Enhanced strength

Enhanced strength
Jessica Sanders pins her father on a wall.
Originally held by:	Niki Sanders/Jessica Sanders, Knox
Absorbed by:	Peter Petrelli
Ability to:	Exert greater than normal physical force
Examples of enhanced strength

Super strength, also known as enhanced strength, is the ability to exert greater than normal physical force.

Characters

Confirmed

• Niki Sanders and her alter ego Jessica naturally have this ability.
• Peter Petrelli has absorbed this ability from Niki. (How to Stop an Exploding Man)
• Knox can enhance his own strength by absorbing one's fears. (The Butterfly Effect)

Limits

Jessica Sanders

Jessica has superhuman physical strength sufficient to tear the door off an office safe with her bare hands. In addition to being able to exert such force, she has the ability to resist the forces she applies, so she is not injured when she performs superhuman feats of strength. At present, there is no evidence that she has unusual resistance to other sources of injury.

Niki Sanders

Niki was unable to access this power for most of Season One, first using it on her own in How to Stop an Exploding Man. As she is physically the same person, she presumably has the same limits as Jessica.

Peter Petrelli

Peter absorbed this ability from Niki in How to Stop an Exploding Man, and used it to effectively bloody Sylar's face. Later when Peter used this ability, he was able to throw a man against a wall by punching him at the chest (Lizards). After returning from the future, he holds Sylar against a wall with one hand (I Am Become Death).

Knox

Knox states that he can increase his strength by absorbing the fear of others who are around him. His claim is supported by his ability to detect fear in other people. Enhanced by the fear of numerous hostages, he was able to punch through the body of the German and make a hole in the metal locker behind him (One of Us, One of Them). In a possible future, Knox tells Claire that he can smell her fear. Also, he seems to inhale deeply before utilizing his strength (I Am Become Death).

Selected Examples

• 
  Jessica rips the bodies of Linderman's thugs completely in half, as recorded on Niki's tape.
  (Genesis)
• 
  Jessica throws her father, Hal Sanders, across a hotel room.
  (Six Months Ago)
• 
  Jessica throws D.L. a distance of over 10 feet, on multiple occasions, with ease.
  (Better Halves)
• 
  During the first two weeks of her incarceration, Jessica snaps a prison guard's baton in half.
  (Godsend)
• 
  Jessica breaks free from cuffs that "could keep an elephant" restrained.
  (Distractions)
• 
  Jessica throws Matt Parkman out a window.
  (Run!)
• 
  Niki throws Candice across a room with one punch...
• 
  ...then later seizes a parking meter from Sylar and brutally hits him with it.
  (How to Stop an Exploding Man)

Notes

• It is unclear whether it's Jessica or Niki who snaps the prison guard's baton in two. If it were actually Niki, this would be her first demonstration of super strength. (Godsend)
• In 2007, Niki is locked up in a cell from which she cannot escape using her brute strength. It is unclear what it is that stops her.
• Though Peter was exposed to Knox in The Butterfly Effect, it is unclear whether or not he absorbed Knox's ability, and whether or not this adds to the strength he absorbed from Niki. Additionally, it is unclear whether or not he now has the ability to sense fear in others.