Ted Sprague
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| Ted Sprague | |
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| Portrayed by | Matthew John Armstrong |
| First appearance | "Nothing to Hide" |
| Information | |
| Ability | Radiation manipulation |
| Real name | Theodore "Ted" Sprague |
| Gender | Male |
| Spouse | Karen (deceased) |
Theodore "Ted" Sprague, played by Matthew John Armstrong, is a fictional character on the television show Heroes, who has the power to emit radiation.
Contents |
[edit] Character history
Three years before the series began, Ted married Karen, the "love of his life." With this, and his solid job in pharmaceuticals, Ted believed he "had it all." Then he was kidnapped by the Haitian, who was posing as a student at the time. After being released, he had "strange incisions" on his neck and first began to manifest his power. Ted could not remember anything that happened between meeting the Haitian and returning home. In fact, he had lost two days of memory. Over time, he inadvertently poisoned his wife with his newfound radioactive power.
While his wife is being treated, he accidentally microwaves Dr. Fresco, the oncologist treating his wife's cancer, out of frustration when informed that his wife's condition is terminal. Having been holding the doctor at the time, his fingerprint is burned onto the man's bones, leading Matt Parkman and Audrey Hanson to discover his identity. Assuming him to be Sylar, they investigate his home and find it in a similar condition to that of the late doctor. They eventually corner him at the hospital where his wife is being treated, where he takes a nurse hostage to keep them at bay. He also claims that he might explode if fired upon. Matt convinces him to surrender by telepathically relaying his dying wife's forgiveness for causing her cancer. After his wife passes, Ted is brought in for questioning.
During his interrogation at the FBI's Los Angeles office, performed by Matt and Audrey, he becomes so agitated that he boils a glass of water simply by holding it. After convincing him to calm down, Ted relates the story of how his powers first emerged, which reminds Matt of his own experience with the Haitian. However, before Ted can say more, agents of the Department of Homeland Security take custody of him. As he is dragged away, Ted tells Matt to "find the Haitian."
While being transported by the Homeland Security operatives, Ted's anger over his wife's death and the thought of never finding those who he blames for his sudden manifestation of superpowers causes him to lose control of his powers, creating a large explosion that leaves him unharmed but turns the car he's in into a burning wreck. By the time more officers arrive to secure the scene, Ted is already long gone.
One week later, Ted buys firearms and settles into a small cabin somewhere in Nevada. There, he does nuclear testing of sorts, both honing his powers and unleashing the excess energy his body naturally accumulates over time. His tests range from exploding himself to creating small, ball-shaped concentrations of energy in his hands.
Ted also gets in contact with Hana Gitelman, another superpowered human who feels similarly wronged. After coming to his shack in person, Hana proposes they find their enemies and stop them. Hana, having a power that makes her a sort of living mobile device, intends to intercept their messages to find them. Then, she says, Ted could "nuke them." Hana also shows Ted data relating to the hypodermic needle used to put the mark on both of them. Their meeting is cut short when Hana intercepts a messages indicating that an army is coming for Ted. Hana leaves quickly on her motorcycle. Shortly afterwards, helicopters and jeeps full of soldiers led by an unknown individual arrive at Ted's location. Attempts to subdue Ted by spraying him with liquid concrete fail, as Ted is able to use his ability to destroy not only the concrete, but the vehicles and soldiers around him, although he fails to find any trace of their leader.
Ted follows Hana's lead to a company named Primatech. There, he learns that the specific type of hypo gun used on himself and Hana was developed for animal researchers to tag and track creatures in the wild. After becoming enraged by the thought of being considered an animal, Ted is next seen walking away from the facility, now severely damaged and on fire. Ted feels that hiding is no longer an option.
In Unexpected Sprague is seen visiting his wifes grave, telling her that he will make those responsible pay for what they did. He then meets with Matt Parkman and Hana, eventually deciding to go after Mr. Bennet. At the conclusion of the episode, he and Matt are seen taking the Bennet family hostage.
In Company Man, it is revealed in flashback that Ted talked Matt into kidnapping Bennet in order to coerce information from him; however, during the kidnapping Ted grows increasingly agitated and begins to threaten Bennet's family. He also starts to lose control of his power, and his hands glow with heat, which is seen by the entire family. When Bennet attempts to pull a gun, Ted grabs it and threatens to shoot Mrs. Bennet; Matt instead shoots Claire in response to Bennet's unspoken thoughts. When Bennet and Matt return from disposing of Claire's "corpse", Ted remains behind to watch the family, while Matt and Mr. Bennet go to the Primatech offices to search for information.
As they wait, Ted tries to calm himself while producing bursts of energy from his hands, further frightening Lyle and Mrs. Bennet. Claire attempts to free the two, revealing her own power to her mother and brother in the process, when Matt and Mr. Bennet return, along with The Haitian, offering Ted's file in return for the family's freedom. However, as the offer is being made, Thompson enters, and hearing Bennet place his family over "the company", tries to shoot him, only to strike Ted instead.
His powers flare out of control, possibly exposing Bennet, Matt and perhaps Thompson to high levels of radiation, and setting the house on fire. Bennet tries to tranquilize Ted, but is unable to get close enough; Claire instead does so, resulting in an explosion which literally blows the doors off the house. Claire exits the building, her burns rapidly healing in plain sight. Ted Sprague is next seen in a holding cell in the Primatech facility tied down and unconscious. Thompson tells Bennett that Ted will be tested.
[edit] Uncertain future
Ted is believed to play a part in the prophesied nuclear explosion in New York due to his ability to generate and explosively release radioactive energy. The explosion was first predicted by a painting of Isaac Mendez, a precognitive artist. Hiro Nakamura also witnessed the event when he went into the future in the episode "Don't Look Back". Later, Peter Petrelli, a power mimic, had visions of himself causing the explosion. In one vision, Peter says, "I took his power, but I can't control it," just before he explodes.
[edit] Basis
Ted Sprague is based on a character from "In His Own Image," an unaired alternate version of "Genesis." The character, known as "the engineer," was very similar to Ted. The engineer also had radiation-based powers and, like Ted, was inadvertently responsible for giving his wife cancer. The engineer, however, was actually tied to a terrorist cell, while Ted is only assumed to be a terrorist due his powers. Ted's first name is also derived from that of the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski.[1]
[edit] Powers and abilities
Ted has the ability to generate and manipulate radiation, though he does not have complete control over his power. He first discovered it after being abducted by the Haitian. Ted's powers allow him to replicate the common side-effects of radiation, such as the ability to generate heat and cause radiation poisoning. Ted can release radiation with enough intensity to heat anything he might be holding to a fatal degree. He can also explosively release massive bursts of radiation, leaving himself unharmed but destroying anything within a short radius around him. While recently practicing with his power in Nevada, Ted has shown the ability to create concentrated orbs of radiation in the palm of his hands.
Ted's main problem with his power is his lack of control, which varies with his emotional state. He unconsciously emits a small amount of radiation constantly, which, while not immediately dangerous, was responsible for his wife's cancer. As a direct result of prolonged exposure to Ted, his wife fell into a coma and died within a few years. When angry or sad, Ted emits even more radiation, enough to kill common plant-life or leave radiation burns on flesh. When sufficiently enraged, Ted can internally heat a person so thoroughly that they are left as a charred corpse with his fingerprints burned onto their bones, as was the case with his wife's doctor. Ted's ability to explode can also go off automatically when he is enraged or sufficiently injured, such as being shot. Once he begins to lose control of his powers, it is very difficult for him to regain control over them.
[edit] Heroes 360 Experience
Ted has a file under Mr. Bennet's private login. Go to Primatech web site, click on About Us and then on the logo where the Super-Genome Symbol appears. Login as "bennet" with the password "claire".
Ted Sprague - Assignment Tracker group c3
- Filename: C3003
- Username: bennet
- Password: TSntz14b.
[edit] Trivia
In the first scene of "Unexpected", Ted's AOL Instant Messenger screen name is displayed as Teddybear616. Show writers Joe Pokaski and Aron Coleite confirmed the 616 was a reference to Earth-616, the mainstream universe in Marvel Comics. Stan Lee, considered a co-founder of Marvel Comics, appeared in a cameo role at the end of the episode.[2] In reality, this screen name has been used since March 3rd 2001 by an unidentified female who is not believed to have any connections to NBC whatsoever.
Ted's powers and story line are similar to that of Nuke from Squadron Supreme/Supreme Power. Both have radiation based powers and both are accidentally responsible for the death of loved ones. His powers are also similar to that of the Marvel superhero Sunfire who can generate radioactive fire.
[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 |
