Portrait of a Character – Jeremiah Hayes

Jeremiah Hayes is complex.

Origins

Jay and Doug Hayes both needed a father.

Steven Culp himself had suggested that Major Hayes’s name was either Jay or Jeremiah. By using Jay for the Major, it made sense to use Jeremiah for his father.

Portrayal

Jeremiah Hayes is played by veteran actor Steven Culp. I love the idea of using the same actor for both fathers and sons, much like Scott Bakula did in Quantum Leap.

Personality

Steven Culp as Jeremiah Hayes (image is for educational purposes only)

Rigid and somewhat militaristic in his thinking, Jeremiah orders his child or children (depends on the universe; in the prime universe, he has a daughter, Laura. Laura doesn’t exist in the Mirror Universe).

He isn’t necessarily mean, but he is emotionally unavailable. Jay and Doug both seek their father’s approval. For Laura, there is nearly nothing known about her relationship with her father.

Relationships

Lena Beckett

Jeremiah’s only known relationship is with Lena. He is, without question, the king of the castle.

Mirror Universe

In the mirror, Jeremiah is tough and he tries hard to make Doug tough. This causes Jeremiah to send his only child away to boarding school a few months before Doug has to go. The idea is to toughen Doug up, but it frightens the sensitive child. When Doug is beat up enough times, he becomes tough and unfeeling on his own, and without Jeremiah’s help. It isn’t until Doug meets Lili that he learns to open up.

Is Jeremiah a spousal abuser? There have been readers who have interpreted him that way.  My own personal jury is out. I think that in the Mirror Universe, he treats Lena fairly well. After all, I write MU women as having a tough lot in life. Lena is no exception. But it’s quite the coup for her to have become attached to such a strong man. But Jeremiah isn’t necessarily powerful, and they aren’t necessarily wealthy.

Quote

“No, he will be beaten up for it. Don’t you understand? They will tear him apart if they think they can get any sort of an advantage. Do you not get that?”

Upshot

Given how Jeremiah behaves, and what he says in the Mirror, his early life was a lot like Doug’s. Doug gets a chance to redeem himself, whereas Jeremiah never seems to. In the prime universe, he’s mainly just a rigid military man. But in the Mirror Universe, he’s another casualty.

Like this page? Tweet it!

You can find me on Google+.