Who is he?
Herod was curious. He wanted to know who Jesus was, or rather, he wanted to see him. He probably even did catch a glimpse of him. Herod wanted to know, maybe he even wanted to understand. Herod had been curious even about John the Baptist, so curious to know what was going on in the head of that curious man that he had it chopped off.
Power is sometimes curious, but only at the beginning and never to really understand and only to get to know to what extent that new, unexpected thing can possibly be useful or advantageous, and, most of all, how it can be kept under control. If a new perspective is not advantageous for a system, the problem does not arise; it is without doubt stupid or deceptive. If it can be considered advantageous but it cannot be kept under control, it has to be destroyed and erased with every means possible as it is considered dangerous, unsafe, immoral and unhealthy. If it is advantageous and, at the same time, it can be completely kept under control, then it can be integrated as soon as possible into the system, used as much as possible, and then thrown away when it is no longer useful. That is how power has treated every prophet in history, every kind of prophecy and every prospect of spiritual and intellectual renovation. That is how the power system treated Jesus. There is no doubt that Herod could have changed that taken for granted, repetitive approach to novelty if on that day out of the last pinch of intellectual curiosity left to him he had asked not who Jesus was, but who He was for him.
If you want to escape the darkness of prejudice and stupidity, never ask yourself what something is, but rather what that thing/person is for you. Never ask yourself who a person is, but who he is for you. Never ask what God, Jesus, the Paraclete, the gospel are, but, with your yes closed and your heart open, ask yourself what God, Jesus, the Paraclete and the gospel are for you.