Theory:Tracy Strauss

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The following fan theories are about Tracy Strauss.

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Theories

Theory	Citations	Notes
Niki, Tracy, Barbara, and possibly others are experiments created by the Linderman operated Company through the Pinehearst Company. Each of the children created were given powers through use of the formula that Kaito entrusted to Hiro to protect.	Linderman claims to Niki that he has been guiding her entire life. (The Hard Part) Angela claims to Tracy that the Company gave her and her sisters powers. (One of Us, One of Them)	+ Niki and Tracy have different abilities. + Tracy worked with Pinehearst. - Linderman's company and Pinehearst seem to be rivals. - The catalyst was absent from 1991 to 2007. Pinehearst probably didn't exist until after Arthur's death in 2006.
The "Tracy" in Angela's dream is not really Tracy but Barbara.	None	+ Dr. Zimmerman mistook Tracy for Barbara. (One of Us, One of Them) + The woman in Angela's dreams was not wearing Tracy's signature pearls, which so far, we haven't seen Tracy without. - She has stopped wearing the pearls. • At the time of Angela's dream, Tracy was still wearing the pearls. • The scene in question was created for Season Two and it is unknown if Tracy was an established character at that time. • Tim Kring has stated that he had outlined plots for up to Season 5. They may have already had Barbara planned and thus written into a dream sequence. + Tracy was horrified that she murdered the reporter (The Butterfly Effect and I Am Become Death) and only appeared to even want to kill in self-defense (Cold Snap) + No one in Angela's dream seemed to be frozen. + Angela had another dream where Tracy was murdered beside Nathan and Peter, who were both on Angela's side at the time. (Angels and Monsters)
Tracy can survive cold environments.	None	+ Since her ability is freezing things, she may also be able to survive a cold environment without needing warm clothing on. + Meredith is able to survive hot environments due to her ability. (One of Us, One of Them) + Her hand was not cold after freezing Nathan's drink. (I Am Become Death) • She may need to be continuously freezing something in order to not get cold.
Niki's, Tracy's and Barbara's biological parents are Company founders.	None	+ Many of the main characters are descended from Company founders. Linderman revealed that he had been manipulating Niki and D.L. for most of their lives in order for them to have a child like Micah. Arthur and Maury appear to be manipulating Nathan and Tracy into being together. + Angela told Nathan that because he had DNA primed for abilities due to having evolved human parents, they felt safe giving him the formula (One of Us, One of Them). This suggests they may have tried the formula on "unprimed" DNA, and that if it were unsuccessful with unprimed DNA they would insure the parentage of their experiments was that of evolved humans. Perhaps even taking some DNA from founders.
Tracy, Barbara and Niki aren't actually triplets, but clones of the original.	None	- If that was so, it wouldn't explain how two of them have vastly different powers, considering powers have roots in blood chemistry, and that triplets have the same DNA. • Being triplets does not explain this either, then. • Identical triplets don't have identical DNA just very similar DNA. • No, they do have identical DNA. They come from the same fertilized egg (zygote). • Genetic mutations happen before the identical twins separate, (1 to 4 days after the fertilization) and it may cause their DNAs to be slightly different. • It is unclear whether or not the body can hold only one power per DNA code. Some characters have shown natural tendencies for multiple powers, such as Matt's telepathy and precognition and Mohinder's synthetic transformation (which included a variety of super abilities). + Dr. Zimmerman said that he created Tracy. (One of Us, One of Them) - He may not have meant that he literally created Tracy herself; he may have just meant he created the person that she is, i.e., a person with an ability. He may have just given her the ability to freeze.
Tracy's ability has always been controlling water, including freezing and mimicking it.	She is able to turn into water. (An Invisible Thread)	+ The ability would account for all the effects related to Tracy's ability so far. - If Tracy had water mimicry or water manipulation before Cold Snap she would be able to escape from Building 26. • If she did have water mimicry, then she would have turned to liquid, then evaporated due to the heat inside her cell. + Maybe she didn't manifest all parts of her ability previous to being shot. The adrenaline could have activated the dormant parts of her power. - Tracy often froze objects that had no water.
Tracy's water mimicry is a mutation of her base ability.	None	+ Her base ability probably wouldn't have allowed her to pull herself together again. • All abilities are thought to be mutations. - Tracy's ability could easily have always been a full control over the water spectrum, including the ability to turn into the various forms of water. • A mutation?
Tracy's ability can have a similar effect to shape shifting.	None	• It is unknown if she can revert to a different appearance from her water state.
Tracy's ability can have a similar effect to rapid cell regeneration.	None	+ If Tracy is hurt, it might be possible for her to change into a watery state and then return to human form unscathed. - Donald Essex was hurt, turned into water and didn't come back. + Donald was hurt with a chemical, he avoided physical injury before. - Because he turned into water then. + There's no indication that he turned into water with active concentration, he seemed somewhat surprised when the spike went through him, even though he had been aware of his ability for years. • Mohinder calls it "fight or flight", the nervous system's ability to activate powers when an individual is in danger. - Donald Essex didn't technically heal any wounds, he just turned into water and thus avoided damage. + She is able to survive Edgar's knife slashes without damage by turning herself into water. Should she gain full control over this aspect of her power, she would be nigh-unkillable, like Claire. • Unless someone sprays her with whatever Danko sprayed on Donald Essex.
Tracy's ability mutated because she slushed into sewers.	None	+ Sewers are full of trash and goo. Who knows what stuff Tracy went through? - Tracy melted before she went to the sewers, it would have required her ability to change before going down the drains.
Tracy's freezing power is weaker than James Walker's freezing power.	None	+ Peter's natural power is stronger than his synthetic power. - Nathan's flight was better then West's. • West has managed to fly in supersonic speed while carrying two woman, he might be in Nathan's league now. • We haven't seen the full potential of James Walker's freezing, but Tracy can do a lot more than Sylar had shown.
Tracy's freezing power has now evolved into water manipulation.	None	+ Tracy can do more than just freezing people by physical contact, she can now manipulate water to any extent. - Tracy can only control the water she becomes. - Abilities can become stronger, but they don't change into something else. + She controls the temperature of the water, also it could be a part of her ability.
Tracy's ability is somehow linked to the energy which specials produce.	None	+ Tracy's ability seems to begin malfunctioning when there are no evolved humans nearby. - Tracy's ability still malfunctioned for a while after meeting Claire. - Every time Tracy's ability malfunctioned, she overwhelmed with something.
Tracy's ability isn't reducing the temperature of things, but literally turning them into ice.	None	+ If Tracy turned things into ice, it would explain how her ability evolved into becoming water: she turns things into ice, becomes ice (Cold Snap), melts and becomes water. - It is much more likely that the ice which appears on the things she freezes are moisture from the air that condensed and froze when it came in contact with the objects Tracy lowered the temperature.
Tracy's ability evolved due to the fact it is synthetic.	None	+ James Walker and Sylar did not display the same level of power that Tracy has. + Mohinder's ability caused by uncatalysed formula evolved him into an insect-like creature. - And the catalyzed formula removed those, it those mutations were beneficial, they would have been kept. - Ando and Nathan never had evolutions like that in their abilities. + Ando can shoot electricity. • It looks like electricity, but it was never said to be it. It could be simply an energy form that augments abilities and can also be used to harm. Showing it like electricity could be simply a way to show that he can use the energy in that way. + Ando discharged a taser. (I Am Sylar) + Nathan barely ever used his power compared to Tracy and Ando has had his for only two years. + Niki's ability evolved from only Jessica's access to Niki's also. - A mental condition isn't an ability. - Natural abilities have evolved too: Matt's telepathy, an agent's electric manipulation, Lydia's empathy...
Tracy was an evolved human before being injected with the formula resulting in her having two abilities, a synthetic ability: freezing, and a natural ability: water or possibly ice mimicry.	None	+ If her initial power was ice mimicry it could explain her freezing power which could be considered weaker, when Peter injected himself with the formula he gained ability replication which could be considered a weaker version of empathic mimicry. + Mohinder Suresh's enhanced strength could also be considered a weaker version of his initial synthetic ability, before he started to mutate into the bug like creature he showed much greater strength, agility and even a wall crawling ability which was reduced when the complete formula was used on him. • If Tracy was born an evolved human it would be extremely likely that Niki was too, this may explain her multiple personalities, as it could show the conflict between her synthetic and natural abilities. • Perhaps Niki's other ability is to create patterns on her skin, which would explain the fact that when Jessica is in control the symbol tattoo appears, perhaps the ability has been severely weakened by the presence of enhanced strength resulting in it being limited to creating a single tattoo.
Tracy has two abilities due to the fact that inbetween the episode Dual and the graphic novel What We Have Wrought, Tracy injected herself with the genetic modification formula.	None.	+ Tracy has a vile of it in the graphic novel: What We Have Wrought. + Even though Mohinder destorys the formula in the graphic novel, doesn't mean Tracy didn't give herself the formula before the events of What We Have Wrought.