt has embraced his unique gifts, which are also caused by exposure to radiation. At David’s persistent coaxing, Matt begins to retrain his body.
Fisk holds a meeting of crime bosses and proposes the consolidation of their operations into a nationwide syndicate, with himself as chairman. He presents footage of Daredevil’s apparent death as proof of his power. Daredevil and David infiltrate Fisk’s office tower to discredit Fisk and save Ellie. David frees Ellie with assistance from Fisk’s right-hand man, Edgar, who hints to them that he has on multiple occasions saved people from Fisk, who always forgives him. Daredevil breaks into the meeting, and the crime bosses flee.
David and Matt part as friends. David heads to a radiation laboratory in Portland in hopes of finding a cure for himself, and Matt remains in the city to protect it.
REVIEW
Following The Incredible Hulk Returns, the second reunion movie for the beloved television series takes another step toward expanding the Marvel universe by introducing yet another superhero: Daredevil, the Man Without Fear. Released in 1989, The Trial of the Incredible Hulk brings David Banner into conflict with Wilson Fisk, better known as the Kingpin, while introducing Matt Murdock as a lawyer who fights crime both in and out of the courtroom. It’s an interesting combination of the original show’s grounded drama and Marvel’s street-level superhero storytelling, although the movie’s ambitions occasionally get in the way of its central character.
Once again, Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno return as David Banner and the Hulk, respectively, and their presence remains the movie’s greatest strength. Bixby continues to bring a tremendous amount of humanity to David, portraying him as a man who desperately wants to do the right thing but whose condition makes a normal life almost impossible. Ferrigno, meanwhile, provides the physicality that makes the Hulk such an imposing presence whenever David loses control.
The new additions are equally welcome. Rex Smith plays Matt Murdock, the blind attorney who secretly operates as Daredevil, while John Rhys-Davies portrays Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin. Smith gives Matt a quiet determination that fits the character, while Rhys-Davies brings an imposing presence to Fisk. He’s a convincing criminal mastermind, someone who can exert control over an entire city without necessarily needing to get his hands dirty.
The production’s move from Los Angeles to Vancouver was also a smart decision. Primarily motivated by cost-cutting, the relocation nevertheless works in the movie’s favor, since much of Vancouver can convincingly double for New York City. (Despite the movie never explicitly saying it’s as New York), the urban environment helps establish the sort of sprawling, crime-ridden metropolis that suits Daredevil’s world.
That change in setting also complements the return to the original series’ grounded realism. After The Incredible Hulk Returns introduced the decidedly supernatural Thor, this movie focuses on one of Marvel’s more street-level heroes. Daredevil doesn’t need a giant robot or a magical hammer to make an impression; his stories revolve around corruption, organized crime and the struggle to protect ordinary people. That makes him a natural fit for the world David Banner inhabits.
The movie also has a place in Marvel history as the first of many Stan Lee cameos in a live-action Marvel production. Here, Lee appears as a juror during David’s dream sequence at his trial. It’s a brief appearance, but it’s a fun little inclusion for anyone familiar with Lee’s long-standing association with Marvel’s characters.
Unfortunately, the movie’s biggest problem is that it feels much more like a backdoor pilot than the last movie.
The Incredible Hulk Returns managed to maintain a reasonably satisfying balance between David Banner’s ongoing story and the introduction of Donald and Thor. Although it was clearly setting up a potential spin-off, the movie still gave David a personal dilemma and a reason to interact with the newcomers. The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, on the other hand, seems much more interested in establishing Daredevil’s world than continuing David’s journey.
The film introduces a corrupt urban environment controlled by Kingpin, establishes Daredevil’s secret war against organized crime, and gives Matt Murdock an opportunity to demonstrate his abilities while helping David after he’s framed for a crime he didn’t commit. All of this makes sense as the foundation for a Daredevil television series, but it leaves David feeling like a supporting character in his own reunion movie.
That’s not to say the combination is inherently bad. Seeing David caught up in a criminal conspiracy gives him a reason to interact with Matt, and the contrast between a man trying to escape his own condition and a superhero who has devoted his life to fighting injustice is an interesting one. But the movie’s attention is divided, and it never quite feels as though David’s personal story is receiving the same care it did in the original series.
The absence of Jack McGee is also noticeable. After being such a crucial part of the original show’s dynamic, his removal from these last two television movies feels like a missed opportunity. McGee’s pursuit of David was one of the defining elements of the series, and his presence could have added another layer of tension to a story in which David is framed and forced to prove his innocence. Instead, the movie focuses on establishing Daredevil and Kingpin, leaving a familiar part of the series behind.
There’s also a rather amusing continuity error involving David’s appearance. Throughout much of the movie, he sports a beard, which disappears whenever he transforms into the Hulk, only to return when he changes back into Banner. It’s a fairly obvious oversight, and once you notice it, it’s difficult not to look for it during every transformation sequence. Given the practical limitations of the production, it’s understandable that maintaining continuity across the Hulk makeup and transformation footage wasn’t always easy, but it remains a distracting little mistake.
And of course, there’s the trial, or lack thereof. So, there is no trial. The movie kinda lies to you, we see a court case with David, but it’s in a dream sequence. The movie’s writer and producer Gerald Di Pego has explained that the idea of having the Hulk actually go on trial was never even discussed.
Despite these shortcomings, The Trial of the Incredible Hulk is still an enjoyable TV movie. Rex Smith makes for a Matt Murdock, John Rhys-Davies is an effective Kingpin (paving the way for Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio decades later), and the return to a more grounded superhero story suits the franchise well. The Vancouver setting also gives the movie a convincing urban atmosphere, and the Stan Lee cameo is a fun piece of Marvel history.
The biggest disappointment is that the movie seems more concerned with launching a Daredevil series than giving David Banner another meaningful chapter in his life. With Jack McGee absent and David’s own struggles pushed somewhat into the background, it doesn’t quite capture the same balance that made the original series so effective.
Still, it’s an interesting experiment in bringing Marvel’s street-level heroes into the world of The Incredible Hulk. While it doesn’t fully succeed as a continuation of David’s story, it demonstrates that the television format could accommodate more than one Marvel character—and leaves you wondering what a Daredevil series starring Rex Smith might have looked like.
RANK: 3 out of 5
We’ll say our farewell to David Banner later. Next, we’re taking a look at an early pilot for the X-Men featuring Australian Wolverine!
Dr. David Banner has been gainfully employed at the Joshua-Lambert Research Institute (as David Bannion), where he and a team of scientists are putting the final touches on a Gamma Transponder. The Transponder’s public purpose is as an energy source, but Banner has secretly incorporated a secondary function which he intends to use to cure the gamma alteration that transforms him into the Hulk. He has not changed into the Hulk for two years, having met a young widow, Maggie Shaw, with whom he is romantically involved; focusing his thoughts on Shaw allows him to fight back transformations. By chance, he is recognized by a former student of his, Donald Blake. Blake reveals that, on an expedition in Norway, he was bound into possession of a magical hammer containing the soul of Thor, an immortal Viking warrior banished from Valhalla and reluctantly compelled to serve Blake and can summon Thor by speaking Odin’s name. Frustrated by Thor’s brutish and moralistic character, Blake wants Banner’s advice on severing their bond. Thor is summoned and bullies Banner until he turns into the Hulk. The Hulk battles Thor, leaving the lab severely damaged.
In the morning, Banner scolds Blake for setting back his experiment and demands that he make amends. While ordinarily he leaves the area when the Hulk is sighted, Banner is confident enough that the Transponder will cure him to risk staying. He advises Blake to speak to Thor to learn more about their bond.
Journalist Jack McGee hears of sightings of the Hulk, and his investigations lead him to suspect that David Bannion is the Hulk’s human alter ego. When he investigates Bannion’s address, Banner puts him off the scent by having Thor answer the door and identify himself as David Bannion. Thor bonds with Blake at a bar, briefly entertaining the possibility of Thor using his powers to fight crime. A mercenary gang outside the Joshua-Lambert Institute seeks to kidnap Banner and the Transponder, but the Hulk effortlessly dispatches them. The mercenary leader Jack LeBeau targets Shaw as a hostage. Mercenaries disguised as police officers ambush and kidnap Shaw despite the combined efforts of the Hulk and Thor. Joshua-Lambert executive Zack Lambert has been working as the mercenaries inside man as revenge against his overbearing older brother Joshua, but he balks at the kidnapping and is fatally shot.
LeBeau demands the Transponder as the ransom for Shaw. Recognizing its potential as a weapon in the wrong hands, Banner sabotages the Transponder, removing his chance of a cure. Zack contacts Banner from his deathbed and tells him where Shaw is being held. Hulk, Blake, and Thor ambush the gang’s hideout and fight them to rescue Shaw. McGee is once again berated by his editor for his obsession with the Hulk and Thor. Blake and Banner agree that Shaw has likely figured out that Banner is the Hulk. Thor and Blake, now at peace with each other, say their goodbyes to Banner. Under threat of McGee finding him if he stays longer, Banner is forced to end his relationship with Shaw and once again leaves to find a cure.
REVIEW
After the original “The Incredible Hulk” television series ended in 1982, David Banner’s journey seemed to have reached its conclusion. But in 1988, Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno returned for a television movie that not only brought the beloved characters back but also introduced another Marvel superhero into the mix: Thor, the God of Thunder. It’s an interesting continuation of the original series, one that takes its familiar formula in a new direction while laying the groundwork for a potential live-action Marvel TV universe.
The first thing worth praising is the returning cast. Bill Bixby is once again excellent as David Banner, bringing the same weary humanity to a man who has spent years running from the monster inside him. Lou Ferrigno also returns as the Hulk, maintaining the physical presence that made his portrayal so memorable. And then there’s Jack Colvin, making his final appearance as reporter Jack McGee. Colvin had been such an important part of the original series that having him back is a welcome treat, even if the movie doesn’t give his character quite the send-off he deserves.
The newcomers are equally enjoyable. Lee Purcell plays Maggie Shaw, a scientist who becomes romantically involved with David, while Tim Thomerson brings a rough-edged charm to the film’s villain, Jack LeBeau. Steve Levitt plays Donald Blake, the man who discovers Mjolnir and eventually brings Thor into his life.
But stealing the show, at least for anyone familiar with his later work, is Eric Allan Kramer as Thor Odinson. Long before his appearances in projects such as “Good Luck Charlie” and ironically Mr. Freeze in “Stuart Tries to Save the World”, Kramer takes on the role of Marvel’s legendary thunder god with an enthusiasm that’s difficult not to appreciate. His Thor is boisterous, arrogant and frequently amusing, providing a welcome contrast to David’s perpetual melancholy.
The story itself begins with David in a position we rarely get to see him occupy: he’s actually happy.
Two years have passed without him transforming into the Hulk, and he’s found a degree of peace that seemed impossible during the original series. He’s working alongside Maggie, developing a romantic relationship with her, and appears to be closer than ever to finding a cure for his condition. For once, David has a genuine chance at a normal life.
Naturally, that can’t last.
The arrival of Donald Blake and Thor throws everything into disarray, forcing David to confront the Hulk again and abandon the possibility of settling down. Once more, he finds himself on the road, unable to escape the circumstances that have defined his existence.
What makes this particularly effective is that the movie understands what David stands to lose. His potential cure isn’t just a scientific breakthrough; it’s his chance to stop running. His relationship with Maggie represents the possibility of a future beyond endless wandering. Seeing those hopes slip away in such a short time reinforces the tragedy that has always defined the character.
At the same time, introducing Thor provides a fresh dynamic that the original series never really explored. The original television show was (apart from the existence of the Hulk himself), a fairly grounded drama. Its stories generally revolved around ordinary people, personal problems and situations that David encountered while traveling from town to town. Introducing a character who is explicitly supernatural changes the equation considerably.
And that’s part of the fun.
The concept of the Hulk teaming up with other Marvel superheroes is something that had plenty of potential, even within the budgetary limitations of late-’80s television. This wasn’t a big-budget theatrical production with the resources to recreate Asgard or deliver the kind of spectacular action sequences we’d expect from a modern Marvel movie. Nevertheless, the idea of David Banner crossing paths with another superhero opens up possibilities that the original series couldn’t offer on its own.
It’s also enjoyable to see the movie incorporate otherworldly elements into a franchise that had otherwise remained relatively realistic. Thor’s presence introduces mythology and magic into David’s world, creating an interesting contrast between two characters whose circumstances couldn’t be more different. David is a man desperately trying to rid himself of a power he never wanted, while Thor is a warrior whose extraordinary abilities are central to his identity.
The movie’s music deserves recognition as well. With Lance Rubin taking over scoring duties, the film needed someone who could preserve the distinctive atmosphere established by Joe Harnell’s work on the original series. Rubin does a commendable job of emulating Harnell’s musical style, maintaining the emotional tone that made the television series so effective. And thankfully, Harnell’s iconic “The Lonely Man” theme returns at the end, providing a familiar musical reminder that, despite the introduction of another superhero, David’s fundamental predicament hasn’t changed.
Unfortunately, The Incredible Hulk Returns also makes some decisions that hold it back.
The most obvious issue is that the movie is basically a backdoor pilot for a potential Thor series. The same would be true of the next television movie. Both films seem interested in exploring a broader Marvel universe (though this one wasn’t as bad), but the proposed series that these appearances were intended to establish never materialized.
It’s understandable why the producers would want to expand the concept. The original series had already demonstrated that the Hulk could sustain dramatic television stories, and introducing additional Marvel characters offered a way to build on that success. But there’s a noticeable difference between a movie that tells a complete story and one that also has to establish the premise for a show that might never happen.
Thor’s characterization is another mixed bag. In the comics, he’s a noble Norse prince who is cast down to Earth by Odin and must learn humility. Here, he’s reimagined as an arrogant Viking king who must perform several heroic acts before he can enter Valhalla.
It’s an interesting reinterpretation, but it’s a substantial departure from the source material. This version of Thor is less a god learning to become worthy of his power and more a warrior trying to prove himself through heroic deeds.
His abilities are also considerably more limited than comic-book readers might expect. He doesn’t fly or demonstrate control over the weather, which makes him feel somewhat less like the mighty thunder god audiences know. Given the production’s limited budget and resources, it’s understandable that the filmmakers couldn’t recreate everything associated with the character. Having Thor wield a hammer and possess superhuman strength was already enough to establish his identity within the story. Still, it’s difficult not to imagine what a more faithful adaptation might have accomplished.
Then there’s Jack McGee.
After spending so much of the original series pursuing David Banner, McGee’s final appearance here feels strangely hollow. The character is hastily written without any chance of him discover David’s secret, which would have been a major turning point after years of chasing the Hulk. Instead, the movie seems to be clearing the way for Donald Blake and Thor to take over the pursuit in the prospective spin-off.
That might have made sense if the new series had actually been produced, but since it wasn’t, McGee’s departure feels rather unsatisfying. After everything he went through in the original series, he deserved a more meaningful conclusion than simply being sidelined in favor of a potential new franchise.
Even so, “The Incredible Hulk Returns” remains an enjoyable continuation of the television series. It brings back the cast that made the original show work, gives David Banner a compelling personal dilemma, introduces Thor in an entertaining fashion and expands the franchise’s possibilities without completely abandoning its dramatic roots.
It isn’t without its shortcomings, particularly when it comes to Thor’s characterization and the movie’s obvious attempts to establish a series that never happened. But Eric Allan Kramer’s performance, the contrast between David and Thor, and the return of the original show’s emotional core make it worthwhile.
Ultimately, the movie demonstrates that the world of The Incredible Hulk had room for more than one superhero. It just needed the right balance between expanding that world and remembering what made the original series special.
RANK: 4 out of 5
Next, David teams up with Daredevil to take on Kingpin.
This series focuses on the Transformers, split into two warring factions: the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons as they crash land on Earth and continue their eons-long conflict there.
The series began with a three-part miniseries, “More Than Meets The Eye”, where we see the conflict between the Autobots flee Cybertron and Decepticons follow them, leading to a scrimmage in space and crashing on Earth, 4 million years in the past. The volcano, the Autobots’ ship. the Ark crashed in erupted in 1984 reawakening the Autobots and Decepticons begin their war anew on Earth, but now with all of humanity caught in the crossfire.
So, unlike most (but not all) adaptations, where the war is fought in secrecy, with only the Autobots’ human allies aware of what’s going on, it’s public knowledge here. Aside from everyone, the Autobots’ allies are the Witwicky family Sparkplug and his son Spike, as well as Spike’s girlfriend (later wife) Carly, and their friend Chip Chase. Later, they’re joined by the Earth Defense Force leader, Marissa Fairborne and to a lesser extent (especially after the movie) Spike and Carly’s son, Daniel.
The Decepticons would never ally themselves with humans, but there is one they work with on occasion, Dr. Arkeville. A cyborg scientist, that works with the ‘Cons but is mostly out for himself. To say he and Starscream got along well is an understatement.
The three-part minseries and Season 1 set up the status quo of the series, the Autobots have to protect Earth and humanity from the Decepticons. Season 2 expanded the cartoon’s scope and cast. This season tends to feature more character-driven episodes than the first, with many characters getting their own “spotlight” episode. It also features a recurring theme of the Autobots assimilating Earth culture, such as playing basketball and football and even watching a soap opera. Excursions to alien civilizations popped up occasionally as well (not to mention time travel, miniaturization, and battles against undersea creatures). The second season also saw the introduction of concepts and characters that would spread out to other segments of the franchise, including the mystic Alpha Trion, the ancient Vector Sigma supercomputer and its circuit key, not to mention the first appearance of Elita-1 and the Female Transformers within official fiction.
Season Two breaks down very roughly into three segments. The first thirteen episodes focus on the Season One cast; about half of them prominently feature the previously-introduced 1985 product, the Constructicons, Dinobots, and Insecticons. Then, starting from the two-part “Dinobot Island,” the next twenty-six episodes introduce the remainder of the new 1985 toys, and the season shifts focus to them, with almost every new character receiving at least one dedicated spotlight episode. Finally, the last ten episodes of the season are given over to introducing the first 1986 product, the four Combiner teams (the Decepticons’ Stunticons and Combaticons and the Autobots’ Protectobots and Arielbots), and to giving the sidelined 1984 cast a little more screentime in supporting roles.
In-between seasons was Transformers The Movie, which took a time jump twenty years after the aired last episode at the time. I’m not doing a review of the movie, as I already did a tribute post for it ten years ago, and I’d just be repeating what I said then.
Season 3 changes the whole premise of the show. Gone were the two teams stranded on Earth, along with many of the characters that composed those teams. In their place was a galaxy-spanning tale of battles on alien worlds. With the Autobots in firm control of Cybertron, the Decepticons, though still a threat, were somewhat reduced as villains; new enemies in the form of the Quintessons were introduced. Plots often centered on the ultra-powerful city-bots, Metroplex and Trypticon.
Season 3 has a mixed reputation. It contains some of the most mistake-laden episodes of the entire franchise most of which can be laid at the feet of AKOM, a studio formed by series director Nelson Shin. But some of its episodes are among the best as well, both in animation and scripting; “Dark Awakening”, “Chaos”, “Webworld”, and “Dweller in the Depths” are all heavy fan favorites.
Late in Season 3, as in Season 2, the forerunners of the 1987 toy line were introduced: the Terrorcons, Technobots, and Throttlebots, and (very briefly) the cassettes Slugfest and Overkill. The season concluded with the resurrection of Optimus Prime, spurred on by a massive campaign on the part of fans, who were displeased by his death and subsequent “evil” resurrection. There was also a fourth season, but it was only three episodes, so I just count it as part of Season 3. It also had a fifth season and a sequel series, “Transformers Generation 2”, but both are just repackaging episodes of G1.
REVIEW
When looking back at the original “Transformers”, it’s easy to reduce it to its simplest description: a half-hour toy commercial about robots who turn into cars, planes, guns and various other vehicles. And, to be fair, that’s exactly what it was created to sell. But dismissing the Generation 1 cartoon as nothing more than a toy commercial would sell it short. For all of its commercial obligations, “The Transformers” managed to build an enormous cast of memorable characters, surprisingly emotional stories and a mythology that continues to influence the franchise decades later.
The voice cast is one of the show’s greatest strengths, although there are far too many talented performers to list everyone. Peter Cullen is, of course, iconic as Optimus Prime, while also providing the voice of Ironhide. Dan Gilvezan gives Bumblebee an appealingly youthful personality, Scatman Crothers makes Jazz effortlessly cool, and Corey Burton handles an absurd number of roles, including Spike Witwicky, Shockwave, Brawn and Vector Sigma. Susan Blu gives Arcee plenty of personality, Chris Latta makes Starscream one of the most entertaining villains in the cast, and Casey Kasem brings his distinctive voice to both Cliffjumper and Dr. Arkeville.
Then there’s Frank Welker, who deserves his own paragraph simply because of how much work he does. Megatron, Galvatron, Soundwave, Rumble, Frenzy, Ravage and various creature noises all come from him. His ability to make each character sound distinctive is remarkable, especially considering just how many characters he had to portray.
The show also deserves credit for attempting to be more than a simple commercial. There are plenty of episodes that actually try to tell interesting stories, develop the characters and explore the relationship between the Autobots and Decepticons. The series can be surprisingly funny, occasionally dramatic and, at its best, genuinely heartfelt.
That doesn’t mean the toy-commercial aspect ever disappears. New characters inevitably need to be introduced, and as the series progresses, some episodes feel like they’re built primarily around giving the latest batch of toys something to do. It’s particularly noticeable when you realize that a character who barely existed in the previous episode suddenly becomes critically important because Hasbro has a new figure to sell.
Still, there’s enough creativity underneath the merchandising requirements to make the show stand on its own.
The animation is another fascinating part of the series. Much of the production was handled by Toei, whose work gives the earlier episodes a strong visual identity. The show also used an unidentified Filipino animation studio whose identity has never been definitively established, although TMS has frequently been theorized as the company involved.
One particularly memorable episode associated with this mysterious production is “Call of the Primitives.” It’s an unusually ambitious episode visually, and it stands out enough that it’s easy to understand why fans have spent so much time trying to identify exactly who animated it.
Unfortunately, the animation quality becomes considerably more inconsistent around the middle of the second season.
The primary animation studio shifted from Toei to AKOM, and the difference can be pretty dramatic. Characters routinely change proportions between shots, objects appear and disappear, colors are inconsistent, backgrounds can be wildly off-model, and sometimes characters don’t even look remotely like themselves.
It’s easy to make fun of the mistakes, and many of them are genuinely hilarious, but it also highlights one of the show’s biggest weaknesses. The animation simply wasn’t given the consistency it needed. Considering how ambitious the series could occasionally be, it’s frustrating to see such poor-quality animation undermine it.
Another episode that deserves criticism for very different reasons is “Thief in the Night.” The story depicts Arabs from the fictional kingdom of Carbombya through a collection of negative stereotypes, and the portrayal was bad enough that Casey Kasem left the series in protest. It’s one of those moments where the limitations of the era can’t really excuse what was put on screen. Older children’s animation inevitably contains material that hasn’t aged well, and this is one example where acknowledging the historical context doesn’t make the portrayal any less uncomfortable.
The final stretch of the original series is also rather disappointing from a storytelling perspective. Rather than building toward a satisfying conclusion to the Autobots and Decepticons’ conflict, the final episodes increasingly feel like an extended commercial for the new Headmaster and Targetmaster toys.
And that is unfortunate because “The Transformers” had spent the previous three seasons building toward a much larger conflict.
The original series had already demonstrated that it could deliver genuinely dramatic moments. Optimus Prime’s death in “The Transformers: The Movie” remains one of the most famous moments in the franchise, and the continuing conflict between the Autobots and Decepticons could have provided a satisfying culmination on television. Instead, the final episodes are primarily concerned with introducing the next generation of characters and toys.
Despite those problems, there’s a reason Generation 1 “Transformers” remains so beloved nearly forty years later. The animation may be inconsistent, the writing occasionally bends to Hasbro’s marketing needs, and some episodes have aged considerably worse than others, but the series created the personalities and relationships that would define “Transformers” for generations.
It gave us Peter Cullen’s Optimus Prime, Chris Latta’s Starscream, Frank Welker’s Megatron and Soundwave, Scatman Crothers’ Jazz, Dan Gilvezan’s Bumblebee and countless other characters who became icons in their own right.
More importantly, it proved that a show created to sell toys could become something considerably more memorable. “The Transformers” wasn’t always polished, and it certainly wasn’t always consistent, but when everything came together, it was funny, exciting, imaginative and occasionally surprisingly emotional.
For all the mistakes, commercial compromises and production problems, Generation 1 remains the foundation upon which virtually every subsequent “Transformers” series has been built. And that’s an impressive legacy for what was, at the end of the day, supposed to be a half-hour toy commercial.
Next, we finally catch back up with David Banner and this time he won’t be alone.
Not to be confused with Spidey and his Amazing Friends
PLOT
The series follows Spider-Man working alongside Bobby Drake (Iceman) and Angelica Jones (Firestar) from the X-Men (more on the latter, later). The three attend college at Empire State University, they also live together with Peter’s aunt May and Angelica’s dog, a Lhasa Apso named Ms. Lion.
We never learn how they got together until the fifth episode of Season three, where we learn, the trio worked together to defeat the Beetle and recovered the “Power Booster” he stole from Tony Stark. This adventure lead to the trio to decide to team-up permanently as the “Spider-Friends”. And as a show of gratitude for their help, Tony even builds them a headquarters in their apartment. Together, the superheroes battle various supervillains, mostly Spidey’s rouges gallery, Doc Ock, Mysterio, Sandman, Kingpin, ect. But sometimes we’ll see other Marvel villains, Magneto and the Brotherhood of Mutants, Loki, Juggernaut, and Doctor Doom. Sometimes, the Spider-Friends will work with other heroes like the X-Men (late 70s era), Sunfire, Hulk, and in one episode,a group of heroes consiting of Captain America, Namor (back when he was still called Sub-Mariner), Doctor Strange and Shanna the She Devil.
Now, one of the big things everyone remembers about this show, is the introduction of Firestar, initially, it was going to be Human Torch, but there was some rights issues regarding the character, this was also an issue with the 70s Fantastic Four (the one with HERBIE), so they replaced him with a new, similar character. But she’s not the only original character to appear in the show.
There’s also, Hiawatha Smith, the Spider-Friends’ college professor, the son of a heroic Native American chief who fought against the Axis during WWII. Smith’s father passed down to his son the mystic knowledge of their people and a map leading to a vast Nazi treasure of wealth and advanced technology sought by the Red Skull. Smith often employs a boomerang in battle. He possesses a supernatural ability to communicate with animals. I’ll share my thoughts on him below.
Then there’s Auroa Dante aka Lightwave, she’s Bobby’s half-sister, and just like Bobby, she’s a mutant, but unlike Bobby, she isn’t with the X-Men, she works for SHIELD. She can manipulate and control light. Her other light-based powers include laser blasts, photonic force fields and solid light pressor beams. She can also transform herself into light; in such a form, she is able to exist in the vacuum of outer space. In her one (and only) episode,
Lightwave is considered a traitor, due to mind control by rogue SHIELD agent Buzz Mason. Mason induces Lightwave to steal assorted devices to create a “quantum enhancer” which would increase her powers 1,000 times. With such power, Lightwave would be able to control the Guardstar satellite which orbits the Earth and controls all defense systems and communications systems for the United States. Mason expects world conquest since he controls Lightwave.
Iceman, Firestar, and Spidey attempt to stop Lightwave. However, she is powerful enough to defeat them. Aboard a space vessel, Buzz Mason forces Iceman into outer space, dooming Iceman if he remains there for long. Spidey convinces Lightwave to realize that the half-brother she loves is in mortal danger. Her reaction breaks Mason’s control over her, and she saves Iceman and disables Mason long enough for Spidey to subdue him.
Presumably, with Mason’s role realized, SHIELD restores Lightwave’s good standing.
The last and most interesting is Videoman. He’s interesting in that, he shows up three times, twice as a villainous creation of Electro, and the second a mutant hero in the Season Three. In his Seasons 1 and 2 appearances, Videoman was an angular humanoid energy construct created by Electro. Its abilities include moving through and manipulating electronic circuits and projecting rectangular pulses of energy. Videoman is used by Electro to suck in and entrap Spider-Man, Flash Thompson, Firestar, and Iceman into a video game display where Electro attempts to destroy the four. However, Flash is able to save himself and the others by escaping through the monitor and into Electro’s electronic components to save the others.
This first villainous version of Videoman makes one other appearance in Season 2’s “Origin of Iceman”, with the additional abilities of bringing video game characters to life and draining the unique bio-energy of mutants, temporarily suppressing Iceman’s powers and weakening Fire-Star, as well as being able to emulate their powers for its own use. This time, Videoman is defeated when the Spider-Friends trick it and its video game minions into attacking one another.
The second Videoman appears in the Season 3 episode “The Education of a Superhero”, nerdy Francis Byte is an avid video game player who is especially engrossed into gaining the high score on a game called Zellman Comman at the local arcade. The villain Gamesman sends a hypnotic signal that entrances over 300,000 people in the city. This does not affect Francis’ girlfriend Louise, Spider-Man, and Firestar, nor does the signal affect Francis’ mind, which is distracted from entrancement by Louise and the game. Louise walks away from Francis, then also gets affected and hypnotized after having her pleas disregarded by Francis. He (unbeknownst to any others) plays the arcade machine so rigorously that it and other arcade machines (most of which are emitting the hypnotic waves) explode. The explosion transforms Francis into Videoman.
Francis discovers that he can become his new blue and white, red-eyed alter-ego Videoman at will. However, he is inexperienced with handling such powerful abilities. He tries to help the trio (which has awakened Iceman from his trance) against a hypnotized mob, but they repel his offers due to his inexperience. He then tries to save Louise from the Gamesman, but he is easily blackmailed into manipulating a military communications satellite system in return for Louise’s freedom, an offer that is then reneged upon by the Gamesman. Enraged at the trickery, Videoman helps Spider-Man and the others free Louise and also reverses his stoppage of the military computer. After the Gamesman is defeated, Francis accepts an invitation to join the X-Men, while Louise accepts him and his abilities.
REVIEW
If there is one thing “Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends” has in abundance, it’s personality. Premiering in 1981, the series takes Spider-Man and partners him with Iceman and Firestar, turning the traditional solo hero into a superhero trio. The result is a colorful, energetic and occasionally very strange Saturday-morning cartoon that has had a surprisingly lasting impact on Marvel history.
The voice cast is a huge part of that appeal. Dan Gilvezan is terrific as Spider-Man, giving Peter Parker the youthful, wisecracking personality you’d expect while still allowing him to come across as a genuine superhero. Frank Welker brings plenty of charm to Iceman, while Kathy Garver gives Firestar a distinct personality of her own. The three actors have excellent chemistry, making the Spider-Friends feel like an actual group of friends rather than three characters thrown together because the network wanted a team.
And Firestar herself deserves special attention. She quickly became popular enough to escape the confines of animation. Firestar eventually made her comic-book debut in 1985, just two years after the cartoon ended, and has remained part of the Marvel universe ever since. It’s pretty remarkable to see a character created for a Saturday-morning cartoon become an established Marvel superhero in her own right.
The show also introduced an interesting idea that would become surprisingly influential: Norman Osborn and the Green Goblin having essentially separate personalities. In the first episode, Norman is presented as a respectable businessman who doesn’t remember being the Green Goblin, with the villainous persona taking control of him. That concept would later appear in other adaptations, including the 90s animated series and Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy. So even though Amazing Friends was primarily aimed at children, it occasionally came up with ideas that would stick around.
The series also gives us the first animated appearance of Wolverine, and this version is particularly amusing in hindsight because he has an Australian accent. It’s funny enough on its own, but it’s even funnier considering another Marvel animated series I’ll be looking at later this month also uses an Australian-accented Wolverine.
In fact, “Amazing Friends” is full of moments that become funnier when viewed with the benefit of hindsight.
At one point, the Spider-Friends battle Sandman, who transforms into a giant while they’re fighting at a construction site. Watching that now inevitably brings “Spider-Man 3” to mind, which also ends with Spider-Man fighting a giant Sandman at a construction site.
And then there’s Tony Stark helping build the Spider-Friends’ secret base. Decades later, the MCU would have Tony Stark developing Peter Parker’s upgraded Spider-Man suits. It’s obviously not a direct connection (the MCU wasn’t borrowing this specific plot point) but it’s amusing to see how something that feels very modern was already part of the Spider-Man cartoon formula in the early ’80s.
For all the fun the series provides, however, there are aspects that haven’t aged nearly as well. In fact, “Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends” is an interesting example of something that could be considered progressive for its time while still containing material that modern audiences can reasonably find uncomfortable.
“Sunfire” is probably the clearest example.
The episode introduces Sunfire, a Japanese mutant superhero who knows martial arts and speaks with a fairly heavy accent. An accent isn’t inherently problematic (English is presumably his second language) but the episode surrounds him with considerably more dated material. His uncle is a stereotypical villainous Japanese businessman. The character essentially combines several old Hollywood stereotypes into one antagonist, including elements of the “Yellow Peril” cliché.
At the same time, it’s important not to treat the entire episode as though Sunfire himself is portrayed negatively. Quite the opposite: Sunfire is a genuine hero. He’s manipulated into fighting Iceman and eventually causing a fire monster to appear, but once he realizes what’s actually happening, he joins the Spider-Friends in stopping the threat. The episode ultimately treats him as someone who was deceived rather than as a villain.
There’s also Sunfire and Firestar’s mutual attraction. What’s interesting is that the show treats their crushes on one another as completely normal. Their respective races aren’t turned into a source of conflict or even particularly emphasized. For a children’s cartoon from 1981, that’s actually a surprisingly progressive element, even if the surrounding characterization hasn’t aged nearly as well.
The same complicated situation applies to the Spider-Friends’ professor, Hiawatha Smith. He’s presented as a brilliant Native American professor whose knowledge and abilities help the heroes, but the series also depicts him and his father through a “magical Native American” stereotype. The intent may have been to portray the characters as wise and powerful, but the result relies on a romanticized depiction of Indigenous culture that feels very dated today.
That becomes particularly significant in “Quest for the Red Skull,” Hiawatha Smith’s episode. The episode has effectively disappeared from circulation. It hasn’t aired since 1999, wasn’t shown on Jetix in 2000s, and isn’t available on Disney+. The reason is understandable: the story involves the Red Skull and features actual Nazi imagery, including Adolf Hitler himself.
Given the subject matter, it’s not difficult to understand why the episode has been kept off television and streaming. But I do think there’s a distinction between contextualizing problematic material and pretending it never existed.
“Quest for the Red Skull” is part of “Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.” It doesn’t have to be freely available for children, but I think there’s value in acknowledging its existence and preserving it as part of the show’s history, perhaps with appropriate contextual warnings and access aimed at adults or researchers rather than treating it as though it never happened.
Ultimately, “Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends” is a product of its time in both good and bad ways. It gave us Firestar, helped establish ideas that would later influence other Spider-Man adaptations, featured a terrific trio of voice performances, and remains a fun showcase for Marvel’s heroes. At the same time, some of its attempts at representation rely on stereotypes that are much easier to recognize today.
But that’s also what makes revisiting older cartoons like this interesting. “Amazing Friends” can be appreciated for what it did well without ignoring the things that haven’t aged gracefully. It’s a fun, inventive and occasionally ridiculous piece of Marvel history, and considering one of its original characters went on to become a genuine Marvel mainstay, its legacy turned out to be considerably larger than anyone probably expected in 1981.
Motorcycle racer Takuya Yamashiro witnesses a UFO fall to Earth, a space warship called the Marveller. Takuya’s father Dr. Hiroshi Yamashiro, a space archaeologist, investigates the case, but is killed upon finding the spaceship. The incident attracts the attention of Professor Monster and the evil Iron Cross Army, an alien group that seeks to rule the universe.
Takuya follows Hiroshi to the Marveller and discovers Garia, the last surviving warrior of Planet Spider, which was destroyed by Professor Monster and the Iron Cross Army, and was hunting Professor Monster. However, he needs someone to take up the fight and injects Takuya with some of his blood, giving him spider-like powers. He also gives him a bracelet that activates his spider protector costume, shoots web-lines, and controls the Marveller, which can also transform into the invincible super robot, Leopardon. Using his powers, Takuya fights Professor Monster and the Iron Cross Army as well as other threats to Earth under the name Spider-Man.
So, let’s get the obvious out of the way: Toei’s version of Spidey, Takuya Yamashiro, while he wore the same costume as his U.S. Marvel counterpart and had similar powers, the series’ storyline and the origin of his powers differed from the source material. In addition to fighting, he piloted a super robot, which he would summon to fight off giant versions of the show’s monsters. As I mentioned in my Top 20 Super Sentai Series, it’s thanks to this show, the giant robot concept would later be used in “Super Sentai,” starting from Battle Fever J until the Gozyuger. Takuya and Leopardon would later appear in the comic storylines “Spider-Verse” and “Spider-Geddon”, with the latter finally getting destroyed.
REVIEW
Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe, before the various Hollywood Spider-Man movies, and even before many of Marvel’s modern television adaptations, there was Toei’s wonderfully bizarre Japanese take on the character. Released in 1978, Spider-Man takes the basic concept of Peter Parker and rebuilds it as a Japanese tokusatsu series, complete with a new hero, an alien spaceship, giant robots, transforming vehicles and enormous monsters. It sounds like a recipe for something completely unrecognizable—and, in some respects, it is—but “Toei’s Spider-Man” is also a surprisingly earnest and incredibly entertaining superhero series.
A major reason it works is Shinji Todo as Takuya Yamashiro, the man who becomes Spider-Man. Remarkably, this was Todo’s first acting role, and while there are inevitably some rough edges to his performance, he does a surprisingly good job carrying the series. Takuya comes across as an earnest young man who takes his responsibility as Spider-Man seriously, particularly when innocent people are in danger. Todo gives him enough personality to make Takuya more than just a guy who puts on a costume and fights monsters.
And then there’s the stunt work, which might be the single biggest reason to watch this series.
The acrobatics are absolutely spectacular. The people performing these stunts were actually doing them. This is particularly impressive when Spider-Man is climbing buildings. Hiroyumi Koga, the suit actor who performed as Spider-Man, actually climbed the sides of buildings and even Tokyo Tower without a safety harness. Knowing that makes some of these sequences even more jaw-dropping.
The action is similarly energetic. Spider-Man swings, flips, leaps and kicks his way through battles with an enthusiasm that makes the show feel like a live-action superhero comic brought to life. It’s the sort of thing that even Stan Lee appreciated about the series. Lee reportedly loved the energy and stunt work when he saw it, and it’s easy to understand why.
Watching the series also provides some wonderful context for the memes that have circulated around it for years. Yes, seeing Takuya casually wielding a tommy gun in “Spider-Man” is every bit as bizarre as the screenshots suggest. But once you’ve actually watched the series, those images become even funnier because you understand the ridiculous circumstances surrounding them. The show has plenty of moments where you can practically hear the internet collectively shouting, “Oh, that’s where that came from.”
The music is another highlight. The main theme is a particularly interesting contrast with the famous 1960s “Spider-Man” cartoon theme. While that song celebrates how cool Spider-Man is and how great it is to be him, Toei’s theme has a much melancholier quality. It emphasizes the sorrow and loneliness that come with being Spider-Man, fitting the series’ more dramatic interpretation of Takuya’s life. There’s a sense that becoming Spider-Man is a responsibility and a burden rather than simply an awesome superpower.
It’s difficult to discuss this song without acknowledging just how goofy it is. It appears in one episode, and its upbeat, ridiculous nature is deliberately at odds with Takuya’s attitude toward it. In-universe, Takuya absolutely hates the song, which somehow makes the whole thing even funnier. It’s one of those moments where the show embraces its sillier side so completely that you can’t help but enjoy it.
Unfortunately, that sillier side eventually takes over.
One of the biggest problems with “Spider-Man” is the tonal whiplash that occurs roughly halfway through the series. The early episodes can be surprisingly serious for a children’s tokusatsu program. People die, Takuya deals with genuine tragedy, and the Iron Cross Army is presented as a dangerous terrorist organization. There’s a real sense of stakes to what Spider-Man is doing.
Then the series gradually becomes much campier.
Takuya increasingly takes on the role of a cheerful protector of children, with stories focusing more heavily on him helping kids and keeping them safe from the Iron Cross Army. The show never completely abandons its serious side, but the contrast can be jarring. It’s almost like watching two different versions of Spider-Man gradually take turns occupying the same series.
The giant monster effects also show their age. The Machine Monsters’ growth sequences are particularly rough by modern standards. That’s understandable considering the series was made in 1978, and Toei was essentially figuring out how to handle giant monster battles for the first time. The miniature work and suitmation can still be fun to watch, but the actual process of making the monsters grow isn’t nearly as convincing.
There’s also some amusing scale inconsistency between the monsters and Leopardon. In some scenes, Leopardon can look almost absurdly tall compared with the monster he’s supposed to be fighting, while in others their proportions don’t quite line up. It becomes even more noticeable once Leopardon’s appearances start relying heavily on recycled footage.
That was apparently caused by an unfortunate behind-the-scenes mystery: somewhere around the middle of production, Leopardon’s suit was either damaged or stolen. Exactly what happened has never been definitively established. Whatever the case, the result was that Toei had to reuse existing Leopardon footage, meaning the robot rarely interacts directly with the monster in later episodes. Instead, Marveller is summoned, Leopardon transforms, and then he quickly makes short work of the monster using footage we’ve already seen.
It’s a shame, because Leopardon is one of the most memorable parts of the entire concept. The idea of Spider-Man having his own giant transforming robot is completely ridiculous by traditional Marvel standards, but it also became an important part of the series’ legacy. Toei’s approach would ultimately influence the formula of later tokusatsu productions, particularly the giant-robot component of Super Sentai.
The finale unfortunately doesn’t give Takuya quite the payoff you’d expect, either. After everything he’s been through, the final confrontation between Spider-Man and Professor Monster is surprisingly anticlimactic. There’s no massive climactic battle between the two, which feels like a missed opportunity after an entire series of escalating confrontations.
Ironically, Spider-Man and Professor Monster would eventually receive the kind of proper final confrontation that the television series never gave them, not in another live-action, but in Marvel’s “Spider-Verse” comics, specifically the “Spider-Geddon” storyline.
Despite those flaws, “Toei’s Spider-Man” remains an incredibly entertaining piece of Marvel history. It’s faithful to the spirit of Spider-Man in some surprisingly important ways while simultaneously being completely unlike any other version of the character. Shinji Todo makes Takuya likable, the stunt work is genuinely impressive, the action is energetic, the music gives the character an unexpectedly melancholy quality, and the sheer weirdness makes the series endlessly memorable.
It may not be the Spider-Man most people expect, but that’s precisely what makes it so fascinating. Toei took the basic idea of Spider-Man and filtered it through the conventions of Japanese tokusatsu, creating something that stands on its own while still understanding that, underneath the giant robots and Machine Monsters, Spider-Man is ultimately about a person who chooses to use his abilities to protect others.
RANK: 3 out of 5
Next, we meet back with Peter Parker as well as his Amazing Friends.
David Banner’s normal reaction when something bad happens to him.
PLOT
Dr. David Banner, is a physician and scientist employed at California’s Culver Institute, who is traumatized by the car accident that killed his beloved wife, Laura. Banner and his research partner, Dr. Elaina Marks, study people who summoned superhuman strength during moments of extreme stress. Obsessed with discovering why he was unable to exhibit such super strength under similar conditions, Banner hypothesizes that high levels of gamma radiation from sunspots contributed to the subjects’ increase in strength.
Impatient to test his theory, Banner conducts an unsupervised experiment in the laboratory, bombarding himself with gamma radiation. However, the radiology equipment has recently been recalibrated, so Banner unknowingly gives himself a massive overdose. He initially thinks that the experiment has failed, but later, when he injures himself under a heavy rain while changing a flat tire, Banner’s anger triggers his transformation into a 6-ft-5-in-tall green skinned, superhumanly strong creature who is driven by rage, and has only a primitive intelligence. The creature reverts to Banner when he calms down, and, since Banner is unable to remember what occurs while in his transformed state, he goes to Marks for help. They succeed in deliberately triggering the transformation again, this time under laboratory conditions and investigate the nature of the metamorphosis, and the possibility of a cure. Tabloid reporter Jack McGee, who was initially investigating Banner and Marks’ superhuman strength research, now suspects them of being connected to the reports of a green skinned monster roaming the area. While snooping around their laboratory, McGee unknowingly triggers a fire. Banner rushes back into the laboratory to save Marks, only for the creature to emerge from the fire with her in his arms, dying. Mistakenly believing that Banner was killed in the fire along with Marks and that the creature was responsible for their deaths, McGee publishes a story naming the “Incredible Hulk” as their killer and urges law enforcement to capture him.
Banner travels from place to place, assuming different identities and odd jobs to support himself and enable his search for a cure. He also finds himself feeling obliged to help the people he meets out of whatever troubles have befallen them. Inevitably, doing so puts him in perilous situations that trigger his transformations into the Hulk, which in turn attracts the attention of McGee, who is obsessively pursuing the mysterious creature across the country, both to prevent further violence and to bring legitimacy to his story.
Despite the rampages, the Hulk usually does good for the people Banner encounters in his travels. Each episode ends with Banner back on the road, fearful that the Hulk’s appearances will bring unwanted scrutiny from the authorities and the ever-persistent McGee.
REVIEW
The 1977 “The Incredible Hulk” television series is one of those adaptations that takes some pretty significant liberties with its source material yet somehow manages to capture the spirit of the character remarkably well. Rather than attempting to recreate the comic book’s superhero world, the series turns the Hulk into the center of a grounded, character-driven drama, following David Banner as he travels from town to town while trying to find a way to control the monster within him. It may look like a product of its time—and there are certainly moments that make that impossible to ignore—but there’s a lot to admire here.
A major reason the series works as well as it does is its cast. Bill Bixby is particularly excellent as David Banner. At the time, Bixby was primarily known for sitcoms, so seeing him take on such a dramatic role was something of a departure. He brings a tremendous amount of humanity to Banner, making him sympathetic without turning him into a perpetual victim. His performance sells the tragedy of a man who can never settle down, knowing that sooner or later something will push him over the edge and unleash the Hulk.
Jack Colvin is equally effective as reporter Jack McGee. While McGee could easily have been reduced to a one-note antagonist constantly chasing the hero, Colvin gives him a genuine sense of determination. There’s an interesting dynamic between him and Banner that makes the series feel like a television adaptation of Les Miserables. David is essentially Jean Valjean, a man desperately trying to escape his past and live quietly, while McGee occupies the Javert role, relentlessly pursuing him without fully understanding the man he’s chasing. The fact that McGee’s original encounter with the Hulk becomes the driving force behind his pursuit gives their relationship an emotional dimension beyond the usual hero-versus-villain setup.
And then, of course, there’s Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk. Ferrigno’s physical presence is exactly what the role needed. Rather than relying entirely on special effects, the series simply puts a massive bodybuilder in green makeup and lets his sheer physicality do much of the work. It gives the Hulk a tangible presence that still works surprisingly well.
The practical effects used for the Hulk’s transformations are another highlight. The famous shirt-ripping sequences may be simple by modern standards, but there’s something incredibly satisfying about watching Banner’s clothes split apart as the transformation progresses. One particularly impressive episode has Ferrigno playing a bodybuilder who actually has to interact with the Hulk. Aside from a few minor issues in the wider shots, the split-screen effects hold up remarkably well. Considering this was a television production from the late 1970s, it’s an impressive bit of technical work.
Of course, the show’s special effects aren’t always quite as convincing. There are moments when you can plainly see Ferrigno wearing shoes during Hulk scenes, which becomes particularly amusing once you know what to look for. Some of the reactions from background actors also give the illusion away: their dialogue was clearly recorded separately, and occasionally their lip movements don’t quite match what we’re hearing.
“Death in the Family” contains perhaps the most obvious example of the show’s occasionally questionable editing. At one point, the Hulk carries a woman to safety, but the footage clearly comes from another episode. As a result, his shirt will be torn in one shot and completely intact in the next. It’s the kind of continuity error that’s difficult not to notice, but it’s also part of the charm of watching an older television production where the limitations of the production are sometimes right there on the screen.
Another unusual decision was changing Banner’s first name from Bruce to David. It’s a strange alteration considering “Bruce Banner” is such an iconic name, and it becomes even stranger knowing the reported reason behind it. Stan Lee and Lou Ferrigno have both discussed how CBS executives supposedly felt that “Bruce” sounded too gay. Obviously, that’s an incredibly dated and misguided way of thinking. It was the late 1970s, and attitudes toward homosexuality were very different from today, but that doesn’t excuse the reasoning. Even Ferrigno himself has pointed out how ridiculous the idea was. At most, understanding the period helps explain how such a decision could have been made; it certainly doesn’t make the reasoning any less silly.
One element that remains especially memorable is Joe Harnell’s music. His score gives the series a melancholy, almost romantic quality that perfectly complements Banner’s lonely existence. That feeling is perhaps best captured by the closing theme, “The Lonely Man.” It’s simple, haunting and beautifully suited to the character. After spending an episode watching Banner help someone, escape danger and ultimately move on to the next town, that music reinforces the tragedy of his situation: no matter what good he does, he can’t stay.
That’s ultimately what makes “The Incredible Hulk” work. Beneath the green makeup and occasional effects hiccups is a surprisingly thoughtful drama about loneliness, identity and trying to do the right thing while running from something you can’t escape. Bixby’s performance gives the show its heart, Ferrigno gives it its physical power, Colvin provides a compelling foil, and Harnell’s music ties everything together.
It’s certainly not a perfect adaptation, and its age is sometimes painfully apparent. But considering what television production could accomplish in 1977, “The Incredible Hulk” deserves a lot of credit. It understood that the Hulk wasn’t merely a monster who smashed things, he was the physical manifestation of David Banner’s inner turmoil. And for all the changes made to the source material, that’s a pretty good understanding of what makes the character work.
RANK: 4 out of 5
We’ll see where David goes from here later, for now, we’re heading to Japan to visit a “lost” variant of Spider-Man.
Well, lost only to those who only saw the Spider-Verse movies.
A whole New World baby! Until it gets folded into Marvel.
As I mentioned in last year’s introduction, I’m still holding off on covering the Multiverse Saga until it’s officially concluded, currently expected to happen next year, assuming everything stays on schedule. I think it’ll make for a much more interesting retrospective to examine that era as a complete story rather than judging it one chapter at a time. It also gives the dust time to settle, allowing both the highs and lows to be viewed with a bit more perspective.
So this year’s Marvel Month is all about looking backward. We’ll be exploring some of Marvel’s earlier screen history—or at least the projects I’ve actually seen from the days of Marvel Productions through the New World Productions era. Along the way, we’ll also be diving into a handful of other odds and ends from before “Blade” changed everything, and even a few curiosities that followed in its wake.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe may be taking a break from this series for now, but Marvel’s history stretches back decades before Iron Man ever suited up. There’s plenty worth revisiting, rediscovering, and, in some cases, experiencing for the first time.
So, let’s turn back the clock and celebrate the strange, fascinating, and often overlooked corners of Marvel’s cinematic and television legacy. Welcome to this year’s Marvel Month.
“Save the cheerleader, save the world.” – Most characters, but famously said first by Future Hiro
INTRO
When “Heroes” premiered in the fall of 2006, it arrived at precisely the right moment. Television audiences were embracing serialized storytelling, comic book adaptations were finding mainstream success, and viewers were eager for a new kind of genre drama—one grounded not in capes and costumes, but in ordinary people discovering extraordinary abilities. Creator Tim Kring’s ambitious premise asked a deceptively simple question: What if anyone could become a hero?
The first volume, Genesis, remains the show’s defining achievement. Across 23 episodes, it carefully assembled a sprawling ensemble cast whose lives slowly intertwined as they grappled with powers they barely understood. Rather than rushing toward spectacle, “Heroes” invested in mystery and character, introducing memorable figures like Peter Petrelli, Hiro Nakamura, Claire Bennet, Noah Bennet, Matt Parkman, Niki Sanders, Mohinder Suresh, Isaac Mendez, and Sylar. Each represented a different perspective on what extraordinary abilities meant and whether they were a blessing, a curse, or something in between.
Twenty years later, Genesis stands as both a time capsule of mid-2000s television and a benchmark for serialized network storytelling. Its cinematic ambition, international scope, emotional character arcs, and iconic “Save the cheerleader, save the world” mythology captivated millions and turned “Heroes” into one of the defining pop culture phenomena of its era. While the series would struggle to recapture the magic of its debut season, the first volume remains a compelling reminder of what made audiences believe that anyone could save the world.
From its opening moments, “Heroes” eponymous pilot establishes the central idea that will define the entire first volume: humanity is evolving. Rather than presenting superpowers as accidents or gifts from another world, the series frames them as the next step in human evolution, a scientific phenomenon hidden beneath everyday life. This theme is introduced through Mohinder Suresh, a genetics professor from Madras, India, whose narration provides the philosophical backbone of the episode. Reflecting on the history of evolution, Mohinder poses the question that drives the series: Have we stopped evolving, or is the next stage already among us?
Mohinder’s journey begins when he learns of the death of his estranged father, Dr. Chandra Suresh, who had devoted his life to researching people with extraordinary genetic abilities (later known as “Evolved Humans,” or “EVOs” for short). Convinced that Chandra’s work was the reason for his murder, Mohinder travels to New York to continue his father’s research and uncover the truth. In doing so, he also introduces one of Heroes’ earliest mysteries: a shadowy conspiracy surrounding EVOs Before leaving India, Mohinder hears an unseen intruder searching his father’s apartment and later finds himself sharing a taxi with the same mysterious man, whose probing questions suggest that Chandra’s research has attracted dangerous attention. The encounter ends with Mohinder fleeing, but the implication is clear—someone else is hunting the evolved.
From there, the pilot shifts between several seemingly unrelated stories, each exploring a different reaction to extraordinary change.
In New York City, artist Isaac Mendez insists that he can paint the future, although his girlfriend, Simone Deveaux, dismisses his claims as hallucinations brought on by heroin addiction. After suffering a severe overdose, however, Isaac creates one of the series’ most iconic images: a massive painting depicting a nuclear explosion consuming Manhattan. Whether prophecy or delusion, the painting introduces the season’s looming catastrophe and establishes that the characters’ abilities may carry consequences far beyond their own lives.
Meanwhile, in Las Vegas, single mother Niki Sanders experiences her powers as something terrifying rather than empowering. Forced to flee from dangerous criminals with her son, Micah, she begins noticing that her own reflection behaves independently of her. When she later returns home and is coerced into performing as a webcam stripper, she blacks out, only to awaken surrounded by the brutally murdered bodies of the men threatening her. Her reflection silently urges her to keep what happened a secret. Like Isaac, Niki’s ability is portrayed not as a gift but as an unwelcome transformation that leaves her frightened of herself.
In contrast, Tokyo office worker Hiro Nakamura embraces the impossible with childlike enthusiasm. Discovering that he can manipulate space and time, Hiro is convinced that he is destined for something greater than his mundane office job. His best friend, Ando Masahashi, initially dismisses his claims, even after Hiro accidentally teleports into the women’s restroom at a nightclub. Hiro’s optimism provides a welcome contrast to the fear surrounding the other emerging heroes. His storyline culminates in one of the episode’s most memorable moments as he successfully teleports from a Tokyo subway platform to the middle of Times Square in New York City, smiling in awe as he realizes his dream has become reality.
Elsewhere, high school cheerleader Claire Bennet is already struggling to keep her own secret. Living in Odessa, Texas, Claire has discovered she possesses an extraordinary regenerative ability and secretly films increasingly dangerous injuries with her friend Zach to prove that she always heals. Believing exposure would destroy her normal life, Claire hides her gift from everyone else. When she encounters a devastating train wreck on her way home, however, she instinctively risks discovery to rescue a trapped survivor before walking away completely unharmed. The sequence establishes Claire’s defining conflict throughout the season: balancing an ordinary teenage life with extraordinary responsibilities.
Finally, the episode introduces Peter Petrelli, a compassionate hospice nurse whose recurring dreams convince him that he can fly. His older brother Nathan, a rising congressional candidate, dismisses the idea as fantasy, while their mother Angela offers little encouragement despite Peter’s belief that he shares a profound metaphysical connection with Nathan. Through one of his patients, Peter is sent to Isaac Mendez’s apartment, where he is stunned to discover a painting depicting himself soaring through the sky. Convinced that the image validates his dreams, Peter arranges for Nathan to meet him atop a rooftop. Declaring that he is meant to fly, Peter leaps into the void. At the last possible moment, Nathan reveals his own secret by flying to catch his brother. Unable to hold onto him, however, Nathan loses his grip, sending Peter crashing toward the ground as the episode ends.
If “Genesis” introduces the extraordinary, “Don’t Look Back” explores the consequences of believing in it. The second episode shifts the series from simple character introductions toward mystery and conspiracy, while reinforcing one of Heroes’ recurring ideas: discovering a power is only the beginning. Accepting it (and convincing others it exists) is often the greater challenge.
No character embodies this struggle more than Peter. Recovering in hospital after his rooftop fall, Peter insists that Nathan flew to save him, only for Nathan to deny the event entirely. Angela offers an equally mundane explanation, revealing that Peter’s late father suffered from depression and suggesting Peter has inherited delusions of grandeur rather than extraordinary abilities. Isolated and doubting himself, Peter reaches his lowest point when he climbs to the top of another New York building, prepared to jump. Nathan arrives just in time, but Peter refuses to back down until his brother admits the truth. In one of the episode’s defining moments, Peter unknowingly begins hovering above the rooftop as he argues, proving—to the audience and finally to Nathan that he was never imagining things.
Claire’s story focuses on the burden of secrecy. After the train rescue, her classmate Jackie brazenly accepts public recognition for Claire’s heroism, while Zach discovers that every video documenting Claire’s regenerative abilities has mysteriously disappeared. The audience soon learns why: Claire’s adoptive father, Noah Bennet aka Horn-Rimmed Glasses (or HRG) has secretly confiscated the tapes. Although he reassures Claire that he is arranging for her to meet her biological parents, his actions reveal that he is carefully monitoring every aspect of her life. The episode quietly plants the seeds for one of the season’s biggest mysteries: Noa knows far more about Claire’s abilities than he is willing to admit.
Mohinder Suresh’s investigation begins in earnest upon arriving in New York. At Chandra’s apartment, he meets Eden McCain, one of his father’s trusted associates and one of the few people who genuinely believed in Chandra’s theories about human evolution. Together they uncover a flash drive containing Chandra’s research software, offering Mohinder a way to continue his father’s work. More importantly, the episode introduces the name that will haunt the rest of the season. Before Mohinder arrives, a man identifying himself only as Sylar repeatedly attempts to contact Chandra, claiming that his uncontrollable “hunger” is becoming impossible to resist. Though Sylar remains unseen, the cryptic message immediately establishes him as a looming threat whose connection to the evolving humans remains unknown.
That threat becomes tangible through the introduction of Matt Parkman. A struggling Los Angeles police officer, Matt unexpectedly begins hearing the thoughts of a frightened young girl at the scene of a brutal family murder. Following the voice in his head, he discovers the terrified child hiding exactly where his newfound ability led him. Rather than celebrating his apparent psychic gift, Matt immediately becomes a suspect. FBI agent Audrey Hanson cannot explain how he knew the child’s location and arrests him after investigators identify the prime suspect as Sylar. The sequence demonstrates another recurring theme of “Heroes”: extraordinary abilities often isolate their owners rather than empowering them.
Hiro’s story once again provides the episode’s sense of wonder, but it also introduces its first genuine tragedy. After arriving in Times Square, Hiro is astonished to discover himself on the cover of a comic book before tracking down its creator, Isaac Mendez. Instead of finding answers, Hiro discovers Isaac apparently murdered just as police arrive, leading to his arrest. Desperate to escape, Hiro accidentally propels himself five weeks into the future, where he witnesses New York City moments before Isaac’s painted apocalypse becomes reality. A blinding nuclear explosion engulfs Manhattan, making Hiro the first character to witness the catastrophe that has only been hinted at so far. He manages to return to the present, now fully convinced that the future can—and must—be changed.
Ironically, the present-day Isaac remains unconvinced of his own importance. Believing his paintings depict genuine future events, he insists to Simone that they are destined to prevent the disaster he has foreseen. Simone, however, refuses to believe his visions are anything more than heroin-induced hallucinations and demands he choose between her and his addiction. Isaac’s dilemma underscores the tragedy of his character: the one person capable of seeing the future cannot convince anyone else that it exists.
Meanwhile, Niki’s situation becomes even more disturbing. Attempting to piece together what happened after killing the men who threatened her, she discovers that the security footage has become inexplicably distorted. Moments later, reality itself seems to shift. While stopped at a traffic light, Niki suddenly finds herself in a different location, wearing different clothes, with four hours completely missing from her memory. Following clues apparently left by her other personality, she discovers a car containing the bodies of the dead thugs before a map leads her deep into the Nevada desert. There, a shovel awaits beside a patch of freshly marked ground. As Niki begins digging, the episode ends on one of its most unsettling images, emphasizing that her greatest enemy may not be outside forces, but the part of herself she cannot control.
With “One Giant Leap,” “Heroes” begins moving its characters from simply discovering their abilities toward becoming actively involved in the larger mystery surrounding them. The title itself captures the episode’s central idea: each of these characters is taking a major step into an unfamiliar world. Some embrace that leap, some are terrified by it, and others have it forced upon them. At the same time, the episode continues expanding the conspiracy that connects them, introducing several pieces of the mythology that will become increasingly important throughout “Genesis”.
Niki’s storyline picks up immediately after the unsettling conclusion of “Don’t Look Back.” Having finished burying the men whose deaths she cannot fully remember, Niki is confronted by her mother-in-law, who questions whether she is capable of raising Micah on her own. Niki responds by revealing another major complication: her estranged husband, D.L. Hawkins, has escaped from prison. Before long, Niki and Micah willingly place themselves in the hands of one of Mr. Linderman’s associates, suggesting that the mysterious Linderman organization has its own plans for the Sanders family.
Claire’s storyline is considerably darker. After her high school’s football team wins its game, Claire attends a celebratory bonfire with her classmates. There, quarterback Brody Mitchum isolates her and attempts to assault her. Claire struggles to escape but suffers a fatal-looking injury when her head is impaled on a tree branch. Brody hides her body, seemingly believing that he has gotten away with what he has done.
But Claire’s secret makes the situation very different from an ordinary tragedy. Her body is eventually taken for an autopsy, and when the branch is removed, Claire suddenly revives. The sequence is a major confirmation of just how extraordinary her ability is. Claire isn’t merely capable of healing cuts and bruises—her body can recover from an injury that should have killed her. Yet the moment isn’t presented as a triumphant superhero awakening. Claire remains completely unaware of just how far her regenerative ability extends, while the adults around her continue trying to conceal the truth.
For Hiro Nakamura, meanwhile, the leap is quite literal. Having returned to the present, Hiro shows Ando the comic book he acquired during his journey into the future. What makes the comic so important is that it depicts their conversation and actions with astonishing accuracy. For Hiro, this is further proof that his ability has a purpose. The future he witnessed isn’t simply something to fear; it is something he believes they have a responsibility to change.
Hiro therefore makes a decision that transforms his storyline. He convinces the skeptical Ando to leave Japan and accompany him to America. Their mission is simple in theory but enormous in practice: find the other EVOs, prevent the destruction of New York, and ultimately save the world. Their road-trip dynamic also gives the series some much-needed humor amid the increasingly dark storylines, with Hiro’s boundless optimism constantly clashing with Ando’s more practical attitude.
Peter, however, is not feeling particularly optimistic. Still furious with Nathan for denying that either brother can fly, Peter becomes increasingly frustrated by his brother’s obsession with his political career. Nathan is less concerned with what Peter has experienced than with how Peter’s behavior might affect his campaign. At a campaign event, Nathan publicly characterizes Peter as depressed and claims that his brother attempted to take his own life, humiliating Peter in front of the very people whose approval Nathan desperately wants.
Peter storms away, only to encounter Simone, who knows about his feelings for her. After Peter previously confessed his love, the two finally kiss, beginning a relationship that will become increasingly complicated as their lives intersect with Isaac’s visions and Peter’s growing abilities.
Mohinder’s investigation also takes another significant step forward. He and Eden follow the information they’ve uncovered to what appears to be Sylar’s apartment. Inside, they discover an enormous amount of information about the evolved humans, including details about where some of them can be found. Even more disturbing are Sylar’s recorded confessions, which provide a glimpse into the mind of the person who has been stalking these individuals. Yet when Mohinder and Eden return later, the apartment has been completely emptied. Someone has erased the evidence, leaving Mohinder with even more questions.
The episode also introduces a major development for Matt. After being arrested for the murders connected to Sylar, Matt manages to convince Audrey that he is innocent by demonstrating his ability to read minds. Rather than dismissing him as crazy, Audrey recognizes the potential value of his ability and offers him a position working with the FBI. For Matt, who has struggled with both his career and his personal life, this could be the opportunity he desperately needs.
Unfortunately, his new career immediately puts him in danger. Matt and Audrey track down Molly Walker, the young girl whose thoughts Matt heard at the murder scene. Sylar arrives and attempts to kill her, leading to a confrontation with the two officers. Even after apparently being shot several times, Sylar somehow gets back up and escapes. His seemingly impossible resilience makes it clear that whatever powers he possesses, he is considerably more dangerous than anyone has realized.
Matt’s personal life continues deteriorating as well. He returns home and gets into an argument with his wife before leaving. At a bar, he encounters a mysterious Haitian man whose thoughts he cannot read. Before Matt can understand who he is or why his powers don’t work on him, he suddenly loses consciousness. The encounter quietly establishes another piece of the larger conspiracy surrounding the evolved humans.
Isaac’s storyline provides another glimpse into how his precognitive abilities are beginning to overwhelm his personal life. Simone still refuses to believe that his paintings genuinely predict the future, and Isaac finally forces her to leave when she dismisses his claims. Alone, Isaac examines his latest work and discovers an image of two people kissing in the rain. He recognizes them immediately: Simone and Peter.
It’s a small revelation, but an important one. Isaac isn’t simply painting isolated images of the future anymore. His visions are beginning to reveal connections between the characters we have been following separately.
Before jumping into “Homecoming,” this stretch of “Heroes” is worth recapping because it’s where the first volume’s separate storylines really begin converging. The first eight episodes take the premise established in “Genesis” and steadily turn it into a much larger conspiracy, while giving nearly every major character a significant development.
THE ROAD TO HOMECOMING (Eps. 4-8)
Claire’s story takes one of its biggest turns almost immediately after “One Giant Leap.” Following her revival on the autopsy table, Claire escapes the hospital and eventually confronts Brody Mitchum. Her regenerative ability allows her to survive what should have been fatal injuries, but the experience leaves her understandably shaken and angry. It also marks an important transition for Claire: she is no longer simply hiding her ability. She’s beginning to understand that being different can give her the power to stand up for herself.
Unfortunately, Claire’s growing independence puts her directly into the sights of her father. Noah and the Haitian have been monitoring her, and when Matt gets too close to discovering Claire’s identity, they erase his memories. This establishes just how much Noah knows about the evolved humans and how far he is willing to go to protect whatever organization he is working for.
Meanwhile, Hiro and Ando’s journey across America takes a considerably lighter detour when they wind up in Las Vegas. Hiro discovers that his ability to manipulate time can give him a tremendous advantage at gambling, and the pair embark on a brief gambling spree. It’s a fun change of pace from the increasingly dark storylines, while also showing Hiro becoming more comfortable with his abilities.
Niki’s storyline takes an even darker turn. Her alternate personality, Jessica, becomes increasingly prominent, and she eventually attempts to use her relationship with Nathan Petrelli to repay the debt she owes to Linderman. The encounter is particularly significant because Nathan himself has become increasingly entangled in the larger conspiracy, even if he doesn’t yet understand the full extent of it.
Mohinder, meanwhile, reaches a breaking point. After everything he’s encountered in New York, he eventually gives up on his father’s research and returns to India. But abandoning Chandra’s work proves easier said than done. A mysterious boy begins appearing in Mohinder’s dreams, prompting him to reconsider his decision and question whether his father’s research was really something he could simply walk away from.
Matt’s story also continues to expand. Now working with the FBI, he becomes involved in the investigation into Sylar and helps identify other EVOs. One of those people is Ted Sprague, a man capable of emitting dangerous radiation. Ted’s introduction is important because it demonstrates that the abilities aren’t limited to the relatively harmless powers we’ve seen from characters like Hiro and Claire. Some of these people can be genuinely dangerous.
Matt’s newfound telepathy also causes problems in his personal life. He accidentally discovers that his wife is having an affair—not because he was investigating her, but because he inadvertently hears what she’s thinking. It’s one of the more tragic aspects of Matt’s power: the ability to know what people are thinking doesn’t necessarily make relationships easier. In fact, it can make them impossible.
The Sanders family becomes increasingly complicated as well. Niki’s son, Micah, is revealed to possess an ability of his own: he can interact with and manipulate technology. His power establishes that the evolution isn’t limited to adults, and that these abilities can apparently be inherited. Then Niki’s estranged husband, D.L. Hawkins, returns after escaping prison. D.L. possesses the ability to phase through solid objects, making him one of the more visually distinctive Evos introduced during this stretch of the season.
D.L. takes Micah away from Niki because he believes she framed him for murder. This creates an increasingly messy family conflict, with Micah caught between two parents who are themselves being manipulated by forces they don’t completely understand.
Then comes one of the most heartbreaking chapters of Hiro’s story: Charlie Andrews.
Hiro and Ando meet Charlie, a waitress who possesses an extraordinary memory. She can remember virtually everything she has ever learned, making her another example of how “Heroes” takes an ability that could sound like a traditional superhero power and grounds it in reality. Hiro immediately develops feelings for her, only for Charlie to be murdered by Sylar.
Hiro is devastated. But because he can control time, he realizes that he might actually have the ability to change what happened. His decision to travel into the past to save Charlie becomes one of the first major tests of Hiro’s belief that the future isn’t fixed.
And while Hiro is learning that changing the future might be possible, Noah is learning exactly what that future may hold.
With Isaac Mendez now in his custody, Noah discovers that Claire has been targeted by Sylar. The threat is no longer theoretical. Sylar isn’t merely hunting EVOs—he is coming for Claire.
And that brings us to the moment that completely changes the direction of the first volume.
Peter encounters a future version of Hiro Nakamura.
This Hiro is almost unrecognizable from the enthusiastic, English-speaking-challenged office worker we met in the pilot. He speaks fluent English, carries a sword, and has become a hardened figure who has lived through the consequences of the catastrophe Peter and the others have been trying to prevent.
Future Hiro delivers a simple message:
“Save the cheerleader, save the world.”
It’s one of the most famous lines in the history of “Heroes”, but within the context of the story, it’s more than a catchy slogan. It’s the point where the season’s seemingly disconnected mysteries suddenly lock together. And it carries much more weight now, after Hayden Panettiere’s passing.
If there is one episode that encapsulates what made “Heroes” such an exciting show in its first season, it is “Homecoming.” This is the episode that finally brings together the various threads that had been developing since “Genesis”: Hiro’s mission to save the future, Peter’s search for Claire, Sylar’s hunt for the EVOs, Noah’s determination to protect his daughter, and Isaac’s increasingly ominous paintings.
But before the superheroics take center stage, the episode gives Claire one of the most important personal moments of the season.
The Homecoming storyline initially seems like a fairly conventional high-school drama. Claire and Zach are having lunch while the students wait for the results of the Homecoming Court election. Claire doesn’t seem particularly interested in the outcome, especially after everything she has been through. To her surprise, however, she is named Homecoming Queen.
The moment becomes even more meaningful when Claire discovers that Zach had been campaigning for her. Rather than simply accepting the social hierarchy that had previously placed Jackie above Claire, Zach had been telling people that Claire was actually the better choice. Jackie, predictably, can’t resist trying to ruin the moment. Her attempt to mock Zach finally pushes Claire over the edge, and Claire socks her in the nose.
It is a small moment, but it represents how much Claire has changed.
Earlier in the season, Claire was desperate to maintain the appearance of being a normal teenage girl. She hid her abilities from almost everyone and even distanced herself from Zach because she was afraid of what would happen if he learned the truth. Now she is beginning to realize that Zach’s friendship matters more than maintaining the approval of people like Jackie. That leads into the genuinely touching conversation between Claire and Zach in her bedroom.
Zach tells Claire that she needs to embrace her “inner freak,” essentially encouraging her to stop being ashamed of what makes her different. Claire admits that she hasn’t exactly been the best friend to him, and the two reconcile.
It is one of the rare moments in the first half of “Heroes” where Claire gets to simply be a teenager rather than a walking plot device for the mythology. She has a friend who accepts her, even without knowing everything about her, and she begins to understand that being different isn’t necessarily something she has to be ashamed of.
Of course, Noah has grounded her and forbidden her from attending the Homecoming game because he knows Sylar is coming. Zach, naturally, convinces her to sneak out anyway. And that decision sets the entire climax into motion.
Meanwhile, D.L. and Micah are on the run after escaping Las Vegas. Their little conversation about being Batman and Robin is a fun reminder that “Heroes” is still a show about people who grew up loving superhero stories. D.L.’s refusal to wear tights is exactly the sort of joke that keeps the episode from becoming relentlessly grim.
Micah, however, is already becoming more aware of the situation around him. When a police car arrives at the diner, D.L. becomes distracted for only a moment and when he turns around, Micah is gone. The boy’s disappearance is not accidental. Jessica has arrived to take matters into her own hands.
Her scenes at the shooting range establish just how determined she is to hunt down D.L. She describes him as the man who stole “her” son, but the mirror gives us the uncomfortable reality: Niki is still there underneath Jessica’s persona.
Jessica may be in control, but Niki hasn’t simply disappeared. The episode cuts away before we learn what happens when Jessica finally takes her shot, creating another cliffhanger alongside Peter’s fate.
Mohinder’s storyline is much quieter, but it is arguably just as important to the mythology.
After returning to India, he begins investigating the mysterious boy from his dreams. When he finally finds him, the boy gives Mohinder a cryptic but important message: people don’t wait for him to come to them, they come to him. Mohinder begins to realize that his father’s refusal to let him continue the research wasn’t because Chandra wanted to keep him away from the work. He was trying to protect his son.
That realization changes everything.
Mohinder returns to his father’s computer, guesses the password using the name of his deceased sister Shanti, and finally accesses the research.
There it is: A list Chandra Suresh had identified as potentially being EVOs. Suddenly, Mohinder’s father’s work isn’t just a mystery anymore. It is a roadmap. And Mohinder is now committed to following it.
Back in New York, Nathan obtains Isaac’s latest painting. The image depicts a man lying outside a school with blood surrounding his head. Nathan immediately assumes it is Peter. And his solution is remarkably political: Destroy the evidence.
He covers the painting with black paint and leaves, believing that if Peter doesn’t know what is going to happen, perhaps it won’t happen. Of course, Simone has already photographed it. When Peter arrives, Simone shows him the photograph and tells him where the school is located. Peter realizes that the painting is pointing him toward Claire.
He calls Ando and tells him that Hiro needs to get to Odessa.
Noah’s storyline provides another perspective on the prophecy.
He has Isaac under his control, forcing him to continue painting the future. Eden objects to the way Isaac is being treated, but Noah refuses to back down. He knows Sylar is coming for Claire, and he is willing to do almost anything to prevent it. The arrival of evidence that Sylar has already murdered another person with abilities finally convinces Eden that this isn’t merely about Noah’s paranoia.
It’s a genuine race against time. And the irony is that Noah knows almost everything that is happening, but he can’t simply tell Claire the truth. He has spent her entire life protecting her by keeping secrets from her. Now those secrets are putting her directly in danger.
Peter finally reaches Odessa, but Hiro isn’t there. He has arrived too late. Ando desperately tries to convince him not to go after Claire, pointing out that Peter hasn’t exactly demonstrated that he can control his abilities. Peter, however, refuses to wait.
This is an important step in Peter’s character arc. At the beginning of the season, Peter was desperately trying to figure out what was happening to him. He thought his ability might make him invincible, then became terrified that he was losing his mind.
Now he has a purpose: He doesn’t completely understand his powers, but he knows that someone needs his help. Peter enters the school and briefly crosses paths with Claire. Neither realizes who the other is. That is one of the episode’s best bits of dramatic irony. We, the audience, know that Peter has spent the entire episode trying to find the cheerleader. Claire doesn’t know that the stranger she just spoke to is the person Isaac’s paintings have connected to her.
Then Sylar arrives.
Claire eventually confronts Jackie about taking credit for her heroic actions during the train wreck.
It is a confrontation that has been a long time coming. Jackie has spent the season presenting herself as the courageous cheerleader who saved lives, while Claire is the person who actually did it. But the argument is interrupted when Sylar enters.
Sylar mistakes Jackie for the cheerleader he has been hunting. That mistake is crucial. Jackie has spent much of her screentime wanting to be the center of attention. She wanted the popularity, the recognition, and the reputation of being a hero. She finally gets the attention she wanted, but for all the wrong reasons. Claire arrives and tries to intervene, only to discover that Sylar is far more powerful than she expected. He throws her aside with his telekinetic ability, and she is left badly hurt.
Then something happens that Sylar never expected.
Claire gets back up, her regeneration activates and Sylar realizes that he has the wrong girl. This is the first time the audience gets to see the true significance of Claire’s ability from Sylar’s perspective. She isn’t simply another person with an unusual power. She may be exactly what he has been looking for. Jackie, meanwhile, realizes the danger Claire is in and tells her to run. It is a surprisingly human final moment for a character who has spent much of the season being positioned as Claire’s rival.
Peter hears the commotion and confronts Sylar.
The fight that follows is one of the defining sequences of the first season because it finally brings two of the show’s central characters into direct conflict. Peter is not a traditional superhero. He doesn’t have years of combat experience or complete control over his abilities. His power is essentially the ability to absorb and reproduce the abilities of others, but he doesn’t yet understand how to use that potential effectively.
Sylar, on the other hand, has already become terrifyingly proficient with the powers he has acquired. Peter is overwhelmed. He retreats outside while Claire runs for help, eventually reaching the amphitheater. The confrontation ends with both men falling from the structure.
And then comes the image that the episode has been promising since Isaac’s painting appeared. Peter is lying on the ground with blood surrounding his head. For a moment, it appears that Isaac’s prediction has come true. But Claire finds him and something extraordinary happens: Peter begins to heal.
Claire’s presence activates his regenerative ability because Peter has absorbed her power. This is the moment when Claire finally realizes that she isn’t alone. For most of the season, Claire has viewed her ability as something that separates her from everyone else. Now she has met someone who can do something similar. For Peter, meanwhile, Claire is proof that his abilities can actually be used to help people. Their meeting is therefore more than just the fulfillment of a prophecy. It is the beginning of a relationship between two characters whose stories will become deeply intertwined.
Noah eventually finds Claire and takes her home. Claire begins trying to tell him the truth about her abilities, suggesting that their relationship may finally be moving toward honesty.
Peter doesn’t get such a happy ending.
The police discover him at the scene, covered in blood and lying near the location of Jackie’s death.
They don’t know about Sylar, Isaac’s paintings, or EVOs. All they see is a young man at the scene of a murder. Peter is arrested. And once again, “Heroes” demonstrates how extraordinary circumstances can look completely ordinary from the outside.
Then the episode pulls the rug out from under us. After the apparent cliffhanger involving Claire, Peter, Jessica, D.L., and Micah, the story suddenly jumps backward six months.
Hiro arrives at the Burnt Toast Diner. Charlie is there, and Hiro tells her that he has come to save her life.
It is a fantastic ending because it completely reframes what we’ve just watched. The story we’ve been following is no longer simply moving forward. Hiro has already discovered the future. Now he’s going back into the past to change it.
“Homecoming” is essentially the first major payoff episode of “Heroes”.
The earlier episodes spent a lot of time introducing characters and establishing mysteries. Here, those mysteries begin intersecting:
-Claire is the “cheerleader” Hiro was warned about. -Sylar is the threat everyone has been trying to understand. -Peter is the person destined to meet Claire. -Isaac’s paintings are predicting real events. -Noah knows far more than Claire realizes. -Hiro’s mission is finally connected to the main storyline. -Mohinder has inherited his father’s investigation. -Niki and D.L.’s storyline continues toward its own confrontation.
And importantly, the episode doesn’t just make the characters collide because the plot needs them to. Their individual motivations bring them together naturally.
Peter wants to save someone.
Claire wants to protect herself and her friends.
Noah wants to protect his daughter.
Sylar wants Claire’s ability.
Hiro wants to prevent the future catastrophe.
Everyone is moving toward the same place for completely different reasons.
That is the essence of serialized storytelling when it works.
And then there is the phrase.
“Save the cheerleader, save the world” became one of the defining slogans of “Heroes” and arguably one of the most recognizable pieces of television mythology from the 2000s. At the time, it was a wonderfully ridiculous superhero premise: somehow the fate of the world depended on saving one teenage cheerleader in Texas.
But within the story, Claire represents something much bigger. She represents the future of EVOs. She represents the possibility that these powers don’t have to lead to destruction. And she represents the ordinary person who never asked to become extraordinary.
That makes Claire’s role in the story especially important.
And two decades later, the phrase carries another emotional dimension because Claire was brought to life by Hayden Panettiere. Her performance made Claire more than simply “the cheerleader” in the prophecy. She was funny, frightened, stubborn, compassionate, rebellious, and desperately trying to understand what was happening to her.
So revisiting “Save the cheerleader, save the world” today inevitably means thinking about the actress who made those words—and that character—so memorable.
That gives “Homecoming” an added poignancy for this retrospective. What began as one of “Heroes” most famous pieces of mythology is also a reminder of how strongly Hayden’s Claire resonated with an entire generation of viewers.
And ironically, the episode’s real message isn’t that Claire needs to be saved because she is helpless. It’s almost the opposite. Claire is someone who is beginning to discover that she has the power to save herself—and perhaps, in the process, help save everyone else.
“Homecoming” is where “Heroes” stops merely promising that all of these characters are connected. It finally shows us how.
THE ROAD TO COMPANY MAN (Eps. 10-16)
Once again, we’re skipping a several episodes, before getting to another big one, Company Man. Before that, here’s a quick rundown of the seven episodes leading up to that.
The story immediately jumps back six months, continuing Hiro’s attempt to save Charlie from Sylar. Unfortunately, Hiro discovers that Charlie’s fate isn’t entirely in Sylar’s hands: she has a blood clot in her brain that will eventually kill her. Even Hiro’s ability to manipulate time can’t simply erase every tragedy.
We also finally get to see how a watchmaker named Gabriel Gray would become Sylar.
Chandra Suresh encounters Gabriel, a watchmaker whom he suspects might be an EVO. Chandra’s tests initially indicate that Gabriel isn’t one of them, and he moves on to investigate another potential subject with telekinetic abilities. Gabriel, however, becomes fascinated by the names on Chandra’s board. He steals them and begins tracking down EVOs himself.
When Gabriel eventually encounters the telekinetic, he introduces himself by a name that will soon become infamous: Sylar.
Afterward, Gabriel returns to Chandra and demonstrates that he has somehow acquired a power of his own. Chandra, believing they might be able to use these abilities for something extraordinary, tells him that together they can change the world.
We already know where that goes.
Following the events at Homecoming, Matt and the FBI investigate Jackie’s murder and arrest Peter at the scene. Matt attempts to read Claire’s mind, but the Haitian’s ability prevents him from accessing her memories. When Matt later tries listening to Noah, he encounters the same barrier, although he manages to pick up one important word:
“Sylar.”
The irony is that Sylar is already in Noah’s custody.
Noah orders the Haitian to erase the memories of Claire, her mother, her brother, and Zach concerning Claire’s regenerative abilities. But the Haitian refuses to completely follow orders. Instead of erasing Claire’s memory, he warns her to keep her secret.
Meanwhile, Niki turns herself in in an attempt to protect D.L. and Micah from Jessica.
Peter, meanwhile, is becoming increasingly troubled by visions of himself causing the nuclear explosion that will eventually destroy New York. After collapsing outside the police station, he tries to explain what he’s seeing to Nathan, but falls into a coma.
Two weeks later, Hiro’s investigation into Takezo Kensei begins. Isaac’s paintings point him toward Kensei’s sword, which Hiro believes could be the key to understanding his own destiny. Unfortunately, the sword turns out to be a replica donated by Linderman.
Peter’s visions continue, and he starts seeing a mysterious man alongside himself in the images.
That man turns out to be another EVO, who can turn invisible and becomes Peter’s mentor. he agrees to teach Peter how to control his abilities, although he’s understandably reluctant to get involved with anyone connected to Noah Bennet. By the way, the invisible man’s name: it’s Claude Raines.
Meanwhile, the various players are beginning to converge.
Isaac, Hiro, Ando, Nathan and Simone gather at Isaac’s loft to discuss what they’ve learned about the future. Matt and the FBI investigate Primatech, the paper company where Noah works, hoping to find Sylar, but come up empty-handed.
Noah also approaches Mohinder and asks for Chandra’s research. Mohinder refuses to hand it over, although Noah leaves his business card in case he changes his mind.
Matt’s personal life gets more complicated when his wife reveals that she’s pregnant.
Then Claire discovers that her biological mother is Meredith Gordon, a woman who possesses an ability of her own: pyrokinesis.
Claire meets Meredith and discovers that her family history is considerably more complicated than she ever imagined. Meredith subsequently contacts Nathan and reveals that Claire is alive.
Nathan, however, has a major problem: he’s running for political office, and having a secret teenage daughter could create a scandal. Meredith uses that knowledge to demand $100,000 in exchange for keeping quiet.
At the same time, Linderman gets Niki out of prison and puts her to work as an assassin. Her first assignment is to kill a man who stole money from Linderman and has hired Matt as his bodyguard.
Niki completes the assignment.
Then Linderman gives her another target:
Nathan Petrelli.
Meanwhile, Mohinder unknowingly lets Sylar into his investigation.
Sylar is now impersonating Zane Taylor, one of the people Mohinder has been searching for. Mohinder has no idea that the man accompanying him is actually the killer responsible for many of the deaths he’s been investigating.
Back in Texas, Noah and the Haitian pursue Peter. Noah is determined to stop him from getting involved in whatever future Isaac’s paintings are predicting. Peter, meanwhile, has been training with Claude, but Claude becomes convinced that Peter’s emotional attachments are preventing him from properly controlling his abilities. They secretly follow Simone and discover her kissing Isaac.
This leads to another major rupture.
Isaac contacts Noah and tells him about a new painting depicting Peter becoming invisible, confirming that Isaac’s paintings continue to predict events surrounding Peter. Claire’s story also continues to converge with Nathan’s. Meredith tells Nathan that Claire is alive, confirming something that Nathan has been unaware of for years.
Eventually, Sylar escapes Noah’s custody, setting him loose again.
Claude’s relationship with Peter falls apart after Claude realizes that Noah is becoming involved again. Claude doesn’t want to get dragged back into Noah’s world and leaves Peter behind.
Finally, Ted and Matt decide that they’ve had enough of the mysteries surrounding Noah and Primatech. They agree to confront Noah and demand answers.
Peter, meanwhile, discovers that Isaac has betrayed him. He confronts him at the loft, with Simone caught in the middle. And then everything goes horribly wrong.
Simone is accidentally shot and killed.
After spending much of the first season watching Noah Bennet operate from the shadows, “Company Man” finally puts him front and center.
The episode begins with Matt and Ted breaking into the Bennet home, taking Noah, Sandra, and their son Lyle hostage. Both men have reached the point where they want answers. They’ve been investigating Primatech Paper and Noah’s involvement with the mysterious abductions of EVOs, and they’re convinced that Noah knows far more than he’s telling them.
And, as it turns out, they are absolutely right.
What makes the situation especially uncomfortable is that the Bennet family is genuinely caught in the middle. Sandra and Lyle don’t appear to understand the full extent of Noah’s work. To them, he’s supposed to be a paper-company employee.
But Matt and Ted quickly discover that Claire knows the truth.
Noah learns that the Haitian didn’t follow his orders and erase Claire’s memories of her abilities. Claire then confirms what Matt and Ted have already suspected: her father isn’t simply a paper salesman.
And then she privately tells Matt the truth about herself.
She has a power.
For Matt, this is an important moment because the person he’s been investigating as part of a mysterious conspiracy is also the father of a teenager who is one of the very people his investigation is supposed to be about.
Ted proposes a deal: Matt should take Noah to Primatech to find evidence while Ted remains behind with Sandra and Lyle.
It’s a dangerous plan, but it gives Matt the opportunity to finally see what Noah has been hiding.
At Primatech, Noah confronts the Haitian over his failure to erase Claire’s memory.
But there’s an even bigger revelation waiting.
Noah isn’t the person in charge.
His superior is Eric Thompson, and the flashbacks throughout the episode gradually show us that Noah has spent years working under him and the founders. The flashbacks are particularly important because they show us that Noah’s involvement with EVOs didn’t begin with Claire. He has been part of this world for years.
And his relationship with the Haitian goes back a long way as well.
The episode deliberately makes us question what Noah actually believes.
Is he simply an employee following orders?
Does he genuinely believe the Company is protecting EVOs?
Or has he become increasingly uncomfortable with what Primatech actually does?
By the time we’re in the present, it’s becoming clear that Noah’s relationship with the organization has changed.
He may still work for them, but his priorities have shifted: Claire is now his priority.
Matt and Noah eventually return to the Bennet house with a binder containing evidence about Primatech. It looks like the hostage situation might finally be ending. Then Agent Thompson arrives, and everything falls apart.
Thompson shoots Ted in the shoulder, causing Ted’s ability to spiral out of control. His radiation-based powers begin generating enormous amounts of heat, and the Bennet house catches fire. This is one of the episode’s most effective sequences because Ted isn’t simply a dangerous person being restrained. He’s terrified, injured, and struggling to control something that he doesn’t fully understand.
It also demonstrates why Primatech considers people like Ted to be valuable and dangerous.
At the Company, Noah and Eric discuss what happens next.
The Haitian has disappeared.
Ted is going to be subjected to testing, with Eric making it clear that his ultimate fate isn’t going to be pleasant.
Then comes another chilling revelation.
Eric tells Noah that Matt’s ability could make him a valuable partner for Noah.
In other words, the Company isn’t merely interested in finding EVOs
They’re looking for ways to use them.
And suddenly Matt realizes just how deep Noah’s world really goes.
The final section of the episode is where Noah Bennet’s character takes a dramatic turn.
Claire asks her father where they’re going, Noah admits that he doesn’t know. That answer says a lot. For the first time, Noah isn’t following a Company directive. He’s improvising.
He takes Claire to the same bridge where he previously shot Claude.
And there, the Haitian is waiting. Noah has made his decision.
He tells the Haitian to shoot him in the stomach and make it look as though Claire was taken from him.
But there’s another condition. The Haitian must erase Noah’s memories of anything that could allow the Company to track Claire down.
Noah is essentially sacrificing his position, his safety, and even his own memories in order to protect his daughter.
It’s a remarkable reversal from the Noah we’ve seen earlier in the season.
For much of “Heroes”, he has been presented as the mysterious man who watches EVOs, kidnaps them, interrogates them, and erases memories.
Now we discover that he’s also a father who is willing to turn against the organization he works for when it threatens his daughter. The flashbacks give “Company Man” an unusual structure because we’re essentially watching two versions of Noah at once.
There’s the Noah of the past, who works for Primatech and follows the Company’s orders. And there’s the Noah of the present, who has become increasingly unwilling to allow the Company to control Claire’s life. Those flashbacks also help recontextualize a lot of what we’ve already seen. The Haitian isn’t simply some random mysterious associate.
Primatech isn’t merely a paper company, Noah hasn’t suddenly become involved with EVOs, He’s been part of this world for years. The audience finally has enough pieces to understand the larger conspiracy, even though plenty of questions remain unanswered.
This stretch of episodes is basically the runway into “Five Years Gone,” because almost every major storyline gets pushed toward the future we’re about to see.
THE ROAD TO FIVE YEARS GONE (Eps. 18 and 19)
Following “Company Man,” Claire and the Haitian travel to see Angela, bringing Claire into direct contact with the Petrelli family. At this point, Claire’s family tree is becoming increasingly complicated: she has now met Meredith, learned that Nathan is her biological father, and is being drawn into the larger Petrelli mystery.
Meanwhile, Niki/Jessica returns home with D.L. and Micah, temporarily bringing that fractured family back together.
Hiro finally accomplishes what he’s been trying to do for much of the season: he obtains Kensei’s sword. Ando returns to help him, and the sword allows Hiro to regain his teleportation ability. With his powers restored, Hiro immediately takes Ando with him into the future.
Isaac, meanwhile, is becoming increasingly aware of his own fate. He paints images depicting himself with his head removed, apparently foreseeing his own death at Sylar’s hands. And unfortunately, he’s right.
Sylar attacks both Mohinder and Peter. Peter and Mohinder manage to escape, but Peter is killed during the confrontation. Mohinder brings Peter back to the Petrelli house, where Claire is staying. And Claire does something nobody else has been able to do: She brings Peter back to life.
It’s another important demonstration of just how significant Claire’s regenerative ability is. Peter can absorb abilities, but Claire’s ability also means she can potentially restore someone who appears to be beyond saving.
Claire’s personal story reaches another major milestone when she finally meets Nathan, her biological father, face-to-face.
Unfortunately, Nathan is increasingly caught up in Linderman’s plans.
Nathan confronts Linderman, who claims he can guarantee Nathan’s political future, promising that he’ll win his upcoming congressional election and eventually reach the White House. But Linderman’s plans come with a horrifying condition.
He expects Peter to explode.
Nathan is shown one of Isaac’s paintings depicting himself as President of the United States, reinforcing the idea that Linderman isn’t merely interested in Nathan winning one election. He’s trying to shape the future of the country around him.
And that brings us to one of the biggest developments before “Five Years Gone”: Mohinder joins the Company.
After everything he’s experienced investigating his father’s research and encountering Sylar, Mohinder is essentially stepping into the organization that has been connected to so much of the mystery surrounding the Evos. But he doesn’t know the full picture yet. Sylar, meanwhile, completes his transformation from mysterious killer into the season’s central antagonist.
He kills Isaac. Isaac’s final paintings reveal Sylar’s ambition: he sees himself as the President of the United States. The implications are enormous. Sylar doesn’t merely want more abilities anymore. He wants power on a massive scale.
Then Candice Wilmer demonstrates exactly why she’s so dangerous. Using her ability to alter her appearance, she disguises herself as Niki and takes Micah directly to Linderman.
At the same time, Ted, Matt, and Noah escape from the Company’s captivity. The three men now have a common objective: they need to disable the Company’s Walker Tracking System in New York. This is particularly important because the system represents another way the Company has been monitoring people with abilities.
And then we finally arrive at the future. Hiro and Ando teleport to New York, five years after the explosion. They go to Isaac’s old apartment, expecting to find answers. Instead, they find something even more intriguing.
They meet Future Hiro.
And with that, the stage is set for “Five Years Gone.”
“Five Years Gone” is where “Heroes” takes one of its biggest swings. Instead of merely showing Isaac’s apocalyptic paintings, the episode actually lets us visit the future they predicted. And what we find is much worse than simply a destroyed New York. The real horror is that the world didn’t just survive the explosion—it changed because of it.
Hiro and Ando arrive five years in the future and immediately discover just how much history has been reshaped by the New York explosion. The future is presented almost like a conspiracy board brought to life. Strings connect events before and after the explosion, showing how the different characters and incidents we’ve been following eventually converged into one catastrophic event.
And then Hiro meets himself.
Future Hiro has become a completely different person from the enthusiastic office worker we met in the pilot. He’s older, hardened, and carrying the weight of everything that happened. Before they can properly catch up, however, government agents arrive and capture Hiro. Future Hiro and Ando escape, leaving Hiro to explain to his captors that they’re looking at the wrong person.
And, ironically, Matt is the one who discovers this.
The future reveals one of the biggest consequences of the explosion: EVOs have become targets.
Rather than being seen as mysterious individuals discovering strange powers, EVOs are now widely associated with terrorism and the destruction of New York. Matt is now working for Homeland Security, hunting down people with abilities.
The government has developed systems to identify them, and people are forced to hide their identities or risk imprisonment or worse. This is a fascinating inversion of the first season’s premise. At the beginning of “Heroes”, the characters were asking: “What does it mean that people like us exist?”
Five years later, society has answered: They’re dangerous. And that answer has transformed nearly everyone.
Future Hiro and Ando travel to Las Vegas, where they find Niki/Jessica working as a stripper. She gives them information about Noah’s whereabouts, but there’s an even bigger surprise waiting for us.
Peter Petrelli is alive. He’s older, sports a scar across his face, and has apparently become involved with Niki. His ability to turn invisible is also on display, demonstrating just how many powers Peter has accumulated over the years. It’s another reminder of how different this Peter is from the frightened young man we met at the beginning of the season.
Future Noah is one of the more surprising elements of the episode.
Rather than becoming part of the government’s campaign against EVOs, he’s secretly helping them escape. He’s essentially running an underground railroad for people with abilities. He teaches them how to evade the government’s blood tests by carrying ordinary blood with them and using it to fool the rapid testing system.
It shows that Noah’s transformation from Company operative to protector has continued. He’s now actively working against the system he once served.
When Hiro and Ando find him, they tell him that Claire is alive because Peter saved her in an earlier timeline.
Noah isn’t surprised. He already knows.
Claire is perhaps the most heartbreaking part of this future.
She’s living under an assumed identity and working as a waitress at a diner in Texas. She has built herself a relatively normal life and is preparing to marry a local man. The catch? He doesn’t know she’s an EVO.
Noah arrives and tells Claire that people know she’s alive and that she needs to leave.
Claire doesn’t want to go. For once, she isn’t thinking about saving the world or running from Sylar. She just wants a normal life. And that makes what happens next particularly tragic.
The explosion has transformed Nathan Petrelli into the President of the United States, just as Linderman planned. But Nathan has also become the public face of a government that treats EVOs as dangerous. The episode makes it clear that Nathan’s administration has helped create this environment. Meanwhile, Matt is actively hunting EVOs as part of Homeland Security.
This is one of the most effective aspects of the alternate future because characters we previously saw as protectors are now on opposite sides of the conflict.
Noah is hiding EVOs.
Matt is hunting them.
Peter is hiding.
Claire is hiding.
And Hiro is trying to undo the event that created this world.
Matt eventually discovers where Future Hiro and Ando are. Noah tries to help them, but Matt realizes that Noah knows where Claire is. Matt confronts Noah and reads his mind. Noah refuses to give up his daughter, and is killed for his trouble. It’s a brutal conclusion to the character arc that began in “Company Man.” The man who spent years working for the Company ultimately dies because he refuses to betray his daughter.
And unfortunately, Matt’s discovery means Claire’s location is no longer secret. He tells Nathan.
Matt brings Claire to the Petrelli mansion. At first, it looks like a reunion, Nathan is relieved to see his daughter alive and tells Claire how important she is to him. But when Claire begins pushing back against him, something doesn’t feel right. Nathan’s behavior becomes increasingly strange. Then the truth is revealed: That’s not Nathan.
He’s Sylar.
Sylar has been impersonating Nathan Petrelli and has apparently taken over the presidency. Once Claire realizes what’s happening, Sylar kills her. It’s one of the episode’s biggest twists because the entire season has conditioned us to think that the ultimate threat is the nuclear explosion.
But now we see the real nightmare: Sylar survived it, took Nathan’s identity, became President, and used the resulting fear to persecute EVOs.
Peter and Niki have their own confrontation.
Peter finally admits the truth: He was the one who exploded. The story that Sylar caused the explosion was deliberately created to protect Peter. Niki is understandably furious. Peter leaves and reunites with Hiro and Ando as they prepare to rescue Hiro. Their plan runs into one enormous problem:
The Haitian.
His powers are preventing everyone else from using their abilities. That makes him an especially dangerous obstacle in this future. Mohinder eventually realizes that there’s a way to change everything. If Hiro can travel back and kill Sylar before Sylar acquires the abilities that eventually lead to the explosion, the future can potentially be prevented. But first, they have to get Hiro out.
Peter, Hiro, Ando, and Future Hiro attempt to reach Hiro’s prison. They manage to get through, but Future Hiro is shot. He dies holding the photograph containing the instructions for what Hiro must do. His final act is essentially to make sure that his younger self knows what comes next. Hiro has been trying to save the future throughout the entire season. Now he knows exactly what he needs to change.
Peter is suddenly pulled into another room and finds Nathan,\or at least, he thinks it’s Nathan. Peter refuses to believe that his brother could have become this person. Then Sylar drops the disguise. The two face each other. Sylar has accumulated multiple abilities, while Peter possesses the ability to absorb the abilities of those around him. The confrontation becomes a literal battle of fire and ice, with Sylar using his powers against Peter.
Meanwhile, Mohinder desperately tries to hold the door closed from the other side. And then Hiro and Ando make their escape.
Hiro travels back to the past. He has his mission. And his final line says everything: “Now the hard part starts.”
The episode ends by showing Hiro confronting Sylar.
The implication is clear: The future can still be changed. But changing it means preventing the events we’ve spent the entire season building toward.
Before jumping to the finale, here’s one last speed run of the last couple of episodes. Keeping things focused on how these developments set up the finale.
THE ROAD TO HOW TO STOP AN EXPLODING MAN (Eps. 21 and 22)
Mohinder’s storyline introduces another crucial piece of the puzzle: Molly Walker, a young girl with an extraordinary ability to locate anyone in the world. Unfortunately, Molly is infected with the same virus that killed Mohinder’s sister Shanti years earlier. Mohinder discovers that his blood can cure her, establishing another connection between his father’s research and the people with abilities.
Meanwhile, D.L. and Jessica storm Linderman’s office to rescue Micah. Micah tries to escape, but Candice (still disguised as Niki) uses her illusion ability to make the room appear to repeat itself, trapping him.
Hiro and Ando track Sylar to his mother’s house, where Sylar’s increasingly unstable behavior reaches another terrible point. During the confrontation, Sylar accidentally kills his own mother. Hiro tries to kill him, but he can’t bring himself to do it. Sylar responds by destroying Hiro’s sword. That’s a significant setback for Hiro, especially after everything he’s gone through to obtain it.
Back in New York, Ted, Matt, and Noah reunite with Claire and Peter. Peter’s powers continue to grow, and he absorbs Ted’s radioactive ability. At this point, Peter is becoming increasingly dangerous, not because he wants to hurt anyone, but because he is accumulating abilities that he doesn’t necessarily know how to control.
Hiro’s father, Kaito Nakamura (who appeared earlier, along with Hiro’s sister, Kimiko), arrives and helps his son repair the sword. He then teaches Hiro how to properly use it. This gives Hiro the confidence and preparation he needs for the confrontation that he’s been working toward all season.
Meanwhile, Linderman’s plan for Nathan’s political future is moving forward. Candice manipulates Micah into rigging the election so Nathan wins, ensuring that Linderman’s preferred candidate becomes a congressman.
D.L. eventually confronts Linderman and kills him, although he is seriously wounded during the confrontation.
Unfortunately, Linderman has already put another part of his plan into motion: Nathan has been given arrangements to leave New York before the explosion.
The pieces are now almost completely in place.
Hiro prepares to face Sylar.
Matt and Noah discover something particularly disturbing about the Company’s tracking system. The system isn’t simply a machine: It’s Molly Walker. Her ability to locate people is being exploited by the Company to find other people with abilities.
And then Sylar takes the final step toward becoming the threat we’ve been building toward all season. He kills Ted and absorbs his radioactive ability. Now Sylar possesses the power that could allow him to cause the very explosion that Hiro has been trying to prevent.
Everyone is converging on Kirby Plaza.
Hiro has his sword.
Peter has Ted’s radioactive ability.
Sylar has Ted’s radioactive ability.
Matt, Noah, Claire, and the others are heading toward the same confrontation.
Nathan’s political victory has been secured.
Linderman is dead.
And now, After 22 episodes of prophecy, paintings, visions and increasingly desperate attempts to change the future, “Heroes” reaches the climax of Volume 1 with “How to Stop an Exploding Man.”
Angela tells Nathan that Linderman is dead but assures him that Linderman’s vision will continue. Nathan accepts his supposed role in the aftermath of the coming disaster, believing the explosion cannot be stopped and that the world will need him afterward.
Elsewhere, D.L.’s injuries leave him unable to continue searching for Micah. He encourages Niki to go on without him, reminding her that she is strong enough to find their son herself. Niki promises to return for D.L. and continues the search alone.
Noah and Mohinder, meanwhile, move Agent Thompson’s body. Noah admits that the Company once had a purpose but has become corrupted. He warns Mohinder that Molly’s ability could be dangerous, but Mohinder refuses to let her be exploited. For Noah, the priorities have become much simpler: protect his family.
When Molly suddenly relapses, Mohinder stays with her while Noah receives a call from Claire. Ted is dead, and Sylar has acquired his radioactive ability. Noah tells Peter that he may be the only person capable of stopping Sylar. Once Molly can use her ability again, Noah will have Sylar’s location.
Peter and Claire soon meet Nathan in an underground garage. Claire immediately distrusts her father, but Peter still believes Nathan can help them. Peter is frightened and needs his brother.
Then Peter hears Nathan’s thoughts: he believes there is nothing they can do and that everyone will die.
Peter leaves the conversation furious, only to discover that Claire has disappeared. He searches for her until the radioactive power inside him begins to manifest, causing him to collapse.
At Molly’s bedside, Matt learns that her ability allows her to locate almost anyone. But there is one person she refuses to find. She calls him the Boogeyman and explains that when she thinks about him, he can see her.
At Noah’s request, Molly locates Sylar at Isaac’s loft. Noah tries contacting Claire, but Angela answers and assures him that Claire is safe. Noah tells Claire that everything will be okay and that he is going to help Peter.
Matt, however, heads after Sylar himself.
Peter’s unconscious mind takes him somewhere unexpected: the past. He witnesses Angela, Charles Deveaux and Simone discussing the coming disaster and discovers that Charles was involved with Linderman, Angela and Kaito.
Charles believes Linderman has chosen the wrong Petrelli brother. He sees Peter’s compassion and believes that Peter (not Nathan) is the one who could ultimately heal the world. Angela disagrees, believing Peter’s insecurities make him too weak to lead after the disaster. Charles refuses to accept that the explosion is inevitable.
Then he reveals that he can see Peter.
Charles tells him that the explanation for his presence doesn’t matter. Peter is there because he needs to understand the truth before he can save the world. His greatest strength is his capacity for unconditional love.
Noah arrives and brings Peter back to reality.
At Isaac’s loft, Sylar has already encountered Ando. He reads the final issue of “9th Wonders!” and mocks the idea that Hiro could possibly defeat him.
Then Hiro appears.
Sylar threatens Ando, but Hiro uses his ability to teleport himself and Ando away before Sylar can react.
Niki’s search for Micah leads her into another confrontation with Jessica—or what appears to be Jessica. The figure attacks Niki and taunts her weakness, but Niki eventually realizes that she isn’t fighting her sister at all. She’s fighting Candice. Niki finally embraces the strength she has always possessed and defeats Candice, finding Micah alive behind a locked door.
Meanwhile, Matt arrives at Isaac’s loft and discovers Sylar’s latest painting: Kirby Plaza.
He warns Mohinder that Sylar is coming, but Molly already knows where Sylar is.
He’s coming for them.
Angela then reveals her plan to Claire and Nathan: they will leave New York by helicopter, taking Claire somewhere safe before the explosion. Claire refuses to accept this. She has spent the entire season being told that the future is inevitable, and now she finally rejects that idea outright.
She reminds Nathan that the future can change.
Claire also forces Nathan to confront what his decision means for Peter and everyone else.
When Angela promises Claire a future with everything she could want, Claire responds that she already has a family.
Then she jumps from the building and runs toward Kirby Plaza.
Hiro and Ando, meanwhile, return briefly to Japan. Hiro tells Ando that he has given him the courage to become the man he needs to be. He gives Ando the sword and prepares to return to New York. Ando reminds him that Hiro needs the weapon.
Hiro remembers his father’s lesson: “It is not the weapon. It is the man.”
With the sword in hand, Hiro teleports back to New York.
Peter’s conversation with Charles has one final revelation. Charles tells him that what matters isn’t how Peter is seeing him, but why. Peter needs to understand that his ability to love is what makes him capable of saving people.
Noah then arrives and promises to stay with Peter, ready to stop him if the radioactive power gets out of control.
At Kirby Plaza, the separate storylines finally collide.
Niki, Micah, Mohinder and D.L. encounter Linderman’s guards and barely escape. Micah uses his technopathic ability to get the elevator working while Niki buys them time.
Peter and Noah arrive at the plaza.
Then Sylar appears.
He attacks Noah and finally faces Peter exactly as Isaac predicted. Matt arrives and fires at Sylar, but Sylar stops the bullets and sends them back, leaving Matt wounded.
Niki intervenes when Sylar attacks Peter, giving Peter enough time to recover. She then leaves him to help D.L. and Micah.
Peter takes on Sylar himself.
But the fight pushes Peter toward the very thing everyone has feared. His radioactive ability begins building inside him, and this time he cannot control it.
Hiro appears and drives his sword into Peter, trying to prevent the explosion. Peter begs Hiro to kill him before it is too late.
Sylar intervenes, throwing Hiro aside.
Hiro teleports away, while Sylar seemingly collapses.
Claire arrives moments later with Noah’s gun. She is the only person there who might be able to stop Peter’s regeneration and prevent the explosion, but she cannot bring herself to shoot her uncle.
Then Nathan arrives. He tells Claire there is another way. Peter insists that he can’t control Ted’s power. Nathan tells him that he isn’t going to leave him. Peter realizes what Nathan intends to do. He tells Nathan he can’t let him die. Nathan answers that he can’t let everyone else die.
Then he reminds Peter why all of this began: “You saved the cheerleader, so we could save the world.”
Nathan takes Peter into the sky.
Claire watches as her father and uncle disappear into the night. Moments later, the explosion occurs high above New York.
The city survives.
The immediate crisis is over, but the consequences remain. Matt is taken away in an ambulance. Mohinder comforts Molly, who is worried about him. Noah finds Claire and wraps his jacket around her, suggesting they go home.
Claire points out that their house burned down.
After everything they’ve endured, it’s a strangely fitting final exchange for the Bennets. Their old life is gone, but they’re still together.
Then Heroes gives us one final tease.
A trail of blood leads away from where Sylar fell and disappears beneath an open manhole. A cockroach crawls across the opening.
And before the credits roll, we’re shown a glimpse of the next chapter: Hiro in Japan during the late 1600s, apparently caught in the middle of a samurai duel.
REVIEW
Season 1 of “Heroes” remains a fascinating time capsule of what happened when the superhero genre was taken seriously on television before the modern superhero boom had fully taken over. More than anything, what made the first season work was how grounded it was. Rather than immediately presenting its characters as larger-than-life superheroes, “Heroes” treated their abilities as something extraordinary happening to otherwise ordinary people. They still had jobs, families, relationships, insecurities, and problems that had little to do with saving the world. That approach is something I think becomes even more appealing as you get older. I was 14 when “Heroes” premiered, and I had just turned 18 when the series was cancelled, so I’ve essentially grown up alongside the show. Watching Season 1 again as a 34-year-old with that perspective, its emphasis on ordinary people trying to understand and cope with extraordinary circumstances hits differently than it did when I was a teenager.
The storytelling is another major reason the first season works so well. The series had a large ensemble cast, but rather than throwing everyone together immediately, the writers allowed the characters to develop independently. Each storyline feels like its own little piece of a much larger puzzle. Peter Petrelli has his visions and desire to help people, Hiro Nakamura discovers his ability to bend space and time, Claire Bennett tries to hide her regenerative abilities, Mohinder Suresh continues his late father’s research, and Noah Bennett investigates the mysterious people connected to these emerging “evolved humans.” Eventually, these seemingly disconnected stories begin crossing paths.
Even the infamous New York explosion serves as an important connective thread. Characters who initially have no reason to know one another gradually discover that they’re connected to the same larger mystery. It’s an effective way of making the audience feel as though they’re putting the puzzle together alongside the characters. The show also wasn’t afraid to stop and look backward when necessary. “Six Months Ago” is particularly effective because its flashback structure fills in the histories of several characters while revealing information that changes how we understand their present-day actions.
That structure also helps the season maintain its sense of mystery. Rather than immediately explaining everything, “Heroes” lets its characters and audience discover the mythology at roughly the same time. There are plenty of unanswered questions, cryptic paintings, mysterious organizations, future visions, and characters whose motivations aren’t immediately clear. At its best, the season makes you want to keep watching because you genuinely want to know how all these pieces fit together.
And then there’s the cast, which is excellent across the board.
Milo Ventimiglia gives Peter Petrelli a wonderfully earnest quality. Peter could easily have come across as an overly self-righteous character, but Ventimiglia gives him enough vulnerability to make his desire to help people believable. His relationship with Nathan is especially important because their conflicting ideas about responsibility and power become one of the season’s emotional backbones.
Adrien Pasdar is equally good as Nathan Petrelli. Nathan initially comes across as almost the complete opposite of Peter: pragmatic, ambitious and much more concerned with his political career and responsibilities than with understanding his abilities. But Pasdar gradually reveals the conflict underneath that exterior. Nathan’s relationship with Peter gives the season one of its strongest family dynamics.
Jack Coleman is fantastic as Noah Bennett. One of the smartest things the show does with Noah is refuse to make him immediately understandable. He can be frightening, sympathetic, secretive and surprisingly loving, sometimes within the same episode. Coleman makes Noah’s contradictions work, particularly when his relationship with Claire comes to the forefront.
Ali Larter also deserves credit for taking on the complicated role of Nikki Sanders and Jessica. The duality gives Larter quite a lot to work with, and she manages to make the distinction between the two personalities clear without reducing either one to a caricature.
Sendhil Ramamurthy brings a quieter energy to Mohinder Suresh. As the character essentially inherits his father’s unfinished investigation, Ramamurthy gives Mohinder a sense of determination mixed with uncertainty. He’s frequently the audience’s entry point into the scientific side of the show’s mythology.
Zachary Quinto’s performance as Sylar is another standout. Quinto manages to make Gabriel Gray/Sylar unsettling without needing to constantly overplay him. There’s something particularly effective about how the character initially exists almost as a mystery before gradually becoming one of the season’s central threats. Along with Masi Oka, Quinto received a major breakout opportunity from the series, and both actors took full advantage of it.
Speaking of whom, Masi Oka’s Hiro Nakamura is perhaps the most immediately charming character in the ensemble. Oka could have easily played Hiro as nothing more than comic relief, but he gives him genuine emotional depth as well. Hiro’s journey from an enthusiastic fan of superhero stories into someone who actually has to live with the responsibility of possessing extraordinary abilities is one of the season’s most enjoyable arcs.
And last, but most certainly not least, there’s Hayden Panettiere as Claire Bennett. Panettiere’s performance is remarkable considering how young she was when the series began. Claire’s regenerative ability could have easily reduced her character to a gimmick, but Panettiere makes her feel like a teenager struggling with something she can’t possibly explain to the people around her. Her story also provides some of the season’s most effective examples of the show’s grounded approach: Claire isn’t trying to become a superhero. She’s trying to figure out what is happening to her while still dealing with school, friends, family and the ordinary complications of being a teenager. Panettiere made Claire one of the show’s defining characters, and it’s impossible to discuss “Heroes” Season 1 without acknowledging how much she brought to the role.
The visual effects are another aspect of the season that deserves more credit than it sometimes gets. Obviously, this was a network television production rather than a major theatrical superhero movie, and there are moments where the limitations of the budget are apparent. Nevertheless, considering that we’re now looking at a season approaching its twentieth anniversary, quite a lot of the effects still hold up surprisingly well. Hiro’s teleportation and time-freezing, Peter’s abilities, Claire’s regeneration and some of Sylar’s more supernatural moments are handled with enough restraint that they don’t feel excessively dated. The show understood that sometimes suggesting something rather than constantly putting it on screen was the better option.
The music by Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman is another major part of the show’s identity. The score doesn’t simply tell the audience when something exciting is happening; it contributes to the strange atmosphere that “Heroes” cultivated during its first season. It can be dreamy, ghostly, mysterious and thought-provoking, sometimes all within the same episode. There are moments when the music gives the series an almost otherworldly quality, fitting for a story about ordinary people discovering that there’s something extraordinary about them. The occasional vocals provided by Shankar add another distinctive element to the soundtrack and help give certain scenes an almost spiritual quality.
There are, however, a few cracks in the otherwise impressive structure. The biggest problem is the sheer size of the ensemble. Sometimes a character will seemingly disappear for an episode or two because the story has temporarily moved elsewhere, while another character suddenly receives more attention because the plot needs them. This isn’t necessarily disastrous, an ensemble this large was always going to have balancing issues but it can occasionally make the season feel less cohesive than it should. Some characters and storylines are clearly more important at certain points simply because the plot has reached the part where they’re needed.
Still, those issues are relatively minor compared with what the season accomplishes. “Heroes” Season 1 successfully combined superhero mythology, science fiction, mystery, family drama and character-driven storytelling without initially losing sight of the people at the center of it. Its characters weren’t gods or larger-than-life comic-book figures; they were people who suddenly found themselves dealing with something they didn’t understand.
Unfortunately, the later seasons would struggle to recapture that balance. But for one season, “Heroes” got it remarkably right. Twenty years later, Season 1 remains not only the best season of the series, but a fascinating example of how much potential “Heroes” had when its storytelling, characters, performances, effects and atmosphere were all working together. It started with the simple idea that there are ordinary people out there who might be capable of extraordinary things and for that first season, it made that idea feel genuinely special.
When evolution selects its agents, it does so at a cost, makes demands in exchange for singularity and you may be asked to do something against your very nature. – Mohinder Suresh
Twenty years ago, “Heroes” arrived on NBC and captured the imagination of millions. Its story of ordinary people discovering extraordinary abilities felt fresh, ambitious, and, at its best, genuinely inspiring. At the center of it all was Claire Bennet, the seemingly ordinary cheerleader who discovered that she could heal from almost anything. Played by Hayden Panettiere, Claire quickly became one of the show’s defining characters and one of the characters who made “Heroes” mean so much to me personally.
And now, this retrospective has taken on a meaning I never expected.
Last month, Hayden Panettiere passed away at just 36 years old. Her death has been heartbreaking for her family, friends, co-stars, and the many people who grew up watching her. For countless “Heroes” fans, myself included, Claire wasn’t simply “the cheerleader.” She represented resilience, courage, and the idea that even someone who felt ordinary could have the strength to make a difference. Whatever problems “Heroes” would eventually develop, that sense of wonder never completely disappeared and neither did the importance the show and its characters had for those of us who watched it during important periods of our lives.
That is why, after some consideration, I’ve decided to continue with this retrospective as planned. Rather than putting it aside, I feel that the best way I can pay tribute to Hayden is by revisiting the series that introduced so many of us to Claire Bennet and celebrating what “Heroes” meant at its best (this is also why my review of The Astronauts has been held up for so long).
This will be a five-part retrospective covering the entire Heroes saga: each of the original show’s seasons, or “Volumes,” followed by the 2015 revival, “Heroes Reborn”. We’ll go back to the phenomenal first Volume, examine how the series gradually lost its way over the following three years, and look at the ultimately unsuccessful attempt to bring the franchise back five years after the original series ended.
Yes, there will be criticism. “Heroes” had plenty of flaws, particularly as it went on, and this retrospective won’t pretend otherwise. But criticism doesn’t erase what the series accomplished, nor does it diminish what its characters meant to the people who loved them. Sometimes a show can fall apart and still remain important to you.
So, twenty years after “Heroes” first asked us to “save the cheerleader, save the world,” let’s take another look at the journey: The highs, the lows, the mistakes, the moments that still hold up, and the legacy it left behind.
