Prior to his life-changing introduction to the negative energy entity in 1961, Larry Trainor (Matt Bomer) was a married father with two youngsters. While outwardly appearing as the ideal American family, Larry's marriage was barely holding together due to his ongoing affair with John Bowers (Kyle Clements), a fellow serviceman in the Air Force.
Known as one of the military's top test pilots, Larry hoped his handling of a new "rocket plane" would secure his inclusion in NASA's Project Mercury. Unfortunately, while flying the rocket plane, Larry and the jet "collided" with the negative energy. The resulting mid-air explosion should have killed him, but the negative spirit bonded with his body. Though it didn't heal his extensive burns, the spirit's energy kept Larry alive. After the accident, Larry spent a number of years at The Ant Farm, a secret research facility run by the Bureau of Normalcy. There, Larry was subjected to endless "tests," which in truth were torture, to see the capabilities and limits of his otherworldly hitchhiker.
