Exploding Man (painting)

Exploding Man (painting)
Isaac Mendez painted a foreboding image of an exploding humanoid figure.
First mentioned:	Seven Minutes to Midnight
Current status:	in Isaac's apartment

The Exploding Man, Burning Man, Energy Man, or Human Torch is a painting by Isaac Mendez. It depicts Peter Petrelli in the process of exploding.

About

Seven Minutes to Midnight

Under the spell of Eden McCain's power of persuasion (and by the orders of Mr. Bennet), Isaac Mendez uses heroin and begins work on a new painting.

Homecoming

At Primatech Paper Co., Mr. Bennet examines Isaac's latest painting. The painting depicts a humanoid figure who appears to be burning or exploding. Mr. Bennet is not pleased — he was hoping for a prophecy about his daughter.

Fallout

Outside the Odessa Police Department, Peter Petrelli has a vision of a practically deserted Times Square. Peter sees himself glowing and grimacing in pain or frustration, as if he were about to explode. After the vision, he turns to his brother and says the explosion is "all my fault".

Godsend

At Isaac's apartment, Nathan sees the painting and notes that the figure resembles a bomb. Nathan tells Isaac that Peter believes he's the cause of the explosion, but Nathan doesn't believe that all the paintings could be connected. Later, Nathan and Hiro examine the painting. Nathan asks Hiro whether he believes a human being could actually cause an explosion. Hiro theorizes that if the two of them have powers, the exploding man may likewise has powers. Hiro is determined to stop the villain.

Notes

• Isaac painted this image after taking a dose of heroin, and he showed the characteristic signs of being in one of his precognitive trances, so the painting is almost certainly a prophecy of future events. Exactly how this prophecy will be fulfilled, or if it will be fulfilled at all, remains to be seen. The figure in the image may be related to the explosion foreseen in another of Isaac's paintings. The "burning man" may also be an image of Ted Sprague, who often emits radiation in an uncontrolled manner and has expressed a fear that he might explode like an atomic bomb if killed. Peter Petrelli mimics the powers of other evolved humans, so he might be the figure in the painting, duplicating Ted's radioactive abilities.
• The filename for the painting as it appeared as an Easter Egg in Fathers & Daughters was Energy Man.
• The title page of the second set of graphic novels prominently features an artistic rendition of Peter as the Exploding Man.

Trivia

• In a forum post and interview, Tim Sale said that when it came time to create the image of the exploding man, he was given very little information--just that "it’s a figure and he’s kind of gesturing and shooting stuff out of his hands, but we can’t know who it is." Tim's goal was to produce "something comic-booky with the energy bolts and stuff, and Kirby krackle." When he worked on the image in charcoal, and the black and white image was not exactly what he was expecting. Tim credits Dave Stewart's coloring for giving the painting its dramatic impact.

Gallery

• 
  Under Eden's coercion to retake drugs, Isaac begins the Exploding Man painting.
• 
  Isaac's finished painting depicts an exploding figure.
• 
  Peter Petrelli has a vision of himself apparently about to explode.
• 
  Isaac painted a huge explosion in Midtown Manhattan on the floor of his studio.

See Also

• For other uses of the term Exploding Man, see Exploding Man (disambig).

Fan Theories

Please refer to Theory:Exploding Man (painting) for fan-created theories and other speculation.