- "I'm not a kid, I'm a Firestarter."
- — Tyler to a demonic guard.[src]
Tyler Michaels is a Firestarter who was formerly a foster child, adopted by two Demonic Bounty Hunters, Stephen and Annette. He has been under the care of the Charmed Ones twice and had his powers bound by Piper Halliwell when he was eleven[1], which would be unbound five years later.[2] He's currently living with his current foster parents, the Michaels'.
History
Early Life
- "I'm not going to boarding school. You can't send me away. "
- — Tyler to his foster parents.[src]
Tyler shocked when he sets his bed on fire.
Tyler was born in 1990. At some point during his life, he was adopted by two Demonic Bounty Hunters. During adolescence, Tyler's pyrokinetic powers began to develop. Every time that Tyler was angry, he would set something on fire. When he was eleven, his foster parents found it was time to deliver him to Ludlow, an Upper-Level demon in charge of a demonic academy. Tyler first thought that his parents were going to send him to boarding school for his bad behavior, and ran away from home.
First encounter with the Charmed Ones
Tyler and Mr. Cowan at South Bay Social Services.
- "There was a fire and in the chaos he ran off. "
- — Mr. Cowan to Stephen and Annette[src]
He ended up at South Bay Social Services. He would not speak to anyone, and ultimately set a garbage bin on fire. Tyler ran out, but was followed by Paige Matthews who took him to her home.
At the Manor, Tyler learned that his powers were a gift. He learned to control them and used them to vanquish his foster parents, Stephen and Annette. However, Tyler felt guilty, as if he did a bad thing, but Piper assured him that he did a very good thing.
Discovering What He Is
She showed him the Book of Shadows and both discovered that his foster parents were actually Demonic Bounty Hunters. Tyler wondered if the Book would have an entry on his species and it indeed did. He read the Firestarter entry from the Book and discovered that he was coveted, meaning wanted.
Ludlow and the Academy
Tyler frozen by Ludlow.
Piper and Leo Wyatt went to the Academy, to Ludlow. Tyler jumped the orb and went with them. As they entered Ludlow's office, Ludlow appeared in a bolt of lightning. After two failed attempts by Piper to vanquish Ludlow subtlety, Tyler had to show Ludlow his power and put him on fire, in the hopes that Ludlow would be vanquished. However, Ludlow was immune to Tyler's pyrokinetic powers and immediately froze him and send Piper and Leo outside.
Piper tried to get back in to save Tyler but the gates of the academy wouldn't let her. Leo went back to the manor to get her sisters, Paige and Phoebe. In a failed attempt to open the gates with a spell, Piper got pissed and blew the gate open. The sisters and Leo entered Ludlow's office where the Charmed Ones immediately began to vanquish Ludlow with a special Haiku, written by Paige. Leo then healed Tyler.
Binding Tyler's Powers
Tyler drinking the Binding Potion.
Back at the Manor, Tyler decided that he wanted his powers bound. Piper made a Binding Potion and bound his powers. Tyler tried to set something on fire and got angry whilst thinking of Ludlow but nothing happened. Tyler was very content and ran to the living room to play games, like any normal teen.
It's unknown what happened later, but it can be presumed that Paige took him back to South Bay Social Services where he would be adopted by the Michaels'.
Second encounter with the Charmed Ones
Piper and Paige come to rescue Tyler.
About five years later, Tyler was once again attacked by demons. The sudden attack and fear unbound his powers and Tyler began to put several things on fire yet again.
Tyler in Unnatural Resources
Piper and Paige came to his aid and vanquished the demons that were after him. It seemed to be that they wanted Tyler's blood, as one of the demons left behind an injection needle with blood from Tyler. His blood, as well as the blood of other innocents saved by the Charmed Ones, was needed for a ritual that brings back the Source of All Evil.
Piper and Paige took him to the Manor were he and other Innocents were taken care of by the sisters. While at the manor, he was reading a comic book.
A few weeks later, Tyler has almost become a student at Magic School. However, he and the other students had been brought to safety when the Source attacked the school. Tyler wanted to stay, saying that Harry Potter let the other students fight as well during the battle of Hogwarts.
A few months later, when Paige's home caught fire, the sisters suspect the connection to Tyler and interrogate him about it. He directs them to a place called Knox Academy, also an institution for magic. After the switch of magic, he became a powerless mortal, but still demands to be part of the Charmed Ones' team to defeat the culprit, Rennek.
Book of Shadows
The entry on Firestarters.
- The Firestarter
- An extremely rare
- and coveted magical
- creature, usually a mortal. The power
- is linked to their emotions. It first manifests
- in adolescence with the onset of puberty.
- If subjugated while still impressionable, they
- can be persuaded to use their powers for evil.
- Because of this, they are often trained to be
- bodyguards of the Source.
Powers and Abilities
- "The power is linked to their emotions. It first manifests in adolescence with the onset of puberty."
- — The Book of Shadows on the powers of a Firestarter. [src]
As a Firestarter, Tyler possesses Pyrokinesis. At first, his power was triggered by anger and placed his hands on the temples of his head, putting something on fire. He learned to control his powers while under the care of the Charmed Ones. He learned to control his emotions and began to use his powers in an efficient way, the first being that he vanquished his foster parents.
Later on, his powers were sealed by Piper Halliwell by the use of a Binding Potion. Five years later, Tyler's powers were unbound when he was once again attacked by demons. The fear and panic, along with anger broke through the potion's effect as a sense of self-preservation. He did not demand to rebind his powers after that.
Notes and Trivia
Alex Black and Holly Marie Combs with the Book of Shadows.
- Tyler also appeared in the non-canonical novel "The Brewing Storm".
- Alex Black's role as Tyler in Charmed garnered him a "Young Artists Award" in 2003.
- Tyler's appearance in the Charmed Comics was based on Alex Black's look during Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide.
Appearances
Tyler has appeared in a total of 1 episodes and 6 issues throughout the course of the series.
- Season 4
- Lost and Bound
- Season 9
- Innocents Lost
- Unnatural Resources
- Where There's Smoke There's a Firestarter
- Reversal of Misfortune
- The Darklight Zone
- The Power of 300
References
Template:InnocentsSeason4 Template:InnocentsSeason9