Telepathy

Telepathy
Matt can hear thoughts
Originally held by:	Matt Parkman, Mr. Parkman
Absorbed by:	Peter Petrelli
Ability to:	Hear others' thoughts
Examples of telepathy

Telepathy is the ability to hear others' thoughts.

Characters

• Matt Parkman is the first person shown to innately have this ability.
• Peter Petrelli has copied this ability (Fallout), and was later able to access it outside Matt's presence. (Distractions, Landslide)
• Mr. Parkman shows an advanced form of this ability.

Limits

Matt has limited control over his ability. He can actively focus on the thoughts of a particular person, but he sometimes picks up thoughts at random from people in his vicinity, and he can have difficulty "blocking" the thoughts of agitated individuals or crowds. He can be overwhelmed by intense thoughts, as happened in the convenience store. (Hiros)

Matt notes to his wife that he is only able to hear the thoughts of others. He seems unable to receive mental images, complex thoughts, or delve into the memories or emotions of others. His telepathic ability, as of yet, remains limited to only hearing a person's current thoughts as they're thinking them. (The Fix)

He is unable to read the Haitian's mind, and the minds of others that the Haitian is "screening" against mental intrusion. With extreme effort, however, Matt can occasionally pick up a word or two through the Haitian's interference.

If a person is thinking in a language other than English, Matt can still hear them, but he does not automatically understand the thoughts.

Matt's telepathic abilities seem to have a limited range; he has not been seen to pick up thoughts from anyone more than a few hundred feet away. He does not require a line of sight to pick up thoughts, but it seems to help.

Selected Examples

• Matt reads Molly Walker's mind at the scene of her parents' murders. (Don't Look Back)
• Matt uses his powers to plan the perfect date with his wife. (Hiros)
• The officer stops a would-be convenience store robber by reading his mind, only to be overcome by the terrified thoughts of others. (Hiros)
• Matt telepathically uncovers the affair between his wife and his partner. (Nothing to Hide)
• Matt presumably reads his first thought: "Hero". (Six Months Ago)
• Peter copies Matt's power, and they read each other's minds. The telepathy mimicry also creates a disturbing feedback loop between the two men. (Fallout)
• Matt uses his powers to guide his answers during a police hearing. (The Fix)
• At Ridgway Jewelry, Matt overhears a conversation between Niki and Jessica. (Run!)
• Matt hears the thoughts of Claire, Mr. Bennet, and Ted Sprague during the invasion of the Bennets' home. (Company Man)
• Mr. Bennet uses Matt's ability to tell him how to get them and Ted out of the Company's custody. (.07%)
• Matt reads the mind of Angela Petrelli during an interrogation. She somehow detects this, and responds to his question by mentally screaming, "Get out of my head!" (Lizards)
• Mr. Parkman induces nightmarish visions in both Matt and Nathan, attacking at their insecurities and causing them to unwittingly attack each other. (Fight or Flight)
• Matt, for the first time, is able to project his own thoughts to Nathan as they are fighting, forcing their visions to come to an end. (Fight or Flight)

Memorable Quotes

"It's like -- it was like someone was talking to me. Except it was in my head."

"Did the voices tell you anything else? They want you to do things? Rob a store, kill the president?"

"No. It's more like I can ... hear people's thoughts."

- Matt, Audrey (One Giant Leap)

Notes

• According to Chandra's journal, an African woman "potentially" had this power. (Seven Minutes to Midnight)
• The Mozaic file reads Parapsychology / Telepathy.

Trivia

• Audrey calls Matt "Carnac," referring to his ability (One Giant Leap). Carnac is the comic psychic played by Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. Carnac the Magnificent could "read" questions on a card inside a sealed envelope and give a humorous answer to the question prior to opening the envelope.
• Telepathy is the first power to be shown to be passed from one generation to the next within the same family unit.

Gallery

• 
  Matt practices his power listening to bar patrons, including a woman with thoughts of "disappearing".
• 
  The telepathic officer interviews Ted at FBI Headquarters.
• 
  Matt's intense telepathic concentration results in a single word—and a nosebleed.
• 
  As Niki and Jessica argue, Matt overhears both sets of thoughts.
• 
  Though Matt can hear Mr. Bennet's thoughts, he can't understand them--they're in Japanese.
• 
  While in one cell, Matt receives instructions from Mr. Bennet who is in another cell.
• 
  Matt gets up close and personal with Mr. Bennet (future) in order to find Claire's location.
• 
  Matt finds out that Stan has a secret about pornography.