Many dramatic developments in science take place without a single clearly defined individual standing out from the rest, and even in cases where there is an outstanding individual, the human propensity for telling stories will sometimes single out one individual a bit beyond what is really warranted.
My view: the next major development has already taken place. It was quantum mechanics; a development which is substantially more dramatic and significant than relativity. But it does not have an easily identified hero.
Curiously, Einstein himself received a Nobel prize, and it was not for relativity. It was for his work on the photoelectric effect and quantum mechanics. But Einstein does not stand out as the one great leader in this development. No one individual does; this is a case where you can't so easily tell the story with a single hero. There were Schroedinger, Bohr, Planck, Heisenberg, and many others.
Cheers -- Sylas
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