Featured image from sreenrant.com.

Heroes ran from 2006-2010, and every episode is awe-inspiring. 

A group of people, from all over the world, begin to realize their extraordinary abilities and have to learn to live with them secretly while still facing everyday problems. Danger awaits as secret organizations and sinister characters pose a threat to people with abilities. The heroes cross paths with each other as they are gradually discovering themselves and work to find out what is happening, eventually saving the world-more than once. 

When the show began, The first season averaged 14 million United States viewers and it had the third largest cast in American primetime Television following Lost (2004-2010) and Desperate Housewives (2004-2012).

The show expands over four seasons featuring the same main cast, though many heroes and villains come and go through the seasons. The character development and arcs are like no other show I have ever seen- with strong, invincible characters (quite literally) that never fail to amaze me.

The series mostly follows Peter Petrelli, a nurse living in NYC. He first discovers the world of extraordinary abilities when he witnesses his brother Nathan, a self-involved politician, flying. Peter soon discovers he can fly too, but realizes it’s not because flying is his ability, but because he can absorb other people’s powers. 

When Isaac, a painter who can paint the future, creates a painting of a nuclear bomb explosion in the middle of NYC, Peter stops at nothing to prevent it. His storyline intersects with many other allies with abilities, some with questionable motives, as they play their part in saving the lives of millions.

Some of the characters have wondrous abilities that I would have never thought of, such as the power of creating black holes or the ability to learn the history of everything you touch.

The special effects and CGI used to display people’s abilities were good for its time, and of course nothing compared to today’s technology, but most of the effects are believable.

In 2015, Heroes Reborn, a spin off series was created. The show is described as follows: “A year ago, a terrorist attack in Odessa, Texas, left the city decimated. Blamed for the tragic event, those with extraordinary abilities are in hiding or on the run from those with nefarious motives,” says the IMDb website. The series only lasted one season, but is available to watch free on the NBC website.

Heroes reminded me of when I was little and wished I had super powers. It left me wondering what kind of abilities would I have and whether or not I would use them to help people. The show may bring back your childhood fantasies, but it also challenges some childhood ideologies. In the show, not every person with abilities is a hero, or willing to help the world. 

Sometimes, the villains are not “pure evil,” but are people doing bad things thinking it’s the right thing to do. Nothing is “black and white,” or “good and bad.” There is a middle gray to most of the characters.

I truly admire the aspect of realism in the show. It can be so easy for superhero shows to get cheesy and lose the gritty truth about life. Characters make mistakes and their abilities don’t make them immune to emotional trauma, or morally superior to anyone else. They face harsh realities and truly suffer at times.

I discovered this show, a long time ago, by just scrolling and clicking through Netflix. The trailer looked amazing, so I started the first episode, then I found myself watching for hours. Heroes is one of my favorite ensemble sagas and watching the show is like watching a comic book come to life. I would rate Heroes 4.3/5 sails.

Heroes is available to stream on Amazon Prime with subscription and NBC for free.

___