Isaac Mendez

Isaac Mendez
Portrayed by	Santiago Cabrera
First appearance	Genesis
In-story stats
Known ability	Heroin-induced precognition.
Gender
Age	28
Residence	Isaac Mendez's apartment
Occupations	Artist, Author

Character history

Urged on by his instructor, Dominick Cabalo, Isaac honed his art skills and took various summer classes to help develop his craft. It wasn't until high school when he began winning illustration contests. With even more classes in illustration and design courses under his belt, Isaac moved to New York and soon after high school took various courses in college for comic book illustration. It wasn't until the annual New York comic convention that he caught the eye of Camacho Comics and they hired him on the spot. He worked there for 3 years, all the while learning the ins and outs of the business. (9th Wonders comic issue #14)

Genesis

Isaac Mendez is a struggling, tortured artist who lives in New York City. He is also the boyfriend of Simone Deveaux. By his own admission, Mendez is addicted to heroin, although he has been through rehab twice. For about three week, the paintings that he has done while high are apparently depicting future events.

When he realizes this, he tells Simone of his intentions to quit heroin cold turkey, to which she objects. Simone returns later to find that he has instead overdosed. She calls in Peter Petrelli, a nurse who is taking care of her father, to help Mendez. Peter sees Isaac's painting of a man who looks strikingly similar to Peter jumping off of a building and seemingly flying, which later sways the nurse to attempt the same thing.

Don't Look Back

Hiro Nakamura, a time manipulator, discovers a divergent future timeline set a little over five weeks from October 2nd in which Mendez has been killed. The artist's corpse is shown with the top of his head having been sliced off, possibly by the unseen murderous figure known as "Sylar".

One Giant Leap

Isaac has recovered and has come to cope with the fact that he is "painting the future". Simone, however, does not believe Isaac's assertions about his paintings and is more concerned with Isaac meeting the deadline for his comic book, 9th Wonders. This becomes a dispute and ultimately leads to their break-up. Later, Isaac finds a drawing he'd made earlier of a couple kissing which matches the actual event of Peter Petrelli and Simone kissing in the rain.

Powers, abilities and equipment

When high on heroin, Isaac has "painted the future." A TV Guide article reveals that he will soon try to find out if his power works without using heroin.

When Isaac is in a trance, he seems to be actually perceiving the future. His eyes become milky white and he sees the future events visually as if he's present. He also seems to have little awareness for sounds around him.

Art work

Made for the show by comic book artist Tim Sale, Isaac's paintings are shown to be accurate predictions of future events. They are, in order of appearance:

Genesis

• The depiction of a full solar eclipse which happens later in the first episode. Simone stops Issac from destroying this painting.
• A hand holding a transparent container (possibly a glass) with a bubbling liquid inside. Isaac destroys this painting.
• An unfinished painting of a girl appearing to be in a yellow jacket.
• The depiction of a burning bus which is confirmed to be a suicide bombing in Israel.
• The depiction of a fiery train wreck. Claire Bennet saves a man from this incident and the story is seen by Isaac on the news.
• A portrait of a man jumping off a building and seemingly flying. This is the painting that encourages Peter Petrelli to do the same thing.
• A large explosion and the resulting mushroom cloud in Midtown Manhattan. This painting is shown as being done on the concrete floor of Isaac's apartment, and due to the scale and positioning, it is unknown if the other characters present in the same scene are aware of it...

Don't Look Back

• In the 2nd episode, it is shown that the explosion depicted is to happen on November 8 in the story's original timeline.
• In Hiro's "five weeks into the future time frame" Hiro discovers the comic book 9th Wonders, which details the events of him and various other Heroes characters. The book is revealed to be authored and illustrated by Issac.

One Giant Leap

• A picture of a girl walking away from a boy in a school hall. A previous scene indicates these are Claire Bennet and her classmate Zach, respectively.
• A couple kissing under a red umbrella. A previous scene implies that that the couple is Peter Petrelli and Simone.

Collision

• Himself in his art studio after waking up from a precognitive trance.
• Claire Bennet on a set of bleachers with a dark figure approaching her.
• Hiro and Ando in a casino.

Isaac Mendez
Several of Isaac's paintings reside in his loft.
First mentioned:	Genesis
Current status:	Some are in Isaac's loft, some are in Linderman's archives, some are in the Company's possession, some have been destroyed, some are in comic book collections and on various news stands.

Isaac Mendez's precognitive abilities take the form of paintings, some completed while high on heroin. His paintings are considered prophecies, and many have been fulfilled. Along with the 9th Wonders! graphic novels, Isaac has produced the following paintings.

Major Works

For more of Isaac's work, see 9th Wonders! or Isaac's sketchbooks.

For a comparison of Isaac's work with the realization of his prophecies, see Prophecy.

For detailed articles of particular paintings, see:

• Exploding Man
• Hiro and the Dinosaur
• Homecoming Series
• Invisibility Series
• Dead Isaac Series
• The missing painting
• Series of eight

Gallery

Season One

• 
  At the Deveaux Gallery, Isaac is confronted by a woman he has painted being hit by a bus.
• 
  Simone prevents Isaac from destroying this painting of the eclipse.
• 
  A hand holds a glass of boiling water in front of a red background. Originally intended as a depiction of the engineer, this now depicts Ted Sprague. Isaac paints over this canvas with black paint.
• 
  An unfinished painting shows a girl wearing a yellow coat. (See the original painting.)
• 
  Simone stands in silhouette with her portfolio in Isaac's doorway, exactly as she does when she later arrives.
• 
  This depiction of a burning bus is confirmed to be a suicide bombing in Israel.
• 
  The depiction of a fiery train wreck in Odessa, TX proves prophetic. Claire Bennet saves a man from this incident and the story is seen by Isaac on the news.
• 
  This portrait depicts a man jumping off a building and seemingly flying. This is the painting that encourages Peter Petrelli to do the same thing.
• 
  The depiction of a large explosion and the resulting mushroom cloud in Midtown Manhattan is painted directly on the concrete floor of Isaac's apartment.
• 
  A girl walks away from a boy in a school hall. A previous scene indicates these are Claire Bennet and her classmate Zach, respectively.
• 
  Several paintings reside in Isaac's loft, such as this image of men looking up...
• 
  ...two hands which interact with one another...
• 
  ...and an image of a man who seems to have a hole in his head.
• 
  Isaac paints Uluru the Invincible, a giant rock monster. This painting would become the cover of 9th Wonders!, Issue #13.
• 
  Claire climbs the stone bleachers at Union Wells High, with a shadowy figure looming over her.
• 
  Hiro and Ando stand under a blood-soaked homecoming banner.
• 
  Peter is surrounded by flying locker doors. He is later attacked by Sylar in this fashion.
• 
  Claire looks frightened.
• 
  Isaac didn't finish this painting of a menacing figure.
• 
  The same painting, completed by Peter, shows the figure standing over Jackie's brainless corpse with red paint dripping from the canvas. The body was once thought to be Claire's, referencing the message, "Save the Cheerleader, Save the World".
• 
  Several paintings assemble to form a comic book page with a panel missing.
• 
  A painting shows Mohinder Suresh scattering his father's ashes.
• 
  This painting at first seems to depict Niki Sanders with a large sum of money.
• 
  Isaac rubs a layer off the same painting to reveal the Symbol, indicating it is a painting of Jessica, not Niki.
• 
  A car explodes. This is later revealed to be a car destroyed by Ted as he escapes from FBI custody.
• 
  A painting of a busy redheaded waitress is later revealed to be Charlie Andrews.
• 
  Isaac has a painting of a car crash hanging in his room in Primatech.
• 
  A digital image of a painting shows Peter Petrelli, dead at Union Wells High School. Nathan purchased the original from Mr. Linderman, but then destroyed it so Peter would not see it.
• 
  At Primatech Paper Co., Isaac is coerced into painting this depiction of an exploding figure with raised arms (much to the chagrin of Mr. Bennet). Later in a vision, Peter comes to believe that he is the cause of the explosion.
• 
  For the first time while not under the influence of heroin, Isaac paints Hiro Nakamura confronting a dinosaur while wielding a sword. Upon seeing this painting, Hiro worries about stepping on a bug.
• 
  New York, post-explosion, is seen from Charles Deveaux's rooftop.
• 
  A woman's purse seems to fly through the air.
• 
  A street corner appears empty.
• 
  Isaac and Simone embrace on Charles Deveaux's rooftop.
• 
  An unseen object rushes towards a parked taxi cab.
• 
  Peter Petrelli, half-invisible, recovers next to the smashed cab.
• 
  Isaac paints footprints on Charles Deveaux's rooftop.
• 
  Isaac paints Peter Petrelli standing in Isaac's apartment. (See the finished version.)
• 
  This painting of Claire Bennet's autopsy hangs in Linderman's archives.
• 
  The archives also have a painting of Peter hovering.
• 
  Isaac paints a series of paintings of his own death. His gun sits beside his body.
• 
  His eyes are staring widely.
• 
  His mouth is locked in a scream.
• 
  His brain has been removed.
• 
  This painting of Nathan Petrelli as president hangs in Linderman's archives.
• 
  This painting of Niki and Jessica Sanders's split reflection is also in the archives.
• 
  This painting of Mr. Bennet also hangs in the archives.
• 
  This painting, from a scene in 9th Wonders!, also hangs in the archives.
• 
  The fifth painting in Isaac's series of his own death shows Sylar standing over Isaac's corpse.
• 
  A painting of Micah hangs in the archives, depicting the young boy trapped in an office building during an explosion.
• 
  A reproduction of a painting by Isaac Mendez depicting Future Hiro's meeting with Peter Petrelli hangs in Future Hiro's string web.

Season Two

• 
  Mr. Bennet knew about Kaito's death from the first painting in a series.
• 
  Claire's body lays mangled on a set of steps in the second painting.
• 
  Someone holds a vial in the third painting.
• 
  A blonde woman bangs on an object in the fourth painting.
• 
  In the fifth painting, a man looks into a window with a biohazard warning sticker.
• 
  Hiro appears to battle Kensei in the sixth painting.
• 
  Mohinder appears to fire a gun in the seventh.
• 
  The final painting appears to show Noah Bennet's death.

Heroes Evolutions

In addition to the paintings seen in the graphic novels and the episodes, a few paintings have appeared as part of the Heroes Evolutions ARG:

• 
  This painting of the Symbol is labeled Godsend (and is not dated).
• 
  This painting of Donna Dunlap is included in Donna's Assignment Tracker at primatechpaper.com.
• 
  This prophetic painting of Cassandra Hays is found in the Quarry. (Gemini: Heroes Reborn)

Other paintings first appeared in the online archives, but subsequently appeared in an episode. These include the painting of Claire's autopsy, the painting of Nathan as president, the painting of Niki and Jessica's reflection, and the painting of Mr. Bennet.

Notes

• The painting of Donna's death is also displayed as a photo in Career Choices.
• In the webisode Dark Matters, Part 5, Quentin Frady sees several Primatech files on the Renautas root directory. One of the files is titled "Mendez Paintings".
• Given that Isaac was killed and was not seen painting any of the Symbol paintings seen by Hiro in the future, it's likely the following paintings of the Symbol are actually by Sylar.

• 
  In the future, Hiro finds paintings of The Symbol...
• 
  ...spread out all over Isaac's apartment...
• 
  ...and no trace of Isaac's other paintings.

Trivia

• Isaac's paintings as seen on screen are produced for the show by comic book artist Tim Sale. Because he is colorblind, Tim illustrates his images with black ink, sometimes diluted for greytones. The drawings are then digitally scanned at 11" x 17", colorized by Dave Stewart, and then manipulated to make them appear as if they were painted. The finished product is then blown up and printed on canvas.
  • The exception to this process is the painting of the explosion on the studio's floor. In an interview, Tim said "it's one of the few that there’s no wash, it's just strictly black-and-white. The original is about 10"-by-15", and I created three or four different versions of it. For the pilot, they blew it up in black-and-white first. Before the pilot aired, they went in and colored it digitally on the film." He also elaborated that it's not a painting on the floor. Instead, "What they did was reproduce it on a sort of large rubberized mat that they placed down on the floor. They’ve replaced it at least once. It’s a different image based on mine, and it was actually colored in originally. I guess that’s because they didn’t want to go back in and color it (in post-production) every time."
• Most of Isaac's paintings are in reality colored by the comic book colorist Dave Stewart. A few paintings (the Eclipse painting, the Bus Explosion painting, and the Hand Holding Water Glass painting) were colored by propsmaster Burk Sauls.
• In a forum post, Tim Sale said that oftentimes, a lot of his art "sits around for weeks waiting to be used." At other times, the whole process — from assignment to execution to color to scanning to printing and stretching the canvas to filming — is less than a week (though the production staff tries to avoid a rushed pace).
• In an interview, Santiago Cabrera said that he suggested Francisco Goya's period of "dark paintings" as an influence on Isaac's paintings. Tim Sale said that Goya's influence can most prominently be seen in the painting of Mohinder.
• Because the details of the scene (including the director, the wardrobe, the actor) had not yet been definitely determined when the painting of Mohinder in the river was created, Tim Sale said that he decided to focus more on the mood of the painting than on the details.
• In a forum post, Tim Sale said he gave the production staff his personal sketchbook, and thought they would return it to him as soon as they gleaned what they needed. He was surprised when they made larger copies of the sketches and pasted them into a new sketchbook to be used as a prop.
• Tim Sale said that the sketch of Peter and Simone kissing was made using charcoal pencil, some wash, and colored ink. In an interview, Tim Sale said that he is not great at likenesses, so when it came time to create the sketch, he told producer Jeph Loeb, "Maybe I'll Eisner it." It was determined that rather than perfect likenesses, the important thing to get across was the mood, the red umbrella, and to see that it is two people being intimate with each other. Incidentally, Jeph's daughter, Audrey, asked to get the sketch, so Tim gave it to her as a gift.
• In an interview, Tim Sale noted that the image of Claire being chased is "very existential/German-expressionistic and it looks like Nosferatu coming to get her." He likens the building used as a basis for Union Wells as being straight out of the Nazi propaganda film Triumph of the Will.
• Tim Sale said he created the sketch of Charles Deveaux in graphite. Likewise, the sketches of Hiro, Ando, and Charlie at the Burnt Toast Diner are done in pencil.
• Tim Sale has said that he is particularly proud of the painting of the train wreck and the painting of Claire being chased by a shadow. His least favorite is the painting of Peter flying, because he thinks "it’s kind of a sissy drawing" and "it looks silly." He also said "it has this pansy quality to it that bugs me". In fact, the only part of the painting Tim liked was the coat.
• Linderman's archives contain a painting of Peter hovering. This art is actually cropped from a much larger promotional piece Tim Sale created to match a cast photo for Entertainment Weekly.
• Matt Parkman and D.L. Hawkins are the only two main characters not depicted in any of Isaac's paintings.
• Originally, the painting of the explosion that is painted on the floor of Isaac's loft was in black and white. In the commentary for the unaired pilot, Tim Kring said that it was colored by the promotional department to promote the show. The crew liked the look of the colored floor mural so much that they continued to colorize it in post production so it would match the promotional department's work. After a few episodes, the process became so tedious that that they decided to just color the actual floor.
• The original pieces of artwork, by Tim Sale, were on display at the NBC Experience Store during the Heroes World Tour in New York. Pictures are available of this gallery, courtesy of Heroes-Clues.com.
• Each novel in the graphic novel collection is prefaced by a 9th Wonders! cover, based on Isaac's paintings. An unaired painting was also revealed which shows D.L. phasing his hand through Jessica's abdomen. This was prophecy was realized in Better Halves.
• The 5/8 paiting has come true only on a possible future.
• According to an NBC auction of Claire on the Autopsy Table, the piece measures 44 3/4" × 27 1/2" × 1 1/2".
• According to an NBC auction, the unfinished painting of Peter standing in Isaac's loft measures 47 3/4" × 35 3/4" × 1 1/2".
• According to an NBC auction, the painting of Mr. Bennet watching Niki and Nathan (also simply called HRG) measures 34" × 21 1/4" × 1 1/2".
• Isaac's painting of the eclipse was reused for both Usutu's and Arthur's precognitive artwork.

See Also

• For other uses of painting, see painting (disambig).
• For realizations of prophetic paintings, see Prophecy.

External Links

• Wizard Entertainment Interview with Tim Sale about his Heroes art

Fan Theories

Please refer to Theory:Isaac Mendez for fan-created theories and other speculation.</noinclude>