List of Alphas characters
This is a list of characters from the television series Alphas, which premiered in 2011 on SyFy in the United States.
Main characters
- David Strathairn as Dr. Lee Rosen - A doctor specializing in the study of people with super abilities that he has dubbed Alphas, he leads a government sponsored team of such Alphas to help identify and aide other Alphas or stop dangerous ones. Dr. Rosen has also shown himself to be very cultural and fluent in languages such as Swahili and Chinese, as he has traveled around the world.
- Ryan Cartwright as Gary Bell - An autistic young man who lives with his mother and is socially functional to a degree. His ability of Transduction allows him to view and interact with wireless communication signals out of thin air and process information faster than any computer. He states however that he is unable to process signals using a Nokia platform. Gary's ability can be used in a number of ways ranging from tracking people by hacking surveillance cameras, to decoding an entire language as seen in the episode Rosetta. He's also been seeing streaming videos, checking (or most times hacking) e-mails, and in episode five "Never Let Go" even logged onto Twitter.
- Warren Christie as Cameron Hicks - A former Marine with the superhuman ability of 'hyperkinesis', which gives him superhuman balance and aim. He can also predict the trajectory of objects in motion. This allows him to predict trajectory by eyesight, making him not just a superhuman perfect shot with projectiles, but also, allows him react to the trajectory of objects already in motion (e.g. dodge bullets or trip a man who is running in the right spot to cause him to fall in a specific position). His hyperkinesis also allows him to retrace the path of a projectile with only the apparent end result (e.g. if a car hits a pole he is able to retrace the exact path the car drove to reach the pole). His ability is linked to his emotional state and is inconsistent when he is agitated.
- Azita Ghanizada as Rachel Pirzad - A former CIA linguist with the ability to heighten each of her five senses (sight, smell, taste, hearing and touch) to extreme levels so as to view things at a microscopic level, or smell things by chemical composition. She can only heighten one sense at a time and when a sense is heightened she is unable to use her remaining senses. Rachel also seems to also have a wide knowledge of chemicals, food ingredients, and fabric materials. It's speculated that she's been aware of her Alpha abilities since birth. In the episode "Never Let Me Go" she confided that her family always wanted to cure her of her condition because her Alpha ability made her extremely sensitive to germs. This caused her problems eating with her family, and having intimate contact with another person. She is currently living with Alpha partner Nina Theroux. Her family are Iranian immigrants, back in Tehran her father was a doctor but his medical license is not recognised in the United States and has now been the owner of a dry cleaning business for 'many year's. A reoccurring plot line is Rachel's family trying to find her a husband.
- Laura Mennell as Nina Theroux - A carefree individual who is able to 'push' people into doing whatever she asks of them. This form of persuasive mind control requires her to not only provide verbal commands, but she must also have eye contact with the individual she is pushing. It is revealed that Nina can not push anyone she pleases. As her abilities work like hypnosis, some individuals are more resistant to the influence of her suggestion. It is revealed that Alpha partner Gary is such an individual. It also revealed that she is not immune to the influence of other pushers. It is alluded that out of all of the group she has been with Dr. Rosen the longest. Because of her time with Rosen, Nina constantly expresses her fears of being the next to be institutionalized. She later reveals that she pushed her ex boyfriend to suicide on accident during a time when she didn't fully comprehend her Alpha ability. Despite her carefree nature, Nina has shown a more sincere, caring side like when she offered Rachel a place to stay after being kicked out of her parent's house. A running gag is that Nina always has a different car that she "Borrows", implying that she pushes others to lend their keys to her.
- Malik Yoba as Bill Harken - An FBI agent with the ability to activate his endocrinal 'fight or flight' response at will, resulting in increased durability and superstrength. He is also able to heighten his running speed in the same manner. Extended periods of time in this state (approx. 5 minutes) result in excessive strain on his heart which could result in a heart attack. Due to the nature of his Alpha ability, Harken proves resistant to the influence of chemical manipulations in the brain (e.g. showing resistance to a pheromone-induced aggression).
Recurring characters
- Callum Keith Rennie as Don Wilson - An FBI agent who is often frustrated with Alphas and fails to see any point of view but his own. This irony is compounded by the fact that he is forced to rely on a team of them to solve many of his cases. His tentative friendship with Dr. Rosen is strongly challenged by his contempt for the Alphas he works with. Wilson was killed in the third episode, "Anger Management," when, under the influence of an anger-pheromone-generating Alpha, one of his men beat him to death with a chair.
- Mahershalalhashbaz Ali as Nathan Clay - The head of a tactical unit within the U.S. Department of Defense tasked with dealing with rogue Alphas.
- Valerie Cruz as Kathy Sullivan[1] - A Special Agent with the U.S. Department of Defense responsible for overseeing Dr Rosen and his team of Alphas.
Known Alphas
- Isabella Hofmann as Jessica Elkhart - An alpha with the ability to induce oxytocin addiction via touch. The recipients of her touch feel loved by Jessica and though not mind-controlled exactly, will feel compelled to do whatever Jessica wants. If Jessica intentionally breaks off her 'love' by hurting the person (emotionally) the affected individual's brain, as a result of heightened stress, starts rapidly mass producing cortisone in such a large quantity that it leads to cellular breakdown and eventual death.
- Summer Glau as Skylar Adams - An alpha and former acquaintance of Dr Rosen and Nina. Skylar has the alpha ability of superhuman intuitive genius that allows her to construct complex devices and inventions, even from seemingly ordinary household appliances.
- Skyler Wexler as Zoe Adams - The daughter of Skylar Adams, she is the first known second generation alpha with the ability to compute mathematics at a superhuman level far beyond what the normal human brain can process.
- Brent Spiner as Dr. Gordon Kurn - A obstetrician associated with Red Flag who was providing pregnant women with pre-natal vitamins containing active human DNA in the hopes of encouraging the birth of new alphas. Born without any optic nerve, Dr Kurn is effectively blind if not for his alpha ability to generate sonic sonar which he can use to "see" like a bat or dolphin and in a similar manner to the Marvel Comics superhero Daredevil. He can also generate minor vibrations which over time create cracks in building structures and burst the blood vessels of nearby people.
- Rebecca Mader as "Griffin" - A mercenary for hire whose real name is unknown. She has the alpha ability to make her self undetectable to the human eye. Dr. Rosen theorizes that this is done by her being able to 'broadcast' some sort of signal that swells the human 'blindspot' making it seem like she is invisible. This is not true invisibility as she is still visible to electronic recording devices.