Henry DeTamble

* Adult
* Young

**Henry DeTamble** is the male protagonist in the HBO Max original series, *The Time Traveler's Wife*. He is portrayed by Theo James, Brian Altemus, and Jason David.

Since he was 7 years old, Henry's been a time traveler. It's not a superpower, it's a condition; he can't help it. Sometimes, when Henry is stressed or worried — and sometimes for no reason at all — he loses his grip on the current moment and falls naked into the past or the future. One minute he's making breakfast, the next he's naked at a hoedown in 1973. He can be stuck there for any amount of time, he never knows. His life is a rollercoaster of constant danger and white-knuckle survival. Growing up with a problem - time travel - presents unique challenges for young Henry. First discovering his ability at age 7, he is mentored by an older time traveler whose true identity will one day come as a surprise to him.

Until one day he meets a beautiful redhead in the library where he works. Her name is Clare Abshire, and although he's never seen her before, she claims to have known him all her life. Finally his curse has given him something good, and Clare and Henry are about to have the time of their lives.

## Biography

### Twenty Eight

Henry works as a librarian and has a playboy reputation. He dodges questions from his co-workers about his mounds of clothes that are dropped in random places. He then goes downstairs where he meets a beautiful redhead who instantly knows who he is. She calls him Henry, but finds his surname to be odd, something that will take getting used too. He's perplexed but understands that she knows about his condition. She explains they have met several times before, none of which have happened yet for Henry. He's never met someone in the wrong order before. She knows his squished strawberry-shaped birthmark on the inside of his foot and the scar on his forehead that he never likes to talk about. Both completely enthralled with one another, they agree to meet for dinner.

He rushes back to his messy apartment to clean in a flurry. He suddenly sees the bathroom floor covered in a puddle of blood, which vanishes before he can clean it up. Henry is thrown through time where he meets his seven year old self who has just time traveled for the first time. While hiding his true identity, Henry assures the boy he's okay and that 28-Henry is a fellow time traveler. He tickles the underbelly of one of the giant dinosaurs then lifts 8-Henry up to do the same. They sit to have food as he explains the situation to an excited young Henry, who is thrilled about his new powers, until his cynical older self lays out the truth: he'll be thrown from one place to another always naked, hungry and alone. He'll have to run, fight, and steal to survive. Young Henry is worried they're the bad guys, but older Henry simply says they're survivors. He reassures the boy when he begins to have physical symptoms before traveling back to his own time. Now alone, an older Henry travels back to an alley where he interrupts a bad date.

He fights the man to steal his clothes, quickly explains to the girlfriend that despite him being shockingly naked, she won't remember much about him if she tries to call the police. He asks for the bouquet of flowers that the now-scathed date brought her. Henry shows up for his date with Clare just in time. She remarks that he brings her flowers which is new, as he's never brought flowers for her before. She explains that he first appeared to her when she was six and has visited her 152 times over the past 14 years. She presents a notebook full of dates of when he visited her, having been given the dates by an older version of Henry, who memorized them from the book she's presenting to him now. The oldest she's seen him is in his forties and youngest in his thirties. He asks a flurry of questions at her request, including any sexual proclivities. She admits there is one - she's going to marry him someday. She explains that he told her that once and she has no reason not to believe him. Henry is taken aback as he's non-committal and adverse to the idea, but tries to brush off his concerns. They exchange witty banter before leaving the restaurant together.

They go to his apartment which he properly cleaned up before leaving. He sets an ambiance before they make out, excusing an interruptions of her finding a baby tooth. He explains that every part of him travels through time - even the baby tooth he put under his pillow as a child. He explains that she should know that sometimes there's blood when he travels, meaning that somewhere out there, an older version of him gets hurt. She already knows but he refuses to let her elaborate about his future. He only cares that it's not today. They have sex and she goes to the bathroom after, only to return in a woman's robe to an expectant Henry.

She advises him not to hide things in the bottom drawer as it's the first place she looked. She throws another woman's bra at him before collecting her things in a flurry. He tries to defend himself as she didn't ask if he was single, a fact she thinks he would have mentioned between the restaurant and the bed. He does have a girlfriend named Ingrid, but didn't want to tell Clare as he wanted to sleep with her. She snaps back that Ingrid should be careful as she's here now, prompting Henry to point out how crazy that makes her sound. His remark that she wasn't crazy enough not to sleep with earns a shoe being thrown at his head, which he dodges. She calls him an asshole then runs out of the apartment. Henry goes back inside before deciding to follow the angry redhead. He stops across the street and sees a 36-year old Henry talking to Clare inside.

Henry waits until the older him comes out to stand at the sidewalk. They greet one another as 28-Henry makes crude remarks about Clare and his fleeting affair with her. 36-Henry knows it's bullshit and gives him some advice - find the love of his life, which he just did, and then die as slowly as possible. They've both seen the blood so they know what's coming. He just needs to be grateful it's not today. The exchange vulgarities before 36-Henry travels to his own time. As Henry begins to walk towards the bar, he hears a gushing of wind that he recognizes as time traveling. He goes to a secluded alley where he calls out for his older self. He finds nothing around him until he goes further, finding a pair of severed feet. He crouches down then reminds himself that it's not today.

### Thirty Two

A 32-year-old Henry visits Cassie when she's sixteen. She's notably different in her attitude and demeanor. She's passed her driver's test and makes him go for a drive with her. She becomes reckless and drives like a maniac as she tempts fate. She's realized she can't die as Henry knows her in the future, meaning she's invincible. He argues that she can still hurt or kill someone else, or seriously harm herself. She doesn't seem to care as she swerves between lanes of the highway, drives in the wrong direction, and closes her eyes. She asks him several questions about their future together and why he's met her family before, all of which he tries to avoid answering. They eventually skid to a stop by the bluffs.

He angrily asks what is wrong with her, so she angrily remarks it's about time he asked. Henry made her understand that the future is built on the choices she makes now. She might not die, but she could have killed multiple families and been responsible for her mistake for the rest of her life. She asks if he's been arrested, which he has, though he usually vanishes before serious charges can be pressed. Clare wants him to kill a boy named Jason for her, as he hurt her. Henry wants to know what he did but she refuses to tell him, asking that he trust her when it comes to this. Henry ultimately does and arranges for his 24-year-old self to have an alibi. He wants Clare to have an alibi too but she refuses as she wants to watch. She has a gun that she stole from her father and Henry makes a stop at a convenient store for duct tape and a blue marker.

They kidnap Jason from his house and put him in the trunk for her car. She hears him breathing wrong and realizes that Henry didn't get Jason's inhaler. She makes him go back inside to get it, then, as they drive, she realizes they can't kill Jason - only hurt him. Henry jokes that he figured they wouldn't kill Jason after she made him get the inhaler. Clare, emotional, reveals that what Jason did to her isn't funny or a joking matter. She asks if he wants to see what Jason did and he does. She gets out of the car and takes off her shirt, revealing large bruises on her torso, arms, back, and shoulders. Henry holds her as she recounts the events of the night - she and Jason went to a place where people go to hang out. She changed her mind about having sex which he didn't think was fair to him or something she was allowed to do. He got angry and hurt her as punishment, even burning the top of her breast with the cigarette he was smoking. Henry asks if Jason raped her, though Clare denies the assault. Henry is ready to kill Jason but Clare refuses to let him as she only wants Jason to suffer as she did.

They duct tape Jason to a tree as they debate how to hurt him. Jason argues his innocence by referencing texts Clare sent him after the assault that thank him for a great time. Clare explains to Henry that she did send those texts but that she was scared of what he would do if she didn't. She didn't have a great time, something Henry completely understands. Jason sticks to his story that Clare likes it that way, angering Henry even further as he continues to punch the boy while denying Clare's interests. Jason asks how he would know and Henry emotionally screams out that he's her husband and that's how he knows. Clare, despite her conflicting beliefs over the validity of their future, is left surprised by his revelation. He turns to face her as he begins to cough, about to disappear again. She begs him not to go now but he doesn't have a choice. He gives her the marker he bought - he's not sure why, but he thinks she'll need it. He vanishes and returns to his time where he reunites with Clare. He picks up the marker and remarks that he always wondered why she kept it. She muses that he gave it to her. He wonders what she did with it, but she doesn't elaborate.

### Thirty Six

Henry is thrown back into time to the clearing where he met Clare. The girl calls out to see if someone is in the bush, and hears a man vomiting. She throws her shoe which hits Henry in the forehead. He calls out that it's only Henry, her friend, and she knows that traveling makes him sick sometimes. She nervously notes that she doesn't have any friends named Henry. He realizes she's never met him before - this is the first time. He assures her that it's alright as he's her friend now. He doesn't have any clothes and asks her to get some from the house. She obliges and once he's dressed, she notices he's bleeding, so he reminds her she through a shoe at him, but she's not sorry as she didn't know who he was. they pick wild berries before sitting on the boulder in the clearing to talk. She asks if he's ever met dinosaurs but he only stays within his lifespan of travel, which doesn't include dinosaurs. Though he did tickle the belly of one a long time ago. She asks him more questions at his insistence, including if he has kids which he doesn't, and if he's married, which he is - to a woman also named Clare. She asks who taught him the rules of time travel, and he admits an older time traveler mentored him. He begins coughing but assures her that he's okay, but he's about to go. He'll bring her a list of dates the next time he comes but asks that she put his clothes in a box under the rock for him. He would appreciate some food too if she has time. She's excited to watch him vanish into thin air.

He lands on top of a car before rolling onto the sidewalk. He is struck in the head by a shoe that's launched out an apartment window. He hides behind a wall before watching a 20-year-old Clare angrily run out of the building, followed by a 28-year-old Henry. Both Henry's shout after her at the same time. The older Henry follows Clare to a bar where he approaches her to apologize, as he watched the ordeal for five minutes. She's confused as she just sat down. He places her shoe on the table and she looks up, realizing that a 36-year-old Henry is in front of her. Clare is relieved to see her Henry and he explains that he just came from the first time she threw a shoe at him. She's still not sorry about either occasion. Especially, if the big secret he always kept from her is that he's a secret asshole. He explains that is every man's secret. They banter over his younger self being hotter and in better shape, though Clare grumbles over the remarks. Henry explains that time travel has never done one good thing for the man who is standing across the street impatiently staring at them. For that Henry, the future is the scariest thing of all, because anyone can stand any kind of torture except hope. She wonders how that Henry becomes the one in front of her. She's jealous of her older self who gets the good Henry while she gets a dick. She wonders if he gets hit by a meteor or something. He did - a meteor named Clare. She admits to forming herself around the idea of him and is surprised to learn that he did the same. He implores her to give him a second chance as the guy out there has a good heart.

He leaves the bar and greets his younger self. 28-Henry makes crude remarks about Clare and his fleeting affair with her. 36-Henry knows it's bullshit and gives him some advice - find the love of his life, which he just did, and then die as slowly as possible. They've both seen the blood so they know what's coming. He just needs to be grateful it's not today. The exchange vulgarities before 36-Henry travels to his own time. He crashes onto a couch then rolls to the floor. He goes upstairs to a bedroom where he climbs into bed next to a 28-year-old Clare, happy to be home. She asks where he went so he raises her fingers to his forehead to feel the cut. She chuckles then apologizes for hitting him with her shoe. He sighs as it's about time.

### Forty One

Clare sketches Henry fondly while he poses for her on their rock in their clearing. A 41-year-old Henry visits Clare when she's sixteen, before the assault. She goads him by not putting clothes in his box, luring him into playing a game of checkers - each piece he takes is worth one article of clothing. He plays remarkably well which disappoints her. She tries to make advances on him, but he refuses her. They go out for ice cream so she can "cool down". This is their first public outing, and he takes note of her observances of other friends and a boy. She brushes off his questions that she wants to hang out with them.

## Personality

Since the age of seven, Henry develops the ability to adapt quickly to his surroundings, an unfortunate side effect of falling naked through time. He learns to steal, lie, fight, and survive whenever needed. As a child, Henry is wide-eyed and excited about the world around him, especially his newfound condition. He longs to change the traumatic experience of witnessing his mothers death from the outside, having traveled back a few seconds before the collision to witness her decapitation. He refuses to believe that he can't change things, though the tough guiding hand of his future self helps him learn to accept the past and embrace the future. His excitement about time traveling changes over the years, with his 16 year old self taking advantage of his unique condition to enact a sexual proclivity. However, constantly popping in and out of time makes it difficult for Henry to form proper relationships with others, especially friendships and romantic endeavors. He becomes witty, sharp-tongued, blunt, sarcastic, carefree to an extent, guarded, and great pushing others away. He cares little for his surroundings and taking care of what others would find important, such as the cleanliness of his house.

Henry has a way with words in which he can get himself both into and out of any situation presented to him. His desire to keep others away is, in part, due to his knowledge of his bloody, impending death. He knows that one day he'll die in a horrific way and hopes to spare anyone that loss. He is afraid to let people in out of fear that he'll be brought back to the time when they die and be forced to relieve that loss over and over again. He witnesses his mothers death at nearly every age in his life, sometimes multiple times in a year. After suddenly meeting Clare, the self-proclaimed love of his life and future wife, Henry is left reeling and struggles to understand his role in both their lives. She challenges him at every turn, expecting him to be his future self that she fell in love with as a child, while also longing for the strong-willed man in front of her now. He introduces her to the tough realities of time travel, including that their choices are always predetermined. With prodding from her, Henry begins to open himself up and be honest with his fears, hopes, and life.

By the time he's a matured adult, Henry has been shaped into the man he was when he met Clare. A kind, gentle, patient, and witty man with a loving touch. He is tough on his younger self, knowing that he needs to endure to become the man he is now. Adult Henry, especially in his thirties and forties, has clamed significantly from his wily banter-filled youth, but retains his abilities to banter with both himself and Clare. He has a lifeline with Clare and a focal point, a reason to return to his present and treat himself and others correctly.

## Appearances

**Season 1**

* Episode 1
* Episode 2
* Episode 3
* Episode 4
* Episode 5
* Episode 6

## Notes and Trivia

* At some point, Henry is captured and tortured in a cage with electrocution rods. He also ends up hiding from helicopters who are searching for him, running from police, and interacting with his parents.
* Multiple versions of Henry can exist in the same time period, with a seemingly unlimited number having been brought back to watch Annette's death and subsequent funeral.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 *The Time Traveler's Wife*, Season 1, Episode 1
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 *The Time Traveler's Wife*, Season 1, Episode 3
3. ↑ Season 1, Episode 5