Leona Mills
| Leona Mills | |
|---|---|
| |
| Portrayed by | Carri Wagner |
| First appearance | The Recruit, Part 5 |
| In-story stats | |
| Known ability | Age transferal |
| Alias | Linda Niles |
| Gender | |
| Home | Lyneboro, Connecticut Formerly Newport, RI; Formerly Calabasas, CA |
| Residence | Rachel's home |
| Occupations | Waitress Member of LAWR, Leader of "Ellen", Former Circus performer (cover) |
| Significant other | Unnamed man (deceased) |
| Child | Rachel Mills |
Leona Mills is the leader of "Ellen", the code name for an organization working with LAWR to protect and hide evolved humans being prosecuted by the Department of Homeland Security. She is the mother of Rachel Mills. She is an evolved human with the ability to transfer age.
Character History
Webisode:The Recruit, Part 4
Angela asks Rachel if she was close with her mother, to which Rachel replies that her mother committed suicide. Angela says that she knew Leona, and that she was there the day Leona discovered her ability. However, Angela continues that Leona was afraid of her ability and didn't want to accept it, so she killed herself.
Webisode:The Recruit, Part 5
After Rachel is taken away, Angela calls Leona, who is alive and well, saying that "it's been a long time."
Heroes Evolutions
The Private
In chapter 1 of The Private, Rachel Mills remembers having a bullet wound and Angela Petrelli asking her about her mother, Leona.
In chapter 2 of The Private, Rachel Mills is asked about her mother by one of her captors while held prisoner in Iran.
The Agent
In chapter 2 of The Agent, Rachel Mills has a nightmare where she attends her mother's funeral as a young girl. She walks up the aisle to her mother's casket, and notices that it is closed. She tries to open it, and succeeds in raising it an inch a few times, but it always drops back shut as if something is holding it closed. Rachel then whispers, "Please, Mom", and a blue arm snakes out of the casket and grabs her wrist.
In chapter 4 of The Agent, Jason Pierce tells Rachel he heard her talk about her mother in her dream the past night.
In chapter 5 of The Agent, Rachel again experiences a couple dreams involving her mother among several dream flashes. In one dream, Rachel is inside a building and says hello to her mother. In another, Rachel sees a woman talk on the phone with her mother. The woman says that was the end, apologizes, and says she is sure it was Rachel. She then tells Rachel's mother that she knows something, says goodbye, and hangs up.
In chapter 9 of The Agent, Rebel offers Rachel information about her mother in exchange for Rachel's help with rescuing a Building 26 prisoner. Anna Korolenko sees a shape that looks to her like a rotting body, with eyes and mouth all caved-in, rising out of a coffin in the back tent of a circus. A short while later, the body has disappeared back into the coffin and Anna tells everyone in the tent that they need to flee before the government captures them. However, a raspy voice from the coffin says they can't. The voice is coming from the "thing" Anna screamed at earlier, which sits up again now. Its hollow eyes glance at Anna, then it reaches out a hand and grabs a chair. The ringmaster calls the thing in the coffin Linda, and tells her not to use his chair. However, Linda appears to ignore him and the chair begins to age, turning black and finally collapsing into dust. As this occurs, Linda becomes a young woman and she tells Anna that they can't leave until the twin is safe, or else Ellen and everything else they have worked for will be lost. Some time later, Linda huddles with Anna and the other circus performers in the dark. She and everyone else freeze as they spot lots of people moving around quietly outside.
In chapter 10 of The Agent, Rachel agrees to Rebel's deal and rescues the prisoner as Rebel asked. Rebel contacts Rachel the next morning, but tells her about something else other than her mother.
The previous night, Linda, Anna, and the other circus staff hide in a cellar underneath the circus while agents search above them. Linda sits closest to Anna Korolenko, but has not talked much since they entered the place. Some time later, Linda starts a conversation with Anna and explains that she is part of LAWR and that "Ellen" is the underground railroad Rebel started with her help. Linda explains that "Ellen" started as just her, LN, because she used to run a shipping company. She continues that Rebel contacted her, and had knowledge about her past. Rebel asked Linda to hide fugitives in warehouses and trucks across the country.
Linda adds that next, Rebel contacted Anna to be the "delivery girl"--a cute blonde that every frightened fugitive would trust. Then, she notes that Rebel found Valerie and has Valerie demonstrate the ability that Valerie and her brother possess. Linda explains that Victor and Valerie can transfer anything up to person-size and that she has seen them pass a whole family from Pennsylvania to California in thirty seconds. She adds that their ability really beats trucking, but that they get irritable if kept apart for too long.
Linda also explains that Rachel Mills is the R in LAWR, but that Rachel will not be joining them due to a deal that has been made with her. When Anna says Rebel wouldn't let the agents hurt them, Linda points out that they are not his only crew, and that Anna might join the "varsity team" someday if she eats her Wheaties. Linda then apologizes and becomes quiet.
After Anna has another conversation with Rebel, Linda asks her what Rebel said. When Anna claims that Rachel will come, Linda asks if Rebel said that. After Anna replies that Rebel didn't but she is still certain, Linda becomes silent. Anna then notices some changes in Linda, including that age-lines begin deepening in her face, making her suddenly appear to be middle-aged. Then, Linda tells everyone to get up and says they are getting out of there.
In chapter 11 of The Agent, Rachel is given the mission to kill Leona by Danko. After arriving at the Ellen Warehouse, several fugitives point Rachel down the right path. Rachel finally finds Leona, who tells her that in order to get Anna out alive, she needs to die. Leona tries to tell her that there is no other way but when her daughter realizes the truth, she runs. Before anyone can stop her, she pulls out a gun and shoots herself. Crazy Tom kneels beside her and sadly announces "It's finished".
In chapter 12 of The Agent, Leona talks with her fugitives about a woman who will be coming to find her. She tells them that they must help the woman no matter what and then follows Crazy Tom into another room. She informs Tom that he is vital to her plan but he attempts to stop her. Leona apologizes to him and runs down a hall. She hides in a wall while Rachel searches for her. Rachel yells that Anna will die unless Leona helps her. Leona, contemplating killing herself, uses her power to give life to a plank of wood. Now in her true form, Leona steps out and talks with Rachel. After calling her "Rach", Leona sees that her daughter knows who she really is. Leona runs and shoots herself, however, this is proved to be fake. Having planned this earlier with Tom, she manages to escape while the other fugitives are running from Janey.
Leona meets with Angela Petrelli and Micah Sanders at a bus stop. Micah reveals that he has one final favour that he has done for her and points behind her. Leona turns and sees Rachel, Anna, Valerie and Tom standing there. Leona and her daughter reunite and move to Connecticut.
The Civilian
In chapter 1 of The Civilian, Leona organizes a meeting with her daughter, Rachel. Rachel meets with her in a diner and they discuss recent events in their lives. Leona expresses how she is sad that she missed out on so much of Rachel's life and how she would like to be a part of it. Rachel asks her mother what she means and Leona asks Rachel to stop calling her "mom", as it might attract the wrong sort of attention. Rachel notes that Leona knows that most people are watching her adoringly and Leona seems to ignore them. She asks Rachel if she can move in with her, to try and become a good mother. Rachel thinks it over and agrees. Leona is overjoyed and informs Rachel that the first thing she will be changing is the living room, as it looks like a cave.
In chapter 2 of The Civilian, Rachel goes to her neighbor's house and finds Leona already there and good friends with him. Leona explains that Tim is a technological genius and that they are helping each other. Rachel leaves and later finds Leona working at Mable's diner as a waitress. She asks Leona what she is doing and Leona explains that she took the job because she wanted to pay half of the rent. Rachel asks if Leona is comfortable taking orders after running a nation wide shipping company and a world wide smuggling operation. Leona laughs and then tells Rachel that Lyneboro is not as much of a sleepy town as Rachel thinks. She warns her that one resident has recently manifested an infectious ability and tells her to stay away if she thinks she is in danger.
In chapter 3 of The Civilian, a fugitive named Marc arrives at Rachel and Leona's home and claims that Leona said that he could stay. Later, Rachel speaks with Leona at the diner. Rachel tells her that she cannot keep her old life flowing into her new one and asks if she is helping any other fugitives. Leona assures her that helping Marc is a one off thing and Kelly enters the diner. Leona and Kelly stare at each other and Rachel notices that Kelly seems angry. Leona warns Rachel to stay away from Kelly but does not give a reason.
After finishing her shift, Leona sits with Marc while he plays matchmaker with Rachel and Tim. When Rachel sits with them, Leona is happy and assumes that she got a date. Rachel reveals that she is often terrified but that she will not be going on a date, as her ideal first date is parachuting. Leona becomes disappointed.
In chapter 4 of The Civilian, Leona speaks with Rachel after waking her from yet another nightmare. Leona happily speculates that a dream manipulator could be behind it or that Rachel could be developing precognitive abilities. Later, while at work, Leona is approached by Rachel, who tells her that Chief Parker has discovered the existence of many people with abilities living in Lyneboro. Leona reveals that during the Building 26 era, she trafficked a lot of fugitives into the town and some liked it so much that they decided not to leave. Rachel tells Leona to be careful but Leona assures her that none of them would willingly jeaprodize their safety.
In chapter 5 of The Civilian, Leona brings some food to the state police, who are helping dig up the mass gravesite discovered in the woods. When Rachel finally speaks with Leona, Leona tells her that she shouldn't be involving herself in murder anymore. Rachel asks what she means and Leona reveals that she has been filming her while she was sleeping. She instructs Rachel to watch the tapes, which she does. Later, Claire Bennet and Store arrive and tell Rachel that Leona called them.
After the big gang war, Leona, Rachel, Claire and Store sit and discuss everything that has happened. Leona explains that she moved Kelly into the town while she was running from Building 26. She said that Kelly saw that the town needed protecting, so she used her ability to rally up some troops and defend it with their lives. Leona says that she made a deal with her that she would not involve Rachel and that she has been using most of her resources to try and find a way to stop her. After letting all of this out, Claire makes a remark that Leona sounds like her grandmother. Leona finds this amusing.
Evolved Human Abilities
Leona is an evolved human with the ability to transfer age between herself and other objects.
Notes
- NBC.com's character reference for Rachel Mills notes that Rachel was born in Newport, Rhode Island, but grew up in Calabasas, California. She was raised solely by Leona, until Rachel was twelve and Leona committed suicide.
- NBC.com's character reference for Rachel Mills also notes Leona's last name was Mills at the time she had supposedly committed suicide. The introduction for chapter 10 of The Agent also refers to Rachel's mother as "Leona Mills". However, it is unknown as to whether that is still her last name.
- In an interview, writers Jim Martin and Timm Keppler confirmed that Rachel's power is natural and that it was inherited from Leona.
Fan Theories
Please refer to Theory:Leona Mills for fan-created theories and other speculation.