Henrik Larsen was a Norwegian researcher stationed at Thule Station. The character appeared in the 2011 film The Thing and was portrayed by actor Jo Adrian Haavind.
History[]
Prior to being stationed in Thule Station, Henrik suffered a compound fracture in his left arm requiring his travelling to Argentina to get it set properly. The procedure left him with a titanium plate in that forearm. Although his marital status is unknown, his good friend Juliette mentions that he has two small children.
Henrik was among the Thule Station crew who gave Kate Lloyd a warm welcome in the station's rec room after she and Adam Finch first visited the UFO dig site. He was discussing with Adam the question why the passenger of the ship left its ship. They concluded that it had to leave the ship involuntarily or inadvertently - according the behaviour of the Thing in both movies they were probably right.
Later that evening, the original Thing burst out of its ice block prison and through the roof of the room containing it. Henrik joined the search party, most of whom were unarmed (including Henrik), that attempted to confront and contain The Thing. Henrik and his partner Olav, attracted by the sound of the Thing assimilating of Lars' dog, found the creature beneath an elevated station building. Henrik boldly kneeled to get a better look; understandably frightened by the Thing's appearance, he spooked both men into running and yelling for help. Henrik barely took a few steps before the creature shot out a barbed hook/tentacle assembly that penetrated his back, punching completely through his chest, and pulled him under the building.
Olav's screams for help attracted the rest of Thule's crew quickly. By now only Henrik's feebly kicking legs were visible outside of the Thing. Several of the men opened fire with their handguns, trying to free Henrik in a last-ditch attempt to save him. It didn't work - Sam Carter realized Henrik was too far gone and the Thing needed to be burned. Derek Jameson and Griggs joined Carter in throwing several opened cases of kerosene beneath the building and across the Thing. They ignited the fuel, prompting the creature to burst up through the floor and into the building it was hiding under, dragging Henrik with it; both were incinerated in the blaze.
Although he was gone, Henrik did make two more very important contributions to his fellow researchers. Dr. Sander Halvorson insisted on studying the fused remains of Thing and Henrik immediately; the team laid out The Thing in their lab and broke it open, revealing the partially assimilated Henrik within. Also revealed with The Thing's stomach cavity was Henrik's titanium arm plate; now completely outside of his body. An important observation, which led to the realization that the Thing could not imitate inorganic materials. Henrik also contributed towards confirmation of Lloyd's theories about how the creature operated; as she mixed tissue samples from both the real Henrik and the Thing, through a microscope she observed the Thing-cells attack and imitate Henrik's cells.
Henrik's final remains were ultimately burned and completely destroyed along with the rest of the Thing that had attacked him.