Nick

Biodata

Power Progression

Nick develops through mission rewards, training, and the practical use of psionics rather than a documented sequence of named ranks.

Background / History

Previous Life and Rebirth

Before becoming Nick, he was a PLA veteran and mess-squad leader. After more than a decade in military life, he moved into civilian employment and spent much of his free time playing games and watching anime, films, and television. He fell from a cliff while helping fight a wildfire and awakened in the body of six-year-old Nick, who had been comatose after a car accident 3 16.

The accident was initially understood to have killed the child's parents. Nick inherited a modest insurance payment and a two-story house, while his maternal aunt, Mary Kessler, raised him. He attended Portland State University and joined the PPB after graduation, influenced both by Mary's advice and by crime dramas remembered from his previous life 3 16.

Early Movie Journeys and Police Career

The Magic Movie Ticket first sent Nick into Alien when his new body was sixteen. It supplied a believable crew identity aboard the Nostromo and tasked him with killing the xenomorph and saving crew members. He died early in the mission. His second journey placed him with Spanish special forces in zombie-infested Barcelona, but the couple he was supposed to rescue had already turned by the time he reached them 3 4 34.

Nick spent more than three years as a PPB patrol officer without firing his service weapon outside a range. That changed when a suspect revealed a hyena-like form and attacked him with a revolver. Nick survived the exchange, killed the suspect, and omitted the transformation from his account to fellow officers 4 5 6.

As a rookie detective, he initially mistook Monroe's werewolf appearance for evidence of involvement in a missing-child case. Monroe's clean record and mismatched shoe tread undermined that suspicion. Their subsequent conversation introduced Nick to Wesen and explained why these creatures feared him as a Grimm 11 15 16.

Canyon Assignment and Dahlia

For his third movie journey, Nick assumed the identity of Levi Kane, a retired Marine sniper. He accepted a secret one-year assignment paying $600,000 and underwent three months of specialized training before deployment to an isolated canyon 22 23 24 25.

There he met Dahlia, the occupant of the opposing watchtower. Their exchanges developed into a relationship, and her instruction greatly improved his long-range shooting. They later fought the Hollow Men together; Nick killed their leader after it offered a Willys jeep in exchange for Dahlia 31 33 36 46.

Dahlia returned with him to Portland. Their immediate concerns included sharing his home and securing an identity for her that could withstand official scrutiny, since she had no legal existence in his world 53 54 55.

Mary's Secrets and the Royal Family

Mary's return exposed the danger surrounding Nick's family. He killed a scythe-wielding attacker outside his home, then learned that her cancer had left her with no more than a week to live. She explained that she had encouraged his police career so he would be better able to protect himself 62.

Mary revealed that his parents had been murdered, not killed in an ordinary accident. She had come out of retirement to draw out those responsible and returned to Portland to pass on the trailer's secrets. She also warned him to protect a key connected to a thousand-year-old secret. A Hexenbiest posing as a nurse and another assassin disguised as a priest attacked them at the hospital; Nick drove off the former and killed the latter 73.

Nick eventually confronted Renard, who admitted ordering Adalind's attack on Mary under instructions from his younger brother. Nick recognized that Renard had hoped to turn his hostility toward the Royal Family into an alliance. Rather than join the family's struggle for power, Nick threatened Renard into restraining further attacks 128 129 130.

Predator Hunting Ground

A later journey placed Nick in Royce's role on an alien hunting ground. He gathered information, identified poisonous upas sap, and helped the stranded group fight Predators. He used the sap on a Combistick during an escape from their camp 96 100 106.

The mission also exposed a crucial limit of Fake Death Revival: after losing all ten fingers, he could survive and heal but could not regenerate the missing parts. Following the journey, he learned to circulate psionics and control how much energy he committed to the Movie Ticket 112 114.

Ghosts, the Cabin, and the Fog

Nick met Dean and Sam Winchester while investigating supernatural incidents around Portland. Although willing to help find their father, he initially wanted to leave ghost-hunting to specialists. The White Lady case confirmed his concern: ordinary bullets and his existing psionic circulation could not stop a spirit attacking him inside his car 140 143 145 151 153.

He escaped by activating the Movie Ticket. During the ensuing journey, he helped companions resist behavioral manipulation at a cabin, led them underground when escape routes were sealed, and later organized survivors against creatures in a fog-covered town 153 165 167 179 188.

Returning to the interrupted ghost attack, Nick used Light of the Heart to make his shots damage the spirit. The same power destroyed his pistol after sustained use, revealing the need for more suitable weapon materials 191 192 193.

Building a Portland Support Network

Alongside police work, Nick established a food-truck business to give Hansen and Gracie a stable livelihood. He trained Hansen in cooking, paid him a salary, and covered insurance for both siblings. The truck was earning about $800 a day by the time of the Billy Capra investigation 116 138.

Nick also began deliberately cultivating contacts among ordinary Wesen. He wanted word to spread that Portland's police Grimm did not kill indiscriminately and would protect law-abiding Wesen. This was both a statement of principle and a way to gain allies and information against the Royal Family 198 203.

Appearance

Nick is a tall, athletic white man whose physique reflects regular exercise since childhood. His mature, occasionally world-weary expression contrasts with his youthful features 4.

• Hair and eyes: Black hair and blue eyes; later described with a buzz cut 4 63.
• Build: Long-limbed, well-proportioned, and muscular 4.
• Facial features: Thick eyebrows, deep-set eyes, a sharply defined jaw, and faint smile lines that give him a slightly boyish appearance 4.

Personality

Nick is pragmatic and skeptical rather than bound to inherited roles. He does not believe that Wesen ancestry determines moral character, judging Monroe's lawful conduct more important than his predatory species. He also values his police identity and legal access to weapons, preferring not to become a fugitive or an indiscriminate monster hunter 19 68 77.

His caution extends to relationships and politics. He is wary of becoming a tool for wealthy contacts such as Frank Rabe and distinguishes genuine friendship from alliances based solely on shared interests. Against Renard, however, he is willing to use intimidation and overwhelming force to establish boundaries 80 129 130.

Despite the supernatural nature of his experiences, Nick continues to approach problems through observation, experimentation, and logical reasoning. He treats movie-world inhabitants as real people, believing that abandoning restraint there would corrupt his conduct elsewhere 77 158.

His generosity is deliberate rather than unlimited. He helps vulnerable people such as Hansen and Gracie, but accepts that he cannot save every stranger or solve every case. His stated priority is to protect those he cares about, intervene when his conscience demands it, and remain able to sleep soundly at night 92 143 185 196 215.

Abilities & Skills

Magic Movie Ticket

A supernatural ticket allows Nick to enter movie worlds with assigned missions and fabricated identities 3 22.

• Supplies identification, background memories, and a place within the setting; these identities do not automatically give him the original character's expertise 22 23 24.
• Initially charges extremely slowly, activating only twice during his first twenty years after rebirth 3.
• Can receive energy through his real-world activities; rescuing Robin produces a tangible influx, and a later major case fully charges it 21 95.
• After learning psionic circulation, Nick can choose when to charge it and accumulate enough energy for multiple activations 114.
• Restores his body to its entry condition upon returning from a mission, distinct from Fake Death Revival's healing limits 53 114.
• Can provide an emergency escape from an ongoing attack, as demonstrated during the White Lady encounter 153.

Fake Death Revival

Nick can enter suspended animation to recover from injury or illness 3 22.

• Even minor discomfort or a scratch can make activation available when he lies down 22.
• Allows him to set the recovery period 49 180.
• Reduces his heartbeat to an almost nonexistent level, requiring explanation to anyone sharing his bed 22 49.
• Does not regenerate severed limbs or missing fingers 112.

Lightning Reflexes

A passive reward substantially improves his reactions and supports exceptionally fast shooting and close-quarters responses 4 20.

• His best recorded revolver drill is six accurate shots in 0.9 seconds 4.
• Helps him evade sudden attacks and draw or fire rapidly 6 20.
• Does not guarantee a successful defense: surprise, competing priorities, and awkward positioning can still leave him unable to dodge 62 73.

Grimm Perception

His awakened bloodline allows him to see the beast forms Wesen inadvertently reveal, even when ordinary observers notice nothing unusual 15 16 65.

• Wesen can recognize him as a Grimm through eye contact while transformed 5 15 67.
• Their fear of Grimms can complicate otherwise routine questioning 198.
• His bloodline does not automatically provide knowledge of Wesen customs; he relies on Monroe, Mary's journals, and investigation 63 72 116.
• Grimm perception alone does not equip him to handle every ghost, demon, or supernatural threat 63 145 153.

Mind over Matter

This ability gives Nick a means of cultivating and circulating psionics, functioning as the foundation for his later active techniques 114 153 192.

• Supports meditation and deliberate Movie Ticket charging 114.
• Reacts defensively against a Hexenbiest's attempted restraint 128.
• Initially provides no effective protection against the White Lady's direct attack 153.

Light of the Heart

Nick converts psionics into light energy capable of breaking magic and harming spirits. It works best through a medium rather than as a directly released projectile 192 193.

• Can empower weapons, ammunition, or his own body 192 193.
• Enables attacks to damage incorporeal vengeful spirits and adds a burning effect against ordinary creatures 191 193.
• Direct release wastes energy and has relatively poor power 193.
• Ordinary materials cannot withstand prolonged use; his P226 disintegrates after being empowered 192 193.
• Silver-plated weapons and ammunition improve its effectiveness 193.
• Nick avoids casually applying it to irreplaceable Predator weapons for fear of destroying them 197.

Danger Sense

A passive ability warns Nick of hostile intent, including someone secretly aiming a firearm at him 193.

• Requires genuine malice to trigger, making controlled testing difficult 196.

Combat, Marksmanship, and Survival

Nick combines previous-life military experience, childhood training, police instruction, and lessons learned in movie worlds 4 24 76.

• Close combat: Unmatched within the PPB early in the story; uses throws, elbows, and an Iron Mountain Lean against Bear Wesen 4 71.
• Marksmanship: Develops from an approximately 800-meter precision-shooting limit to reliable 1,500-meter shooting under Dahlia's instruction 24 33.
• Survival preparation: Pays for parachuting and diving lessons after his first movie-world failure 24.
• Field improvisation: Collects toxic upas sap and uses it to poison a Predator weapon 100 106.
• Physical limits: Cannot match a fully transformed Monroe in raw strength; his advantage lies in technique, weapons, and special abilities 209.

Investigation, Cooking, and Technical Work

• Investigation: Formally trained in criminology and psychology; repeatedly studies homicide, behavioral analysis, stalking, and forensic reference works 3 11.
• Casework: Uses digital footprints, alibi checks, surveillance, and links between victims and institutions. He and Hancock achieve the PPB's highest team clearance rate 13 122 124 196.
• Cooking: Draws on his former work as a military mess-squad leader, regularly prepares Chinese food, and trains Hansen for the food truck 3 36 138.
• Maintenance: Receives instruction in carpentry, metalworking, generators, plumbing, water treatment, electronics, and communications equipment 24.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Magic Movie Ticket — Materializes in his hand and activates when torn 22.
• Pocket Dimension — Stores and retrieves weapons, equipment, and other objects; Nick also uses it to remove Adalind's corpse 129 152 182.
• Glock 22 — His original .40 S&W PPB service pistol, used during his first lethal encounter with a Wesen 4 6.
• P226 — A later sidearm used against assassins and the White Lady; one is destroyed by Light of the Heart 73 191 192.
• Predator armor and mask — Provide advanced combat equipment and invisibility; effective against ordinary opponents but not a complete answer to supernatural threats 130 154 197.
• Combistick and Wristblade — Predator melee weapons used against creatures and during his confrontation with Renard 106 128 129 179.
• Ming-Style Eight-Sided Han Sword — Drawn and empowered after his pistol disintegrates 192.
• Mission firearms — Uses an M4A1, Barrett M107, AA-12 automatic shotgun, and grenade launchers during movie-world combat 31 33 46 106.
• Mary's trailer and Grimm journals — A family archive containing weapons, specimens, and records of Wesen and earlier Grimm activity 63 64 65.
• Bronze key — Entrusted to him by Mary and sought by members of the Royal Family for its connection to an ancient secret 73 77 120 204.

Relationships

• Mary Kessler — Maternal aunt and guardian. Nick regards her as his true family, not merely a relative of his host body; her efforts to protect him also conceal the dangers of his inheritance 3 62 72 73.
• Kelly Burkhardt — His body's mother and a Grimm. Her death, initially attributed to the car accident, is later revealed to have been murder 63 73.
• Dahlia Ivanova — Lover, housemate, sniper instructor, and combat partner. She leaves her world with him, and he promises her a stable, free life 33 46 53 54 121.
• Hancock — High-school friend and detective partner. They share meals, investigate cases together, and help one another handle the aftermath of dangerous encounters 3 55 62 196.
• Andrew Wu — Former patrol partner and frequent investigative support. Nick trusts his competence despite Wu's prickly manner 6 60 122.
• Eddie Monroe — Initially a wrongly suspected werewolf, later a friend, dinner guest, case assistant, and principal source of Wesen knowledge 15 16 55 84 124.
• Renard — Police superior and coerced associate. Their public hierarchy remains intact, but Nick gains the initiative privately after exposing his involvement in Mary's assassination attempt 129 130 203 204.
• Frank Rabe — Bear Wesen lawyer whose family Nick helps during the Lohaz Ceremony case. Later assists with the food-truck agreement, though Nick remains cautious about deeper ties 69 71 72 80 116.
• Hansen and Gracie — Formerly homeless siblings whom Nick helps establish a secure livelihood. Hansen becomes his cooking apprentice 92 116 138.
• Dean and Sam Winchester — Fellow supernatural investigators. Nick offers police assistance, hospitality, and advice about balancing personal loss with protecting others 143 144 193.
• Lila — Companion and intimate partner during the fog crisis; supplies information about creatures from the Abyss and the fog's effects 179 180 188.
• Bud and Joey — Beaver Wesen contacts whom Nick reassures as part of his effort to build trust within Portland's Wesen community 198 202 203.
• Gwen — A former malevolent ghost who accompanies him, can retreat inside him, and gradually becomes more capable of affecting the physical world 209 210.

Notable Quotes

“I want to keep living an ordinary life too, but I can't turn a blind eye to everything happening right in front of me.” 143

“Sometimes, respecting tradition doesn't mean inheriting all its rotten parts.” 72

“A quick introduction. I'm Detective Nick Burkhardt, and as you can see, I'm also a Grimm.” 198