Daniel Linderman

Daniel Linder is the main villain in the first season of Heroes.

Daniel met Angela and the other founders of the Company when he was a teenager as shown in flashbacks. They were being held at a place for people with superpowers. Angela and the others managed to escape which led to her having a vision of them in future where thay had formed a company to keep superpowers hidden. Angela's prophecy came true when Adam took Linderman and the others under his wing forming the Company. Linderman and the others betrayed Adam when they discovered his plans to unleash a virus that would kill millions. They imprisoned him and Linderman became the leader of the Company.

Somewhere down the line, Linderman became involved with the mafia and formed an organization called the Linderman Group. He owned several casinos and was able to conduct criminal activity unonticed. Arthur Petrelli and Linderman were working together to blow up New York City. However, Nathan discovered some of Linderman's criminal activities. This led Arthur to order Linderman to have his son killed in a car crash. Nathan survived the attack but his wife was left crippled. Angela discovers their plan after overhearing them talking. She is upset by this but Arthur uses his telepathy to erase her memories.

Linderman uses his healing powers to restore her memory. This leads her to poison Arthur but he survives. Howver, Arthur is believed to be dead from a heart attack. Linderman continues with his plans to blow up New York City by deciding to help Nathan win the election. Meanwhile, Niki Sanders owed Linderman money. To pay off the money Niki's split personality Jessica starts working Linderman as an assassin. He sends her to kill an associate who had retrieved her debt from Niki/Jessica's husband. Jessica/Niki kills him and then he sends her to kill as Linderman had learned Nathan was going to expose him to the FBI.

Jessica fails to kill Nathan resulting in him meeting with Linderman. He then promises to help Nathan win the election and even heals his wif'e's paralysis. To achieve this he has a Company agent kidnap Niki/Jessica's son Micah who uses his powers to rig the election. Linderman's true plan was to have Nathan become the president with the country uniting under him as a result of fear after Peter exploded in New York. Like Adam, Linderman believed that what he was doing would help the world. Niki rescues her son and along with Nathan stop Peter from exploding.

Niki and her husband go to confront Linderman for taking their son. Linderman urges Niki to kill her husband but she refused to do so. Her husband then kills him by phasing his fist through Linderman's head. After his death Bob Bishop takes over the company.

Linderman appears as a ghost in season 3 speaking with several characters. However this was really the work of Maury Parkman (Matt Parkman's father) who was acting under orders from Arthur to make sure things went as planned.