5 New Characters We'd Like To See When Heroes Returns

2. A Terminally Ill Cancer Victim Who Discovers She Can Heal Others (Ability: Healing)

When Walter White decided he was going to start cooking crystal meth to provide for his family, nobody batted an eyelid. Some even championed him for it. Why? Because the man was stricken with cancer. Given 6 months to live, his time was short and people felt he'd been dealt a bad hand. Also, once again, the question was implicit in the story: What would you do in his shoes? What would you do in your own? Would you head down a reckless path if you knew time was no longer much of an issue? Cancer and suffering from cancer is nothing new in television, in fact it's been done to death. A cynical, somewhat cold view has begun to populate critical opinion of such a story-line, some seeing it as a cop out, an unimaginative quick fix to get people to care or feel sorry for a protagonist. Whilst this may be true, nobody said it about Walter White because Walter White's cancer was channeled into a story we'd never seen before. There again comes the beauty of the potential of Heroes: stories we've never seen before because, in other dramas, they're simply not possible. Picture this: a child, who has been diagnosed with cancer and given x amount of time to live, discovers she can heal other people of their ailments... but not herself. Wow. If there is a more immediately potent way towards caring for this girl, I don't know what it is. Heroes, in it's first run, became very popular with a female audience and, going back to my earlier points, a strong female role model isn't an avenue I wouldn't dare to miss exploring. The combination of a child-like innocence stripped away by fate and the inevitable drama of understanding that her time is limited makes her every choice and action immediately more meaningful. The ultimate baby-face presented with the worst possible hand, this is the opportunity for the writers to present a laser-focused viewpoint on a lot of issues adults in the real world are divided upon through the eyes of a character who simply cannot afford to indulge any of the social practices or illusions; she doesn't have the time. Understanding right from the beginning that this wonderful person's end is going to be tragic will allow for the most interesting journey: what experiences will she indulge before the inevitable end? What can she achieve? Indeed, what must she sacrifice? Most importantly, can her journey to the end counter-balance the immense sadness and upset that the other characters and audience will feel? If not, what legacy will she leave behind? The sky is the limit for this character. Knowing that her end is coming but not knowing where or when presents questions to the audience and a constant dramatic fear far more emotionally potent than any trick or gimmick- such as precognition- ever could.