I've read in a few places that a lot of people really don't like him.
I think he is a really great character and fell in love with him right away.
He's my favourite character in the show (over taking Sylar) and I was just a bit shocked by peoples dislike for him.
I just wanted to find out some more opinions.

Cheers peeps.

I like him. Think he's kinda hot.

Well, it's possible to hate a character and find them interesting at the same time. I thought Adam was great. I like that he isn't all-powerful and has to use guile and trickery to make people work for him. They haven't done alot of explaining about the motivations of his character, but I'm not sure that's needed. Adam's just a simplistic opportunist no morals. I would be hard to describe the thought process of someone who has such a long-term world view. Who is this bride that he expects to find him let him out of the coffin anyway? Do we know yet?

I think Adam is a great character.
One of the few that use their minds more than their ability and that makes them the most dangerous.
Sylar is the same way but his abilities elevate his threat level enormously.

I love Adam!
He's one of my favorite characters.

Seriously? How can anyone not like him?

I for one, love him. He's by far the best of the Vol. 2 tailies, IMO. And he's one sexy bastard.

I think I'll just stick with this board for the Adam love!
Like skytech11 said I love the way he uses him mind more then his ability, I think it makes him scarier and really interesting. Just all the time he has had to think about things and what he has done it that time.

I don't know if anything more is explained in the online comics, it says there not available in my area.

A lot of people said he was a really boring and pointless character.

Just so you know, we have an entire Kensei Appreciation Thread in F&G.

AMEN!

Adam = Only good and well written new character from Season 2

I agree 100%.

No.

Adam=1 of 2 good, well written characters from S2. (Possibly 3 now that Maya has also gotten her gorgeous tail into the main story!)

If #2 is Elle (which I know it is ), then I'm afraid I disagree.

She was by far, the least interesting new character. She even says so herself! She had no goals, no purpose, no reason to even be breathing...

But, I'm with ya on Maya. I really hope they give her a better story next season. I like Dania Remirez, I think she's the most attractive cast member, but I just couldn't get into her story.

It is, of course.


Really? I found her perhaps the best utilized of the so-called "tailies." (Which I assume to be some random Lost reference... which show I quit watching early.)

I'm not saying this purely because Kristen is a gorgeous young woman (although she is.) They immediately put her into the middle of the main story regarding Peter. (They didn't introduce her, say, in a distant country with absolutely no connection to any character we've ever heard of...)

They also made her a far more complex character than some would prefer to believe. Wen she was first introduced, we were led to assume she was just another dumb blonde. That, obviously, was wrong. Then we were led to believe she was just a nut job (actually, more a sociopath with homicidal tendencies, but that's semantics.) with Daddy Issues.

From what we've seen, purely onscreen (not counting the GNs this time) that is also not the truth. Part of what we've seen from her is a desire, almost a need, to be the Perfect Agent that Bob wants. In truth, again based on what we've seen, if there's a purely shallow character it's Bob. (He is the socio/psychopath, not Elle.)

In both writing and acting, I consider Elle to be the second best character introduced this season. (With Adam a slight lead over that- my problem with him was the long...extended...drawn out trip to the past.)

Usin the same brush strokes on Adam that people use on Elle (and I still say that the problem the majority have is that she got...close...to Peter- heck, some have even admitted as much), we have yet another shallow character.

Elle- Psychopath with Daddy Issues. Likes to shock people.

Adam- Immortal, and bitter. Wants to kill everyone.

It wasn't just wanting to kill everyone, that sold me. When he told Hiro, he was looking to create the next "Noah's Arc", he instantly had me into his story. It's one thing to want to commit murder, it's another to want to commit a massacre.

Yeah, the Feudal Japan was a little dragged out, but once see him in the present, it never goes dull.


Trust me, I'm all for the 'mystery card', but it is the daddy issues that just makes me care less about her. (Angela and The Haitian are perfect examples of a great 'mystery card' character) I just hate how she acts so badass, yet she never backs it up. I waited the whole season, expecting her to kill Bob. And of course, nothing... That, and that alone, would make me like her.

The problem is Bob has too much hold on her. They showed that by the way he handled and treated her.

Had they decided to write it so her character could kill him last season it would have actually ruined it. It would have been completely unbelievable.


And the comparison between my "broad stroke" of Adam, and you're analysis? I completely agree- and that's my point. The broad strokes are people looking extremely shallowly at the character. (Admittedly, some of the characters...Alejandro...don't invite a deeper look.) To people willing to actually look at what's shown, there's far more than a "broad stroke" will show.

I love Adam's character. Easily the second best villain on the show, and the best used villain of S2. I just disagree with everyone's casual dismissal of Elle. I think it's looking to simply at what was shown. (They were setting her up to be more important further on in the season, if I had to guess... and they never got to use her.)

Since this is the Adam thread.....I will just say this about Elle......she adds nothing to the show except some eye candy for the boys...which is fine...but let's not make her importance out to more than it is. Oooh...she has daddy issues....what character doesn't? That's the most cliche thing in the world. Not profound...not original. I think between the Petrelli's daddy issues, Claire's daddy issues, Matt's daddy issues, Hiro's daddy issues, and Niki's daddy issues...we got that whole area covered. Anyway, that's my opinion.


Okay...now back on topic. I agree with Flyingman that Adam is by far the best new character. I think he got short shrift though but mainly because of the writers strike/shortened season. He is not only villainous but obviously has the charisma to get people to follow him...which in my opinion makes him more dangerous than Sylar...but also more attractive (in the non physical way). I like him better than Sylar as a villain. And I hope he has a large part in Vol. 3.

Also, I admit...I like him because he's hot. That's right...sometimes I'm just shallow like that...which I will totally admit.

I agree that Adam was by far the best new character as well.
As far as villains go, in the long run Adam would be the most dangerous with his manipulative abilities and his 400 year knowledge base.
As a stand alone villian however, I would have to give the edge to Sylar. He is also highly intelligent, driven and ruthless. His abilities will continue to grow and he needs no one else to help him.
Adam's healing ability is defensive only, it is his cunning that makes him so dangerous in my opinion.
And yes, Elle is nice to look at but Maya beats her out there without the gooey mascara.

You're right. One on one....Sylar is definitely more dangerous. His abilities alone...plus his compulsion to kill, make him far more deadly if you pit him against another SG. But Adam has the capacity to build an army to do his bidding. Adam could be a Jim Jones or even a Hitler. Also, we've seen that while serial killing is his thrill, Sylar is not really aiming at mass murder....he was as freaked as anyone when he figured out he might be the bomb. Adam on the other hand...would love to take out the human race. Adam is an ideologue....Sylar's only cause is his own gratification and power. Ideologues are far more dangerous.

Using the same logic:



Adam/Kensei/Whatever the name of the decade is: Drunk who wants to kill people so he can feel special. Been there done that. The only twist is he's immortal.



Now, I like Adam. He's well acted, well written (now that he's not be used in the extended...and extended...and extended... 17th century Japan storyline), and a fascinating character. But, at his core, he's a character we've seen on this show, and most other shows on television. He's a drunk that had the potential of becoming a hero, but allowed bitterness to get in his way. He's been harboring a grudge against Hiro in particular, and humanity in general, for most of the past 400 years.

He wants to kill people (in large numbers) so he can become the Hero, and feel special about it. Hmmm.... sounds similar (at least in the broad strokes) to a villain we already had.

Fair enough. Elle and Adam both are cliched.....I just find Adam much more interesting and entertaining than Elle. I think they could write alot of great stuff for his character. Elle I think is just fluff on the side. I know you love Elle and that's cool. I myself love Parkman best...certainly not everybody's cup of tea. So let's just admit that we both like characters who are cliched for the simple fact that we think they're hot. (Yeah...that's right teddy bear is hot IMO ....so is Adam.)

Fair enough. (I don't like Elle simply because she's hot, but that's definitely one of the reasons. Heck, it's the only reason I stuck with Maya until her story actually started getting interesting by actually tying into the stories we all care about.)



I agree, Adam is an interesting character. I just think Elle is too. Oh well.

I think Adam has the potential to be an excellent villain. And maybe they should team him up with our already awesome villain Sylar. ()

Adam's motivations were a bit cliched, yes, but I believe that they can build on that.

I really loved Adam and was kind of disappointed when he was made into a villian. He has such potential as being a character who was more grey than evil, and now it seems they plan on him being a regular vilian, Hiro's nemisis. There seemed to me to be inconsistencies with the way they wrote him, or at least less explanation. He did start out as a drunk with no motivation, but then later he clearly tells Hiro you gave me a purpose, for being. Made something of me. He really wants to do the right then, he is not evil then, or crazy, and it doesn't seem he has no morals. We're not shown that. In the end he feels betrayed by Hiro. To me it was his mistrust that changes him. I don't see him being like Sylar, at all who clearly was messed up from day one with a Mother who only wanted him to be somebody, and showed no love for him. I really hope when they bring him back they do more background on him, 400 years is a long time. Believing he's nut job is better than him just being evvvvill. So he thinks humanity has never learned its lessons with war, global warming ect and wants to do a good clean sweep to save us from ourselves, but then, to have him say, and if-- there's anyone left I can be their hero. Ah, if there's no one left, there won't be anyone to be a hero for. You have to want someone to be left Adam. You'll be living by yourself for the next century. That dialogue made no sense. At first, I figured, he planned on using his miracle blood for a vaccine so, he could be a hero to the human race, that would of been good. Anyway, I hope they write him better in Villians but with too many charcters there's no time to write people well, and he still has alot of potential. They made us sympathize with Elle, so Adam can be not all bad. I like glimpses of the past, him trying to be a hero, through the 400 years he was alive, but then eventually, after seeing anyone he cared about die, and people not changing become who he is now, that would be great. If I have to see Jessica, come back, (can't take her) they can at least do Adam, some justice. Oh, and villian or not, D.A. is easy on the eyes.

Adam is a more cerebral type of villiain.....like Dr. Soran was in Star Trek Generations. I love villians like that but they are self motivated, emersed in self interest surrounded by self worship.
Sylar on the other hand is a typical psychopath. His persuasiveness is not unlike Adam's and can get people to do the things he wants too....case in point....Maya. Sylar is a villian you love to hate.

As far as new characters this season..Adam was one of the best....but...I think Monica is a true diamond in the rough. Her ability, IMHO, is one of the coolest. I would learn everything I possibly could if I had her "gift". Her character has great potential and I think she would be a great agent for 'good'. She is also young enough to be tempted, swayed and/or manipulated into doing things she wouldn't normally do making her vulnerable.

So does anyone think Sylar will be able to hear Adam underground half a world away? Does Sylar go to Japan for some reason and hear Adam there? Do you think the two ever meet?

[ If I have to see Jessica, come back, (can't take her) they can at least do Adam, some justice. Oh, and villian or not, D.A. is easy on the eyes.
[/quote]
First off, don't be dissing Jessica.( Synch will get ya)
And B- Who the heck is D.A.?

1) That's right. And don't forget it! (And if I don't, TwiceStruck will take care of it!)
2) D.A.=David Anders=Adam/Kensei/half-dozen-other-names

Completely disagree.
He started as a worthless drunk. He was shown how to be a Hero, and seized that opportunity.
However, he feels, Hiro betrayed him. That started nudging him back along the wrong path. Follow that with over 4 centuries in which he has seen "humanity for what it is."
That means he's survived, and probably fought in every major war I can think of off hand. Definitely the Revolution, Civil War, The War To End All Wars (WW I), and the one that followed it (WW II).

Adam has chosen his path, the path of the villain. We're shown the choices he made to be evil.


Actually, the dialogue made perfect sense, it just didn't work on a surface level.

That dialogue proved him to be every bit as messed up as Sylar, just in a different level. He has a Messiah Complex. It's a very real psychological issue. He has to be the Hero- even if it means he is the reason a Hero is needed. (There are very real cases of people creating disasters just so they can sweep in and rescue the endangered. Unfortunately, it rarely works out.)


Not the same at all. They made us sympathize with Elle because they showed us that most of her problem is Bob. Whatever he did to her, this is what Noah says about her, "I was there. When your father first brought you in. You were a normal girl. Unicorns and rainbows. And then they started the testing. The human brain isn't built to take that much electricity. You poor girl."

In other words, Bob is the reason her brain is messed up. Combine that with his constant beating down of her psyche, making her crave his approval no matter what it takes, you have a messed up girl through no fault of her own.

Adam, on the other hand, is messed up entirely through his own doing- and he's completely "bad."


That's something you're unlikely to see. He's selfish. That's something we saw even back when he was trying to be the Kensei. The only reason he wanted to be the hero was to get the girl.


I'm sorry... I like the character, I really do. DA's a tremendous actor, and the character is an exquisite villain (although not comparable to Sylar), but trying to make the character somehow something/someone other than he is will ruin him.

I agree with this for the most part. I think this is a pretty good assessment of him. But I would take it a step further and say that he has a God Complex ...not just a Messiah complex (which would imply a savior complex, at least in my mind). I think he has more of an Old Testament...'I will smite you guys cuz you suck' mentality rather than 'let me show you the path because I'm the only one who can save you'. He doesn't want to save...he wants to punish.


That being said....he's a great villain. I like him, as much as I can like a villain, anyway.


(I love working my favorite word into an actual post..I rarely get to do that. Usually I just have to smite people at random. )

My apologies.
I realised on the way home it was David Anders and was going to correct now but TOO LATE!
For some reason I was thinking D.L.!
Anyway, She can't POSSIBLY be dissing Jessica. Niki, I can understand but Jess? Come on!

Exactly what make Sylar and Adam excellent villians. I love to hate Sylar. I just hate Elle...

I understand what Synch is saying about Elle having no choice to be "messed up". But I don't think that's true. We all have a choice in who we are. And until I see Elle make that choice, I will continue to dislike her character.

Let me ask you a question?

Someone came along and literally messed up the chemistry in your brain. Because of that, you don't have a normal "moral compass" anyway.

Now, that same someone makes sure you can't remember him messing you over that way.

And, finally, that same someone spends the next several years turning you into a weapon. You have to beg for praise from that person, but he's quick to jump on you every time you screw up. You don't have a normal moral compass, and the person you idolize (because, despite everything, you still need that praise that is so rare in coming) is so far in the black zone that you have no idea of how to act "good."

Now, you're messed up. Your idol ("daddy") isolates you from any healthy role models. You're not even aware you have any choice in the matter.

How would you act?

After this one? That would be two.


That doesn't mean anything. I've seen in real life cases, REAL people come back from traumatic events (abuse, rape, child molestation, drugs, etc...)

Quoting Mohinder:

"It is free will, that makes us who we are."

I don't care how screwed up you are...you have a choice.

I'm not disagreeing, at least not entirely. I'm just saying, in real life and in the show, you have to be aware that the choice is possible before you can make it. Until recently, Elle wasn't aware that things could be different. Until Noah started talking with her, and things started happening in the GN, that she could be different.

And yet all she did is "I saved Mohinder and Molly from Sylar, Daddy will be so proud of me!"

Again, I understand what you are saying. And as I've said before, I'll suspend my judgement until Season 3. But I'm really expecting to see some changes in her.

I guess that's actually what I'm talking about. It's been drilled into her, apparently from further back than her memories actually go, that "make Daddy proud" is her sole reason for existence.

Although I agree, I hope we get more from the character this season. I think it looked like they were preparing her to move away from Bob's grip.

Oh, how shallow our society has become.

But I hate Adam because of his character... How can people like him?

@Synch: ...I must question your credibility if you are biased to Elle and Maya just because of their looks... >_>

Never denied that about Maya. However, I would argue that it was the reason I gave her enough time for her story to tie into the main story line. Now that she is, the indications are that the character will actually become watchable for more than just looks.

Elle, on the other hand, is much different. Is she gorgeous? Unarguably. However, her stroy was immediately tied into the main story. In acting and writing, she was easily the single best S2 character, with the possible exception of Adam. In truth, she was even used better than most of the S1 characters that returned.

And you're arguing that our society has become shallow because someone likes a fictional character, on a TV Show, because of looks?

It's a TV show. Hotness counts. I see no problem with that as long as we are honest in admitting it's part of the reason we like a character. Not sure what your point is.

And wow, I'm fixin to defend Synch! I hate Elle and Maya....I hate their characters. But he likes them. So? He can like them for whatever reason he wants. Damn. It's a TV show...not the presidential election.

...XD I gave Maya time because she had potential...

And I hated Elle at first, but then grew to like her because of her character, not her looks...

And not just someone... Look at most of the Sylar fanbase (and half the Adam fans in this topic)! Especially that girl (or I think it's a girl) with the crazy fonts for every line. She got pissed at me when I said that his character went down the drain in season 2. Then not to mention the people in this topic that specifically say that they like him for his looks... No wonder they hired David Anders. >_>

Do people like fictional characters in books and stuff because of looks? Definitely not!


...How? It might count for if the actor gets hired or something, but how can you like a one-dimensional character because "he's super hot!"? >_>

Well mainly to p*ss off people like you. Nobody has to justify their preferences to you. Get over yourself man.

...So you have no reason for liking him other than he's hot?

No wonder the writing in the second season is vastly inferior. >_> XD

Actually, if you had read the entire thread...I listed several reasons why I like him and his character...I also like him cuz he's hot. But trolls rarely actually read threads. Generally they just like to come in a start arguments over nothing just to be a pain in the ass.


But you're right, I am the reason Season 2 is not as good as Season 1!!! I am the reason for all the problems with the world today. Because I think an actor on a TV show is hot. That is the kind of power I have.

Who are you talking about?

I did read the whole thread, but I didn't look at who posted each one. >_>

But I mean the legions of [insert shallow, one-sided character here] fans that like that character because of something superficial. Not just you. Don't be so egotistical!

Wow...that's rich coming from someone who just said.... But I hate Adam because of his character... How can people like him?

How can anybody like a character that you don't like?!?!? OH MY GOD! People have different preferences than you! How will you ever live with that? Does it make your head explode? Is your world all askew?

.......

I mean, how can someone like someone who hates the world, wants to kill off almost all of it, uses other characters (various women, Peter, the 12 founders of the Company, etc.) to achieve this goal, etc.

Oh, wait. He's a pretty boy. <3

I think you are totally misunderstanding me. And I'm not sure if you're doing it on purpose or if I am not making myself clear. I like him as a villain. I am a root for the good guys type. My favorite it Parkman. I adore Parkman! Parkman rules! But I can appreciate a good villain. I don't want him to win, obviously....but he is entertaining to watch. You cannot have a good protagonist without a good antagonist. And it never hurts any character if they're pretty.

That being said....I still support the HoSsies right to love Sylar (who I dislike) just because he's hot. I support people's right to like Maya and Elle (who I hate) just because they're hot. People can like whoever they want for whatever reason they want. And nobody should be putting them down for it!!!!


Unless of course, they like West. No, no....Just kidding.

That's better, I guess. >_>

I don't personally like Parkman's character in season 2 (he left his wife because the baby wasn't his? ), but I like his ability... =D

I disagree with liking characters based on looks of all things, but I can't change the world. XD

I tried to like West, but him stalking Claire at first, and then leaving her because she was going to "come out" made me hate him. >_> But eh... XD

Did you seriously compare a completley non-visual medium to a heavily visual medium?

Books demand much more than TV and Movies. By their very nature, TV and Movies are visual and far more shallow than books.

As for why we like some characters over others? There can be no doubt that we give characters we find physically attractive more time than those we don't. Not only is there nothing wrong with that, it is expected. That's why they hire "pretty" people in the first place.

However, if you take the time to actually read, almost all of us have given multiple reasons for liking some the characters we like. For instance, I do not find Elle, or even Maya (although it took them forever in her case), to be shallow, single dimension characters.

And, although I do not find Adam attractive, I do not find him a single dimensional character at all. We like him because he's an excellent villain.

Exactly. I think you explained what I mean better than I did.