- "I mean, I faced demons and fireballs, magical suitors, orbing... I mean, I think I passed the test, right?"
- —Henry talking to Paige about their relationship.[src]
Henry Mitchell is the mortal husband of Paige Matthews, a Charmed One, and a parole officer of the San Francisco Police Department. He is the father of their twin daughters Tamora and Kat Mitchell and their adopted son Henry Mitchell Jr.
History
Early life
Little is known about Henry prior to his first encounter with Paige Matthews, other than that he grew up in foster homes. Because the social agency kept moving him around whenever he got close to someone, he developed a fear of opening up to other people, including Paige. But later, he learns to overcome that fear.
Meeting Paige and Marriage
Henry met Paige in 2006 when he was looking after a teenage parolee identified as Speed, who also happened to be Paige's future-Whitelighter charge. Initially, they butted heads on what to do with Speed but had found themselves attracted to each other and as time went on, they began dating.
Paige first used her healing powers on Henry after he was shot in an attempted armed robbery. Because her love for him was so strong, it awakened the power. She revealed to him that she was a witch soon after that, a revelation he took rather well - while he was certainly confused about aspects of Paige's life as a witch, he never became afraid of her or the life she led. Henry later dueled against the witch Simon Marks for Paige's affections, standing firm despite the wallop he took from Marks and telling him that he truly cared for Paige, whereas Simon just wanted a trophy wife. Taking advantage of the distraction that came when Paige finally intervened, he managed to punch Simon out, proudly carrying the wounds of battle instead of accepting Paige's healing. The scars would heal on their own.
Henry proposed to Paige at the top of the Golden Gate Bridge soon after. Paige and Henry finally wed in Halliwell Manor with their close family and friends present.
After their wedding, Paige began to feel like she was losing herself because she loved Henry too much, so she asked her sister Phoebe Halliwell's Cupid, Coop, for help. Coop put Paige inside Henry's head in order to get them closer. During this time, Henry could channel Paige's active powers, but not the Power of Three. After Paige realized that being married wouldn't hurt her independence, she was removed from the inside of Henry's head.
A while after the Charmed Ones' final Ultimate Battle, Paige became unexpectedly pregnant with twins, Tamora and Kat Mitchell.
Marriage Troubles
When the Source of All Evil was resurrected again, he cast a spell that caused all of the mortals in San Francisco to turn against the Charmed Ones. While under the effects of the spell, Henry attempted to strangle Paige, resulting in her orbing a lamp onto his head to knock him out. Afterward, Henry felt extremely guilty about trying to murder his wife even though she assured him that it was just magic.
Henry distanced himself from Paige, and their troubles only worsened when Paige brought home a baby boy whom she orbed out of the womb of a murdered homeless teenager. Henry was very skeptical about bringing a mortal child into their home because of magic, and he feared that Darklighters would soon be coming after the twins. In the midst of this conversation, Paige confronted Henry about how distant he had been since the strangling incident.
Later, Henry conversed with Piper and Phoebe's father, Victor, about his issues with being a mortal married to a witch. Stemming from his own experiences, Victor told Henry that he would not have married a witch if he wasn't who he was and that he had to give Paige strength to do her duty. Henry turned his attitude around and decided to support Paige no matter what. He also accepted the orphaned baby, calling him Henry Jr.
Adopting Henry Jr.
While in the process of legally adopting their son, Paige and Henry discovered that the father of the child was Christopher Mercer, the son of a dangerous crime lord. Determined not to give up their son, Paige conjured a detective from a book to help find evidence to send them to prison. However, when they found the evidence they needed, Quinn turned on them and offered them a deal, the evidence in exchange for allowing him to stay permanently. With a little magical help, Paige and Henry were able to trick Quinn and send him back to his book. They then handed the evidence over to the authorities and the Mercers were sent to jail. Christopher showed no interest in gaining custody, so Henry and Paige were able to legally adopt their son.
Gaining Magic
When magic switched from the Magical Community to mortals, Henry gained the power of transformation and was able to use this ability to avert the suspicion of a nosy neighbor, Mrs. Javitz. Like many of their allies, Henry participated in the Charmed Ones' battle against Rennek in order to reclaim the Nexus of the All and restore the realms to their rightful states. After the sisters stopped Rennek, Prue Halliwell reversed the damage with a spell, causing all mortals to lose their powers and alter their memories of the past six months. While Henry lost his powers, he retained his memories, along with Leo and Darryl.
Marital and Magical Dangers
Life had been peaceful since Rennek's ordeal until the threat of the Old Ones. After hearing how Cole sacrificed himself to protect Coop, Henry and Tyler Michaels join forces to help him recover Benjamin Turner's fragmented soul in hopes of returning the favor.
After this dangerous venture, Paige and Henry hash out their problems about the dangers brought on by magic. As time goes by and more dangers appear, Paige and Henry find themselves on opposite sides of opinion: Henry wants to take a job in Los Angeles and demands that Paige goes with him while Paige wants to stay with her sisters. More arguments follow and it takes a toll on their marriage. Henry later decides to make an effort to save their marriage, only for Prue's threat to tear it apart again. In the end, Henry decides to help Paige and her sisters save Prue, and gets turned into a statue in the process. However, the magic reverses itself when Piper stabs Prue with the Ancient Athame for the greater good.
Throughout the next several months, Henry provides comfort for an amnesiac Paige while she slowly regains her memories and works to save their marriage. He was also overcoming his feelings of fear and helplessness towards the dangers magic brings to their family.
Future Years
Henry lived happily with his wife and his three kids. Though he continued to look after his parolees, he also continued to make time to look after their children so that Paige could help the next generation of witches and future Whitelighters.
Powers and Abilities
- Fighting Skills
As a parole officer, Henry most likely received training to defend himself, as he has to deal with potentially violent parolees on a daily basis. He was able to defend himself against Simon Marks in a duel for a considerable time, despite the latter using magic. However, he was overpowered in the end.
- Temporary Powers
- Paige's Powers: When Paige was feeling lost in the marriage, she went to Coop for assistance. Coop transported Paige inside Henry's head in order to help them figure out their problems. During this time, Henry was able to channel Paige's individual powers of Orbing and Telekinetic Orbing, but not to cast a Power of Three spell.
- Transformation: The ability to turn matter from one thing into another. During the magical switch, Henry gained powers along with all mortals around the globe. He gained the power of Transformation; allowing him to turn a cigar into a stuffed animal and a door into a pacifier. He also helped decorate the manor's exterior so that it blended in with the new magical world.
Notes and Trivia
The Henry Mitchell article has a Photo Gallery. |
- Neither Henry nor Paige was raised by their biological parents. Paige was happily adopted, while Henry grew up in foster care. They later adopted a son themselves.
- Henry shares similarities to Victor Bennett, due to being a mortal married to a witch. In the comics, both men discuss this and Victor gives Henry advice.
- Henry is the only mortal husband of a Charmed One. Leo is currently a mortal but has been a Whitelighter, an Elder and an Avatar, while Coop is a Cupid. However, Phoebe was briefly married to Dex Lawson, another mortal.
- Henry appeared in the non-canon paperback novel, Trickery Treat, and e-book novel, The War on Witches.
- In the reboot series the Whitelighter of the Charmed Ones is named Harry Grenwood a probable reference to Henry, as "Harry" is often a diminutive of his name.
Appearances
Henry Mitchell appeared in a total of 11 episodes and 28 comic issues throughout the franchise.
Charmed, Season 8 | |||||
#01 | "Still Charmed & Kicking" | #09 | "Hulkus Pocus" | #17 | "Generation Hex" |
#02 | "Malice in Wonderland" | #10 | "Vaya Con Leos" | #18 | "The Torn Identity" |
#03 | "Run, Piper, Run" | #11 | "Mr. & Mrs. Witch" | #19 | "The Jung and the Restless" |
#04 | "Desperate Housewitches" | #12 | "Payback's a Witch" | #20 | "Gone with the Witches" |
#05 | "Rewitched" | #13 | "Repo Manor" | #21 | "Kill Billie: Vol. 2" |
#06 | "Kill Billie: Vol. 1" | #14 | "12 Angry Zen" | #22 | "Forever Charmed" |
#07 | "The Lost Picture Show" | #15 | "The Last Temptation of Christy" | ||
#08 | "Battle of the Hexes" | #16 | "Engaged and Confused" |
Charmed, Season 9 | |||||
#01 | "Charmed Lives" | #09 | "The All or Nothing" | #17 | "Family Shatters" |
#02 | "No Rest for the Wicca" | #10 | "Three Little Wiccans" | #18 | "Four's Company" |
#03 | "Innocents Lost" | #11 | "Last Witch Effort" | #19 | "Crossed, Triple-Crossed" |
#04 | "Mortal Enemies" | #12 | "The Charmed Offensive" | #20 | "The Old Witcheroo |
#05 | "Unnatural Resources" | #13 | "Piper's Place" | #21 | "Reversal of Misfortune" |
#06 | "Morality Bites Back" | #14 | "Cupid's Harrow" | #22 | "Prue Ya Gonna Call?" |
#07 | "The Heir Up There" | #15 | "Where There's Smoke There's a Firestarter" | #23 | "The Darklight Zone" |
#08 | "Oh, Henry" | #16 | "The Heavens Can Wait" | #24 | "The Power of 300" |
#00 | "To the Warren Born" |
Charmed, Season 10 | |||||
#01 | "No Country for Old Ones" | #08 | "Love is a Burning Thing" | #15 | "The Four Sisters, Part 2" |
#02 | "Magically Malicious" | #09 | "Haste Makes Wasteland" | #16 | "Happy Ending" |
#03 | "The Perks of Being a Whitelighter" | #10 | "The Curious Case of Benjamin Turner" | #17 | "Effigy" |
#04 | "Charmed Assault" | #11 | "Fear Always Comes Back" | #18 | "Tribunal and Tribulations" |
#05 | "Whatever Happened to the Demon with a Soul?" | #12 | "Virtue" | #19 | "Something Old, Something Prue" |
#06 | "Will o' the Witch" | #13 | "Court of Love" | #20 | "The Reason" |
#07 | "Hard Knox Life" | #14 | "The Four Sisters, Part 1" |