- NOTE: This article is about the novel version of Henry Wu, not the film version, as he is not a hero in the films and only in the novels. For the film and TV series version of this character, click here.
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Dr. Henry Wu is a major character in Jurassic Park, the first installment in the novel series of the same name. He is the geneticist who recreates the dinosaurs.
Biography[]
Background[]
Henry Wu, PhD was the chief geneticist for Jurassic Park and was responsible for creating the dinosaurs. He was a slender man at 33 years old.
Two weeks after the funeral of geneticist Norman Atherton, eccentric venture capitalist Dr. John Hammond came to see Wu. When Henry Wu was first recruited by Hammond, he was a 28-year-old graduate student getting his doctorate at Stanford under the chief lab scientist Norman Atherton. Everyone in the lab knew that Atherton had had some association with Hammond, although the details were never clear. Norman always said Wu was the best geneticist in his lab, and it was this recommendation that caught Hammond's attention, making Wu the clear candidate to help Hammond with his secret project. Hammond gave Wu $10 million a year in funding for five years to take a crack at the impossible, what he called "cloning reptiles" at the time, which turned out to be dinosaurs, more like avian cloning than reptilian cloning.
Jurassic Park[]
Halfway through the original novel, Hammond and Wu have a discussion. Wu says that they could and should make better, slower, and tamer dinosaurs. Hammond scoffs at the idea, saying that they have real dinosaurs; who would want more? Wu's reply is that they should not bother with reality because the people coming to see Jurassic Park do not want reality, they want their expectations. With Hammond's dismissal, Wu is forced to realize that Hammond cares far less for his opinion than he did when Wu was first hired. Around the time of this conversation, it is hinted that Wu may have had some romantic interest in Marìa, a silent serving girl whom he could not take his eyes off of.
Prompted by Alan Grant later in the novel, Wu checked the dinosaurs' DNA to find which species had amphibian DNA. He discovered that the species that were breeding all contained amphibian DNA. Wu did not understand the connection between amphibian DNA and the dinosaurs being able to breed, as Grant never had a chance to explain it to him, but nevertheless, Wu was then convinced that they could breed. Although he would never admit it, Wu was strangely proud that he had recreated animals so lifelike that they could reproduce themselves. Shortly after, it was Wu who discovered that Nedry had stolen embryos, worth between 2 and 10 million dollars.
When Wu and the rest of those in the control room realized that the park had been running on backup power, Wu's job was to stay in the control room until Arnold could reboot the system. Then, Wu was supposed to start up the computer and restore power to the fences. Unfortunately, he was forced to rejoin the others in the Safari Lodge after two failed attempts to reboot the system from the maintenance shed. On his way to the lodge, Wu picked up an injured Robert Muldoon and brought him back with him in the gas Jeep. Later on, over the radio, Wu talked Grant through rebooting the park's systems. Soon afterward, Wu, while telling Ellie Sattler to come back to the lodge, is ambushed from above by Velociraptors and devoured alive after being sliced down the stomach while lying on his back.
External Links[]
- Henry Wu on the Villains Wiki
- Henry Wu on the Antagonists Wiki
- Henry Wu on the Jurassic Park Wiki
- Henry Wu on the LEGO Wiki
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 Heroes
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