| Character | |
| |
| Name: | Daniel Coleman |
| Known aliases: | Danny |
| Gender: | Male |
| Known Relatives: | John Coleman (Father)
Kate Coleman (Mother) Max Coleman (Sister) Esther (Adoptive sister) (formerly) |
| Portrayed By: | Jimmy Bennett |
| First Appearance: | Orphan |
Daniel "Danny" Coleman is a supporting protagonist in the 2009 psychological horror-thriller film Orphan. He is the only son of John and Kate Coleman, the older brother of Maxine "Max" Coleman, and the younger adoptive brother of Esther. Jimmy Bennett portrayed him in the film.
Biography[]
Orphan[]
Upon meeting Esther for the first time, she greets Daniel with a handshake, but Daniel only mumbles a simple "Hey", reluctantly returns the handshake, and appears ostensibly unamused and disapproving towards her. Daniel becomes increasingly distasteful towards his older adoptive sister when he receives less attention from his parents a few days later on Christmas. Upset over his parents being more concentrated on Esther, Daniel opts to hang out in his treehouse with his friends to view x-rated magazines to alleviate his annoyance on the chilly Christmas day.
With winter break over, Daniel attends school along with Esther. After his first day of school, Daniel returns home to practice his paintball target accuracy. As he is shooting targets, a pigeon lands on the wooden target board. Curious to see what would happen if the pigeon was hit with a paintball caliber, Daniel fires at the bird, striking it. His inquisitive behavior quickly transforms into regret and deep sorrow as he closely observes the wounded pigeon on the snow-covered hill. Esther and Max walk up to Daniel, and Esther attempts to pressure him into killing the bird to rid its suffering. Disapproving of her, Daniel doesn't give in to Esther's persuasion, prompting her to kill the pigeon by crushing it with a rock. Daniel is uncomfortable and runs back to the house.
The following day, Daniel comes across Esther in the school hallway. As she is carrying her textbooks and walking to her next class, he slaps Esther's books down to the ground and out of her arms. Before Daniel can make his way to class, he notices Brenda taunting Esther for carrying a bible to school. Daniel witnesses Brenda reach out to Esther to give her back the bible, but instead of letting go, Brenda keeps her hold on the bible, and the two struggle over it, causing the pages to fly out. As Esther frantically picks up her pages, Daniel's friends ridicule her. Daniel falsely states that she is not his sister to try and avoid any association with her. He also witnesses Esther's panic attack when Brenda attempts to remove her neck ribbon.
A couple of days later, the Colemans are having dinner at their table. Max signs for bread and butter, but Daniel is unable to understand her due to his lack of sign language comprehension, so Esther steps in to help by verbalizing out loud for her. Daniel remarks he was not requesting assistance in understanding Max. Daniel further views her as abnormal when he notices Esther cutting her own food into small pieces. Daniel expresses that his friends tease him about his adoptive sister. John requests Daniel to apologize to Esther for his shameful attitude towards her. When John refers to Esther as Daniel's sister, he asserts that she is not his sister, emphasizing his separation from Esther. As punishment for his disrespectful behavior, John restricts Daniel's access to the treehouse by locking the trapdoor and states he will only unlock it when he apologizes to her.
The next day Daniel is wandering near his treehouse when he sees Esther and Max exiting the treehouse. Suspicious, he hides behind a boulder to avoid being spotted by Esther, narrowly avoiding detection by her, or so he thought. That night, Daniel is startled awake by Esther. Holding a utility knife to his neck, she interrogates Daniel and demands that he tell her everything he saw at the treehouse. Overwhelmingly petrified, Daniel capitulates and discloses that he only saw them leaving the treehouse. Esther threatens to cut off Daniel's genitals off if he tells, leaving Daniel in tears and to wet himself out of fear. Kate questions Daniel about Esther doing anything harmful to him or Max, he says no.
A few days later, Kate drops Daniel and Esther off at school. As Daniel walks up the front steps, his schoolbooks fall through a hole in his backpack. Kate comes to his aid, the two of them unaware of Esther turning off the vehicle's parking brake and setting the gear into reverse, leaving Max in the backseat as the car rolls down the hill. Daniel notices and warns Kate, and she chases the speeding car until it hits a snowbank. That night, Daniel goes to Max's room to discuss potential ways for their parents to believe the illegal wrongdoings of Esther by obtaining evidence. Max hands him drawings depicting Sister Abigail's murder, giving Daniel an idea of proving Esther's crime by seeking the incriminating evidence hidden in his treehouse. However, unbeknownst to them, Esther is eavesdropping on their conversation, giving her time to hinder his plans.
The following morning, Daniel grabs a crowbar and sneakingly heads out to his treehouse to collect the evidence. Before Daniel can seize the proof of Sister Abigail's murder, Esther walks in behind him, revealing the incriminating evidence right before his eyes. After laying out each item one by one, she splashes lighter fluid and drops a match on the pile of evidence to destroy it and set the treehouse ablaze. Having set the structure on fire, Esther quickly makes her way out through the trapdoor, locking it afterward and leaving Daniel trapped inside. He manages to escape the burning interior through a window but is left stranded after reaching the rooftop. He slips and falls onto a wooden structural support, losing his grip and falling a considerable height, leaving him unconscious. Esther picks up a rock to slam onto Daniel's head, but Max thwarts her attempt by pushing Esther to the ground. Kate notices the burning treehouse and comes to his aid.
Esther preparing to smother Daniel.
Daniel is transported to a hospital where he is medically stabilized. A physician informs the Colemans of his condition. Daniel suffered abdominal bleeding and a significant neck injury from the fall. As he is resting in the ICU, Esther sneaks into his hospital room alone, taking off Daniel's oxygen mask and pulse oximeter. She clips the pulse oximeter on her finger to avoid setting off an alarm and smothers him with a pillow. Esther places the pulse oximeter and oxygen mask back in their original position to cover her tracks. Doctors are alerted of Daniel's grave condition and rush to his room, where they successfully regain Daniel's pulse. He is ultimately left to stay as an in-patient for additional medical treatment until further notice, but he'll live.