Moral ambiguity

Moral ambiguity
Under orders, Mr. Bennet shoots his friend and partner Claude, who is believed to have been hiding an evolved human.

In Heroes, both normal humans and people with extraordinary abilities often must make morally ambiguous choices. These choices are sometime trademark of "anti-heroes".

The following is a list of:

• occurrences when a character or characters is/was/are/were confronted with a moral dilemma or dilemmas.
• moral choices made by characters.
• references and admissions by characters of moral ambiguity.
• discussions by characters on morality.

This list is intended to report, not to make judgments.

Memorable Quotes

"I'm comfortable with morally gray."

- Mr. Bennet (to Thompson) (Company Man)

Season One Recurrences

Don't Look Back

• Niki Sanders' alter ego Jessica does undesirable things that Niki would not normally do.

One Giant Leap

• The Haitian renders Matt Parkman unconscious.

Collision

• Niki is forced to seduce a politician to pay a large debt.
• Hiro and Ando cheat at gambling at the Montecito Casino to earn extra money.
• Mr. Bennet kidnaps Nathan Petrelli.
• After Brody's attempt to rape her and accidentally 'murdering' her, Claire attempts to injure Brody by crashing his car.

Hiros

• Mr. Bennet has certain memories removed from Brody's brain.
• Ando stalks Niki, ending up at her house.

Better Halves

• D.L. Hawkins attacks Niki and kidnaps Micah.

Nothing to Hide

• Micah thinks his dad is a "bad guy" for running away, but a "good guy" for saving a woman.
• Matt slugs Tom McHenry for having an affair with his wife.
• Theodore Sprague holds a nurse hostage.

Six Months Ago

• Eden McCain breaks the law, and prevents Matt Parkman from doing his job.

Fallout

• Eden gives Isaac a pass card allowing him escape from Mr. Bennet in order to change the world.
• Eden attempts to use her power to have Sylar commit suicide, however, her plan backfires and she kills herself in order to keep Sylar from obtaining her power.
• Mr. Bennet abuses the Haitian's powers.
• The Haitian does not follow Mr. Bennet's orders and asks Claire to keep a secret.

Godsend

• Matt accosts Mr. Bennet.
• Hiro steals a sword from the Museum of Natural History.
• Claire lies to her father.

The Fix

• Micah steals to provide for his family.
• Kaito Nakamura abducts Hiro and Ando.
• Matt lies to save his job.
• Claire and her father continue lying to each other.

Distractions

• Kaito rips up a painting to keep Hiro from endangering himself.
• Claude pushes Peter off the roof of a building in an attempt to make him realize his powers.
• Claire lies to her father and mother so she can meet her biological mother.

Run!

• Hiro and Ando impersonate hotel employees and trespass in order to help a seemingly distressed showgirl.
• Nathan offers Meredith some money, but wants nothing to do with his daughter.
• Meredith offers Claire money, but only a quarter of the full amount.
• Matt does not turn some diamonds over to the authorities so he can solve a mystery.

Unexpected

• Matt gives stolen diamonds to Janice.
• Claude beats Peter to teach him to harness his powers.
• Mr. Bennet and the Haitian shoot tasers at Claude and Peter.
• Hiro tells Ando he made a mistake in bringing Ando along.
• Isaac shoots at Peter to stop New York City from blowing up.
• Matt and Ted hold the Bennet family hostage.

Company Man

• Ted and Matt break into the Bennets' home to try to find justice.
• Mr. Bennet lies about his secret life in order to protect his family.
• Mr. Bennet shoots his friend and partner because he is ordered to do so.
• Matt, Mr. Bennet, and Claire lie to try to save the Bennet family.
• The Haitian shoots Mr. Bennet to save Claire.

Parasite

• Hiro steals the sword from Linderman's archives.
• Isaac returns to drug use.
• Jessica lies to D.L when he confronts her with a picture of Nathan Petrelli.
• Mr. Bennet lies to his superiors, and desires to take the Company down.

.07%

• Linderman proposes to "heal" humanity by using a tragic event that will kill millions to unite the billions who remain. Less than .07% casualties is an acceptable loss.
• Candice appears to be Niki and kidnaps Micah.

Five Years Gone

• Hiro murders people to achieve his goals.
• Some people, including Mr. Bennet, hide evolved humans from the government, even though they are doing so to protect them.
• Peter, Niki, and Hiro enjoy visiting a strip club.
• Matt Parkman takes bribes to protect certain people.
• Mohinder kills the Haitian so Hiro can escape to change the future.

The Hard Part

• Ted, Matt, and Mr. Bennet steal a car in St. Louis, MO.
• Sylar deliberately disobeys his mother.

Landslide

• Nathan must live with the fact that he won a rigged election.
• Mr. Bennet murders Thompson.
• D.L. murders Linderman.

How to Stop an Exploding Man

• Hiro kills, or at least attempts to kill, Sylar.

Season Two Recurrences

Four Months Later...

• Nathan has turned to alcohol, while his mother Angela has given up hope on Peter.
• West is a peeping tom.
• Matt cheats on his detective's exam, by using telepathy.

Kindred

• Peter uses telekinesis to help Ricky steal money. Later, Peter chokes Will using telekinesis, and comments that he was going to kill Will.
• Maya uses her ability on Hernandez and Garcia to escape prison, but Alejandro cures them.

The Kindness of Strangers

• Micah using his power to steal a pay-per-view wrestling match.

The Line

• Hiro struggles between kissing Yaeko and preserving history.
• Noah Bennet tortured and murdered Ivan, who offered him a place at the Company again.
• Mohinder struggles between helping Bob to take away Monica's power and leaving the Company.

Out of Time

• Mohinder accuses Bob of being "morally gray".
• Mohinder is unable to distinguish between what is right, and what is wrong.
• Matt traps Maury in his own nightmare using telepathy.

Cautionary Tales

• Again Mohinder states to Bob that he cannot distinguish between right and wrong and that he is unable to pick a side.
• Mohinder kills Noah to protect Bob and Elle.
• Noah and Bob each kidnap the other's daughter.
• Matt uses his ability to take advantage of the minds of Molly, Fuller, and Angela.

Truth and Consequences

• Mohinder chastises Noah for his irrationality in trying to take down the Company and defends their efforts to help people. Later, however, he reveals his knowledge of Strain 138 to Bob and criticizes the actions of the Company.
• Maya defends Sylar for "accidentally" killing his mother based on her own experience killing Alejandro's wife.
• Peter and Hiro, formerly allied to save the world from catastrophe, now find themselves opposing each other based on each of their experiences with Adam Monroe.

Season Three Recurrences

The Second Coming

• Future Peter travels back in time and shoots his own brother in order to change the future.
• Future Peter sends Matt to Africa in order to remain incognito.
• Future Peter puts his past self into the body of a Level 5 prisoner in order to keep him safe.

One of Us, One of Them

• Sylar gives into his hunger and kills Jesse for his ability.

I Am Become Death

• Peter takes Sylar's ability in order to change the future.

Cold Wars

• Noah Bennet tells Angela that he's always been fine with morally gray.

1961

• Angela Shaw tells Linderman, Bobby and Charles Deveaux that they will do "whatever it takes" to hide the truth, claiming it's a "necessary evil".

An Invisible Thread

• Noah and Angela convince Matt to use his ability to wipe out Sylar's memories and replace them with Nathan's memories.
• Six weeks after the events that take up the majority of the episode, Tracy Strauss seemingly reappears and drowns a former Building 26 agent.

Season Four Recurrences

Orientation or Jump, Push, Fall

• Danko asks Bennet, "What did you do, grow a conscience?"

Once Upon a Time in Texas

• Hiro changes the past by saving Charlie's life in what might be considered by some (and initially by Charlie) as "selfish."
• Samuel kidnaps Charlie and blackmails Hiro into helping him undo a mistake he made "8 weeks ago."
• Noah considers having an affair with a co-worker.

Brother's Keeper

• Hiro saves Mohinder, but traps him in a mental institution in order to get Charlie back.

Shadowboxing

• It is the stereotypical bad-turned-good guy versus bitter revenge-seeker. It is hard to determine whether the true victim is Noah for Rebecca's attempted attacks or Rebecca for Noah murdering her father.

Thanksgiving

• Claire steals a compass from her dad.

The Fifth Stage

• A carny scams an arrogant customer but helps a little girl.
• Peter forces Sylar to become Nathan again in order to get his brother back after crucifing him, but the attempt fails ultimately as the remnanant of Nathan gives up.

The Art of Deception

• Matt traps a repentant Sylar who came to him for help in a nightmare.

Heroes Reborn Recurrences

Project Reborn

• As Tommy Clark transports everyone back from Gateway in the H.E.L.E. future to the present through the space-time bridge, he purposefully cuts off Erica Kravid's transport watch with the Kensei sword so that she will be trapped in the future. Tommy does this with full knowledge that when the H.E.L.E. is prevented, that future and Erica will cease to exist, effectively erasing Erica's existence.

Graphic Novel Recurrences

• Claire Bennet almost kills Brody Mitchum on purpose, and saves him directly afterwards. (Aftermath)
• D.L. Hawkins escapes from prison to be with and protect his family. (Snapshots)
• Jessica Sanders steals money from Linderman's sports book in order to pay for Micah's tuition. (Stolen Time)
• Matt Parkman punches Tom McHenry based McHenry's thoughts alone. (Control)
• Matt Parkman drives through a pedestrian promenade in order to catch a criminal. (Control)
• Eden wishes her stepmother would just die, and she does. (Life Before Eden)
• Audrey Hanson accidentally shoots an innocent man. (Turning Point)
• Mr. Bennet reacts violently and dramatically to Eden's father's reaction to her death. (Fathers & Daughters)
• Hana knocks out the IDF enlisting officer when he tells her she can't have the position she wants. (Wireless, Part 1)
• Hana takes over the U.S. Embassy's computer system, steals a gun, and takes an Embassy employee hostage so she can escape. (Wireless, Part 4)
• Ted escapes from custody by blowing up a transport car, killing at least two FBI agents. (How Do You Stop an Exploding Man?, Part 1)
• Ted kills more men in an escape. He then threatens a Pharmatech scientist and burns down the Pharmatech Industrial Building. (How Do You Stop an Exploding Man?, Part 2)
• Micah kicks Frank in order to defend his mother's honor. (Bully)
• Hana beats up a child pornographer in excess. (The Path of the Righteous)
• Mr. Bennet and Claude break into a home and kidnap a baby girl, saving her from a raging fire. (Hell's Angel)
• Hana seduces a man, sleeps with him, and steals his identity, keys, and car. (War Buddies, Part 1)
• Dallas makes Austin continually heal the Viet Cong informant for torture. (War Buddies, Part 3)
• Dallas decides to ruthlessly destroy a village and little girl. (War Buddies, Part 4)
• Austin decides to lie about his power; Dallas beats him up for it. (War Buddies, Part 5)
• Hana poses as a Pentagon employee, steals Linderman's credit card number, and hacks into his server. (War Buddies, Part 6)
• Peter is part of a terrorist cell and Claire has started hunting evolved humans. (Resistance)
• Peter remembers Nathan once punched him for cheating on a Chemistry test. (Requiem for My Brother)
• Eli stole a pig so the carnival could enjoy a Christmas ham. (Bloodlines, Part 1)
• Joseph decides to use Lydia's ability in an "inappropriate" way to find out what happened to Arnold.
• Arnold reveals that Joseph, unable to control Samuel any longer, asked Arnold to go back in time and kill Samuel. (Bloodlines, Part 2)