Niki Sanders

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Heroes Characters

Series:

Heroes

First appearance:

"Genesis"

Portrayer:

Ali Larter

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About
Nicole "Niki" Sanders is a fictional character portrayed by Ali Larter in the television series Heroes. Niki is the wife of D. L. Hawkins (Leon... (more)

Nicole "Niki" Sanders is a fictional character portrayed by Ali Larter in the television series Heroes. Niki is the wife of D. L. Hawkins (Leonard Roberts) and mother of Micah Sanders (Noah Gray-Cabey). Niki, a sufferer of Dissociative Identity Disorder, displays superhuman strength, being able to literally rip others in half. Initially, she is able to access this power only when her alter ego "Jessica" is in control. Tim Kring, the creator of the show, stated that he originally created Niki with the power to be in two places at once, which stems from her life as a single mother. Niki was also originally written to be a showgirl. However, Ali Larter did not have the proper physique to portray a showgirl, so the character's profession was changed to internet stripper. According to writers Joe Pokaski and Aron Coleite, Niki was written out of the series and replaced with Tracy Strauss so that Larter could play a different role, as they realized that they could not go further with the character. The change also allowed them to tell an origin story, where the character discovers that she has powers. Background Niki grew up with a wealthy father named Hal Sanders. An abusive alcoholic, Hal would often beat Niki and her sister, Jessica, during his drunken rages. Eventually, Hal choked Jessica to death and abandoned his remaining daughter. As an adult, Niki had no memory of her father's actions and simply believed he ran out on her. At some point in her life, Niki herself became an alcoholic and a problem gambler, but she managed to overcome her problems. On her first anniversary of sobriety, Niki attended an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. There, she was reunited with her father, Hal, who wanted to make amends. Niki introduced Hal to her husband, D. L., and her son, Micah. Hal gave the boy a computer, but when he became angry at his grandson for taking the expensive gift apart, Niki demanded that he leave. After her father's departure, Jessica, ruthless and amoral, seized control and went to confront him. Jessica told her father that she remembers everything he did to her, including his responsibility in " death, " even though Niki does not remember any of it. After assaulting him, she forced the check Hal gave Niki into his mouth and ordered him never to contact her again. Plot Genesis As of October 2006, Niki resides in Las Vegas and struggles to raise her ten-year-old son, Micah. She has been working as an internet stripper to pay the bills. Her husband, D. L. Hawkins, is in prison, accused of stealing two million dollars from a sports booker and murdering his own gang. To help pay for Micah's tuition at a very expensive school that Niki believed would encourage his gifts, Niki borrowed money from Mr. Linderman (Malcolm McDowell), a mobster who once employed her husband. Not having enough money to continue paying tuition or repay the loan, she withdraws Micah from the school. The two go on the run, as they attempt to elude thugs and police that Linderman sends after her. As Niki attempts to deal with her predicament, she occasionally leaves Micah with her friend Tina. Niki repays Linderman by being the bait in a badger game with congressional candidate Nathan Petrelli (Adrian Pasdar), producing blackmail material Linderman can use against Petrelli later. During times of stress, Niki begins seeing her reflection in mirrors and other reflective surfaces moving differently than herself, leading her to be concerned about her sanity. After Linderman sends two thugs to her house to collect the money she owed him, an altercation occurs, with Niki apparently blacking out after being hit by one of the thugs. When Niki recovers consciousness some time later, she is shocked to find the two thugs dead and horribly mutilated. Niki has other blackout spells over the following days, one time losing four hours, always with no recollection of what has transpired. Niki eventually realizes that she possesses a split personality named Jessica, the other being far more sinister and amoral than her usual self, and which possesses superhuman strength. Niki is reunited with her husband D. L. after he escaped from jail in order to clear his name. Later, Jessica reveals that she was the one who stole the money, killed D. L.'s crew, and framed him, planning to use the money to give her son a better life and keep him away from D. L.'s influence. After a short but violent fight, in which D. L. reveals the phasing powers that he had used to escape from jail, Niki is defeated and lies unmoving on the floor while D. L. takes Micah away. The next day, Niki recovers from her injuries and confides in her friend Tina about her dreams and her alternate personality. Jessica then resurfaces and tells Tina that Niki will no longer need Tina's help. That night Jessica answers a telephone call from Micah. She persuades Micah, who knows that she is not his mother, to tell her where he and D. L. are staying.  (less)

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