Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Manifestor Prophecy

Calvin Blake is Nic’s father. She describes him as “tall and lean with a dimpled smile, dark brown skin, black locs, and tattoos covering his arms” (6). For 10 years, Calvin is the only family Nic knows. He is a playful and affectionate father who pulls pranks with illusions and sings to cheer his daughter up. However, Calvin is also an intensely secretive person, and many of the novel’s twists occur when the protagonist discovers something he hid from her. These revelations include the fact that he kidnapped her, that she has a twin, and that he didn’t teach her how to use the Gift because she is the Manowari. Calvin’s protective love for his daughter motivates his secrecy. For this reason, she ultimately forgives him for taking her from Uhuru: “He gave me something amazing: protection. He didn’t have a home and a family either, all ’cause he wanted to keep me safe. How can I be mad at that?” (331). Throughout the novel, Nic learns to forgive her father for his secrecy and to appreciate his love and protection.

Calvin plays a major role in the novel’s plot, conflicts, and characterization. He sets much of the plot into motion by kidnapping Nic because he fears that LORE would harm her if they learned she was the Manowari. Throughout the story, the protagonist’s main motivation is to prove that he didn’t steal the Msaidizi, which develops the theme of The Struggle for Justice. Additionally, Calvin’s actions lead to some of the story’s conflicts. For example, there’s discord between the twins because Alex has serious reservations about helping someone who abandoned him and betrayed his mother, and Nic’s complex feelings of love and anger toward her father create inner conflict. Calvin also shapes the narrative through his significant influence on the protagonist’s characterization. The lessons he teaches her about the Remarkable world and African American folklore aid her on her quest, and his words inspire her during the climax: “You’re the only gift you need” (325). This mantra makes Nic realize that she has the strength to defeat Ty. Calvin devotes his life to protecting Nic, and he helps her grow into a heroine who can save herself and others.

Zoe DuForte is Nic’s mother. When she appears in Chapter 4, Nic observes: “The woman has my face, my complexion that’s lighter than Dad’s, my thick, curly hair. Hers is in a braid that hangs past her shoulders. Her eyes, big and dark like mine, are filled with tears” (65). These undeniable similarities in their appearance convince Nic that Zoe is her parent. Nic’s abduction caused Zoe to become melancholy. Alex explains to his sister, “I only wanted her to be happy, but she never truly was…because you weren’t there” (91). Zoe’s sorrow emphasizes her deep love for her missing daughter. Another of her character traits is her intelligence, which she demonstrates by hacking into the G-messaging network to locate Nic. Zoe is also a kind person, and Ty considers her “one of the most caring and loving people [he] know[s]” (74). She proves herself amply deserving of this praise when she asks the Elders to show her ex-husband leniency even though he kidnapped their daughter. Being separated from Nic causes Zoe to become melancholy, and her intelligence and kindness earn Nic’s admiration when they are reunited.

Zoe contributes to the novel’s genre, themes, and resolution. Thomas shares characteristics with fantasy novels with chosen ones, such as the Harry Potter series. Zoe’s function within the older trio is similar to that of Hermione Granger, Harry’s brilliant friend. Ty notes that she “always [was] the smartest of the three of [them]” (69). Zoe’s shifting connections with Calvin and Ty develop The Dynamics of Friendship and Loyalty. Calvin betrays her trust by kidnapping Nic, and Zoe keeps the prophecy about Nic being the Manowari a secret from Ty out of fear. Eventually, these secrets and betrayals lead to the collapse of the trio that fought against Roho together. Additionally, Zoe impacts the novel’s resolution by showing Calvin mercy and by granting Nic’s wishes for a large family and a lasting home. Although Zoe is absent from much of the novel, she develops a major theme and guides the story to a happy ending.

Ty Porter is Nic’s godfather. The protagonist describes him as “a Black man about Dad’s age, with twists in his hair” (30). When Ty reunites with Calvin and Nic after a decade apart, he tries to be involved in Nic’s life as a caring and supportive godfather. He gives her a G-pen that facilitates the plot, and he assures her that he will do his best to prove Calvin’s innocence. One of Ty’s strengths is his creativity. He is the author of a fantasy series that inspires Black children like Nic. Ty based the Stevie James books on his struggles against the malevolent Roho. Years later, Ty is still haunted by what Roho subjected him to during his youth. He uses the term “Chosen One post-traumatic stress disorder” (57) to articulate how his connection to the Manifestor Prophecy has impacted his life and mental health. His obsession with fulfilling the prophecy only increases after the majority of the Remarkable world stops believing that he is the Chosen One because he fails to defeat Roho. This obsession is the driving force behind his actions, including his attack against Nic once he learns that she is the Manowari. Ty enters the book as a caring, creative, and inspiring role model for Nic, but his trauma leads him to become the novel’s antagonist.

Ty’s transformation from ally to antagonist subverts the Chosen One narrative and adds suspense to the novel. Ty clings to the Manifestor Prophecy because it offers him an identity, a sense of purpose, and a chance at redemption in the eyes of the Remarkable world that scorns him as the “Not-so-Chosen One” (96). He becomes so consumed by his obsession with fulfilling the prophecy that he attempts to murder a child. Thus, Ty’s desire to prove himself as the Chosen One ironically leads him to become an antagonist rather than a hero. Ty’s role as the Chosen One makes him a foil for Nic, who is the Manowari. The Devil’s daughter expresses this connection when she calls them “two sides of the same coin” (168). Both characters grapple with feelings of failure and are bound by destiny, but, unlike Ty, Nic isn’t willing to use her role in the prophecy to justify harming others. Ty’s descent into villainy at the end of the story tears the older trio apart in a major development for the theme of The Dynamics of Friendship and Loyalty: “‘She’s your goddaughter!’ says Dad. ‘We’re supposed to be family!’ ‘Yet neither of you told me the truth about her! You like that I’m known as a failure, don’t you?’” (314). Ty takes these feelings of betrayal and anger at Calvin and Zoe’s secrecy out on their daughter. As the novel’s antagonist, Ty plays an essential role in Thomas’s deconstruction of typical fantasy narratives.

Alex DuForte is the protagonist’s twin brother. Nic provides the following description when she first encounters him in Chapter 5: “Curly black hair appears first, then a brown forehead and eyes closed tight behind a pair of holographic glasses” (72). The 12-year-old’s mother and grandmother are highly protective of him due to his sister’s abduction, and Alex is often anxious as a result. Sometimes, his fear is played for humor, such as when he threatens Nic and JP for making him face a booby trap: “If I die, I’m killing you both!” (267). Within the trio of young heroes, Alex’s contributions come from his knowledge and intelligence. Alex has lived in Uhuru all his life, so he is able to provide essential information about the Remarkable world. He enters the plot by making an invisibility tonic that allows him to stow away on his mother’s aircraft, and his skill with the Gift makes Nic feel inferior to him for much of the novel. Alex’s intelligence makes him a helpful ally for Nic, and the anxious boy faces his fears throughout the story.

Alex serves as a foil to the protagonist and advances the theme of friendship with his growth. He is cautious and rule-abiding, whereas Nic is independent and sometimes brash. For example, after Calvin, Zoe, and Ty are arrested, Alex wants to stay at the Blakes’ home and wait for his mother’s return: “I tell Alex we should go, but he hyperventilates at the idea of going anywhere without an adult and says he’d rather get caught by the Guardians” (100). Alex becomes less timid as the story goes on. The dynamic character also grows in ways that advance The Dynamics of Friendship and Loyalty. Although he initially expresses disdain for Unremarkables, he comes to cherish his friendship with JP, as demonstrated by his decision to give the boy his G-glasses so that they can stay in touch. In addition, Alex grows from being jealous of Nic and afraid to share his family’s love with her to accepting her as his sister and helping her adjust to life in Uhuru. In the final chapter, he tells her, “I’ll be here to help you deal with everything. That’s what twins are for, right?” (349). These reassuring words testify to the lessons Alex learns about loyalty and friendship.