Theory:9

Heroes writers have made comments in comicbookresources.com interviews (also called "Behind the Eclipse") here and here indicating that fans should be watching for the number nine to have a significance in the show. So far, that significance has either been minimal or hidden. If you think you have a good theory about it, take a stab at it here.

9th Wonders

Probably the most apparent use of "9" on the show so far is the comic book title, "9th Wonders." But why is that title significant?

• It could possibly be related to the 7 World Wonders. According to some experts, the Taj Mahal should be the 8th Wonder, so it is plausible that the Heroes may be the "9th Wonders" of the world.
• I kind of like this allusion, but I don't quite see why the skip from 7 wonders to 9th. There are lots of claims to being the 8th wonder (my personal favorite being Andre the Giant).--E rowe 22:33, 28 January 2007 (EST)

9 Heroes?

Obviously there are a lot more than 9 people on the show with powers. But there might be a main group of 9. The promotional image of the main characters includes 11 people, 9 of whom have powers. The nine with powers are: Peter, Nathan, Hiro, D.L., Niki/Jessica, Micah, Isaac, Claire, and Matt. The two without powers are Simone and Mohinder. These are the same 11 people who appear in Peter's vision.

Occurrences of "9" in the Show

• The suicide bombed bus in Isaac's painting is number 009. When Isaac first tries to explain his ability to Simone he shows her the painting and says, "Look at the number."

The Symbolic Meaning of the Number 9

The numerological significance of just about any number can apply to just about any situation, like a fortune cookie. Does the number 9 really have any more of a special application to Heroes than any other number?

Possible applications:

• The number 9 is present in many Chinese myths. The Chinese Netherworld supposedly has nine rivers in a nine-headed dragon. Also, ancient Chinese believed that the sky consisted of nine parts, the earth had nine separate countries, and each of those countries had nine mountain ranges.
• A cockroach can survive for up to nine days with its head cut off.
• In Pythagorean numerology, the number nine is significant for a number of reasons. First, it is the highest value assigned to a letter or date. Second, because of the method of adding digits used, nines can be "cast out": a number like 19 is reduced as followed: 1+9=10; 1+0=1. In other words, you can simply drop the nine and reach the same result quickly.
• The world in Heroes is at the end of one era just before the dawn of another.
  • The number 9 is the last digit before the start of double-digit numbers. This feature is the reason the number nine has certain unique mathematical properties, such as the digits of every multiple of 9 adding up to 9 or another multiple thereof.
  • In French the word neuf means both nine and new. In German, the words for nine and new are neun and neu, and in Spanish, nueve and nuevo.
• 3 is considered a lucky number, and 9 is 3 x 3, so the number 9 is even more potent.