Nathan Petrelli/Season Four
This article archives the history of Nathan Petrelli during Season Four.
For more about Nathan Petrelli, see the main article.
For Nathan Petrelli's Season One history, see here.
For Nathan Petrelli's Season Two history, see here.
For Nathan Petrelli's Season Three history, see here.
Character History
Orientation
Sylar, in the form of Nathan, still believes he is Nathan and continues to have the memories, emotions, and personalities of Nathan.
Acceptance
Sylar manages to access his clairsentience, learning that when he was younger, Nathan had a night out with Kelly Houston. On the night, Kelly and Nathan got drunk and while they were playing around the pool, Kelly fell in and hit her head, dying. In order to protect Nathan, Angela had the Haitian erase his memories. Later, Kelly's mother Millie has a hitman "kill" Nathan to avenge her daughter's death after he tells her the truth, but all it does is cause Nathan's mind to lose control over Sylar's body.
Hysterical Blindness
Peter invites both Angela and Nathan over for lunch but only Angela makes it. She tells Peter that Nathan may show up eventually and Peter tells her that he is worried about him. When Peter leaves for work, Angela decides to stay, just in case Nathan shows up.
Tabula Rasa
Sylar tells Samuel to call him "Nathan". Sylar then remembers Nathan's memories, including shaking hands as a politician, and flying airplanes in the military.
Strange Attractors
Sylar, while at the carnival, remembers some of Nathan's memories when he sees Tracy. He tells Samuel that they once [[flying|flew] together.
Shadowboxing
While sleeping, Sylar has flashbacks of killing Nathan at the Stanton Hotel. When he wakes up, he unwittingly shape shifts into Nathan's form as Nathan's consciousness has regained control.
Brother's Keeper
René tells Peter where he can discover the horrible truth if he so chooses. Peter brings "Nathan" with him, despite René telling him to go alone. At a storage facility, they find Nathan's body. "Nathan" touches it and sees flashes of Sylar killing the real Nathan and Matt turning Sylar into Nathan. Matt admits to Peter and "Nathan" that Nathan is dead and he made Sylar think he is Nathan. Sylar takes over Matt's body, tricks Nathan into touching his hand, allowing Sylar to transfer his mind back into his own body, but Nathan remains in control, flying himself and Peter to the Grand Canyon where he tries to get Peter to abandon him.
Thanksgiving
"Nathan" and Peter demand answers from Angela and she tries to claim that the body they found was that of a shape shifter, but they don't believe her and she makes them sit down to dinner. During dinner, she finally reveals the truth about what she had done to Sylar to make him Nathan and Sylar's consciousness shocks Nathan and regains control of his body. Later, when Sylar tries to kill Angela, Nathan's consciousness starts battling Sylar's for control to save his family. With Peter and Angela's encouragement he regains control of Sylar's body. Disgusted with what Angela did and wanting to protect his family, Nathan flies away.
The Fifth Stage
After Peter beats Sylar, he uses mental manipulation to help Nathan regain control over Sylar's body, which he has lost. Peter takes "Nathan" to the roof of the building he jumped off of once and reminds Nathan of how he tried to convince Nathan that he could fly and how Nathan denied it which Nathan blames on it being an election year. The two chat, but Nathan can't hold control of Sylar's body and doesn't want to as he's dead. He throws himself off the edge of the building, but Peter catches him. He convinces Peter to let him go. Nathan falls towards a car below and turns back to Sylar before landing. Later, Peter and Angela mourn his "death".
Graphic Novel:Requiem for My Brother
As Fake Nathan falls to his death, Peter recounts all the good times that he and Nathan shared as children. He has flashbacks about all the instances where Nathan acted as a good brotherly figure to Peter. Peter remarks that even in death, Nathan has left his mark on the world.
Upon This Rock
Nathan's name appears in Noah's files. Later, when Claire decides to leave the carnival, she listens to her messages from Noah and Peter. At Nathan's funeral, Peter stands and gives a speech, talking about how Nathan taught him all the things that a father should teach. He says that Nathan was hard on him but that he understands that he was only preparing him for the real world. He finishes by kissing Nathan's casket. The sailors then fire off a 21-gun salute and a Navy Commander hands Angela the American flag. Four fighter jets pass by and on their return flight one breaks away signifying the Missing Man Formation.
Let It Bleed
Hours before Nathan's body was found, Noah and Peter set it up to look like he crashed his plane. Later, at his wake, while Peter is looking out the window, Angela admits that she also looks up to see if Nathan will fly down. When Claire arrives at the wake, Peter and her talk in the kitchen. Claire remembers the grief Nathan gave her for dating a boy who could fly and says that he thought she had daddy issues. She calls him a terrible navigator for a guy who could fly and asks Peter if he has any stories about Nathan. Peter does not tell any and leaves. Outside, Claire notices that there are no pictures of her and Angela explains that Nathan wanted Claire, but she wouldn't allow it.
Peter later goes on a heroic mission in order to live up to what he believes Nathan wanted him to be. Claire talks him down and Peter finally mourns Nathan's death. Peter later replicates flight from West Rosen, Claire's old boyfriend, and goes for a flight after looking at a picture of Nathan and himself together, presumably as a way of remembering Nathan.
Close to You
A newspaper article on the New York City streets shows "Senator Petrelli Dies in Plane Crash."
Pass/Fail
Claire reminds Sylar that he killed her father Nathan. Sylar then tells Claire that they have abandonment issues from parents who didn't want them, meaning Nathan for Claire.
The Art of Deception
Angela calls Peter over for help on Nathan's epitaph. Later, she begs him not to go after Sylar, because of what he did to Nathan. Later, Claire reminds Gretchen that Noah didn't initially tell her about Nathan's death.
The Wall
Despite Nathan being gone, Sylar still retains some of his memories which makes Peter mad. As time goes by trapped in Sylar's mind, Sylar begins to feel sorry for killing Nathan and tells Peter time and time again how sorry he is. Peter still will not forgive Sylar, feeling like it will do Nathan injustice. He tells Sylar that he thinks if he forgives Sylar, then he will not really have any memory of Nathan. In order to break through the wall, Sylar had to be sorry for killing Nathan and Peter had to forgive him. This was the only way to break through and they had to be working together.
Brave New World
When Peter battles Samuel, Samuel comments to Peter that his brother kept his potential down, just as Nathan did to Peter. Peter replies with the fact that Nathan didn't keep him weak, but built him up.
Graphic Novel:Consequences
Angela remembers how she always tried to stay away from the downfall of her son, remembering him flying Peter into the sky, being shot, being killed by Sylar and his memories being lost within Sylar's body.
Graphic Novel:From the Files of Primatech, Part 3
In 1978, Nathan plays with a young Ted Sprague.