Claude (Heroes)
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| Claude | |
|---|---|
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| Portrayed by | Christopher Eccleston |
| First appearance | Godsend |
| Information | |
| Ability | Invisibility |
| Gender | Male |
Claude is a fictional character in the NBC drama Heroes, portrayed by Christopher Eccleston.
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[edit] Character history
Claude has the power of invisibility. He first appears in the episode "Godsend" during one of Peter Petrelli's dreams, in which he is laughing before Peter explodes. Later in the episode, Peter is able to see Claude despite his invisibility, and is in fact mimicking Claude's power himself. Claude then accosts him, apparently confused as to how he can be seen.
In the following episode, "The Fix," Peter follows him and tries to enlist his help in stopping the impending catastrophe, as well as in controlling his powers. Claude insists their powers cannot be controlled, and demands that Peter stop following him. Later, he seeks out Peter and assists him in escaping Nathan Petrelli and Mohinder Suresh, then tells him he's now willing to teach him. However, he warns that it will be extremely difficult. Claude tries to instruct Peter on how to use abilities he has absorbed by clearing his mind of all attachments. Peter denies this at first, but becomes more sympathetic to the idea after witnessing a romantic encounter between Simone and Isaac on the apartment rooftop. Claude throws Peter off of the building, intending to force him to fly. Peter instead falls on a taxi cab, impaling his chest, but regenerates his wounds with the power he absorbed from Claire Bennet. At this point, Peter realizes that instead of clearing his mind, he has to remember the people he met, and how he felt when meeting them. However, several powers then begin to overwhelm him at once, until Claude knocks him unconscious. Claude continues training Peter until he is assaulted by Mr. Bennet, tipped off by a jealous Isaac Mendez. Peter rescues the unconscious Claude by using the power of flight absorbed from his brother Nathan. Later, Claude is so apprehensive of the threat posed by Bennet that he ends his partnership with Peter.
In the following episode "Company Man", it is revealed that Mr. Bennet and Claude worked together as partners when Bennet originally joined "The Company". Claude became disillusioned with the company's goals and refused to "hunt his own people". Mr. Bennet was ordered to dispose of Claude after it was discovered he had hidden someone with an ability. After being shot by Bennet, Claude stumbled over a traffic barrier and onto the bridge railing, and ended up suspended on his back between the two. He slowly turned invisible as he hung there, leading Bennet to believe that he was dead.
[edit] Powers and abilities
Although Claude has the power to become invisible to the naked eye, he cannot become inaudible.[1] He seems to have the ability to make objects in direct contact with his body turn invisible, such as clothing or personal objects held close to his body. This is exemplified when Claude grabs a woman's purse and hands it to Peter, which becomes invisible as Peter holds it in his arms, only becoming visible when Claude leaves his mimicking range. However, people who are invisible are capable of seeing themselves and others who are invisible. He is also visible through thermal imaging, as when Mr. Bennet used infrared glasses in an attempt to apprehend Claude.
Claude seems to have complete control of his power. In the episode "Company Man", Claude claims to Mr. Bennet in a flashback that he was present during several meetings but could not be seen. It is worth noting however that he stated to Peter Petrelli that he has been invisible for quite sometime in order to hide from Bennet and The Company, implying that his constant invisibility is his choice.
[edit] Trivia
- At one point, Claude addresses himself as "Claude Rains," a reference to the actor who played the title character in The Invisible Man. The writers have confirmed that this is not intended to be his real name, but merely a joke.[1] Nonetheless, Mr. Bennet knows the man by the name Claude, and in the episode "Company Man", which reveals Claude's previous association with Bennet, he is directly addressed by his former superiors as Claude. Whether this means Claude is actually his first name remains to be seen. While Claude is a common French male given name, the character himself and others pronounce it like "clod" instead of "clode". In the commentary for episode seventeen, it is mentioned that a scene was cut revealing that it was Claude who first started getting the teddy bears for Claire while Mr. Bennet was still trying to keep his distance in preparation for when he might have to turn her in to his company.
- In episode "The Fix", Claude exclaims "Fantastic!" - a catch-phrase from his previous role as the Ninth Doctor in the popular British science fiction show Doctor Who.
[edit] References
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Heroes characters
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| Main characters |
| Mr. Bennet • Claire Bennet • Simone Deveaux • D.L. Hawkins • Isaac Mendez • Hiro Nakamura • Matt Parkman • Nathan Petrelli • Peter Petrelli • Micah Sanders • Niki Sanders • Mohinder Suresh |
| Other characters |
| Claude • Hana Gitelman • The Haitian • Ando Masahashi • Eden McCain • Ted Sprague • Sylar |
