Is there any real heroes on Heroes ?

[Martin le Magicien]

I'm strictly speaking of season II.

I guess it all depends of what your definition of a hero is. In my book, a hero is someone who will do his best to help mankind with the ressources he has. For example, anyone who tries to generate less pollution by changing their every day habits is a hero. Superman is a hero because even though I bullet won't hurt him, he made the choice to use his powers to help mankind, instead of using them for his own profit.

I have a soft spot for "white" heroes like Superman, even though I can admit that Batman is a hero in his own way. And I think that someone who does all that is even more of a hero if he can lose something in the process.

I think DL was a hero when he saved this person from the burning building, because even though he couldn't get hurt, people could have find out that he is a mutant, and DL and his family could have been in danger. He decided to do his best with the abilities he had, instead of just doing his regular firefighter job.

HRG is also a hero in his own right, because he'd do anything to protect his daughter, even give up his life or kill. That makes him a very gray hero, but you always need one like that.

I guess you could add Monica, Micah and Nikki. But sadly, in the case of DL and Nikki, I believe they both did a last heroic exploit because they were about to die. I think TPTB just wanted to justify the title of the show. In the case of Micah and Monica, it's still a very juvenile type of heroic, with Monica wanting to find one of Micahs treasure, but not wanting to identify the thief. But they're still young, so it's all good.

What I find sad is there don't seem to be any pure heroes on this show anymore. Nikki and Maya are unwilling assassins, and have never really did any heroic deeds anyway. I guess you could argue that Claire is still very young too. But her little prank with the drunk cheerleader in Volume II and her constant stupidity thazt kept putting her family in danger showed she was far from being any type of hero.

I really thought Peter and Hiro were going to be the moral compass of the show. But Hiro screwed up history just because he had a crush on a girl 6 weeks after the death of the other girl he was supposed to love. Worse, he buried Adam alive, which is very cruel considering Adam is immortal, and would be cruel anyway with someone who would eventually die.

Peter this season was just selfish. With the kind of power he has, he could do a lot of good, but he just decides that amnesia, becoming a gangster and making out with an Irish girl is more fun. Not to mention that he never told his brother or mother he was alive. Yes, he destroyed the virus, but for a guy who was a nurse, he really looks like he doesn't care much about anyone else but Caitlin.

Matt isn't that much of a hero either, putting a little girl in a coma and forcing people to do his bidding. Nathan just does nothing with his power, he even ask Matt to mind control people. I'm pretty sure that flying around town would catch anyone attention, no need to force them to listen... Mohinder is enve more of a hero than any of them, he has no powers but he still refuse to do what he thinks isn't right.

What I'm saying is that it's too bad that we don't have any white heroes with strong values who could guide the others. It would be nice too to see them help people on a daily basis. World-ending problems are fun, but still, for now I think the title of the shows isn't that justified. It's not because you can heal or fly that you are instantly a hero.

[The_Frag_Man]

I think Peter will develop into the type of hero that you want.

[HWichita]

I agree I would like to see them use their powers in everyday life. Like when Claire ran in the fire and saved the fireman in season 1
It does not have to be saving the world or at least not from other people with abilities
Your point about Matt is a good one. Even though he choose to be a Cop when he could be Making a ton of Money playing Texas Hold em or Selling something. He has shown a tendency to abuse his powers.
Hiro just made a mistake like heroes do all the time. Then tried to fix it.

[Aradiel]

In my book, a hero is someone who will do his best to help mankind with the ressources he has.It's kind of sad that the only characters to make the best of their situation/resources in this volume were the villains. (And DL, for the few minutes he had the chance)

Even HRG spent the first half of the season wasting time and energy on a job he clearly didn't even need.

On the villains side we have Adam, who despite being in a cell for 30 years manages reach the point of unleashing armageddon inside of a month. And he only failed due to the "power of amazing coincidences" the characters of this series collectively have going for them.

And Sylar, who basically never put a foot wrong (aside from the "try the blood on her first" - couldn't she have stayed dead for a least a couple of episodes?) and got exactly what he wanted. From injured, powerless and in Mexico with the twins from hell to repowered and fully healed in New York, having killed both twins. Never mind the heroes, the "doing the best job with your resources" award for season two goes to Sylar.

I'm beginning to wonder if the heroes can ever win, at this point. Let's face it, can you name any (living) character who is both a) competent and b) not a mass murderer?

We have incompetent non-murderers (Hiro, Monica, Peter), competent murderers (Sylar, HRG, Adam), even incompetent murderers (Mohinder, and presumably Bob). Closest thing we have to a competent non-murderer is Micah, and even he has "the new company" written all over him.

[MidgardDragon]

Part of the point of the show is that these are ordinary people with extraordinary gifts. Thus they have flaws and are unheroic 99% of the time, just like most ordinary people are. They are Heroes because they do occasionally use their gifts to help others, but no they aren't like Superman or Batman in that they proactively go out and seek trouble in order to rectify the situation. This isn't that type of show and these aren't that type of people. The type of hero you're looking for is a fantasy, a comic book archetype. This show was meant to showcase more "human" characters with abilities, not archetypes.

[Martin le Magicien]

I really loved your post Aradiel, especially the non-competent assassin part. It's true that the only competent characters on this show are often the villains.

MidgardDragon, then I don't see why the show is called "Heroes". It should be call "Power" or "Super-humans", but not Heroes. I get that the title of the show is not "Super-heroes", and that they won't run around in thights. They can be flawed all they want, but when they are lazy morons that are often the cause of the destruction of the world (like Peter and Hiro almost being the cause of the release of the virus) it's too bad. If they are unheroic 99% of the time, I really don't see the point of the title of the show.

I'd like to point out too that comic book character can often be very complex and deep, and yes, flawed too. You just have to pick a good writer.

Take Peter for example. He could flawed in the sense that he badly master his powers because he is not confident in himself. He could be naive too. But I'd rather see those traits while he is out on the streets trying to help, rather than hiding in Ireland and being easily manipulated by the firt guy he meets. I'm not asking for every character to be proactive, just one would be enough for me.

[the highlander]

Martin,

Peter was blackmailed and was forced to be where he was to a degree.. After your memory is wiped, I would think it would be easy to fall in love with the first person that gives you some type of comfort, specially after being beaten a few times.

Its like the stockholm syndrome. Its been proven. After that you have those same people actually returning a good trait of gratitude, or whatever you want to call it, back at him, its a lot harder to let them go when they are the only people he knows.

Peter did what he could with the resources given to him. He was naive and he went by with the things he knew.

Its hard not to trust someone who just SAVED your brother's life, let alone be appreciative of it.

Peter was proactive and did a LOT of good with what knowledge he had.

[Matro]

Peter saved 93% of the world once.

Claire saved a man from a fire, her family a couple of times, and stopped Ted from wiping out a large area of California.

D.L. saved the man from the fire and he and Hiro saved a lady from an exploding car.

Eden stopped Sylar from gaining her ability by shooting herself in the head, taking her own life.

Monica tried to be a hero :lol:.

Nathan saved New York City.

Pretty good examples of heroism if you ask me and they have only known about their powers for a short time. I think they will use them more often and more openly in the near future.

[taolbi]

True post Matro

though, i dont want to be negative, I think the threat creator was talking about season 2





My two cents:

Talking very figurative and metaphorically, comparing to the show

when I learn a new skill, its hard to understand it at first, jsut liek the other Heroes in the show.

After a while you get more and mroe used to it, and things get a bit better

But here's the nto so good part. I find that there's always a period of time where even though im used to the skill or w/e, thigns go bad. I use it wrong, i try different strategies that dont work. It seems that I was worst off than when I started.

THen after sticking it out, determination and all that good stuff, I get better. YOu know, On the road to expertise.


I think the Heroes, or the show, whatever, is Metaphorically in that slump period. Mistakes are gonna be made, that put them in a position worst off than when they started. BUt its a period of time where they have to keep on truckin, or else all their work, effort, determination energy etc etc will all go to waste




anyways...thats my two cents