Gabriel Gray
Gabriel Gray
Portrayed By Zachary Quinto
Sex Male
Status Registered Evolved
Ability Intuitive Aptitude
Age 40
Date of Birth June 2, 1978
Date of Death May 14, 2019
Occupation SCOUT Officer
Family Virginia Gray (mother; deceased); Zhang Bai-Chan (son; adopted)
Significant Other(s) Eileen Gray (wife)
Present Day sylar_icon.gif

Character History:

Ten years forward, Gabriel Gray is a member of SCOUT. His criminal record is deceptively cleared and his name, while few will forget what it used to mean, doesn't have the same stigma it once did. The moniker of 'Sylar' is a footnote of the past, known only as the alias of the man who was framed for the 2006 destruction of Midtown and used as a tool of the Company in all his murders.

Some remember, however, and know the truth. But in the eyes of the world, this is the truth.

To keep it brief, Sylar (memory returned and all) was apprehended by Homeland Security in late 2009, and imprisoned for up to a year. He was then let loose on a tight leash on the strict instruction to help hunt down the remaining members of the Vanguard, when the government realised the formidable tool they could turn him into. The guarantee? A possible existence outside walls of concrete and metal. They were successful, and Sylar did as was asked of him and granted his freedom after a few years of dedicated service to the United States.

During this time, he was partnered with ex-Vanguardian Eileen Ruskin, who was under similar instructions and promises as he. They worked together to a large extent to complete what was asked of them, and during that time, their relationship turned into something more romantic.

Early 2012, Sylar - or rather, Gabriel Gray as he preferred to be called - was granted a pardon and it became known that he was framed by the Company not only for the Midtown explosion, but also his related murders. Through Eileen's connection to Brian, Gabriel was also reunited with the teenager Bai-Chan, the youngest son of the late Zhang Wu-Long. It was the first thing he did, really, with his new legitimate existence - he adopted Bai-Chan and became his legal guardian, along with Eileen, who he would marry shortly afterwards.

Unwilling to let him disappear off the radar, officials who had originally been overseeing his actions offered Gabriel Gray all-expenses-paid training and employment into branches such as FRONTLINE. Perhaps surprisingly, he instead opted to go into more local law enforcement, and eventually joined the SCOUT division in early 2015 once he had completed his training. There he stayed, and there he currently is by the time 2019 rolled around.

He is committed to his work, echoing his past amnesiac alterego's wishes for a normal, meaningful existence. For once, Gabriel has more friends than enemies, a reasonably happy (if sometimes rocky) marriage. He reunited with past acquaintances (Colette, Abby, even Deckard) and made new ones (Victor, Baxter, Tamara). An unlikely happy ending for a serial killer, who still struggles with his Hunger. But that's what his study - filled with not only clocks, but complex mechanical devices of several kinds - is for, as an outlet for his addiction.

Things took a strange turn when people from the past came to visit the present. Some of the Columbia 14 victims along with a mismatched crew of criminals, Company and ex-Vanguard were mysteriously teleported into the future. Familiar with most of these names, Gabriel made the decision to maintain some distance for the selfish reason of not desiring to burden himself with the notion of having to educate them for when they return to the past.

While he held onto this knowledge with a sort of resigned neutrality, with no real understanding of what would come of it, he kept it secret from Eileen. Their marriage was at a strained point at this time, and Eileen had vocalised doubts as to whether it had even been a good idea. Instead, he chose to make promises he had a feeling he wouldn't have to keep and try to leave the fate of the world to others, and carry out his existence with his wife in happy obliviousness.

This was shot to hell when he made the mistake of attempting to paint the future, too curious for his own good. His power broke, in a sense, and he painted depictions of eternal nothingness at almost exactly the same time Abby made Eileen aware of the time travelers. When the two Grays came together to discuss this, it was clear that Eileen wanted to do something, and she convinced Gabriel that they had too much to lose to let it go now. After a meeting with Helena along with Cat and Deckard, it became clear to Gabriel that while a few of those in the know were turning to him for advice as to time travel, no one actually desired his opinion on what would happen should they go back - not even with his paintings to prove his thesis. He agreed that he would help the time travelers, if only to create more time for himself to figure out what to do.

Eileen and Gabriel formed a plan. They would kill at least one of them, and effectively force their current timeline to continue by disabling everyone from going back.

Teo Laudani had other ideas, and during a heated argument in the aftermath of a failed attempt, he stabbed and shot Eileen while Gabriel was incapacitated. After saying his goodbyes, Teo visited the Gray household not long after to confront a distraught Gabriel and point out the obvious: if this future changes, if Eileen exists in the past, then he could effectively save her by assisting the travelers. This wasn't enough for Gabriel to spare his life - in fact, it had the opposite effect - but his message got through, and if Gabriel's paintings were correct, sealed the fate of the current world.

Gabriel confronted Arthur Petrelli on the rooftop of Pinehearst with nothing more to lose. During a heated battle that included Elle Bishop and Odessa Knutson, Gabriel was overcome by his radioactive ability and took the opportunity to fly himself and Arthur into the sky, destroying the man who would stop the time travelers and allowing them to continue their journey home, while destroying himself in the process. Whether by choice or by necessity remains a mystery.


Personality:

Gabriel Gray is generally polite, subdued, and work-oriented. He speaks amicably to people and when he remembers to do so, he seems to take a genuine interest in the other participant of the conversation. Occasionally, he might even be charming, especially in settings where he has to be sociable and likable. Those who begin to know him a little better might describe him as thoughtful - a polite way of saying broody and somewhat self-absorbed.

Aside from that last trait, those who knew him in the past might wonder where the hell he got the personality transplant.

But this is the surface. A lot of his past traits remain, both active and dormant. He is still unquestionably arrogant, although he's also learned a little tact in that regard, but it will show through in situations when his powers are needed, and his wrist has gotten slapped for it in the past by his superiors. He also, still, has a quick and volatile temper, but in his last few years of being a husband and a father, he's had to learn to keep it in check. Years, too, of being kept under government scrutiny has helped this.

If it's all an act, it's a damned good one, considering he's maintained it for several years. His Hunger seems to be under his control, from learning how to find a suitable outlet (his attic of clocks and machines combined with his police work) through to controlling the empathic nature of his ability and absorbing powers that way. For all intents and purposes, Gabriel Gray is a truly changed, reformed man.


Timeline:

Pre-April 2019
Date Title Summary Participants
01/16/2011 His Face After a year-long stint of incarceration in maximum security, Gabriel is met with jarring freedom and a task at hand. Also an old friend. Eileen
03/02/2011 Discipline The luxuries of heroism and villainy don't come cheap. Eileen
April 2019
Date Title Summary Participants
5th Boy SCOUTs After a car chase with a crook that could have been way more disastrous than it was, Magnes and Gabriel chat about old flames. Magnes
5th Grounding An after work walk through Unity National Mark leads Eileen and Gabriel to conversation they either need to be having, or really shouldn't be. Eileen
9th Niceties Gabriel and Eileen get ready for the ball. Things go unsaid. Eileen
9th Best Dressed Lie The award he and Gillian would probably win if anyone was around to see past their smiles and arm-touches. During the Gala, the two find a corner to snipe at each other in, before parting ways. Gillian
9th High Society's Ballroom Notoriety, Part I, II, III Things go from reasonably good to terrible. Some highlights include: petty bid wars, bros-before-hos moves, and then Magnes throwing Deckard off the balcony. Everyone
9th In The Way There are a few barriers to grapple with, when Gabriel and Eileen return home. Eileen
10th Normal, But Not Normal Seeking to confide in Colette, Gabriel finds Tamara instead. Tamara

Trivia:

  • Despite being forty years of age, Gabriel looks no older than he did ten years ago. It's hard to say if this is some unknown power, some extreme side effect of Abby's ability he's mastered, or Kazimir Volken's ability. The truth is the last option. Despite the degenerative effects it appeared to have on Kazimir, this does not seem to be the case for Gabriel, likely because he does not possess the body of someone else, only his own. Likely Kazimir would have appeared ageless, too, in his first original form. Only time will tell if Gabriel is immortal - literally.

Gallery:

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