| Matt Parkman | |
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| Portrayed By | Greg Grunberg |
| Gender | Male |
| Date of Birth | 1969 |
| Age | 38 |
| Zodiac Sign | ?? |
| Aliases | ?? |
| Place of Birth | Los Angeles, CA |
| Current Location | New York City, NY, USA |
| Occupation | NYPD Detective |
| Known Relatives | Maury Parkman (estranged father) |
| Significant Other | formerly Janice Parkman |
| Known Abilities | Telepathy |
| First Appearance | Genesis |
"When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and your discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be."
—Patañjali
History
Not much is known about Matt Parkman's youth. He was born in 1969 to a mother whose name has been lost in the annals of history and a man by the name of Maury. His home life in in California was uneventful until the age of thirteen, when his father decided to leave Mrs. Parkman and her boy while giving the latter nothing more substantial than $120 in cash. The circumstances surrounding his departure were unknown to both mother and son, the damage burying itself deep within Matt's body and lending to a subtle inferiority complex that would battle with a determined and protective nature.
As if his home life weren't difficult enough with the sudden disappearance of his father, Matt also had to deal with the diagnosis of his dyslexia. Standardized testing in schools would lead to a conference with his mother and the young man. Though his grades were unremarkable at best, the discovery of such a flaw in his cognitive processes would teach him to hide his flaws as best as he could if he were going to succeed anywhere in life.
After scraping through high school, Matt had decided that college was not for him. Career fairs in the gymnasium offered him several opportunities in multiple fields, but the only one that stood from the rest was law enforcement. It was the mid-to-late eighties, and there was no emphasis made for reading and writing. The LAPD wanted strong, able-bodied men who could wear a uniform, drive a car, and pin down both scum and villainy. Since Matt had been blessed with the stocky build of a football player and carried himself above the height of six feet, all he needed was a high school diploma. With that in hand, he was accepted into the police academy.
If anyone was going to sum up Matt Parkman's career as a uniformed police officer in one word, they could use the term 'perfunctory.' Over fifteen years would pass in Parkman's life and his career would scarcely get off the ground. It would be a point of contention between himself and his wife Janice, whom he would meet while trying to make something of himself in the LAPD. While she succeeded, he would perform only at the status quo. His dyslexia would be a barrier to passing the detective's exam, which could never accomodate the special needs that he has kept secret.
It wouldn't be until an unpleasant double-homicide at Mr. and Mrs. James Walkers' home that Matt Parkman's life would change forever. Assigned to the menial task of rolling police tape in front of the house, Matt began to hear a fearful voice of a child from parts unknown. Ignoring every rule of professional courtesy and police procedure, Matt would make his way inside of the house to follow the voice that he heard. To the surprise and suspicion of both police and FBI agents on the scene, Matt would find a petrified Molly Walker huddled beneath a hidden space beneath the stairs. While the effort was commendable, it also placed him in the possible list of suspects for committing the double-murder.
FBI Agent Audrey Hanson arrested Matt at the scene, but both of them would discover his limited power of telepathy. Rather than let her narrow-minded perception of reality keep him in custody, Audrey decides to use Matt's power to help in the investigation of the mysterious 'Sylar' character. Such assistance would yield to Matt's discovery of a very real and powerful shift in human evolution. People, much like himself, were developing supernatural abilities of incredible magnitude. There were those who sought to keep their powers a secret. Others who wished to use their powers for personal gain (ironically, an encounter with Eden six months prior was involved in the mix). And above them all, a conspiracy to use both parties to influence history and to shephard the mundane population from the so-called 'heroes'.
The aforementioned conspiracy was not discovered right away, but rather in pieces. It would begin shortly after Matt's partnership with Audrey. Coming home from an exciting day at work, only to find an unnerved Janice waiting for him. Matt had missed a counseling session—one of the developments from their struggling marriage. Before he could explain himself, Janice simply shut him out of her mind by wishing that he would just leave her be. Capable of reading her thoughts, he committed to her wishes and went to the first bar he could find. It would be at this bar that he would first encounter a nondescript Haitian man whose thoughts were the only ones he couldn't read. Before he could think anything more on the subject, the Haitian would shut him down.
Matt would awaken, strapped to the table, while an unnamed man in horn-rimmed glasses watched over him. Nearby would be the familiar face of the Haitian, whose identity would not be revealed nor be retained after the man in horn-rimmed glasses was finished with him. Attempting to read his captor's thoughts would be an exercise in futility save for a name: Claire. A name that, upon repetition, would cause Matt to black out and wake up on his couch with no recollection of what had happened to him. All that would be left is a furious Janice, who would tell him that he had been gone for an entire day. Reflexively, Matt would attempt to read the woman's thoughts and perform an effective means of damage control. Several 'right answers' later, he and his wife would be back in eachother's arms and enjoying their mutual company. For once, it seemed that the telepathy was a real gift rather than an ability.
After the incident with the mysterious men, Matt would continue his investigation with Audrey. Thinking that they were on the tail of Sylar with the discovery of a charred and burned body, it turns out that they were merely chasing a man by the name of Ted Sprague, whose powers manifest into the ability to emit radiation at the same magnitude as a nuclear weapon. The case would end in a small degree of ambiguity, as Ted would be taken willingly into custody before he could unwittingly harm anyone else. Back at the station, accolades would be collected from fellow officers. One in particular, by the name of Tom McHenry, would give Matt some encouraging words while thinking about the infidelity he had committed with Janice. Without even thinking, Matt would punch Tom in the face and be suspended subsequently.
The suspension would be a godsend for Matt, for it would allow him to not only rely more on his powers and less on the bureaucracy of police work to learn more about what is going on with the gifted human beings that seem to be appearing everywhere. A short stint as private security would bring him back into the fold with not only the unnamed conspiracy, but a few unwitting players like Niki Sanders and Nathan Petrelli. Soon other major players of differing interests would come into play, their names Hiro Nakamura, Peter Petrelli, Claire Bennett, and DL Hawkins. All would converge in New York City, learning the name and service of Noah Bennett as all of them focus on the real threat at hand: Sylar.
Abilities
Timeline
- March 2007 - Matt moves to New York City with Molly. Shortly afterward, he joins the New York Police Department and takes their Detective exam. With his knowledge of police procedure and the thoughts of those around him, he passes with flying colors.
Quotes
- "Listen to me. Whoever you think I am, believe me, I'm not him. I'm not… I'm not anyone."
- "This is real work! And it's important - lives could be at stake…"
- "No! No, I can't, I… I… I can't do any of that stuff."
- "Eat your Tex Mex."
Trivia
- Matt appears to be comfortable wherever he goes, so you may run into him anywhere.
- Matt is a fan of both the San Diego Chargers and the Los Angeles Lakers.