Nick Nelson (Heartstopper)

Nick Nelson is a primary character in the Alice Oseman graphic novel series Heartstopper as well as its 2022 Netflix adaptation, where he is portrayed by Kit Connor. His first appearance was in the 2014 novel Solitaire.

Character overview
Nick Nelson is the boyfriend of Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) in the graphic novel series Heartstopper and its 2022 Netflix adaptation. In the franchise, Nick is bisexual and a member of his school's rugby team. Nick cares deeply about his relationship with Charlie and vows to protect him at all costs. Nick's character is very caring and sweet, and he is fond of rugby, Formula One, Marvel, rain, and animals. He is very tall, his hair is dark blonde, and his eyes are brown. Nick struggled with his sexuality before meeting Charlie, who helped him identify as who he is, allowing him to come out to his mother. Outside of the Heartstopper franchise, he also appears in other works by Alice Oseman.

Character history
Nick was born on 4 September to Stéphane and Sarah Nelson and is the younger brother of David Nelson. His father is French and mother is British, making Nick British-French, he is fluent in both French and English. Sometime before the events of Heartstopper, he became a talented rugby player, his parents split up, his brother moved out, and he got a dog named Nellie and later, Henry. Nick has a rocky relationship with his father, who is primarily absent and his brother, who is homophobic and unpleasant.

Personality
Nick is a hulking, strong rugby player, standing at 6.1 ft and is initially stereotyped to be rude and abrasive, but when Charlie gets to know him, Nick is shown as kind, cheerful, and caring, being extremely open-minded and sweet to peers. Nick often tries to find practical solutions to problems, which sometimes backfires, but he is always fuelled by good intentions. Alongside rugby, Nick is good at baking, his favourite movie is The Avengers, his favourite character is Iron Man, he is a fan of the FA Cup, Six Nations, and Family Guy and his MBTI type is ESFJ/The Caregiver. His favourite band is Vampire Weekend.

Literature

 * Solitaire (2014)
 * Nick and Charlie (2015)
 * This Winter (2015)
 * Radio Silence (2016) (cameo)
 * Heartstopper (2019–present)
 * Heartstopper: Volume 1 (2019)
 * Heartstopper: Volume 2 (2019)
 * Heartstopper: Volume 3 (2020)
 * Heartstopper: Volume 4 (2021)
 * Heartstopper: Volume 5 (2023)

Television

 * Heartstopper (2022–present)

Reception
Nick has received generally positive acclaim as a solid bisexual representation and is generally seen as a likeable, well-developed character. Beatriz Gatz of Culture wrote "Nick Nelson is a character that brings representativeness to young people, makes them feel seen, and causes reflection" and heavily praised a scene where Nick comes out to his mother. Madison Diaz of CBR praised the character's kind attitude writing "Throughout the show, Nick does struggle with his internal battle of understanding what his sexuality might be, but he remains transparent with Charlie at each step." further adding that "He stays true to his word, which makes him a worthy heartthrob for impressionable teens." He was ranked 2nd in a 2023 ranking of the 10 Best Heartstopper Characters, Ranked by Likability by Collider. Hannah Mackenzie of Teen Vogue praised the character's pride in his bisexuality, stating "That’s why seeing a main character voice and name their bisexuality proudly, despite the erasure he faces, feels so important — especially in a show aimed at young people who may be grappling with complicated feelings about their own sexualities".

Kit Connor's performance has also been well received. Radio Times listed him as one of their "Rising stars of 2023". Connor won the Leading Actor – Male Award at the RTS Programme Awards 2023.