Theory:Samson Gray

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The following fan theories are about Samson Gray.

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Theories

Theory	Citations	Notes
Samson Gray has an ability to control animals.	None	+ Samson Gray's home was full of taxidermied animals, suggesting he has a close connection with them. - He's got the power of sedation, a thirst for killing and, as stated in 'Shades of Gray', he likes to keep his hands busy. This is more than enough reason.
Samson Gray has the power of animal mimicry.	None.	+ When Luke asks the question about animals, the black bird looks at them from outside the car. - It could have reacted to the noise. + The taxidermied animals in his house could have been a weird irony thing. + It could also be an easy way to "acquire" animals to mimic, Animorphs-style.
Samson has acquired a clairvoyance ability similar to Molly's.	None.	+ Samson implies that he has killed quite a few people with abilities, and he doesn't appear to have access to any list of potential victims like Sylar did. - He also appears to only have access to a select few powers, as opposed to Sylar's plethora of abilities. Perhaps his hunt for abilities was far less successful. - That would explain why he said he wanted to take Sylar's powers to do things over the right way.
Samson gave up Sylar because he had the hunger.	None.	+ Samson may have realized his son would inherit an ability from him. + Perhaps Samson knew Gabriel's ability is the same as his, so he could not satiate his hunger. + Samson may have given up Sylar so he wouldn't be tempted to kill him. + Though Samson doesn't seem like the most honorable person in the world, he like Sylar may have had swings between evil and morality. • Killing a spouse right after selling a son doesn't denote "swings between evil and morality".
Samson has more abilities than we have been shown so far.	None.	+ How would Samson know Sylar has agents following him and know he hadn't killed them, unless he was using some kind of power like telepathy or something? • Maybe he heard about the hunt on evolved humans. He may have understood it from Nathan's speech on TV (A Clear and Present Danger). • Maybe Luke contacted him and told him. • Sylar most likely told him. + Surely Samson does have more abilities, but he most definitely lost access to the most of them, as he claims. • He noted that "it's amazing how it comes back" after the hunger came over him again.
Samson will attempt to find Claire and take her power.	None.	+ Samson was determined to get the ability of regeneration, and Sylar told him he took it from a cheerleader in California. • There's a lot of cheerleaders in California, finding one who can regenerate wouldn't be easy. + He also seemed to take powers in the same manner as Sylar, judging by how he approached Sylar with the knife. Just a little searching would lead him to the reports on Jackie's death, where he could gather all the clues he needed. - Jackie was murdered in Texas. Sylar never mentioned Texas when speaking with his father. + Samson could easily do a Google search for a cheerleader killed by having her head cut open. - Sylar didn't acquire the ability on that occasion, he got it in California. + Samson could kill some Company agents, take one of their laptops and find the files for people with regeneration. - Samson might think that the cheerleader didn't survive. + He did, however, know that Sylar would survive if he took the power. He could think the same thing about the cheerleader.
Samson killed his wife and gave Sylar away to protect Sylar from her.	None.	+ It appeared as though she had no knowledge that he was giving him away, and when she argued, he quickly killed her as if to prevent her from using her power not yet known. - If she had an ability, Samson could have taken it then, but apparently he didn't. + No other reason exists to explain him killing her, he could have just driven away. - Samson had the hunger, he's like his son and said that Sylar "had to kill", and by extension he had to kill. + The hunger only drives one to kill evolved humans, usually. We have no evidence Sylar's mother possessed an ability. - Samson has the power of sedation. At the moment we don't know where he got it from, it could have been from her.
Samson only temporarily killed his wife to stop her from getting Sylar.	None.	+ She may have had a regeneration ability, and he knew she would heal, just as he knew Sylar would heal. - If she had a healing ability, Samson would've taken it. He clearly doesn't have it.
Samson's cancer is a side effect of his ability.	None.	+ His ability, like Sylar's, can make him immensely if not overly powerful. Getting cancer as a side effect would be an interesting way to weaken him. - He is seen smoking, which a possible cause for the cancer. + Perhaps he took on smoking after he found out about the cancer, therefore he took it up knowing that he was going to die anyway. • Sylar may also be getting cancer from his abilities, but Claire's power is cancelling it out. • How would you get cancer from obtaining abilities? • Ted had radioactive powers, radiation causes cancer, sure Sylar may be immune if he had that power, or regeneration nullify it, but Samson did not have regeneration and may have been exposed to radiation but did not get it to become immune to it. • None of Sylar's abilities have unwanted side effects other than the hunger from intuitive aptitude. • It's possible for Samson to have an ability with cancer as its side effect, but whatever it is, it's not intuitive aptitude.
Samson will be Redemption's villain.	None.	+ He's an interesting character and claims to have had many powers, which would make him a formidable enemy. - Unless he gets rapid cell regeneration, he doesn't hold much of a threat. • There is no need for a third villain who can heal. + Wouldn't cancer just mean he's got nothing to lose?
Samson is Arthur's relative.	None.	+ Intuitive aptitude and power absorption have similar byproducts. - Acquiring abilities in one of the applications of intuitive aptitude, not its main purpose. + Ability homology exists. - Ability homology doesn't always mean evolved human are related. - There is no evidence to support this theory. + Arthur's declaration of being family with Sylar didn't cause lie detection to go off. - As stated before lie detection's limits are unclear. + Though they have other way of finding out, Angela knew who Sylar's parents were. - Exactly not because they were related, but because they have private investigators and agents. - Angela's ability allows her to know almost everything. + Elle's shock at discovery over Sylar's heritage. - Elle was shocked when Arthur claimed he was Sylar's father. Samson was first mentioned in Volume Three finale, when Elle was already dead.
Sylar from the exposed future was actually Samson.	None.	+ In the present Sylar claimed that he cannot change and that he has to be what he is - a killer. + The future Sylar bears some resemblance to Samson - their tempers are similar. + Samson has intuitive aptitude, so it could be him who Peter mimicked it from. - Samson wouldn't last much longer against his cancer. • There are many ways to heal cancer - Samson might absorb rapid cell regeneration, or someone might heal him, or shape shifting might remove the illness.