‘Heroes’: No One Told Adrian Pasdar ‘That’ Death Would Be His Character’s Last
Heroes is a superhero drama TV show that ran on television for four years, from September 2006 through February 2010. The show became very popular while it was on the air, but in the years since, it has gained an almost cult following, with some fans binge-watching the series on repeat.
Heroes spawned a merchandising empire, as well as a miniseries that ran on television in 2015. Still, the original series remains the most popular, with the talented actors who appeared in the show receiving the lion’s share of the credit for the show’s lingering success. Adrian Pasnar was one of the biggest stars on Heroes, and as the anti-hero Nathan Petrelli, Pasnar got the chance to show off his skills more than once.
Who did Adrian Pasnar play in ‘Heroes’?
The character of Nathan Petrelli was a complicated one. As played by Pasnar, Nathan Petrelli was New York-based lawyer turned senator who has the ability to fly. Nathan is ambitious and complex and has an anti-hero streak that complicates his relationship with his brother, Peter Petrelli, played by Milo Ventimiglia. As the seasons progressed, Nathan found himself drawing closer to the darker side of his personality, and eventually, he became one of the show’s main villains.
Heroes is full of a lot of twists and turns — and Nathan Petrelli’s character arc was full of shocking moments that kept viewers guessing. In fact, over the years, Nathan suffered multiple deaths on the show, deaths that convinced fans that he was gone forever — until he miraculously popped up again.
Adrian Pasnar wasn’t told that his character’s final death would be his last one on ‘Heroes’
During the run of Heroes, Nathan Petrelli died a total of four times before he finally took his swan song. The first time, Nathan was presumed dead after coming dangerously close to a nuclear explosion. The second “death” featured a mysterious assassin shooting Nathan during a public speech. The politician seemed to be dead, only to be revived for yet another chance at life.
At the end of the third season, Nathan died again, suffering a slit throat, only to come back through a bizarre shape-shifting plotline. After being buried, the resurrected Nathan was once again back in the game. However, by the fourth season, the anti-hero took his final bow when he fell to his death, never to be seen again. According to Screen Rant, Pasnar had no idea that the final death would be his last appearance on the series, and that the actor “wasn’t told he was getting fired, (and) he learned about it from a script.”
What is Adrian Pasnar doing now?
In the years since his run on Heroes ended, Pasnar has remained busy, acting in a wide variety of projects. In particular, he has enjoyed a healthy career as a voice actor, lending his talents to the animated series The Super Hero Squad and the Black Panther show. As a member of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Pasnar played the role of Glenn Talbot on the Marvel TV series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
In his personal life, Pasnar is also a musician and plays with the charity rock band Bands from TV. While he enjoys staying mostly out of the spotlight when he is not working on a high-profile project, Pasnar is still a firm fan favorite — and for those who look back fondly on the original run of Heroes, his work as Nathan Petrelli is certainly a standout.
