Peter Petrelli is the younger son of Arthur and Angela Petrelli, and Nathan's brother, and worked as a common hospice nurse caring for Charles Deveaux while living New York, NY. Peter appeared to his family as a hopeless dreamer, who believed he had a greater place in life than just saving one life at a time. He discovered he was an advanced human who had the ability absorb and use the power of other evolved humans, although this ability was stolen by his father. Peter used the formula and replaced it with
Character History
Season One
For an episode-by-episode summary, see Peter Petrelli: Season One History.
Peter receives a message from the future.
Peter Petrelli is a hospice nurse who keeps having amazing dreams that he can fly. Later, he stands on top of a building, throws himself off, and is saved by his brother Nathan, who can also fly. Peter eventually learns that his power is actually the ability to absorb the powers of those he meets. Peter visits Mohinder Suresh, looking for the author of Activating Evolution. While Peter and Mohinder are on a subway train, time freezes, and Peter has a visit from a Japanese man, who tells him that Peter must "save the cheerleader, save the world". When he meets Isaac Mendez, Peter finished a painting depicting a dead and mutilated cheerleader. Peter realizes he must save this girl, and upon seeing another painting, heads to a homecoming, in Odessa, TX. There, he meets Claire Bennet, and manages to stop her from being killed by a mysterious stranger although he regenerates, when Claire finds him, mimicking her power. Outside the sheriff's department, Peter collapses and has a vision of himself bursting into red flames and exploding in the middle of the city. Peter meets the invisible Claude Rains, who helps Peter discover that he can access the powers he has absorbed by thinking of the person from whom he absorbed the ability. But their progress in Peter's training is stopped when Bennet comes after them. Later, Peter visits Isaac's loft again, and confronts the painter about his association with Mr. Bennet. A fight ensues, and Simone is accidentally shot. Then, Peter visits Mohinder's apartment, but is confronted by Sylar, who begins to cut off the top of Peter's head. However, Peter heals his wound, fights Sylar, and "dies" when struck with a shard of glass in his brain. He revives when Claire removes the shard. At Kirby Plaza, Peter absorbs Ted's power, and has difficulty controlling it. Peter has a seemingly final confrontation with Sylar. They trade blows, and Peter's hands begin to glow dangerously. He tells Claire to shoot him, but Nathan descends from the sky, picks up his brother, and flies away into the sky where Peter explodes.
Season Two
For an episode-by-episode summary, see Peter Petrelli: Season Two history.
Peter at a shipping yard.
At a shipping yard in Cork, Ireland, Ricky, Tuko, and Will search for a shipping container for iPods, but find a half-naked Peter handcuffed inside the empty container who can't remember anything. When attacked, he shocks Tuko and looks completely surprised. The men tie up Peter in a pub, where he later heals from cuts, escapes through ropes, and disarms a man who attacks Caitlin, Ricky's sister. When Ricky later asks Peter about helping them on a job, he tells Peter his name and offers a box of Peter's belongings as a reward. After using his ability to help Ricky, Will betrays Ricky and shoots Peter. Peter, however, heals himself and chokes Will before letting him go. Ricky thanks him and accepts him as family. He gives Peter the box, but Peter doesn't open it, and instead hopes for a new future with Caitlin. A woman asks about Peter at the docks, and Ricky tells Peter to stay with Caitlin at her flat. While there, Peter finds in the box his passport, a plane ticket to Montreal, and a picture of himself and a man. Peter sees a blank canvas, then starts painting a picture. When he finishes, Peter sees a painting of himself and Caitlin in Montreal. Caitlin receives a phone call, and the two find Ricky killed, and Peter decides the two need to go to Montreal. They find a warehouse at the intersection Peter painted, and the two find a note from Adam written to Peter. Peter hugs Caitlin, and is suddenly teleported in the future. While there, Peter learns that a virus killed 97% of the human race. Before he can save Caitlin, he teleports back to present time, and is confronted by a stranger. The stranger reveals himself as Adam Monroe, and helps Peter remember the things he forgot by suggesting Peter use his healing power to restore his memory. Peter then remembers everything, including the night of the explosion. After Nathan and Peter flew into the air and before Peter exploded, Peter told Nathan to let go of him. The blast from the explosion burns and knocks out Nathan, who is then saved by Peter. He then remembers after saving Nathan he brought him to a hospital, where he was captured by Elle and Bob. Peter was then in by the Company so he couldn't hurt anyone. They give him ability negation pills so he cannot use his ability. He is put in a cell next to Adam's cell, where the two decide to escape to help save Nathan. After Adam gives Nathan some of his blood, the two try to get to Montreal, but are met by Elle and the Haitian. They separate, and the Haitian forces Peter into a container in a shipping yard. He takes his memory and leaves him there for a "fresh start". After remembering everything, Adam and Peter decide to save the world. Peter and Adam go to see Victoria Pratt, who was a founder and knows about the virus. Peter goes in alone, and tries to get information from her. After Peter leaves, Victoria comes out of the house and attempts to shoot Peter, but before she shoots Adam, knocks her out. They find out that the virus is at Primatech Paper, and then Adam kills Victoria. When the two arrive at Primatech, time suddenly stops, and Hiro appears. Hiro tells Peter he must kill Adam, but Peter prevents it, knocking out Hiro by shocking him. Time unfreezes, and the two make their way to the Company vault. Peter rips the door off the vault, but Hiro teleports to stop them. Peter begins to choke Hiro with telekinesis, but Matt appears and attempts to make him stop choking Hiro. Peter stops Matt by mimicking the other aspect of Matt's telepathy then throws him back. Nathan comes and tells Peter that Adam is trying to release the virus, and he's using Peter. Nathan is able to convince Peter as they're brothers and Peter trusts him. When the three run to the vault, Adam and Hiro are gone and the vial containing the Shanti virus is about to hit the floor, but Peter catches the vial just in time. Peter destroys the vial, then Nathan suggests that they stop the Company and take their abilities public. Nathan calls a press conference, but before he can reveal his secret he is shot by an assassin. Nathan collapses into Peter's arms.
Season Three
For episode-by-episode summary, see Peter Petrelli: Season Three History.
Future Peter and Angela.
In Volume Three, Peter starts off being in Jesse Murphy's body (in Level 5) because Future Peter shot Nathan Petrelli and present-day Peter came after him. Elle Bishop then, uncontrollably, releases the Level 5 escapees and "Jesse", The German, Knox, and Flint Gordon, Jr. go to wreak havoc. They go and rob a bank. Future Peter then comes and lets him out of Jesse's body. Future Peter time travels into the future where Peter goes to see Sylar. Peter learns how to use the hunger and then the Costa Verde explosion happens. Peter survives the explosion and teleports back to present day in Sylar's cell. Peter, having learned the hunger, tries to kill both Sylar and Angela Petrelli. Peter is then captured and put in a cell. Sylar, thinking that Peter is his brother, tells Peter to read Angela's mind. Peter pulls Pinehearst out of her head and heads there. Unbeknownst of his father being the head, Peter is shocked. Too shocked to stop Arthur from taking his abilities. Peter then wakes up in a Pinehearst cell and escapes. But Arthur catches him and gives him to Mohinder Suresh as a test subject for the formula. Sylar saves him but then throws Peter out of a seven story building. Claire Bennet and Peter find each other and hide in a sewer from Knox and Flint, but then they find them. They escape and head to Primatech with Angela's team to discuss how to stop Arthur. Peter and Nathan then go to Haiti to find The Haitian. But they get stuck in a mission to take down the Haitian's brother, Baron Samedi. Peter and Nathan fight the whole time and Nathan says that Arthur is right, starting a long feud between the two brothers. Back at Primatech, Angela tells Peter to shoot Arthur because The Haitian will be there and Arthur can't use his abilities. Peter fires the gun but Sylar stops it and uses lie detection to find out that Arthur is not his dad. Therefore, Sylar kills him with the bullet. Then, Peter, Flint, and Knox go to destroy the formula and Pinehearst. Nathan interferes the raid and the place is about to blow up. Peter injects himself with the formula and grabs Nathan and flies him out of Pinehearst.
Peter unwittingly causes the airplane to go down.
In Volume Four, Nathan had gone to the President and exposed Evolved humans starting a secret government project to "round up" all evolved humans and place them in camps. Peter is back to living a normal life but soon encounters Mohinder driving a taxi like in Genesis. Later, at Peter's apartment, Nathan and Noah Bennet capture Peter. He is drugged, in a jumpsuit, and on a plane when Claire sneaks on and frees him. They free the rest, but Peter can't control his new ability and Freezes a hole in the plane. After crashing, him and Tracy Strauss team up to take Nathan's project down. Peter, Matt Parkman, Hiro Nakamura, Ando Masahashi, and Mohinder gather together and discuss how to lay low and what they need to do based on Matt's drawings. Peter, Matt, and Mohinder then capture Noah. They interrogate Noah until Emile Danko's team comes. Peter flies Matt to Isaac's loft where Matt sees himself blowing up in front of Capitol Hill. Matt and Peter break into Building 26 and Rebel helps them, but Matt gets caught. Peter negotiates with Nathan with a trade. Matt and Daphne Millbrook for Flight 195's security footage.Nathan arrives without Matt nor Daphne, so Peter gave the tape to the media. When the government goes after Angela, Peter saves her and they go to a church. Noah sees them but let them have a free pass. Angela dreams that she needs to go see her sister, Alice Shaw. Peter and Angela go to Coyote Sands where Nathan, Claire, and Noah are there to know what Angela did here and they dig to learn the past. Peter still hasn't forgiven Nathan and they start to forgive each other throughout the ending of the season. Angela says that a new Company needs to be formed. Peter then goes to kill Sylar once and for all. There is a long fight throughout the season finale episode in which Nathan dies. Peter replicates Sylar's ability to shape shift into The President to trick Sylar and defeat him with a tranquilizer. Angela, Matt, and Noah then fake Sylar's death by making Sylar be Nathan and then burning James Martin's body which is still in the form of Sylar. They burn his body at Coyote Sands. Peter remains unaware of the truth of his brother's death and Sylar's survival.