Tracy Strauss

Tracy Strauss, portrayed by Ali Larter, has the ability to freeze anything that she touches. Introduced in the third season, she is an adviser to the governor of New York who recruits Nathan Petrelli as a senator. She is the triplet sister of Niki Sanders and Barbara, all three having been genetically modified by Dr. Zimmerman and separated at birth, she is also a biological aunt of Micah Sanders. According to writers Joe Pokaski and Aron Coleite, Niki was written out of the series and replaced with Tracy 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.

Plot

Background

Tracy has no knowledge of her origins and ability until Nathan mistakes her for Niki and a reporter shows her evidence of Niki's sexual endeavors. Her emotional reaction to the reporter causes her to inadvertently freeze and kill him. Tracy eventually visits Niki's funeral in New Orleans, and meets Niki's orphaned son, Micah Sanders, who helps her discover that she and Niki were born on the same day to the same mother, Kelly Sullivan, and delivered by the same doctor, Dr. Zimmerman. After visiting Dr. Zimmerman, who tells her that there is no way to remove her ability, Tracy returns to New York where she tries to commit suicide, only to be saved by Nathan. The two visit Angela Petrelli, where they learn more about the Company's experiments, and Mohinder Suresh, who captures them as part of his experimental research. In "It's Coming", Tracy accompanies Nathan to Pinehearst, and watches as he confronts his father. After Nathan then heads to Primatech, Tracy goes back into Pinehearst and tells Arthur that she thinks she can get Nathan to side with him. Nathan eventually comes around, and Tracy introduces him to the team of Marines they intend to use the formula on. In "Dual", she saves Nathan's life by freezing Knox, who was about to kill him. With Peter and Flint destroying the lab and formula, she tells Nathan that they can get the formula and start over, but Nathan fires her. She tries to take the formula from the safe in Arthur's office, but Hiro and Daphne steal it from her. She is last seen picking up Mohinder, cured of his mutations by the completed formula, as he stumbles along the side of the road. In the Heroes graphic novel "What We Have Wrought", during the car ride Tracy reveals that she salvaged a vial of the formula under her dress. She asks Mohinder if he can reproduce another batch of formula; he responds by running out of the car and crushing the vial. He walks off in the distance, leaving an angry and upset Tracy.

Two months after this, Tracy is back working for the government. However, she is soon captured by one of Nathan's teams, and is later loaded onto the plane with the other captured posthumans. Whilst the flight is in progress, Claire frees her, and Peter absorbs her ability without knowing. He touches the wall of the aircraft, and it freezes, creating a large hole that causes the plane to go down. After the crash, she is found by Peter, whom she offers to Nathan in exchange for her freedom. However, Nathan double-crosses her, and she is recaptured. In "Building 26", she is chained to a chair under large heaters to prevent her from using her abilities. When her old friend from the government comes to examine Nathan's plans and sees Tracy, she immediately goes off to stop his funding. The Hunter, however, secretly loosens Tracy's chains and leaves the door unlocked. Falling into his trap, Tracy escapes and takes a man hostage, eventually killing him when she realizes that she can't escape. Her friend, seeing this, promises all the funding that Nathan needs. Believing Nathan to be responsible for her allowed escape, Tracy tells him that she knows what he did. In "Shades of Gray", Tracy gets a message from "Rebel" telling her help is on the way. Nathan, afraid of Tracy outing to Danko about his ability, reminds her that he his only chance of help and survival. Trusting Nathan, she lies to Danko for him.

In the episode "Cold Snap", Tracy is freed from her prison by "Rebel", and is allowed by Danko and Bennet to escape (freeing Parkman, Mohinder and Daphne in the process), so that she can lead them to "Rebel"; Bennett warns her to go along with the scheme, and she'll be allowed to disappear into the country. She leads Danko's men to "Rebel", who is revealed to be her nephew, Micah Sanders; after Micah chastises her for betraying him, she regrets it and aids him in escaping. Tracy tells Micah to set off the sprinkler system, and as he flees she walks into the open, presenting herself to the troops, and releases a massive outburst of her ability, freezing everything and everyone in her surroundings, including herself. Afterward, her frozen form is shot by Danko, and she shatters. However, after the shattering of her body, her right eye can be seen blinking and a tear rolls across her icy "cheek" just before the camera moves on to the next scene.

Powers and abilities

Tracy possesses the ability to freeze objects which allows her to reduce the temperature of matter at will. She is capable of freezing human beings, as well as inanimate objects. When using her power, Tracy absorbs the heat from an individual, freezing them at sub-zero temperatures, while Tracy herself retains body heat and suffers no ill-effects from the cold. However, she can be frozen if she uses her powers to create a very cold temperature ice wave, as shown in the episode "Cold Snap". While she at first could only focus her ability through her hands, she is later able to expand her control.