User:ChunkehMonkeh

Sylar
Portrayed by	Zachary Quinto, Maurice LaMarche (voice for Sylar's message)
First appearance	One Giant Leap
In-story stats
Known abilities	Intuitive aptitude Known acquired abilities: Telekinesis, Rapid cellular regeneration, Alchemy, Clairsentience, Sound manipulation, Electric manipulation, Lie detection
Formal name	Gabriel Gray
Aliases	Gabriel Sylar, Drew O'Grady, Dr. Suresh, Zane Taylor, Isaac Mendez, Special Agent Andrew Hanson
Nicknames	Boogeyman, Brain man
Gender
Place of birth	Brooklyn, New York
Home	New York, NY
Occupations	Formerly agent of the Pinehearst Company Agent of the Pinehearst Company former Agent of the Company, former timepiece restorer
Significant others	formerly Elle Bishop (deceased), formerly Maya Herrera
Parent	Unnamed watchmaker Virginia Gray (deceased)

Gabriel Gray a.k.a. Sylar (which he adopted from the name on his watch) was an ordinary timepiece restorer who thirsted for the chance to become special. Chandra Suresh came to him, identified him as "Patient Zero" in his research and revealed the existence of evolved humans to him. Discovering how abilities worked and how to gain more, Sylar became a serial killer, targeting other evolved humans to steal their brains to get their abilities. Although Sylar began on the path of redemption after Angela Petrelli made the claim that she was his biological mother, he succumbed to "the hunger" once again and returned to his old ways.

About

Gabriel was born to a watchmaker and Virginia Gray. He always dreamed of bigger things, of being "special". Adopting the name "Sylar," he becomes a serial murderer, targeting evolved humans with abilities, but doesn't discriminate against killing anybody who stands in his way. Having the power of intuitive aptitude, Sylar is able to see how things work and use that to take the special powers of others after killing them. The FBI has categorized Sylar as a suspected serial killer. His suspected victims are sometimes seen with their heads sliced open horizontally at the center of their skull and their brain removed. Other victims are pinned to walls, frozen, or beaten. Sylar is hunted by the FBI, but has successfully eluded and taunted them, growing stronger and more powerful with each victim. Sylar's activities have since been noticed by the Company, who have made him their most wanted until twelve villains were released from level 5 accidentally by Elle. Since, he's supposedly been trying to change from being a serial killer to doing good, his motives however remain unknown. He was Noah's partner in the Company for a short while, was on Arthur Petrelli's side for a while as well, until he learned that he was not his father.

Character History

Season One

For an episode-by-episode summary, see ChunkehMonkeh: Season One History.

Mohinder Suresh discovers that Sylar was involved in his father's death and research. Meanwhile, Sylar is on a quest to gain as many powers as he can--he kills the Walkers in their home, then murders Charlie Andrews at the Burnt Toast Diner. At Union Wells High School's Homecoming, Sylar fails to collect Claire Bennet's power of regeneration when Peter Petrelli interferes. After a long fall, he is captured by Eden and the Haitian from the Company and is temporarily held captive at Primatech Paper Co. until he escapes, killing Hank and Eden McCain.

Six months prior, Chandra Suresh meets Gabriel Gray and helps him discover his potential by telling him about his research. When Chandra gives up on him Gabriel kills Brian Davis and takes his power of telekinesis. In the present, Sylar takes Zane Taylor's power of melting impersonating Mohinder Suresh. He impersonates Zane to gain Mohinder's help. Mohinder discovers Sylar's identity soon after Sylar kills Dale Smither and takes her enhanced hearing power. Mohinder tries to shoot Sylar, but fails. Sylar faces Peter, but Peter emerges victorious. Angry, Sylar sets out to find Isaac Mendez.

Sylar then kills Isaac at his apartment and gains Isaac's power of precognition. After seeing an explosion with his newly stolen power, he believes and fears that he will be the cause of the deaths of many innocent people. He visits his mother and tells her that she helped him realize that he could do anything, even become president if he wanted to. Their meeting, however, ends in a fight and Sylar accidentally stabs his mother in the heart. Sylar later kills Ted Sprague and takes his ability of induced radioactivity. He then confronts Peter Petrelli, Matt Parkman, Niki Sanders and Hiro Nakamura at Kirby Plaza. Hiro appears and seemingly kills Sylar by running him through with Ando's sword, Sylar's body disappears, leaving only a trail of blood that leads into a manhole.

Season Two

For an episode-by-episode summary, see ChunkehMonkeh: Season Two History.

Sylar awakens on a beach with a redhead, who explains that she dragged him away from Kirby Plaza and that the people that she works for fixed his wounds. Sylar tries to use his powers, but finds himself unable to. Sylar kills her and attempts to take her power, but cannot use it. He then leaves the building for the first time and discovers that he is in the middle of a Mexican jungle. He is eventually found in the middle of the road by Derek, Maya, and Alejandro. They give him a ride, and he tells Maya and Alejandro that he knows Chandra Suresh.

After killing Derek, Sylar finds that Maya and Alejandro are special. He helps them get into America to get them to Dr. Suresh. When they finally get to the border, they are surrounded by a Citizen's Border Patrol. Maya gets upset and uses her ability, causing the men fall down. Sylar holds Alejandro back from using his ability, presumably killing the men as they drive away. Sylar and Alejandro fight, and knowing Alejandro can't understand English, he tells him that the only reason he is helping the twins is so that when his powers return he can kill them and steal their powers. He says that even if he cannot get his powers back, Maya is his new toy and she's all his.

Sylar teaches Maya to learn how to control her power, and convinces her that Alejandro blames her for his wife's death. When Alejandro informs Maya that Sylar killed his own mother, Maya and Sylar decide to go to New York without Alejandro to find Dr. Suresh. Sylar is later attacked by Alejandro and Sylar kills him with a knife. Maya shows up without knowing he had just killed her brother. She tells Sylar that he was right about everything and thanks him for helping them. They share a kiss as Sylar shuts the door on her dead brother. Later, Sylar calls Mohinder from Mohinder's apartment. As Sylar strokes a sleeping Molly's hair, he tells Mohinder that he has brought Maya to talk to the doctor.

Upon returning home, Mohinder is greeted by Sylar and introduced to Maya, who needs Mohinder's help. Mohinder tells Maya that Sylar is a killer, but she admits that she has killed people as well, and describes her ability to Mohinder. Sylar tells Mohinder that he needs help too. He opened Mohinder's laptop and found lab work on a virus that takes away a person's abilities. He wants Mohinder to help him cure this virus, noting that Mohinder's blood, mixed with a certain cheerleader's blood, can cure the virus. Mohinder reluctantly agrees to help Sylar, and the two, Maya and Molly go to Mohinder's lab. Mohinder draws a sample of Sylar's blood, and finds that Sylar has the same strain of the virus that Niki has, telling him that the Company injected him with it as well. Sylar tells Mohinder to test the cure on Maya, who was shot by Sylar. Mohinder injects Maya, causing her wound to heal and the bullet to be expelled from her body. As Sylar prepares for his injection, Elle arrives and shoots bolts at Sylar. He quickly grabs the medicinal case with the remedy and runs from her, getting struck in the back and falling through a pane of glass. Sylar sits against a building with the virus's antidote. He injects himself and the wounds inflicted from falling through glass start to heal. He extends his arm toward a can across the alley and successfully moves a can from across the alley.

The Second Coming

Sylar goes to the Bennets' home in Costa Verde. He surprises Claire, but she knocks him unconscious with one of her cheerleading trophies. She tries to run but Sylar telekinetically locks the entire house. Sylar begins to terrorize her as she runs for cover in a closet and locks herself in. He finds a box of Noah's files and grows excited to have a "shopping list" of abilities, since he lost all his powers. While Sylar is talking aloud with his back to her, Claire stabs him through the chest. She runs to the front door but he pins her to the wall. Sylar opens her skull so he can view her brain. She asks if he is going to eat her brain, but Sylar replies that that's disgusting. Sylar obtains her regenerative power and finds more. He says that Claire is more "special" than she actually realizes and no one, not even Sylar, can kill her.

The Butterfly Effect

As Sylar leaves the Bennet residence, Bianca Karina and Gael Cruz attempt to detain him, only to be tossed away and killed.

Later on Level 5 of Primatech Research, Sylar throws Elle against the viewing window of Noah's cell after she alerts Noah of Sylar's presence. Sylar allows Noah to shoot him, but heals from the bullet wounds and violently slams Noah against the ceiling and back to the ground. Peter Petrelli, trapped in the body of Jesse Murphy, curses him from his cell while Sylar drags Elle towards him and flips her, so she is face up. Holding up Noah's dropped gun, Sylar turns it to gold, mocking Bob. Discarding the gun, Sylar begins to cut a line across Elle's forehead. Elle screams and releases a burst of energy from her body that knocks him unconscious and frees the rest of the Level 5 prisoners. Later, Sylar wakes up to find himself strapped to a table with a tube in his nose. Angela enters his cell and greets him as Gabriel to which he weakly replies, "My name is Sylar." She strokes his hair and tells him he can receive wisdom, guidance, and love from her as all mothers can provide. Sylar replies that she isn't his mother, but Angela smiles and says, "Oh, but I am, dear."

Graphic Novel:Dreams Until Death

After acquiring Claire's ability, Sylar is confronted by Company agents Bianca Karina and Gael Cruz. After being shot with tasers, he proceeds to send both agents flying away from him. Bianca manages to pull out her gun and fire a few rounds at Sylar, but he is unaffected due to having obtained the ability to heal himself. He then asks which one of them is special and Gael replies he is. Sylar responds by killing Bianca, and then splitting Gael's head open. Realizing Gael lied, Sylar throws Gael onto the ground next to Bianca and drives off in their car.

One of Us, One of Them

After the revelation of Angela's maternity to Sylar, Angela calls in Bridget Bailey and explains her power. She states that Bridget is there to feed Sylar. Angela leaves the cell, leaving Bridget and Sylar alone, and Bridget's screams can be heard from the cell along with the sound of grinding bone.

Later, Noah arrives at Level 5, called in to help recapture the Level 5 escapees. Angela introduces him to his new partner, who is none other than Sylar.

Sylar and Noah pull up to a bank, which is being robbed by four Level 5 escapees. Noah tells Sylar to stay out of his way, but Sylar protests that it is a one-sided partnership. Before Noah can talk to the police, Sylar begins to tell the police to move their perimeter back. He then tells a cop to get him and Noah coffee. Noah is impressed, and tells him that he will use his "silver tongue" to make sure the hostages won't tell the press what they saw, and to stay away from the bank. Later, Noah is in trouble inside the bank, but Sylar steps in and helps Noah by using telekinesis to freeze Knox and choke Jesse. Flint prepares to burn Sylar, but Noah intercepts and shoots him. After Noah leaves the bank with some of the escapees, Sylar locks the building, allows Knox to escape, and cuts open Jesse's head, telling Noah that he is a monster.

Both Sylar and Noah lock up the only remaining Level 5 escapee, Flint. Angela then appears with Sylar's prison clothes, and he says "Maybe you were wrong about me." Angela only responds with a smile and says "We'll see" as Sylar retreats back into his cell.

I Am Become Death

Peter Petrelli teleports into Sylar's cell, and instantly tries to attack him. Peter reveals that he traveled to the future and learned how to access Sylar's ability. Sylar claims that Peter now has the hunger, but Peter replies that he will never let himself become like Sylar. Sylar expresses a grin and states that Peter is already like him.

Angels and Monsters

In anger, Peter Petrelli snaps Sylar's neck, but Sylar quickly regenerates. He jumps up and throws Peter into a wall just in time to save Angela's life. Angela assures Sylar that she'll make sure Peter will be okay. Noah approaches Sylar, asking for his help in capturing a new target, Stephen Canfield.

Sylar and Noah arrive at the Canfields' home, and Stephen creates a vortex. Sylar, Noah, and Claire grab onto parts of the house to avoid being sucked in. Claire slips, but Sylar saves her, grabbing her hand. When the vortex finally ends, Sylar discovers that Canfield escaped, while Claire is angry at her father for working with Sylar, after what he did to her. Sylar admits that when he touched her hand, he could sense how much pain and suffering he caused her, and tries to apologize. Noah tells Sylar never to speak to his daughter. Later, at the Griffith Park Carousel, Claire and Noah approach Canfield, while Sylar waits by the car. Sylar watches as Canfield refuses Noah's request to use his ability to kill Sylar. Later, in the car, Sylar calls Noah a user who doesn't see the humanity of evolved humans.

Graphic Novel:Doyle

Sylar starts to cut Elle's head open as she has an electrical outburst.

Dying of the Light

Daphne enters Sylar's cell and attempts to recruit him for the Pinehearst Company, claiming that Primatech wants to change him into something he's not, whereas Pinehearst likes him for what he is--a killer. He uses his telekinetic powers to hold her against his cell door, but she escapes with Flint after leaving a company card with Sylar. Sylar releases Peter from his restraints and cell, then tells him that they have to find the person who paralyzed their mother. Sylar tells Peter to read Angela's mind. The only thing Peter can extract from her mind is the symbol for Pinehearst Research. As the two brothers prepare to leave, Sylar tells Peter he won't let him leave in his weakened state. The two fight, ending with Peter telling Sylar that he is weak and Peter now knows what it's like to have all this power. Peter leaves Sylar comatose in a Level 5 cell.

Eris Quod Sum

Subconsciously, Sylar is visited by his mother Angela in his induced comatose state on Level 5. In this dream, he is told that his powers are not completely subdued by the drug shunt keeping him under. Angela then tells Sylar that he needs to free his brother Peter from the grasps of the Pinehearst Research company. Sylar quickly obeys his mother's orders and breaks out of the cell, stopping by Angela's own comatose body to let her know that he will save Peter.

Once at Pinehearst, Sylar quickly knocks back Mohinder and Dr. Livitz (impaling Livitz on a wall and killing him) right before they can inject Peter. Sylar frees Peter, claiming that "It's what brothers do". Shortly thereafter, Sylar is knocked unconscious by Mohinder, who is stopped by Arthur who explains that Sylar is also one of his sons. Held in Arthur's office by his father, Sylar is told by his father that Angela feared him after his birth and tried to drown him. He claimed that she did not love him, and that he should stick with him instead.

After Peter tries to save Sylar, Sylar throws his brother out of a seventh story window of the building. However, Sylar also uses his telekinesis to slow Peter's fall, to prevent his death. Arthur discretely shows Sylar he knows he saved him, but Sylar does not admit that it was his doing.

Graphic Novel:Viewpoints

At the Company gallery, Sylar stares at a multitude of agent portraits who died at the hands of Sylar. Sylar's superior approaches him, mutters his name under his breath, and then spits in his face.

Breaking the rules, Sylar later goes on a solo mission. He goes to Chicago and stakes out the apartment of Rachel St. John. He soon discovers that her boyfriend, Dennis, who is also a Level 5 escapee, is hiding there. He decides to handle the situation.

Sylar enters the apartment and finds Rachel begging for help. Suddenly, Rachel is rendered unconscious by some green gas. He is then confronted by Dennis and his fellow escapees, Tina Ramierez and Michael Fitzgerald. The three know who he is and respect him, and they thank him for getting them out of Level 5. They then ask Sylar if he is there to join them, to which he replies, "No."

Sylar kills Dennis, and hold the other two with telekinesis, closing their windpipes. Suddenly, Rachel pleads with Sylar not to kill them.

Later, Sylar's superior comes with a team to take Tina and Michael back to Level 5. The Haitian is to clear Rachel's mind, which makes Sylar think to himself that the only person who thought of him as a hero won't even remember it.

Villains

In Hiro's precognitive dream state, he sees Gabriel Gray in 2006. Gabriel feels so guilty from killing Brian Davis that he attempts to commit suicide by hanging himself, only to be rescued by the timely arrival of Elle, who has been sent to investigate him. Elle, under the guise of a customer, gains his trust by appealing to his need to be special and baking him a peach pie. After meeting with Gabriel a few more times, Elle loses track of her mission when she starts to sympathize with him. Disillusioned, Elle returns to HRG to try and dissuade him from continuing the mission, only to be threatened with severance from The Company. Despite her qualms, she continues befriending Gabriel and invites Trevor, another evolved human, to the apartment in order to bait Gabriel into killing again. After Trevor demonstrates his ability, Gabriel has enough and attacks Trevor. Elle tries to stop Gabriel by shocking him, but he throws her across the room and tells her to leave. After Elle's departure, Gabriel proceeds to steal Trevor's ability, while HRG is watching using remote surveillance.

It's Coming

While at the Pinehearst building, Arthur tells Sylar that he knows that he saved Peter because he has empathy. Arthur then sends him into a dark room where Elle is chained up. Elle starts electrocuting him mercilessly, with increasingly devastating voltages. After several successively stronger shocks, Sylar's clothing is burnt to a crisp. Elle soon exhausts her powers and begs Sylar to kill her. Sylar raises his hand, but only to release her from her shackles. After forgiving Elle and helping her forgive herself, he begins exhibiting lightning as well. She helps him master his newfound power, touching him rather closely on the arm and chest. Later, he and Elle are released and they go to Arthur's office to watch Arthur sketch the eclipse.

The Eclipse, Part 1

Sylar is in a room at Pinehearst, practicing Elle's power. Elle walks in and Sylar mentions that he has to prove himself. Elle asks to whom, but he doesn't answer. Arthur comes to tell Sylar to find Claire. Elle joins him. They fly to LAX and enter Hotspur Car Rental, where Elle confronts Sylar about being his own person. He scuffles with the clerk, then Elle and Sylar drive to the Canfields' home. They attack Claire and Noah. Noah dislocates Sylar's shoulder before he and Elle pass out and the Bennets get away. When they wake up, Elle relocates his arm with much pain. Both Sylar and Elle have lost their abilities. Sylar is happy he doesn't feel the hunger. While the two kiss, Noah aims a sniper rifle at them.

The Eclipse, Part 2

Sylar and Elle discuss their unlikely relationship after making love at the Canfields' home, but they are interrupted by a hail of bullets from an enraged Noah, who shoots Elle in the leg. Sylar drags her away, and they hide in a scrapyard as Noah continues to look for them. Sylar dresses Elle's wounds in the medical section of a drug store, then carries her into the storeroom as Noah closes in on them following Elle's blood trail. Sylar locks Elle in the elevator and sends her to a lower floor, as Noah arrives and attacks him. After a brief fight, Noah cuts Sylar's throat with a box-cutter, leaving him to bleed to death as Elle watches. When Noah returns home, he discovers that Claire had died from her injuries earlier, but had regenerated when her power returned at the end of the eclipse, and realizes that Sylar could have also revived. Sylar and Elle enter the Bennet house, and Sylar pins Noah to the wall with telekinesis. Noah tells him that Arthur and Angela Petrelli are not his parents, and that they are both manipulating him. Sylar begins to cut Noah's throat using telekinesis, but is interrupted by the appearance of Hiro Nakamura who calls him a "Bad Man", and teleports him and Elle to a beach. On the beach, Sylar questions Elle about her knowledge of his parentage, then declaring that people never change and that he'll always be a killer, begins to slice Elle's head open.

Our Father

This section is a stub. You can help by expanding it.

Graphic Novel:Truths

Sylar telekinetically stops a bullet right in front of Arthur's head, to delay his death.

Heroes Evolutions

Gabriel Gray has a case file (file: C004; password: GGeh81zu) at primatechpaper.com. The file contains his personal history:

Gray is the son of a watchmaker who carried on his father's trade for several years before being approached for study by Dr. Chandra Suresh, who termed Gray his "patient zero." Under Dr. Suresh's inadvertent tutelage, Gray realized he had more than one anomalistic ability; in fact, he came to understand that he could absorb the abilities of others. The specific mechanism of acquiring these powers remain unclear, but we understand that it requires the removal of the victim's brain matter. While under Company protection, study into this mechanism began, but Gray escaped before our scientists could determine Gray's precise manner of acquiring abilities from his victims' brain matter.

With the incorporation of new abilities into his genetic structure, Gray assumed the name Sylar and began killing individuals on Chandra Suresh's list of "specials."

We captured Gray after the Union Wells High School incident. FBI Agent Audrey Hanson and Matt Parkman's investigation led them to an unsuccessful raid on Primatech Paper while Sylar was in our custody. Under observation, Sylar proved uncooperative and an incident with Eden McCain/Sarah Ellis led to her death. Despite our best efforts, Sylar escaped from our custody before our study was completed. Gray's current location is unknown and death should not be presumed.

The case file also contains a psychological profile:

Gabiel Gray's overbearing mother pressed on him the notion that he was "special" and meant for more than his family's middle-class existence. When he failed to live up to expectations, he fell into the family trade as a watchmaker and grew increasingly frustrated with his life.

When he began manifesting abilities, he realized he could use them to fulfill his deep-seated desire to be "special" and thus prove his worth to his demanding mother. However, infusion of foreign DNA into Sylar's genome has corrupted his mind and moral compass. He began seeing himself as vastly superior to average people, which gave him--in his mind--the moral authority to kill at will. He became sociopath and singularly focused on gaining more abilities. If still alive with his powers intact, his desire to be increasingly "special" will surely compel him to seek out additional victims. Extreme caution must be exercised if encountering Sylar.

Evolved Human Abilities

Cranial imaging

Sylar's original ability is the power to determine exactly how things work. Sylar used this innate ability to discover how to take the abilities of other evolved humans. He determined that Chandra Suresh was correct that the abilities are based in the brain, and several of Sylar's victims have had their skulls opened and brains removed. By studying his victims' brains he is able to determine how their powers work and replicate those abilities himself.

Arthur revealed to Sylar that he can obtain the abilities of other people without killing them through empathy. Arthur left Sylar in a room with Elle, with whom he had a long talk, after which Sylar manifested her ability. It is unknown whether this manifestation was related to empathic mimicry or if it was purely empathy.

With this ability comes a 'hunger' for more knowledge and power. Sylar believes that it is this hunger that drives him to murder others and steal their powers. In one future, Sylar is able to control this 'hunger' and settle down to a normal life.

According to his assignment tracker file at primatechpaper.com, Sylar's control index is 76%. His data analysis shows his biological level at 40, cerebral at 85, elemental at 45, and temporal/spatial at 20.

Acquired Abilities

With Sylar's ability enabling him to take the abilities of others, he has acquired many abilities.

Before he was infected with the Shanti virus (Kindred), he had acquired the following abilities (in chronological order):

• Telekinesis (One Giant Leap) from Brian Davis (Six Months Ago)
• Shattering from Trevor Zeitlan (Villains)
• Freezing (Don't Look Back) from James Walker (Behind the Eclipse)
• Melting from Zane Taylor (Run!)
• Enhanced hearing from Dale Smither (Unexpected)
• Precognition from Isaac Mendez (.07%)
• Induced radioactivity from Ted Sprague (Landslide)

Sylar originally stole enhanced memory from Charlie Andrews (Seven Minutes to Midnight). However, in Once Upon a Time in Texas, Hiro Nakamura went back in time, preventing the event from having happened. Thus, in the current timeline, Sylar never acquired the ability.

When he was infected, his intuitive aptitude and telekinesis were suppressed, and his other abilities were permanently lost.

He has since recovered from the virus (using a cure in Powerless), and subsequently demonstrated his original ability and telekinesis. Since that time, he has acquired the following additional powers:

• Rapid cellular regeneration from Claire Bennet (The Second Coming)
• Alchemy from Bob Bishop (The Butterfly Effect)
• Clairsentience from Bridget Bailey (One of Us, One of Them)
• Sound manipulation from Jesse Murphy (One of Us, One of Them)
• Electric manipulation from Elle Bishop (It's Coming)
• Lie detection from Sue Landers (Our Father)
• Imprinting from Joe Macon (Out of Town... On Business)
• Shape shifting from James Martin (Into Asylum)
• Disintegration from Tom Miller (I Am Sylar)
• Flight from Nathan Petrelli (An Invisible Thread)
• Empathy from Lydia (Let It Bleed)

During their conversation, Sylar and Mr. Bennet confirmed that Sylar has multiple abilities (Fallout); however, apart from telekinesis, the Company was unable to identify what these powers were (Godsend). Based on Mohinder's statement to the authorities (Fallout) that at least six people from his father's list have been murdered by Sylar (prior to Zane Taylor), it's likely that Sylar has acquired at least sixteen abilities: the six Mohinder mentions, plus those of Zane, Dale, Isaac, Ted, Claire, Bob, Bridget, Jesse, Elle and Sue Landers. However, due to his exposure to the Shanti virus, Sylar seemed to have lost all but six of these abilities: telekinesis, plus those abilities he acquired after being healed [1]. He held on to his telekinetic abilities because the power is so closely related to the guilt he felt for killing Brian Davis [2].

Sylar attempted to take an ability from Candice Wilmer, but he was unable to use it because he was affected by the Shanti virus; in an interview, the writers confirmed that Sylar was unable to acquire this ability while infected.

Telekinesis is Sylar's most commonly observed acquired ability. He has demonstrated the ability to use at least two of his acquired abilities at the same time. (The Hard Part)

Memorable Quotes

"When I was a kid ... I used to wish some stranger would come and tell me my family wasn't really my family. They weren't bad people, they were just ... insignificant. And I wanted to be different. Special. I wanted to change. A new name, a new life. The watchmaker's son ... became a watchmaker. It is so futile, that I wanted to be ... important."

- Sylar (to Chandra Suresh) (Six Months Ago)

"That sound in your heart, what is it?"

"Murder."

- Dale, Sylar (Unexpected)

"Mom -- Mom, don't. Don't, it's just... maybe I don't have to be special. That's okay to just be a normal watchmaker. Can't you just tell me that's enough?"

- Sylar (to Virginia) (The Hard Part)

"And how much of it do we actually use? Ten percent of it, maybe twenty. Imagine the answers we'd have with a hundred percent. Why is there evil? How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? How do we make love stay?"

- Sylar (to Claire) (The Second Coming)

Notes

• According to a response in the Sept. 30, 2008 Behind the Eclipse CBR Q&A, Sylar lost the previous abilities he had gained, except for intuitive aptitude and telekinesis, due to his exposure to the Shanti virus and had to start over in gaining other abilities. The lost abilities would include Trevor's ability, freezing, enhanced memory, melting, enhanced hearing, precognition, and induced radioactivity. However, Sylar was able to use induced radioactivity and precognition in a possible future (I Am Become Death). In a response in the Oct. 13, 2008 Behind the Eclipse CBR Q&A, it was clarified that Sylar reacquired those powers during the time period inbetween the present and the future shown in the episode.
• Clips from the debunked episodes on the Season Two DVD show Sylar getting his powers back and continue killing and acquiring powers. In the episode, Elle tells her father that Sylar has acquired four new powers, though we see only two of the thefts take place: he steals the abilities of impenetrable skin from a character named Robert Keep and dynamic camouflage from a character called "Chameleon Girl".
• In an interview, Tim Kring responded to the question "Are Sylar and Claire's father connected?" by saying "There is a connection between the two, which will become clear in later episodes."
• Kristin Veitch of E! indicates that Sylar's character "is the opposite of what you'd think it would be."
• In an interview with Wizard Magazine, Tim Kring states "Sylar's storyline is much cleaner line than a lot of people think. He's literally just a character who wanted to be special and he gets kind of f--ked up and becomes a serial killer. That's all it is."
• When the apparently dead Sylar revives in The Fix and in "The Kindness of Strangers", the familiar "tick-tock" can be heard, perhaps implying he has used his power.
• The fact that Sylar survived being shot (by Matt and by Mr. Bennet) and that he walked away from a serious fall at Homecoming led to speculation that he possessed some kind of superhuman endurance. However, Aron Coleite and Joe Pokaski stated in an interview that much of Sylar's apparent invulnerability is a product of his telekinesis. Sylar's resistance to bullets was specifically shown to be a specialized use of telekinesis in Parasite.
• Sylar seems able to levitate himself somehow. He seemingly did this to elude capture (One Giant Leap) and to approach Dale Smither without her hearing any sound of footsteps (Unexpected). He also escapes Virginia Beach police by propelling himself into a tree (Road Kill). Jason Badower stated that the script for Road Kill specifically states that Sylar uses telekinesis to escape the crashing Northeast Brewing Company truck. Whether or not the other instances are also a specialized use of his telekinesis is unclear.
• Sylar introduces himself to the trucker as "Drew O'Grady", apparently taking the alias from two headlines in a newspaper he had seen shortly before meeting the trucker. The headlines read, "President drew fire for welfare comments" and "O'Grady Farm to be purchased back..." (Road Kill). This is in keeping with the way he acquired the "Sylar" alias, taking the name from a watch as he meets Brian Davis (Six Months Ago).
• In an interview, Aron Coleite and Joe Pokaski explain that, although unusual vocal effects were used for both Sylar (Distractions) and Peter Petrelli (Unexpected), both were for "coolness factor", and were not an indication that either was using persuasion. They later reiterated the point in reference to Sylar's voice in .07%.
• The address Mohinder discovers for Sylar in his father's journal is 1146 Trenton Place APT 1B, Queens, NY 11011. (One Giant Leap)
• In an interview, Zachary Quinto said he purposely chooses to take on the characteristics of Sylar's victims. "[Distractions] was the genesis and then it continued for me as an actor to draw on the characteristics of the other characters that I was killing. There were choices I made in scenes to bring echoes of those characters to what I was doing."
• In The Butterfly Effect, Sylar tells Elle that she is especially to blame for what he has become. This is likely a reference to the fact that she helped manipulate him into killing more people after he'd acquired his first power and was trying to stop (Villains).
• Some have wondered why all of Sylar's abilities except telekinesis were lost after he was infected with the Shanti virus. Writers Joe Pokaski and Aron Coleite said in a question and answer session that the telekinetic power remained because it is related to the guilt Sylar felt for killing Brian Davis. "Brian was Sylar's first kill and his power is connected to emotional empathy."

Trivia

• A photograph on NBC's Heroes site shows a birth announcement for a "Paul E. Sylar", dated June 11, 1962. The announcement appears to be pinned next to the map in Chandra Suresh's Brooklyn apartment. However, the casting of 29 year-old Zachary Quinto seems contrary to this information, as does the revelation that "Sylar" is an assumed name. In all likelihood, since the announcement only ever appeared clearly in promotional photos, the character concept has changed since the original announcement was designed and there is no "Paul E. Sylar." This is a remnant from the original cut of the pilot episode (In His Own Image). In that version, the conversation on the Sylar tape can be heard, but it is a conversation between Chandra and Paul E. Sylar. Katherine Pope, an NBC drama development executive at the time, read the original pilot involving the early appearance of Sylar and pushed Kring to put off the character's reveal until nine episodes into the first season. [3]
• The role of Sylar was originally offered to Christopher Eccleston. He declined the role because he thought it was a cliché for European actors to play villains in American culture.
• In the first draft of the pilot, Sylar was supposed to appear in an Italian prison. According to Greg Beeman's blog, this version of Sylar was supposed to have long claw-like nails and sharp teeth. He was also supposed to be "way weirder and more monstrous — like Nosferatou."
• Ando tells Peter that Sylar is like okage which he translates as "boogeyman" (Homecoming). Molly Walker also refers to Sylar as "the boogeyman" (The Hard Part). In I Am Become Death, a future Gabriel Gray refers to himself as a "boogeyman" to the time-traveling Peter Petrelli.
• Sylar taking his name from a watch mirrors one theory regarding the Zodiac Killer who killed several people in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 60s. One suspect was allegedly given a "Zodiac" brand watch that had the same logo (a crossed circle) that the killer used to sign his letters. Also of note, before one alleged victim died, she was followed by a suspicious man wearing horn-rimmed glasses.
• Before the airing of Six Months Ago, the theory that Sylar is Peter had become so stale at 9th Wonders, the semi-official Heroes fansite, that it has inspired a drinking game: whenever someone brings it up, drink.
• At the end of Powerless, when Sylar regains his powers, the first thing he grabs with telekinesis is a can of spinach. This is a joke by the writers relating to Popeye the Sailor, who gains his "ability", strength, after eating spinach. ^[4]
• According to his case file (password: GGeh81zu) at primatechpaper.com, Gabriel Gray weighs 150 pounds.
• "Sylar" is a German surname that literally means "ropemaker." [5]

See Also

• For other uses of Sylar, see Sylar (disambig).
• For other uses of Gabriel, see Gabriel (disambig).
• For other uses of Gray, see Gray (disambig).
• For other uses of boogeyman, see boogeyman (disambig).
• For a partial list of articles related to Sylar, see Related Articles:Sylar.
• For a full list of articles related to Sylar, see List of articles related to Sylar.
• For images of Sylar, see Images of Sylar.
• For ChunkehMonkeh's history in the "explosion future", see ChunkehMonkeh (explosion future).
• For ChunkehMonkeh's history in the "exposed future", see ChunkehMonkeh (exposed future).

External Links

• Sylar's Blog (Fan site)
• Sylar's Army (Fan Group)

Template:Sylar