| Ted Sprague |
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Theodore "Ted" Sprague, played by Matthew John Armstrong , is a fictional character on the television show '' Heroes '', who has the power to Manipulate Radiation . CHARACTER HISTORY Origin 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 Telepathic ally 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 being convinced 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." On the Run 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 Firearm s 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, Helicopter s and Jeep s full of soldiers led by Thompson 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 Thompson. 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. Working with Matt and Hana In " Unexpected " Sprague is seen visiting his wife's 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. Capture and Escape 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. In " .07% ", Ted is freed by Matt under Bennet's direction. After an alarm is set off, Bennet telepathically tells Matt to tell Ted to generate an Electromagnetic Pulse blast to override the security system. Matt and Ted find Bennet, release him, and escape. After relocating at the Burnt Toast Diner, the trio decide to head to New York to find a tracking system used by the company to monitor superhumans. In " The Hard Part ", after sparking a frozen engine, Ted, Parkman and Bennet arrive in New York at Kirby Plaza. Peter Petrelli and Claire are already there looking for Ted, believing that if they stop him, they can stop the explosion. They get blindsided when Claire reunites with her father, Mr. Bennet, and Peter accidentally absorbs Ted's powers. Death In " Landslide ", Ted, Claire and Peter Petrelli leave New York City to go to a small town where they can hide out for awhile. Unfortunately, they are followed by Sylar . When they are walking, Peter hears Sylar think "he's a fugitive". While the three are trying to escape, they are confronted by police and FBI. Audrey Hanson arrests him on the spot, as Claire and Peter run away, and he is told that he will be imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay. On the ride back, while Ted is handcuffed in an FBI truck, Sylar telekinetically flips the truck over, opens the door, and slices Ted's head open. Police later arrive at the scene (with Audrey present) to get the body. Claire and Peter are also at the scene, away from the accident. 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 by the FBI and Homeland Security to be a terrorist due to his nuclear powers, as they assume the only way he could be radioactive is if he has recently been in close proximity to nuclear material. Ted's first name was thought to be derived from that of the Unabomber, Theodore Kaczynski , but the show's writers claim that was never the intention.1 POWERS AND ABILITIES Ted has the ability to generate and manipulate radiation, which he first discovers after being abducted by the Haitian. At first, his power is very destructive, replicating harmful side-effects such as Radiation Poisoning . 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 he exhibits strong emotions such as anger or sadness, 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 can also go off automatically when he is enraged or sufficiently injured (such as being shot), causing him to explode. Once he begins to lose control of his powers, it is very difficult for him to regain control over them. Ted's control over his powers has grown significantly since the beginning of the series. While practicing with his power in Nevada, Ted learns to create concentrated orbs of radiation in his hands. In the episode " .07% ", Mr. Bennet coaches Ted to emit simple electromagnetic energy, instead of the hard radiation he usually emits. Bennet tells him, "Don't burn hot, burn bright." With this guidance, Ted is able to produce an Electromagnetic Pulse to disable electrical systems. In the episode " The Hard Part ", Ted uses his powers to heat and melt the snow off a car and defrost the engine. 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 Helix appears. Login as "bennet" with the password "claire". Ted Sprague - Assignment Tracker group c3
COMIC BOOK REFERENCE 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 3 1998 by an unidentified woman from Cape Cod who is not believed to have any connections to NBC whatsoever. SEE ALSO REFERENCES |
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