Theory:Joseph Sullivan

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The following fan theories are about Joseph Sullivan.

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Theories

Theory	Citations	Notes
Joseph Sullivan had empathic mimicry.	None	+ Lydia says Samuel is trying to fill in the void. + Samuel says he needs someone to help him fill the void from his brother's death, which is why he targeted Peter. - Joseph took care of Samuel his whole life. After murdering him, he was left without that support and guidance. + Samuel's interest in Edgar's statement regarding meeting an empath. - Peter isn't an empath anymore. + Samuel might not know that. As far as he knows, Peter has a very empathic personality, and has mimicked Edgar's power. + This could explain Samuel's interest with Sylar, who has many abilities, in the same way an empath would. • Joseph, if an empath, could have been the Swiss Army Knife of the carnival, having as many powers as he could. Losing someone so useful would need someone like another empath, or Sylar to replace. - Joseph was killed by Samuel just prior to the beginning of Redemption. It seems unlikely that anyone as powerful as an empath that had absorbed all the powers of the carnival would be killed by Samuel who, while a very powerful evolved human, has never shown any extraordinary skill in combating evolved humans. + Assuming the carnival does not have a regenerator, all it took was for Samuel to shoot Joseph in the throat. - He would of at least had his guard up, Samuel killed him quite quickly and with no struggle.
Joseph had the ability to detect evolved humans.	None	+ Samuel said about Joseph, "He was my compass". The compass can detect evolved humans. • This is yet to be confirmed. - It would appear that the compass detects the carnival. - Joseph wouldn't need Lydia then. • Joseph wouldn't send Lydia away just because of her power, the carnival is a family. • Maybe when Joseph was alive, Lydia hadn't developed her ability enough to find evolved humans. First of all, her ability is to sense what others feel.
Joseph had some form of precognition.	None	+ Samuel's somewhat headstrong personality doesn't lend itself to both leadership of a group of mutants and staying hidden from the Company. Joseph may have made predictions which allowed the carnival to stay one step ahead.
Joseph had telepathy.	None	+ During Mohinder's visit he appeared to know what Mohinder was thinking and knew more about him. - He would have been able to prevent Samuel from attacking him then, and possibly make him forget.
Joseph was romantically involved with the fortune teller.	None	+ Samuel slapped Edgar for calling her an old hag and wondered "what if Joseph caught [him] talking like that".
Joseph had the power of persuasion.	None	+ He spoke with Mohinder in the imperative tone. - It is possible that he may have telepathy or empathic mimicry. - He would have been able to "persuade" Samuel to forget what Mohinder said, or at least calm him down.
Joseph is McSorley.	None	+ Joseph is older than Ricky. He is capable of forming a first family that didn't work out. - There are other characters who are older than Ricky, all of which fit that description. + He is old enough to be McSorley's son's father. - So were lots of other characters. + Joseph is a natural leader. - Every Company founder was a leader. + Joseph might have used the money, he made as a mobster to start the carnival. - He had Little Miss Goldenrod for that. - Joseph was a nice person, he wouldn't have threatened Ricky's gang. - Why would the carnival need iPods? • It's possible they were smuggled in so that Ricky's gang could sell them at a much lower price. - Nothing at all indicates that Joseph has ever even been to Ireland.
Joseph's power was empathic manipulation.	Samuel claims that Joseph has been emotionally manipulating him, a clear description of the power.	+ This could explain why he was able to make newcomers like Lydia feel welcome, and why everyone became uneasy when he died. He had been using his power to calm them but that evaporated when he was killed. - Joseph was a very kind man. He devoted his entire life to protecting the world from Samuel and making a place where evolved humans could live in peace. Even if he had such an ability, he would never abuse it. + Calming people down can hardly be called "abusing" an ability. However, even if he manipulated Samuel to the point where it became morally questionable, one could make the argument that by restricting Samuel's free will Joseph also kept the carnival, as well as the rest of the world, safe. + Samuel acts very apathetic and unfocused when Mohinder arrived at the carnival. This could possibly be because Joseph manipulated his emotions that way to make Samuel not want to ask questions about his past, thus making him ignorant of his true potential.
Joseph did not have an offensive ability.	None	+ In the episode Thanksgiving, when Joseph is about to be killed, he would have stopped Samuel to prevent his death.
Joseph let Samuel kill him.	None	+ Joseph knew that Samuel is an ambitious man who will try to get as powerful as possible. Joseph knew he had to be stopped, but couldn't do it himself, as he loved his brother so much. So the only way was to let him become powerful enough for others to realize it and kill him. - Danko was on his way. All he needed to do was keep Samuel from running until Emile arrived with a compass in one hand and an assault rifle in the other. • Even if Joseph arranged for Danko to come, he didn't necessarily want to have him killed, just taken away. Considering Danko was also taking evolved humans, for different purposes, Samuel would also end up near many evolved humans. - He knew that Samuel might someday destroy the world. He was a very practical man. Letting Samuel potentially turn into the Heroes equivalent of Galactus seems stupid and irresponsible.