Heyerdahl had played a couple of different characters on Stargate Atlantis, including Halling the Athosian and various members of the bloodthirsty, ruthless Wraith. But when the creators wanted to humanize the Wraith in the show's final seasons, they turned to Heyerdahl to create the pragmatic Wraith leader that Sheppard called Todd.
Todd, who started out as Sheppard's torturer and later formed a cautious alliance with him, gained his own fanbase within Atlantis's avid audience. Gruff and alien, Todd nonetheless was able to see the humans as more than food, a striking development in Wraith history.
