Precognition

Precognition
Isaac paints in a prophetic trance.
Originally held by:	Isaac Mendez, Usutu
Absorbed by:	Peter Petrelli, Sylar
Ability to:	Accurately foresee future events
Examples of precognition

Precognition is the ability to accurately foresee future events.

Characters

Confirmed

• Isaac Mendez is the first character known to have this ability.
• Peter Petrelli has copied this ability. (Don't Look Back)
• Sylar kills Isaac and begins work on a crude painting, showcasing the newly acquired power. (.07%)
• Usutu has this ability.
• Angela Petrelli Has this ability.

Unconfirmed

• According to NBC.com's interactive map, Byron Bevington possesses precognition. (Heroes Evolutions)
• According to Chandra's journal, a Brazilian teenager potentially had this ability. (Seven Minutes to Midnight)

Limits

Isaac always makes prophecies in the form of paintings or drawings.

When painting a prophetic image, Isaac enters a trance-like state and his eyes become completely white. He is largely unaware of his surroundings in this state. (He did not enter such a trance when making prophetic sketches.)

Isaac has been able to depict the past, the present, and the future. The 9th Wonders! graphic novel that Isaac created (namely, Issue #14) contains events from both the present and future timelines (see here for more information). Additionally, at least one of his series of eight paintings depicts a scene from 1671.

Isaac was initially able to make prophetic images only under the influence of heroin. In Fallout, he overcame this limitation.

As of Distractions, Isaac can focus his precognitive powers. He made numerous paintings in an effort to locate Peter Petrelli, but he did not realize that all of them were accurate until he realized that Peter was invisible in them.

It is not known if all the works Isaac creates are prophetic or not.

It seems that Isaac can only know what the future is by painting it because he has to look at what he has drawn. Peter seems not to make any mention of what he saw in the future, so painting the future is the only way to "record" what one sees. (Distractions)

The events depicted in prophetic images are not completely inevitable. Isaac painted a mural depicting the the explosion happening at ground level, and he and Peter later created several images depicting the destruction it caused. Thanks to the actions of several characters, the explosion occurred at a very high altitude, where it apparently did no damage to the city.

Peter looks at a blank canvas and is able to see flashes of a painting from a distance. Once in front of the canvas, he appears to be locked into the precognitive trance until he finished. (Fight or Flight)

It is unknown if painting is the only way to manifest this power, as Sylar was seen receiving quick flashes of the future after being stabbed at Kirby Plaza.

Usutu has this ability, but was able to correctly identify Matt Parkman (although as Park-Man) because he had foreseen it. This may show a greater control of his ability than Isaac, as Isaac could often not identify the people he painted.

Selected Examples

• 
  Isaac painted and sketched numerous prophetic images.
• 
  Peter has also created a few paintings and sketches.
• 
  Sylar, after killing Isaac, has created several paintings.

Memorable Quotes

"Look around you at all these paintings! Every one of them has come true."

- Isaac Mendez (to Simone Deveaux) (One Giant Leap)

"You think you can paint the future? Paint one without me in it."

- Simone Deveaux (to Isaac Mendez) (One Giant Leap)

"You really can paint the future, just like the professor said. Fantastic."

- Sylar (to Isaac Mendez) (.07%)

Notes

• In Distractions, Peter's eyes glazed over like Isaac's do when he enters a prophetic trance, and Peter again had visions of himself exploding. Peter's visions of the explosion may be linked to the precognitive powers he absorbed from Isaac. This was later confirmed to actually be a prophetic dream, an ability he had absorbed from Angela Petrelli. Why his eyes glazed over remains unknwon.
• At times, Isaac has painted images of events that seem to be occurring in the present, not the future. However, he could easily be painting events in the near future that actually take place before he has time to finish the painting.

Fan Theories

Please refer to Theory:Precognition for fan-created theories and other speculation.

Evolved Human Abilities edit
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