Character Relationship Map: Ick

Characters

• Hank (played by Brandon Routh) — protagonist

  A former high school football quarterback whose career ended when the Ick broke his leg, Hank stays in Eastbrook and becomes a science teacher. He investigates the Ick, tries to warn the town, and sus...

• Grace (played by Malina Weissman) — protagonist

  Grace is Staci and Ted's daughter and one of Hank's students, though Hank suspects he may be her biological father. After learning he planned a paternity test, she rejects him as a father, but later a...

• Dylan (played by Harrison Cone) — supporting

  Dylan is Grace's boyfriend. After an argument with Grace, she accepts a ride home from Hank, and the Ick attacks their car. Later, during the prom outbreak, Dylan has been infected by the Ick; Hank re...

• Heather (played by Taia Sophia) — supporting

  Heather is one of Grace's friends and a student caught in the Ick outbreak at Eastbrook High. After Hank rescues Grace from the infected Dylan, Heather escapes the school with Grace, Hank, and Griffin...

• Griffin (played by Zeke Jones) — supporting

  Griffin is one of Grace's friends and a student who survives the Ick's attack on Eastbrook High. He escapes the school alongside Grace, Hank, and Heather, then joins them in using the stadium lights t...

• Staci (played by Mena Suvari) — supporting

  Staci was Hank's girlfriend in high school but left him for their classmate Ted, whom she later married. She and Ted have a daughter, Grace, whose paternity Hank questions. When Hank asks Staci about...

• Ted (played by Peter Wong) — supporting

  Ted was Hank's classmate and the person Staci left Hank for; he later marries Staci and runs a successful realty business. He and Staci are Grace's parents, though Hank suspects he may be her biologic...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Staci → Grace (Family Mother And Daughter) — The plot explicitly frames Staci as Grace's mother while questioning Grace's biological father.

  Staci considers Hank's question about whether Grace could be his daughter before the Ick pulls Staci underground and kills her.

• Grace → Dylan (Romantic Boyfriend And Girlfriend) — Grace and Dylan are romantically involved before Dylan becomes infected.

  Grace argues with her boyfriend Dylan before accepting a ride home from Hank.

• Hank → Staci (Romantic Former Girlfriend) — Their past romance remains important because it may have resulted in Grace's birth.

  Staci leaves Hank for their classmate Ted, and years later Hank asks Staci whether Grace could be his daughter.

• Hank → Grace (Family Possible Father) — Hank may be Grace's biological father, and their relationship develops into a father-figure bond.

  Hank discovers that Grace may be his daughter with Staci and plans to conduct a paternity test using her saliva sample.

• Staci → Ted (Family Spouse) — Ted and Staci are married and share a business connection.

  Years later, Ted and Staci have married and jointly sell a run-down bar to Hank.

Story Dynamics

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

• Hank → Griffin (Alliance Survival Allies) — Hank and Griffin cooperate during the final escape.

  Hank, Grace, Heather, and Griffin escape the school and reach the radio tower together.

• Hank → Heather (Alliance Survival Allies) — Hank cooperates with Heather in the group's attempt to resist the Ick.

  Hank, Grace, Heather, and Griffin use the school's football stadium lights to temporarily stop the giant Ick.

• Heather → Griffin (Alliance Survival Companions) — Heather and Griffin belong to the same surviving group during the climax.

  Heather and Griffin remain with Hank and Grace as the group escapes the school and climbs the radio tower.

• Grace → Griffin (Alliance Survival Companions) — Grace and Griffin work together to survive the final attack.

  Grace escapes the school with Griffin and reaches the top of the radio tower with him.

• Grace → Heather (Alliance Survival Companions) — Grace and Heather cooperate as members of the final survivor group.

  Grace escapes the school with Heather and later climbs the radio tower with her.

• Hank → Dylan (Conflict Rescuer And Threat) — Their relationship becomes antagonistic when Hank must stop infected Dylan from harming Grace.

  Hank rescues Grace from Dylan after Dylan becomes infected and attacks during the prom.

• Hank → Ted (Conflict Romantic Rival) — Ted represents the former romantic rival who replaced Hank in Staci's life.

  Staci leaves Hank for Ted, and Ted later becomes her husband while Hank remains connected to the unresolved question of Grace's parentage.

Story Analysis

A failed quarterback confronts a spreading parasitic threat while struggling to become a father figure to Grace.

Plot Progression

1. A Quarterback's Lost Future — Hank's football career ends when the Ick breaks his leg. Staci then leaves him for Ted, establishing Hank's lasting sense of disappointment in Eastbrook.
2. The Daughter Question — As an adult, Hank teaches science and buys a bar from Ted and Staci. He discovers that Grace may be his daughter and secretly prepares a paternity test.
3. Warnings In The Dark — Hank learns that UV light stops the Ick's growth and survives an attack at the bar. His warning at a house party is ignored until the Ick invades and kills students.
4. Family Under Siege — Military protection proves temporary, while Eastbrook residents continue their routines and become infected. A car attack exposes Hank's paternity plan and fractures his relationship with Grace.
5. Prom Beneath The Monster — Staci dies before answering Hank's question, and the Ick attacks Eastbrook High's prom. Hank, Grace, Heather, and Griffin escape, using lights and a radio tower to survive until sunrise.