So here’s how complex the introduction of Sylar is in Heroes (2006-2010): I’ve seen the first season two times (most recently this past April), and I still didn’t remember that the Sylar intro arc spans not one, not two, but three episodes (#108-110, 2006). Why such a lengthy, complex introduction? That’s what we’re here to figure out today!
First of all, if you’re a fan of superheroes and still haven’t seen Heroes, you simply must! This show definitely goes on my list of best superhero/sci-fi shows ever! (Plus, if you’re a Star Trek fan, there are lots of allusions to and funny connections between Heroes and Trek.)
**SPOILERS/River Song Alert! There will be major spoilers throughout this post, since it analyzes how the series avoided revealing its primary supervillain until almost halfway through the season. So if you haven’t seen Heroes and really want the first-time viewer experience, you might want to bookmark this post for later reading. If, on the other hand, you don’t like surprises, this post should be a good “what to look out for” – at least as far as Sylar is concerned.**
Couldn’t help myself – just had to put this somewhere on the blog!
Ep. #108: “Seven Minutes to Midnight”
The earth is large, large enough that you think you can hide from anything, from fate, from God, if only you found a place far enough away. So you run…to the edge of the earth, where all is safe again, quiet and warm. The solace of salt air…the peace of danger left behind…the luxury of grief. And maybe, for a moment, you believe you have escaped.
–Mohinder Suresh’s (Sendhil Ramamurthy) voice-over prologue to ep. 108
Though a first-time viewer probably won’t make this connection, the episode’s prologue sets up the theme of running from danger (and never really escaping) that runs through the Sylar intro arc. Several characters think that if they know what is supposed to happen in the future – and, conveniently, they have someone on their side whose ability is to see the future – then they will be able to change the future. However, there’s that old, sticky sci-fi rule about knowing the future, which states that by knowing the future, anything you do will lead you straight to the very future you’re trying to avoid. The entire first season of Heroes is an experiment in whether it really is possible to change the future.
For the first seven episodes of Heroes, we never actually see Sylar’s face, and there are just a few glimpses of a figure in deep shadow to clue us in to the presence of this scary supervillain. We do hear Sylar’s name mentioned as a few characters investigate a series of murders in which the victims’ brains have gone missing. No one knows who Sylar is, why he kills, or where/how to start searching for him. And, because very few characters at this early point in the series are aware of the existence of “heroes” (people with emerging superpowers, or “abilities”), no one understands yet that this is the connection among Sylar’s victims.
So here’s the first clue to how Sylar ends up being such an effective and terrifying supervillain: For half of the first season, we literally know nothing about him, not even his identity. And the unknown is certainly used to terrifying effect in this case!
Above: Charlie (Jayma Mays) takes an order from Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka) and Ando (James Kyson Lee) at the Burnt Toast Diner. Sylar is sitting at a table out of view at the back right of this shot.
“Seven Minutes to Midnight” is notable because it’s the first episode where we actually see Sylar’s face. Heads up, though: The first time you see Sylar, you may not realize it’s him! (I didn’t, and I thought I had been paying very close attention the first time I watched the series.) Heroes has a very large cast of characters, and throughout the first season new characters are continually being introduced. Combined with the fact that Sylar hasn’t been a prominent or visible character before this episode – everyone, characters and viewers, is more concerned with the prophecy of New York City exploding as though a nuclear bomb has gone off (understandable) – we may think this is just another new, unknown character being introduced. An ominous one, yes, as this person/Sylar is dressed all in black, sitting in shadow, and the requisite ominous music plays as the camera zeroes in on him. But does the first-time viewer necessarily recognize that this mysterious figure sitting in the Burnt Toast Diner in Midland, Texas is our primary supervillain? Maybe, but maybe not.
It isn’t until later in the episode, when new character Charlie is attacked and her brain goes missing, that the dreadful realization sinks in: We’ve encountered the mysterious Sylar, and we didn’t even know it! (Unless we’re a super-viewer and haven’t been distracted by the more obvious plot events filling most of the episodes up to this point.) That’s it for Sylar in this episode, actually, aside from other characters discussing him during the L.A. homicide investigations. Clue #2: The series doesn’t rush Sylar’s introduction; rather, the intro is drawn out (over three episodes) for maximum suspense and time for the dread to really sink into the character. Heroes undoubtedly wants both characters and viewers to fear Sylar, and it does the best it can (which is really, really good!) to make sure we do fear him.
Ep. #109: “Homecoming”
We are, if anything, creatures of habit, drawn to the safety and comfort of the familiar…But what happens when the familiar becomes unsafe, when the fear that we have been desperately trying to avoid finds us where we live?”
–Mohinder’s voice-over prologue to ep. 109
Ah, “when the familiar becomes unsafe” – nothing could be closer to the truth when Sylar strikes again during a high school Homecoming celebration!
Now we have a face to put to Sylar’s name and a visible character at whom to direct that sense of dread we’re acquiring. In “Homecoming,” the mysterious mantra several characters have been repeating – “Save the Cheerleader, Save the World” – comes fully into play. The Cheerleader, viewers know, is Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere), who lives in Odessa, Texas. Uh-oh! Sylar is in Texas, too! Well, that’s just great, isn’t it? (It was about here that I recall realizing Heroes was going to be one of those great sci-fi shows that delights in torturing its viewers’ emotions.) The Sylar portions of this episode are structured like a high school horror movie, complete with two cheerleaders trapped in a dark locker room when the villain, still dressed appropriately all in black, strikes.
One of the plot details for Claire’s part of Heroes is that she wants to keep her powers (Wolverine-like regeneration) a secret. This has led to the wrong cheerleader being identified as THE Cheerleader of the save-the-world prophecy. The other characters (with one exception) think they have to save Claire’s nemesis, Jackie Wilcox (Danielle Savre), not Claire. It is this case of mistaken identity that saves Claire from Sylar, who goes after Jackie instead, which ends up giving Claire the chance she needs to escape from the locker room.
The characters trying to save the Cheerleader (not even the one who knows it’s Claire, not Jackie) would never have reached Claire in time to save her from Sylar, so the only reason Claire escapes is that she has been so determined to keep her powers secret. Thus, she allowed Jackie to take the credit for a recent heroic act, which was written up in the local paper with Jackie’s picture, which led Sylar to Odessa to steal the Cheerleader’s powers. Clue #3: Claire’s first encounter with Sylar reveals the extent of his abilities and the full scale of the danger he represents, leading the viewer to recognize that only a fluke incident of mistaken identity came between Sylar and his target. Acquiring Claire’s regenerative powers would literally have made Sylar invincible and unstoppable – the true meaning behind the words “Save the Cheerleader, Save the World.” For the next two seasons of Heroes, everyone now understands that Sylar must be kept away from Claire at all costs!
Sylar is, at this point, now an active and visible part of the story. Yet again, however, the episode ends without revealing any new information about him. We viewers might have realized our mistake (as have several characters) in overlooking the references to Sylar in earlier episodes, but at the end of “Homecoming,” we’re no closer to understanding who Sylar is, where he comes from, or why he’s hunting heroes.
Ep. #110: “Six Months Ago”
Finally, finally! This episode (as its title implies) tracks a set of events that occurred six months before the main action of season one began. We begin the episode at a clockmakers’/repair shop, with a character named Gabriel Gray. Guess who? Gabriel Gray is Sylar – before he became Sylar (which is his supervillain, not given, name). At last we are provided with the backstory to our rising supervillain…but that doesn’t necessarily lessen the fear and dread Heroes has built up around him.
For me, “Six Months Ago” actually made Sylar more terrifying because of the contrast established between the Sylar persona and Gabriel Gray, who is an unassuming, soft-spoken, intelligent watchmaker with no outward signs of villainous ambition. When Dr. Chandra Suresh (Erick Avari) approaches Gabriel and offers to help him discover his latent super-abilities, Gabriel starts down a path that will lead to the birth of Sylar.
Convinced by Dr. Suresh that he is special, yet repeatedly unable to access any kind of superpower, Gabriel becomes obsessed with proving his abilities to Dr. Suresh and to himself. Eventually, Gabriel’s obsessive quest for abilities leads him to steal those of other heroes through gruesome murders. Gabriel takes the name “Sylar” from the cracked face of a watch – Gabriel’s ability to hear when a clock is not keeping proper time, indicated by a ticking noise on the soundtrack, also allows him to discern whether a person has hero abilities. This is actually Gabriel’s own ability, though he didn’t realize it at first, one that enables him to hunt other heroes.
Clue #4: Sylar becomes even more terrifying in “Six Months Ago” because we now know who he was before he became a supervillain. However, rather than banishing our fear of the unknown Sylar, this episode’s revelation of the disturbing psychology behind Sylar makes him a greater and more dreadful opponent. Like other great supervillain backstories, “Six Months Ago” teaches us to fear not only the supervillain as he is now, but also the course of very human events and decisions that led to villainy in the first place. The terrifying thing is, most people can probably see themselves feeling the exact same emotions, making the exact same choices, as Gabriel/Sylar does here.
So, to review the factors identified so far in making Sylar so effective (and scary!) as a supervillain:
1) For half of the first season, we literally know nothing about him, not even his identity.
2) The series doesn’t rush Sylar’s introduction; rather, the intro is drawn out (over three episodes) for maximum suspense and time for the dread to really sink into the character.
3) Only a fluke incident of mistaken identity comes between Sylar and Claire, suggesting the strength of Sylar’s power and the extent of the danger he poses.
4) Once Sylar’s backstory is finally revealed, viewers can see themselves making his choices within similar contexts, bringing us closer to Sylar as a character but alarming us through the recognition of the darkest sides of human nature.
A fifth factor to consider, of course, is the choice of actor: Zachary Quinto. Nowadays better known for his role as Spock in J.J. Abrams’ new Star Trek films, Zachary Quinto has quite a list of dark, scary characters behind him, including characters in American Horror Story and Nick, the “homicidal dentist” in the independent film Girl Walks Into A Bar (2011). He’s also done well in bringing out the darker aspects of Spock’s character, not the easiest feat in a character known for his devotion to logic above all else. The fact that Zachary Quinto was chosen to succeed Leonard Nimoy in the iconic Star Trek character says something by itself, namely that this is an actor to watch out for – especially when a supervillain is involved. To play a character terrifying enough to rank second only to Heath Ledger’s Joker (at least in this writer’s opinion) is itself a different kind of scary!
If you’re looking for a perfect recipe for a great supervillain, Heroes is a good place to start. The really amazing thing about Sylar, even more so than the (nightmare-inducing) fear he inspires, is that he sticks around to the very end of the series, becoming an increasingly sympathetic (dare we say even “likeable”?) character. That’s why, out of all the characters in Heroes, Sylar ended up becoming my favorite. He goes through the most difficulty and the most changes – the most difficult changes – and eventually becomes a better person for it.
That saying in The Dark Knight, “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain,” seems to hold true in reverse for Sylar: He dies a villain, and he lives long enough to become a hero. (That’s Heroes logic for you – you’ll figure it out…) His final words in the final episode of Heroes, wherein he is once more accused of being a villain, are, “No, I’m a hero.”
How’s that ending for the second-scariest supervillain of the 21st century?
In honor of Sylar and supervillains everywhere – hey, they deserve praise, too! It’s tough work being a supervillain, especially with so many superheroes around! – here’s my attempt at making a list of the top 10 most terrifying supervillains since 2000:
1. The Joker in The Dark Knight, 2008 (Heath Ledger)
2. Sylar in Heroes, 2006-2010 (Zachary Quinto)
3. Deathstrike in season 2 of Arrow, 2013-14 (Manu Bennett)
4. Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, 2012 (Tom Hardy)
5. MaMa in Dredd, 2012 (Lena Headey)
6. Amanda in Nikita, 2010-2013 (Melinda Clarke)
7. Alpha in Dollhouse, 2009-2010 (Alan Tudyk)
8. Red Skull in Captain America: The First Avenger, 2011 (Hugo Weaving)
9. Morgana Pendragon in Merlin, 2008-2012 (Katie McGrath)
10. Voldemort in Harry Potter (Ralph Fiennes)
Honorable mentions go out to supervillains who function collectively:
1. The Weeping Angels of Doctor Who
2. The Cybermen of Doctor Who
3. The Silence of Doctor Who
4. The Daleks of Doctor Who (Geez, Doctor Who, thanks for making sure no one sleeps at night!)
5. The Cylons of Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009)
*6. The Nazgul/Black Riders of The Lord of the Rings. (I’ve starred this one because, personally, I’ve never found the Nazgul to be scary. I love them! But other people tell me they’re really scary.)
On Friday: “Don’t judge a series by its title sequence…or should you?” The title sequence of any series is its chance to make a strong impression on viewers, give some hints about what to expect from the show, and even preview the current episode. The title sequence is also, increasingly, a work of art that demands attention in its own right. (You read the recent Game of Thrones post, right?) I’ll examine some of the best title sequences in superhero and sci-fi shows and try to break down what exactly makes an awesome sci-fi title sequence.
Time Lords, Superheroes, and Brave New Worlds 