About

Gabriel Gray, more commonly known by his assumed name of Sylar, is one of the primary antagonists in the NBC drama Heroes. Portrayed by Zachary Quinto, he is a super-powered serial killer who targets other super-humans in order to steal their powers. He served as the primary villain of the first season, and had begun the road to redemption in “Villains” before returning to his evil ways.

Sylar was originally created as a cannibal who ate his victims’ brains and “digested their power”; however, in order to avoid the potential silliness and zombie associations, the producers deliberately made this fact vague in the series, though it is at times implied that he does indeed eat the brains^. In an interview with series creator Tim Kring, it is asked if Sylar eats brains, and he merely states, “That’s the popular speculation.”

Sylar was raised as the son of a watchmaker, but always felt that he was special and deserved more in life. This and the “evolutionary imperative” to acquire new abilities are what drive him to kill the victims with powers. Taking the name “Sylar” from a watch brand, he has shed all connections to his former life as Gabriel Gray to the point where he angrily lashes out at anyone who calls him Gabriel. Quinto has said of his character, “The sad part is, he’s initially well-intentioned. He wants to improve his life. He wants to make a difference. He wants to matter. Through the process of realizing how to do that, he gets blinded and loses himself in the pursuit of it and goes a little crazy-’a little’ being an understatement.”

Quinto also observed, “He’s definitely somebody that has been overcome by a hunger and overcome by a pursuit for power and for importance that did start a little more innocuously than it evolved into.”When asked if he thought Sylar was irredeemable or not, Quinto responded,”I think there’s a certain point at which you cross a line and it’s sort of irrevocable…. I don’t know what the writers have in mind, but it would probably be kind of a challenge at this point, you know?”