Nathan Riggs

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

, F.A.C.S., is a fictional character from the

medical drama A medical drama is a television show or film in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic programming go beyond the events pertaining to the chara ...

television series ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into se ...

'', which has aired on the

American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the ABC Entertainment Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, Cali ...

(ABC) in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The character was created by series producer

Shonda Rhimes Shonda Lynn Rhimes (born January 13, 1970) is an American television screenwriter, producer, and author. She is best known as the showrunner—creator, head writer, and executive producer—of the television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'', it ...

and is portrayed by actor

Martin Henderson Martin Henderson (born 8 October 1974) is a New Zealand actor. He is known for his roles on the American medical drama series '' Off the Map'' as Dr. Ben Keeton (2011), the medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' as Dr. Nathan Riggs (2015–20 ...

. He was introduced in the episode "The Me Nobody Knows" as a

cardiothoracic surgeon Cardiothoracic surgery is the medical speciality, field of medicine involved in surgery, surgical treatment of organs inside the thoracic cavity — generally treatment of conditions of the heart (heart disease), lungs (pulmonology, lung disease) ...

who had worked overseas with

April Kepner April Kepner, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the ABC's medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy''. The character was created by series producer Shonda Rhimes and is portrayed by actress Sarah Drew. She was introduced in the episode ...

during her time in Jordan. After bringing a patient to Grey-Sloan Memorial, he begins working there as an

attending In the United States and Canada, an attending physician (also known as a staff physician or supervising physician) is a physician (usually an Doctor of Medicine, M.D. or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, D.O.) who has completed Residency (medicin ...

under

Maggie Pierce Margaret Pierce, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the American television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was created by series producer Sho ...

. At the hospital, he begins a romantic relationship with

Meredith Grey Meredith Grey, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional and titular character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was created by series pro ...

, now a widow after the death of

Derek Shepherd Derek Christopher Shepherd, M.D., F.A.C.S., also referred to as "McDreamy", is a fictional surgeon from the ABC medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'', portrayed by actor Patrick Dempsey. He made his first appearance in the pilot episode, " A Hard Day ...

, until his missing fiancée, Megan Hunt, is found and brought home. Nathan makes his last appearance in the episode " Danger Zone" when he and Megan start their life anew with her son in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. It is revealed in Season 18 by Megan that the couple broke up.

Storylines

Nathan Riggs is introduced in the sixth episode of the show's twelfth season as a new cardio attending at Grey-Sloan Memorial. It is quickly learned that he and

Owen Hunt Major (Ret.) Owen Hunt, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was created by series' produc ...

(

Kevin McKidd Kevin McKidd (born 9 August 1973) is a Scottish actor and television director. Before playing the role of Dr. Owen Hunt in ''Grey's Anatomy'', for which he is widely known, McKidd appeared as Tommy Mackenzie in Danny Boyle's '' Trainspotting'' ...

) had been friends, but that their friendship ended acrimoniously. It is later revealed that Nathan and Owen's feud was caused by the disappearance of Owen's sister, Megan. Megan, who had been engaged to Nathan at the time of her abduction, had discovered Nathan's infidelity before running off and ultimately getting kidnapped. Owen has long blamed Riggs for the fate of his sister, who has been presumed dead for 10 years now. However, as time goes on, Nathan and Owen learn to work together and eventually reinstate their friendship. Towards the end of Season 12, Nathan sleeps with

(

Ellen Pompeo Ellen Kathleen Pompeo (; born November 10, 1969) is an American actress. She is best known for her role on ''Grey's Anatomy'' as the titular Dr. Meredith Grey. One of the world's highest-paid actors since 2017, she has made multiple appearances ...

) in the back of her car. After the incident, they agree that it was a one-time thing, as Meredith still has trouble moving on from her late husband,

(

Patrick Dempsey Patrick Galen Dempsey (born January 13, 1966) is an American actor and race car driver. He is best known for his role as neurosurgeon Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd in ''Grey's Anatomy''. He had early success as an actor, starring in a number of fil ...

). Meredith also learns that her half-sister,

(

Kelly McCreary Kelly J. McCreary (born September 29, 1981) is an American actress, best known for her role on the ABC drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' as Dr. Maggie Pierce, the half-sister of series protagonist Meredith Grey. She joined the series as a guest a ...

), has developed a crush on Nathan, further separating Nathan and Meredith. Still, Nathan continues to pursue Meredith, and although she resists, they eventually begin a relationship after sleeping together again. The two stay together for some time, but just when things are on the verge of getting serious, Megan is found in the Season 13 finale. Meredith sends Nathan off to Megan, insisting that she would have done the same thing had it been Derek. Nathan and Megan initially have trouble resuming their relationship, as she believes that he is still in love with Meredith, but they finally get back together when he brings her son, Farouk, to her from Iraq, proving his loyalty to her. In " Danger Zone", Nathan moves to Los Angeles with Megan and Farouk to start their lives together.

Departure

Nathan made his last appearance in the season 14 episode " Danger Zone". The episode was designed as the departure for series regular

, having joined the cast in 2015 and conceived originally as the love-interest for Meredith.

announced the exit of Martin Henderson as Nathan Riggs via Twitter: "I loved that we were able to give Riggs a happy ending worthy of his character and talent. As for Martin, this is not an ending for our relationship. He has been part of the Shondaland family since the pilot of ''Inside The Box'' and he will always be family. I can't wait to find a new project to work with him on in the future." Henderson indicated in an interview with ''

Deadline Deadline(s) or The Deadline(s) may refer to: * Time limit, a narrow field of time by which an objective must be accomplished Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Deadline (DC Comics), a fictional villain * ''Deadline'' (magazine), a British ...

'' that his departure was a storytelling based decision, as he was given a "short-term contract", adding, "This asmy final year so I was expecting Nathan's storyline to be wrapped up." Henderson shared his thoughts on his relationships with both Megan and Meredith

I think there was clearly something for Nathan in those relationships. Feelings like that, I don't think they go away. The nature of his previous commitment to Megan and his feelings around that put him in a horrible state of having to choose between two people he cares about, but honoring his commitment to Megan and following through on that is the right thing to do. It doesn't negate his feelings for Meredith. The complications of Meredith's emotions, the loss of Derek and moving on from that still plagues her. And there's as much ambiguity around all those feelings. The two of them found each other and that provided good drama. I feel bad for fans who were keen on Meredith and Nathan making it, and not being privy to where each character would go. It's hard to hear those outpourings from those who didn't know it was going to end up like this. But it makes for nice drama and it's something that Shonda does brilliantly: Dashing people's hopes and expectations. That's why the show continues to be successful. You can't predict what will happen to people at any time.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riggs, Nathan Grey's Anatomy characters Television characters introduced in 2015 Fictional immigrants to the United States Fictional cardiothoracic surgeons Male characters in television