Henry Morgan

Henry Morgan
Biographical Information
Born	September 19, 1779 in Great Britain
Died	April 7, 1814[ep 8] (first death)
Age	34 (when he stopped aging) 234 (as of early 2014)
Marital status	Widowed
Relationships	Nora Morgan (first wife) Abigail Morgan (second wife) Molly Dawes (briefly dated)
Family	Abraham Morgan (adopted son) Morgan Sr. (father)
Occupation	Medical examiner Gravedigger (former) US Army doctor (former) Physician (former)
Time period(s)	modern day
Appearances
First appearance	"Pilot"
Last appearance	"The Last Death of Henry Morgan"
Episode count	22 episodes
Portrayed by	Ioan Gruffudd

“	My name is Henry Morgan. My story is a long one. Something happened nearly two centuries ago and I was transformed. My life is just like yours...except for one small difference. It never ends. Every time I die, I always return in water, and I’m always naked. Now you know as much about my condition as I do. Over the years, you could say I've become a student of death. You see, I need to find a key to unlock my curse. So, I currently work for the New York City Medical Examiner’s office. It holds the largest collection of slightly-chilled corpses in the world. If your game is death, you go where the action is.	”

Dr. Henry Morgan is the main character, and male protagonist, of the ABC series Forever. He is New York City's best medical examiner; he is also immortal, though no one is aware of this minor detail except for his adopted son, Abraham Morgan, and the serial killer called Adam, who is likewise immortal.

Biography

Dr. Henry Morgan is New York City's star medical examiner--and a man whose plight is the exact opposite of that of a normal human. While normal humans do everything they can to prolong their lives, Henry is a man who, no matter how hard he tries, cannot age even a single day--he is immortal. In addition, whilst he can (in a sense) "die", every time he dies, he always comes back, no matter how many times he dies and no matter how it is he dies: whether he is stabbed, shot, hung, poisoned, suffocated, hit by a car, electrocuted, gets his throat sliced, drowns in water, falls from great heights, even caught in an explosion, etc. Henry knows little about what happens when he "dies" except that everything on him disappears--his clothes and personal belongings--and he reemerges in a body of water, naked. The story has yet to elaborate on the cause of this phenomenon in either Henry's or Adam's cases.

Alongside NYPD Homicide Detective Jo Martinez, Henry uses his vast experience and two hundred years of medical knowledge to solve New York City's most intriguing homicide cases. Initially put off by Henry's presumptuous deductions, Jo has come to appreciate his expertise. As we enter the world of each victim and Henry unravels the unique natures of their deaths, layers of Henry's long and vibrant past are revealed. Despite his uncanny ability to dissect a person in seconds (not just bodies in the morgue) Henry spends most of his free time in his "medical lair" trying to find a means by which he can actually die, much to the chagrin of his adopted son Abe--the sole keeper of Henry’s secret.

Early Life

Henry was born September 19, 1779, and experienced his first death at the age of 34 on April 7, 1814.^{[ep 8]} He was a doctor aboard the slave ship called "The Empress of Africa". Henry was murdered by the crew with the captain's flintlock pistol while trying to help free the slaves^{[ep 18]} and prevent the murder of an ill captive. His body was thrown overboard, which may explain why he reemerges in water.^{[ep 1]} Henry believed that he was cursed because he failed to free the slaves when the "Empress of Africa" foundered. However, Henry later learned that one of the slaves got the key, led a revolt against the crew and were able to make their way to freedom in the North.^{[ep 18]}

Return Home

In 1815, Henry returned home to his wife, Nora. Though overjoyed by his return, Nora tries to find out what happened. Eventually, Henry relents and tells her of his immortality. He tries to prove it to her, by slitting his wrists, but she stops him, claiming she believes his story. However, Nora believes Henry to be insane and has him committed to an insane asylum.^{[ep 8]} At the asylum he undergoes a "hydrotherapy", which is similar to waterboarding.^{[citation needed]}

Note: The wagon that took Henry away had "Charing Cross Asylum" painted on it,^{[ep 8]} but Charing Cross Hospital was not built until 1821.^{[citation needed]} The doctor who spoke with Nora mentioned Bedlam,^{[ep 8]} which is a nickname used for Bethlem Royal Hospital Asylum, which was built in the 14th century, as well as a generic term for an insane asylum.^{[citation needed]}

Southwark Prison

In 1816, Henry was transferred to Southwark Prison, where he shared a cell with convicted Catholic priest. During his three months with the priest, Henry told him of his immortality and how it was a curse.The priest told Henry that his 'curse' was a gift, and talked him into escaping by hanging himself. The priest then asked Henry to go far away and start over. Henry was able to escape, to the priest's astonishment.^{[ep 13]}

Reunion with Nora

In 1865, Henry was working at a hospital in London where he saved a boy from a fire. After his picture is published in the paper, Henry is then reunited with his aged wife, who now believes that Henry is immortal. Henry sees her, but refuses to acknowledge that he is her husband nor that he is immortal. As Henry was talking with a nurse, Nora, comes with gun to prove that he is immortal. However, the nurse jumps into the line of fire, preventing Nora from killing Henry. Henry then watched as Nora was taken away for the murder.^{[ep 17]}

Jack the Ripper Case

In 1888, Henry assisted Scotland Yard Inspector Frederick Abberline in investigating Jack the Ripper's latest victim, Mary Kelly, on Dorset Street. Henry also mentioned that "before Jack the Ripper, Medical Examiners didn't exist." Thus when he examined the body of Mary Kelly, it could have possibly made him the world's first medical examiner.^{[ep 6]}

In 1906, Henry worked a New York hospital alongside a fellow doctor, James Carter. However, James contracted tuberculosis. Henry treated him with a variety of treatments, but was unable to cure him before he passed away.^{[ep 3]}

World War II

During World War II, Henry was a British Army doctor. He was at Normandy beach where he was hit by a shell.^{[ep 10]} At a German internment camp, he met a nurse named Abigail, whom he assisted in saving an infant she had found.^{[ep 1]} Henry and Abigail began a relationship and adopted the baby, naming him Abraham, or Abe, for short. However, when Henry learned that Abigail had been attacked by a soldier, he confronted the man and a fight ensued, ultimately resulting in Henry being stabbed to death. Abigail witnessed him disappearing and so learned he was immortal. Henry attempted to leave, feeling that Abe and Abigail would be better off without him; however, Abigail told Henry she didn't care that he was immortal and that she wanted to be with him. Henry agreed to stay and the pair eventually married.

Orient Express

In 1955, Henry and Abigail went on the Orient Express for their honeymoon. When they reached Romania, Henry was then asked to help save Prince Armen Arnov of Urkesh when his appendix burst. Henry was successful in saving the prince's life, and his father, the King of Urkesh, thanked him by treating Henry and Abigail to dinner and giving Henry his ring.^{[ep 15]} In 1956, Henry and Abigail then met Gloria Carlisle at an art museum.^{[ep 4]} In 1957, Henry started to apply grey to his hair, to make him look older along side his wife. However, Henry, Abigail and Abe are forced to move when a man recognizes Henry.^{[ep 10]}

In 1965, Henry was reluctant to allow Abe to join the US army in the Vietnam War, but was convinced to let him go.^{[ep 12]}

Losing Abigail

In 1985, Abigail disappeared at the age of 65, leaving Henry a "Dear John" letter. Henry was deeply affected by her disappearance and attempted to track her down for some time before Abe told him to let it go, confiscating the resources Henry was using to try and find Abigail. However, Abe secretly continued the research behind Henry's back. He eventually managed to track Abigail down in 2015, to find that she killed herself later in 1985 in an attempt to save Henry from being hunted down by Adam.

Personality

Equipped with two-hundred years' worth of knowledge and a lifetime of experience, Henry has managed not just to acquire genius-level observational and logical reasoning skills, but also a deeper insight into the struggles and mundanities of life. For the better part of his immortality, his acquired erudition allows him to be extremely adept in his job as a medical examiner. The downside, however, is that he is forced to watch all his loved ones die in a way that he never could, leaving him nothing but the memories to cling to for comfort. In fact, it might be this precise reason why Henry has a tendency to keep to himself (as evidenced by the number of times he has rejected his co-worker's offers to spend time together): he is simply tired of watching the people he cares about go somewhere he cannot follow.

Henry is loyal and is dedicated to his work to the point where, when he was a doctor, he actually quit because he chose to protect his own secret over saving someone's life. Henry viewed this as a serious violation of the "Do no harm" oath that all doctors are required to take, and changed his field of specialty as a direct result. Regardless of this, he is still empathetic and understanding.

Memorable Quotes

Main article: /Quotes

Trivia

• He is immortal.
  • Henry was 35 years of age when he first discovered that he was immortal, in 1814.
  • Also worthy of note about Henry is that he keeps on him the 300-year-old pocket watch given to him by his father, a time-piece that was already being handed down from generation to generation before he was born.^{[ep 14]}
• Residence & Occupation:
  • He lives below the antiques shop that Abraham Morgan maintains.
  • He works at the New York County Medical Examiner's Office.
  • He used to be a practicing physician.
  • Two questions nobody asks of Henry Morgan are when he actually joined the New York County Medical Examiner's Office and when he moved to New York City.
• Relationships:
  • He was married at least twice, and then widowed: first when his first wife Nora presumably died of old age, and second when his wife Abigail slit her own throat in an effort to escape from Adam and protect Henry.
    • Nora never remarried after Henry escaped from Southwark Prison in 1816. She was possibly taken to an asylum or prison after she murdered Henry's nurse in 1865 when she tried to prove that Henry was her husband who was truly immortal.^{[ep 17]} She most likely died following that incident.
    • He went on his honeymoon with Abigail on the Orient Express in 1955 but proposed in 1956 after meeting Gloria Carlisle.
  • He and Molly Dawes had a date.^{[ep 16]}
• Languages:
  • He knows the Russian language^{[ep 15]} and, presumably, can read Cyrillic.
  • He has demonstrated an extensive knowledge of Latin, Greek and Urkesh.^{[ep 15]} (Presumably, he is well versed in other cultures and languages as well.)
  • He does not, however, know Japanese, and needs a translator for that language; nor can he read its characters. Henry knows one word in Japanese: Ojisan (means uptight man).
  • He seems to have at least a limited knowledge of German.^{[ep 14]}
• Other:
  • He claims to have perfect pitch.^{[ep 9]} (However, he has not been heard to sing.)

Gallery

Henry reads the letter from Adam.

Henry at his study, looking at an old photograph of his deceased wife.

Henry Morgan's (actual) passport - Episode 1x01

Henry and his physician friend talk about street scammers.

Henry distressed at almost certainly losing his dear friend to tuberculosis.

The dawning of a realization.

Henry walks out of the river, naked, just reborn.

Impaled by a snapped holding bar, Henry pants to his death in the pilot episode.

Henry and others in the trainwreck in the pilot episode.

Henry's first death, being shot and chucked overboard a ship for wanting to keep a sick slave alive.

Henry adds to his death-knowledge base, signifying a pain-level indication.

Henry at the train station in 1888.

Henry and his wife rejoice at being reunited after it was rumored Henry died.

Henry just after a resurrection by the bridge.

Henry reawakens in water after having his throat slit by Adam.

Henry's personal set of post-humous corpse examination tools.

The initial image Henry sees as his life flashes before his eyes upon "death."

Henry in 1888.

Henry and Abigail discussing the prospect of having a child of their own.

Abigail and Henry are surprised at the reward Henry receives for saving the prince of Urkesh.

Abe and Henry discussing Weinraub citizens over breakfast.

Abe and Henry discussing Weinraub citizens over breakfast.

Henry receives the iconic pocket watch from his father.

Henry discusses his father's position in the slave trade.

Henry and his father debate over the moral deficit in Morgan Sr. slave trade.

Henry's operating tools in 1955.

External links

• Character page at Forever official website – archived from the original on April 13, 2016