Character Relationship Map: William

Characters

• Dr. Sullivan (played by Maria Dizzia) — protagonist

  One of the two lead biologists who remotely cloned William. She and her partner divorced after disagreeing on whether to raise him as a normal human or as a scientific subject.

• William (played by Will Brittain) — protagonist

  The central cloned Neanderthal created to study evolutionary and intelligence differences. At age 18, he faces bullying and societal rejection. He attempts to save a friend while striving to avoid the...

• Dr. Reed (played by Waleed Zuaiter) — supporting

  The co-biologist and William's other creator. Partnered with Dr. Sullivan in cloning him, but their partnership ended in divorce due to conflicting ethical views on his upbringing and treatment.

• Sarah (played by Susan Park) — supporting

  William's female friend who desperately tries to help him escape the tragic fate that befell his Neanderthal ancestors. William saves her during a critical moment in his life.

• Dr. Thomas (played by Beth Grant) — supporting
• President Clayborn (played by Paul Guilfoyle) — supporting
• Chairman Douglass (played by Jerry Wasserman) — supporting
• Ted (played by Ted Cole) — supporting

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Chairman Douglass → President Clayborn (Professional Superior) — Higher-ranking official with authority over the project
• President Clayborn → Dr. Reed (Professional Supervisor) — Government official overseeing the scientific project
• President Clayborn → Dr. Sullivan (Professional Supervisor) — Government official overseeing the scientific project
• Dr. Thomas → Dr. Reed (Professional Mentor) — Senior scientist guiding Dr. Reed's work
• Dr. Thomas → Dr. Sullivan (Professional Mentor) — Senior scientist guiding Dr. Sullivan's work
• William → Sarah (Romantic Love Interest) — William develops romantic feelings for Sarah
• Dr. Sullivan → Dr. Reed (Professional Partner) — Scientific collaborators working on the Neanderthal project
• Dr. Reed → William (Family Father) — Scientist who helped create William and acts as his paternal figure
• Dr. Sullivan → William (Family Mother) — Scientist who helped create William and acts as his maternal figure

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Ted → William (Social Friend) — William's friend who helps him navigate human society

Story Analysis

A cloned Neanderthal confronts scientific exploitation, social rejection, and the extinction history of his ancestors.

Plot Progression

1. The Impossible Experiment — Two biologists remotely clone a living Neanderthal and name him William. Their purpose is to study organic and intelligence differences between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens.
2. A Divided Household — The people who created William disagree over whether he should be raised as a normal person or treated as a laboratory subject. Their disagreement leads to divorce.
3. Adulthood Under Judgment — When William turns eighteen, he encounters harsh reality. Bullying and derision expose the social rejection surrounding his unusual identity.
4. Friendship Against Fate — A female friend desperately tries to help William avoid the fate associated with his ancestors. William responds by saving her.
5. The Extinction Shadow — William's struggle is connected to the Neanderthal extinction forty thousand years ago. He seeks to avoid repeating the fate inflicted by the species that raised him.