As a fan of Zachary Quinto’s captivating performances, it’s been quite a journey watching him evolve from Sylar on “Heroes” to his current roles in various hit films and TV shows. His portrayal of Spock in the Star Trek reboot series was nothing short of iconic, and his versatility as an actor has been evident in every role he’s taken on since then.
Initially airing on NBC in 2006, the globetrotting drama “Heroes”, inspired by comic books, captivated audiences worldwide. The serial storyline introduced a diverse cast of characters, many of whom developed unique abilities as the series progressed. Created by Tim Kring, it paid homage to the superhero genre while maintaining a strong connection with the post-9/11 reality. In its early seasons, “Heroes” was highly acclaimed, but as time passed, the show started to lose steam. Characters and storylines were abandoned without resolution, episodes were split into various “volumes”, and elements that made the series appealing initially began to feel repetitive and limiting, hindering the narrative’s progression.
But there was one character who always seemed to get the raw end of the deal. After his initial arc in the first season, Zachary Quinto’s Sylar — who was nearly played by Christopher Eccleston — was vastly overplayed. Quinto himself was fantastic when he first appeared in “Seven Minutes to Midnight,” but by the second and third seasons, we’d grown a bit tired of the character. So what ever happened to Sylar? How did his “Heroes” story end? And what became of him during the “Heroes Reborn” sequel series a decade later? Well, if you’ve been wondering how the “Heroes” original big bad turned out, just keep reading.
Who Was Sylar? Heroes’ Villain, Explained
In the TV series “Heroes,” Sylar initially appears as a ruthless murderer with supernatural abilities, specifically capable of taking powers from others with extraordinary talents. Characters like Molly Walker refer to him as a “monster” and a threat, while Noah Bennett (H.R.G.) is particularly terrified due to prophecies suggesting harm to his daughter Claire. Despite his villainous image, Sylar is actually revealed to be Gabriel Grey, a watchmaker in disguise.
Based on Dr. Chandra Suresh’s belief in his unique “intuitive understanding,” Gabriel demonstrates an ability to decipher the inner workings of individuals with superpowers by observing them in action. Generally, he possesses a knack for figuring out how things function, and this knowledge extends to knowing how to extract superpowers from people’s brains. As the serial killer Sylar, Gabriel seeks to acquire numerous superpowers to be recognized as “special.” To describe Sylar as merely unbalanced would be an understatement.
In various aspects, Sylar contrasts significantly with Milo Ventimiglia’s character, Peter Petrelli. Unlike Peter, whose “empathic mimicry” enables him to adopt the abilities of others due to his heartfelt compassion for people, Sylar’s “intuitive aptitude” serves as a more mechanical means for him to acquire, and often take, the powers (and lives) of others rather than simply replicating them. This is why, by the end of the first season, Peter stands out as the potential victor against Sylar, given their remarkable similarity in abilities.
What Happened to Sylar at the End of Heroes?
Following the end of Season 1 for the TV series “Heroes,” Sylar posed a challenge for the creators to develop his character effectively. Subsequent seasons made several attempts (with limited success) to make him more relatable, either by removing his powers or placing him in romantic scenarios. For a short while, there was a hint of redemption for Sylar when he lost his abilities, but once they were restored, he swiftly returned to his old destructive behavior.
It wasn’t until the fourth and final season that the writers altered the path for the character Sylar. In the second-to-last episode, titled “The Wall,” Sylar found himself incarcerated within his own mind by Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg), with Peter later joining him. Since Sylar had murdered Peter’s brother Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) earlier, they spent years resolving their conflicts – although it was just hours in the real world – until both Sylar and Peter were transformed. After this profound encounter, Sylar made a decision to become a hero and assisted Peter and the rest of the cast in defeating the latest major villain.
In the novel “Brave New World,” the character Sylar undergoes a change and now embraces a more hopeful perspective on existence. Eager to make amends with society, he confesses to Peter that he derived greater satisfaction from sparing a life rather than ending one. Despite his transformation, the abrupt termination of “Heroes” left us uncertain if this noble side of Sylar would prove permanent.
What Happened to Sylar After Heroes Reborn?
A few years following the conclusion of “Heroes”, NBC revived the series for a one-season comeback titled “Heroes Reborn”. This venture was somewhat successful but left fans disappointed due to the absence of many original cast members, including Milo Ventimiglia, Hayden Panettiere, and Zachary Quinto. However, even though Sylar didn’t reappear in “Heroes”, his fate wasn’t left unanswered. In addition to a brief reference in “The Needs of the Many,” Sylar makes an official return in the tie-in novel “Save the Cheerleader, Destroy the World” by Keith R.A. DeCandido.
In this tale, it’s revealed that Sylar teamed up with Peter and a handful of other superheroes as part of the “Petrelli Movement.” With Evos (people with extraordinary abilities) being publicly unveiled by Claire at the end of the initial series, Sylar and Peter work together to protect innocent individuals of their kind from testing and discrimination. The latest news about Sylar suggests that he and Peter have had to use invisibility to keep themselves hidden, as society has developed a disdain towards people with extraordinary abilities, much like the way mutants are treated in the X-Men universe. Since this narrative occurs before “Heroes Reborn,” we can infer that during the series, Sylar remains in hiding, acting covertly to help others.
Whatever Happened to Sylar’s Actor Zachary Quinto?
After making a significant impact on the series “Heroes,” actor Zachary Quinto has been quite occupied. In 2009, he took over Leonard Nimoy’s role as Spock in J.J. Abrams’ rebooted “Star Trek” film franchise, marking his first appearance in a feature film. He reprised the Vulcan character in “Star Trek Into Darkness” and “Star Trek Beyond,” with a fourth movie still pending. Quinto has also been seen in numerous major films like “Hitman: Agent 47,” “Snowden,” and “Margin Call.” However, he’s primarily worked on smaller, independent projects recently. Notably, he lent his voice to Lex Luthor for the DC Comics animated features, “Superman: Man of Tomorrow” and “Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths – Part One.
In contrast to his roles in films like “Heroes”, Zachary Quinto has found greater success on television. He’s graced the small screen for multiple seasons in the critically acclaimed series “American Horror Story” (specifically “Murder House,” “Asylum,” “NYC,” and “Delicate”). His appearances also include episodes of “Girls”, “Hannibal”, and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”. In 2019, Quinto landed a leading role as Charlie Manx in the AMC vampire drama “NOS4A2”, an adaptation of the Joe Hill novel. Unfortunately, that series was cancelled, but Quinto continued to use his voiceover skills on shows like “Big Mouth”. Currently, he’s the lead actor in NBC’s new medical drama, “Brilliant Minds”, portraying Dr. Oliver Wolf, a significant departure from his role as Sylar.
Could We Ever See Heroes’ Sylar Again?
Previously this year, Tim Kring revealed he’s been developing a new “Heroes” spin-off series for NBC, tentatively named “Heroes: Eclipsed.” While this news has sparked cautious curiosity among fans, the poor reception of “Heroes Reborn” and the unsatisfying ending of the original series have left many with a bitter taste. Regardless of the chance to revisit beloved characters on screen again, it’s questionable whether more “Heroes” is desirable. However, one can’t help but wonder: Might Sylar make an appearance once more? It appears rather improbable.
2015 saw speculation among fans about whether Zachary Quinto would reprise his role as Sylar in “Heroes Reborn”. However, during an interview with Buzzfeed, the actor expressed no intention of returning to the series. He stated, “I’m not going back.” The experience of playing this character was significant for him, but he felt that it was time to move on. Instead, Quinto has been focusing on pushing his career forward into fresh opportunities, rather than revisiting the show that initially propelled him to stardom. Given that he had already starred in 60 episodes as Sylar and underwent an unexpected redemption arc for the character, it seemed there was little more to explore.
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2024-10-08 04:00