Heroes Volume Three: Villains

For a third year running, the hit sci-fi TV series has hit screens world wide, as always, leaving its fans waiting for more. But is this third volume going to be as promising as the first? Or is it going to be a tad disappointing like the second volume.

Generations, the second volume of Heroes was cut short due to the writer’s strike; leaving the original third volume Exodus unmade. The third volume was rewritten as Villains and aired in America on the 22nd September 2008, and followed in the UK on October 1st.

Villains begins four years in the future where the future Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) has a brief exchange with Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere) Peter decides he must go back to the past to stop the terrible future from occurring. He travels back to the present day where Nathan Petrelli (Adrian Pasdar) is about to tell the world about his abilities, where future Peter shoots him. Peter then takes Nathan to hospital where he is confirmed dead, only to come back to life when his brother touches him. Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka) is at his new office at Yamagoto Industries in Japan, his friend Ando enters and they receive a message from Hiro’s father. Kaito's message tells Hiro he has a destiny, to never open his safe, which holds a secret formula. Any Hiro fan knew this wouldn’t happen, and soon the formula is snatched by the newcomer Daphne, who possesses the power of enhanced speed. Matt Parkman (Greg Grunberg), discovers Peter Petrelli is from the future, Peter then teleports him to Africa. Whilst Mohinder Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) isolates Maya’s ability. Sylar, back on his “mission”, finally acquires Claire’s aility, yet he does not kill her, she is just left no longer feeling pain when she injures herself and when she heals.

Angela’s ability is revealed and she has an alarming dream of the future in which is to come, where all of the heroes are dead at the hands of villains. Nathan Petrelli is offered a seat in the senate by Tracey Strauss (Ali Larter) a woman identical to the late Niki Sanders (Ali Larter), Nathan believes she is Niki and Tracey leaves, yet the encounter has disturbed her, later, Tracey is accused of being Niki Sanders and a reporter shows footage of Niki’s sexual encounter with Nathan in Las Vegas and Niki Sanders “adult” website. Tracey accidentally unleashes her ability on the reporter and freezes him. At the PRIMATECH facility in New York, Elle Bishop finds her father’s brain removed and realizes with horror that Sylar is in the building. Elle removes Noah from his cell, giving him a gun, telling him the villain is present. Noah shoots Sylar only to discover he cannot die, Sylar then attempts to kill Elle but she uses her ability to knock him out, but causes the power to switch off allowing the high security prisoners of Level Five to escape. Future Peter reveals hi identity to Nathan, who then accepts the offer of senator. Hiro and Ando are tricked by Daphne at her apartment in Paris when they attempt to get the formula; the two best friends start to mistrust each other due to the future Hiro saw. Mohinder, having injected himself with Maya’s isolated ability has developed his own powers; Maya and Mohinder then “get it on”. The company’s command then falls to the hands of Angela Petrelli, who fires Elle, it is then discovered future Peter placed present Peter in the body of one of the escaped villains. Noah Bennet contacts Claire’s biological mother, Meredith Gordon to protect his family while he helps capture the escapees. Mohinder develops a foul rash as a result of the injection he gave himself. The second episode concludes with Angela Petrelli telling Sylar she is his mother.

The third episode is probably one of the most exciting episodes in terms of content. Tracey Strauss visits New Orleans where she stumbles across Niki Sanders funeral, Micah helps Tracey track down links between her and his mother, from then she is lead to California. Present day Peter (trapped in the body of Jesse) enters a bank with the escapees; Knox, the German and Flint. The villains rob the bank and Peter tries his best to keep peace. Angela Petrelli then pairs Noah Bennet and Sylar to go deal with the bank robbery, the unexpected partnership turns out to be quite successful in the end. Future Peter then takes Present day Peter to the future, Knox escapes the bank, Sylar kills Jesse and Noah takes Flint back to Level Five. Hiro and Ando have a run in with the Haitian while trying to steal the other half of the formula from him, Daphne manages to take the formula and delivers it to the villain she is working for. Claire’s biological mother tortures Calire to discover why her daughter wants to learn to fight, Claire then sneaks away from home with her fathers files to track down other people with superpowers. Matt Parkman continues his spirit walk and discovers the man who found him has painted mostly beginning from when he discovered his powers. The native tells him that one painting has to change. The native had painted Matt's future with a new wife and child, but that life will not come to pass for an unknown reason. The native paints over this image, replacing it with a scene where Matt grieves over a dead woman he holds in his arms. The native man then lets Matt see the future for himself so he knows how to stop it. The episode closes with Hiro, Ando, Flint and Sylar being locked up on Level Five; Noah confiding in the Haitian that when he knows Sylar’s weakness he’ll murder him and with Tracey meeting Doctor Zimmerman who claims to have “created her”.

The fourth episode of Villains is entitled, I Am Become Death. In the future Claire assassinates future Peter, present day Peter then discovers he must acquire Sylar’s ability, he is caught by Daphne, Claire and Knox at the old Bennet house in Costa Verde where Sylar is residing with his son, Noah. Knox accidentally kills Noah and Sylar loses control of his radioactive ability and kills 200,000 people. Matt Parkman’s vision is of this same future, where he is married to Daphne and is raising an infant with her, Molly Walker is also living with them. Claire, tortures Peter, saying she wants him to feel the pain of every death in Costa Verde, President Nathan Petrelli interrupts this and tires to reason with his brother, who cannot control “the hunger” and kills him. Peter then travels to the present where he assaults Sylar wanting to know how to destroy the hunger. Tracey attempts to commit suicide but Nathan flies and saves her, she then reveals her ability to him. Hiro and Ando then vow to get the formula back and dig up Adam Monroe, who knows more about villains than anyone else. And in the meantime, Mohinder is becoming more and more monstrous.

The third volume, Villains will end on December 15th, and Volume Four, Fugitives will pick up sometime after.

The fifth episode of Villains is called Angels and Monsters, and I believe, Arthur Petrelli will make a surprise return fro the dead and turn his families life upside-down.

Villains is fast paced, action packed and exciting. It is defiantly better than Generations and most certainly tops Genesis, and no doubt, it is a much better choice than the lost Volume, Exodus.