Harold Finch
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Harold Finch |
| Occupation: | computer programmer extraordinaire |
| Relationships: | John Reese (canon: friend, boss; fanon: Finch/Reese)
Grace Hendricks (canon: former fiancee, Harold/Grace) |
| Fandom: | Person of Interest |
| Other: | Disabled because of an undisclosed injury |
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Canon Overview
Harold Finch is a mystery, deliberately so. He digitally erased all trace of his original "persona", so there's no way to find out who he was before he started changing identities. He's had multiple identities, so far all of them involving a bird-related surname -- Finch, Wren, Burdett, Crane, Crow, Gull. He's incredibly wealthy and enjoys the finer things in life, despite deliberately working in a rundown, abandoned library.
After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Finch decided to build a machine that could detect terrorism before it happened, to let the government stop it. It took him seven years to complete, at which point he gave it to the government as a locked box -- no one would have access to the code, only to the single identifying number the Machine provides as a way to track the terrorist it finds.
His partner at the time, Nathan Ingram, believed the Machine should also be used to help individual people in trouble, since it found them as well. When Harold disagreed, Nathan took steps of his own, that somehow resulted in his death. Guilt and grief drove Harold to start tracking these "irrelevant" (not terrorist-related) numbers himself, and eventually to recruit John Reese to help him. He now spends most of his time finding and helping the people the Machine points him at.
He's only been in love once, with Grace Hendricks. When Nathan died, Harold faked his own death and left Grace to believe he was gone.
Possibly in the accident in which he faked his death, Harold received severe injuries that seem to have left him with a fused spine. As a result he walks with a noticeable limp and has to turn his entire torso to turn his head.
Fandom Reactions
Harold Finch was a fast fan favorite, although some Lost fans had to first get past their reaction to Ben from that series.
This article or section needs expansion. |
Fanon
Much of the slash fandom is convinced that Harold had a romantic relationship with his late partner, Nathan Ingram, partly because of the obvious depth of Harold's grief over his loss.
(needs more)
Theories
How did Finch get injured?
Why did he fake his own death when Nathan died?
Who is he, really?
Fanworks
| Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples. |
Fanart
- The Finch by GoodOldBaz on deviantArt - a red-and-black portrait of Finch, half in shadow, with birds flying off.
Fanfic
- Backing Up by LindaO on [[Archive of Our Own] - Backstory for Finch, as an OC he helped years ago while Nathan was alive comes back into his life in an unexpected way.
Fanvids
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Other Fanworks
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Controversies
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Resources
(links to archives, journal communities, mailing lists, and other online resources for the character)