Theory:Arthur Petrelli

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The following fan theories are about Arthur Petrelli.

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Theories

Theory	Citations	Notes
Kaito Nakamura didn't have an ability at the end of his life because Arthur stole it.	Arthur has the ability to absorb powers from others.	+ Having a character who most likely has an ability die without demonstrating it is unusual for Heroes. - Charles did die without demonstrating it. + Arthur could have taken Charles' ability as well. + This could be how Arthur obtained telepathy. - In a deleted scene, Kaito reveals his evolved ability to Ando; it has to do with predicting probabilities. • Unaired scenes are non-canon. Therefore, Kaito's ability could indeed end up being something different. - When asked if Kaito's powers would ever be revealed, the writers replied "examine his death scene". Kaito's last words were "of all of them, I never expected it would be you." • That phrase makes sense if Kaito's ability is probability prediction, like it is in the deleted scene. "Of all of them, I never expected it would be you" could imply that when calculating the probabilities of who would kill him, Adam was not a major part in his prediction. • The scene where Kaito reveals his power might have been deleted because the writers changed their mind about whether to reveal it or not - however, this doesn't mean Kaito didn't have an ability or that it wasn't probability prediction. + This could be the event that divided the Company.
Arthur's ability is a more advanced form of empathic mimicry.	"You will be what I am" is the English meaning of seventh episode in season three.	+ "You will be what I am" may refer to Peter, that he will have such power when he learns to use it so. - Peter doesn't steal abilities; he basically copies them and pastes them into his DNA. Peter's subjects still have their abilities and the process is painless. Arthur has to put his subjects through a painful process of stealing their ability to the point where they don't have it anymore. In this case, Peter's empathic mimicry is more advanced than Arthur's power absorption. + Arthur may be able to choose whether he lets them live/die or keep/remove their ability. Peter may only be able to copy as of yet. + Looking at it from a strictly evolutionary standpoint, Arthur's might be more advanced. Evolution is "survival of the fittest", not "survival of the nicest". Although Peter's ability does not cause pain, make the subjects unaware of the "copying and pasting" or stealing their powers, it doesn't give a distinct advantage to the the empath besides leveling the playing field so both subjects have equal footing. With Arthur's ability, you would gain the advantage of stealing a new power to use in addition to depriving your opponent of their power to fight back with, providing Arthur with a double advantage. - This would mean that having to touch someone is a better aspect then just being around them (or/and seeing the power being used in the first place). With the "Rule of Ted" in mind mimicry would be the safer and more successful approach. Peter can watch it happen + learn and use, Arthur needs to get close and touch. A lot of abilities work from range and Peters range of learning abilities is larger then Arthur's. Trying to touch someone with the ability to turn into a nuclear weapon can be bad for ones health. - However, Arthur can't get abilities without taking them from others, thereby depriving himself of powered allies. Peter's ability let him get abilities from others without disabling them, making him more powerful without disabling those who had the abilities. He could have similar powers as his allies without having to disable the persons. He could also absorb the powers of his enemies without having to get close enough to touch them, which could be an issue. Arthur would have a hard time taking powers unless he could either gain the person's trust, disable him, or hold on to him long enough some other way. + Empathic mimicry is emotionally based, this could mean that Peter who can connect with people emotionally easily can copy abilities from a distance without stealing them, while Arthur who is shown to have a taker personality would take power forcibly. - If Arthur had empathic mimicry, his "targets" wouldn't be left powerless. + Like Matt Parkman has the same power as his father, Peter may have inherited his power from Arthur. + Matt Parkman's power changed and became more like his father's as he got better control over it. This same thing might happen to Peter, where not only can he just absorb abilities from others, but he can take them as well. - Peter's power is already better then Arthur's power. For starters, Peter doesn't have to kill to gain abilities. He can take people's powers without the evolved human even knowing Peter is taking their power. + Arthur doesn't need to kill to take an ability. Adam most likely died cause he no longer had his power to keep him young. Peter and Maya didn't die when had their power stolen. + Season Three DVD confirms that Arthur's ability is indeed a more advanced form of empathic mimicry, which can be also used to steal abilities.
Arthur Petrelli's ability was a synthetic one, not a natural one.	None.	+ In War Buddies, Arthur had no obvious powers, but it is clear as of Dying of the Light that he does. This means that either A) his power didn't manifest until he got to be pretty old, which seems fairly rare among people with natural abilities, or else B) his ability is synthetic. - Arthur could have already had his ability and not known it, or had manifested his ability after returning from the war. + As Angela revealed in Angels and Monsters, "[Arthur Petrelli] was disappointed that Nathan wasn't born with the genetic code" and that this was Arthur's justification for granting Nathan a synthetic ability. This implies a belief that a lack of abilities is a thing to be assiduously avoided, and it also implies that he does not discriminate between natural and synthetic abilities with regards to authenticity. + From what we've seen so far regarding abilities and their inheritance, it seems likely that the natural possession of an ability is a recessive trait. There is only one recorded case of a normal child born to two evolved parents (Penny Logan) and it is possible that Penny Logan simply never manifested, as she died at a fairly young age. Conversely, there is an overwhelmingly large number of cases of evolved children born to two normal parents. If the natural possession of an ability is recessive and Arthur Petrelli's ability was natural, Nathan could not have been born without a natural power. Children of two parents with the same recessive phenotype will ALWAYS have the same trait as their parents--Arthur and Angela could not have produced a normal child. - Genes don't work that simply always, like with height there is something like 6 genes governing it, abilities may have 12 genes or more governing it, considering human DNA is 90% junk space that doesn't do anything, its possible there could be any amount of genes controlling powers, not just one. Arthur having a natural ability would fit in with the theme that Peter inherited the capability to take on many abilities from Arthur, where Nathan got flight as his ability wasn't inherited. Also, Angela tells Nathan when referring to giving him a synthetic ability, "we thought because of your lineage you could handle it, and obviously we were right" further suggesting that both Angela and Arthur had naturally occurring abilities. • If he injected himself, that could have changed his DNA structure enough that by the time Peter was conceived, the gene got passed down to him. Niki's abilities were synthetic, and that at least didn't adversely affect Micah, though we don't know if D.L.'s were natural or not. Claire had one parent with synthetic abilities too. • D.L.'s mother had a natural ability. D.L.'s was probably natural too--since Niki and D.L.'s relationship was a Company experiment, that makes sense, because they'd probably learn more from a union of a synthetic and a natural than from two synthetics. - Angela specifically says that Arthur was disappointed that Nathan didn't have an ability, despite his lineage, implying that both Angela and Arthur were born as evolved humans. The fact that Arthur had no ability in Vietnam can be explained simply by the fact that he had yet to steal any abilities from another evolved human; much like Peter, he had to realize that he wasn't special alone but need someone else with him to be special. + But he wasn't alone. He came into physical contact with Linderman several times, including once when he forcibly restrained Linderman during the attack on Au Co. The sheer level of emotional stress during the war should have been enough to cause his power to manifest, but nothing happened. + Also, at the end of War Buddies: Part 6, Arthur had been in intimate physical contact with Angela Petrelli since they were shown with children when Linderman showed up at his door. He didn't absorb her dreaming ability either. - Angela Petrelli could have been given her dreaming ability after Arthur was disabled, and Angela could have had another ability that Arthur took from her. • We now know from the episode 1961 that Angela had her ability in her youth. - The formula that gives people powers was created by the Company, after its formation. Arthur Petrelli was one of the twelve founders of the Company and it has been stated several times that the founders were all individuals with special abilities. They found each other because of their abilities, meaning that for Arthur to have been found and become a founder, he would have had to have an ability before the formula was ever created. + Victoria Pratt didn't seem to have an ability. And if none of the Company founders were normal humans then where the heck did the "one of us, one of them" policy come from? - The policy possibly came from the fact that when twelve people with special abilities got together, they started to think they were gods. + Well yeah, exactly. And gods generally don't like to impose restrictions on themselves. Thus, some of the Founders were probably normal humans. - It is assumed all the Founders found each other and joined together through their powers. This means we assume Arthur had a power before the Company's founding - thus before synthetic powers were created. + That seems like a big thing to assume, especially since Linderman and Arthur found each other long before they knew Arthur had an ability. He also found Angela long before he exhibited any signs of an ability.
The playing cards in the Vault are from a game of poker played between Kaito Nakamura and Arthur Petrelli that caused them to join forces.	None.	+ Arthur was in SE Asia during the Vietnam war and could have traveled through Japan. - That is pure speculation based on nothing. South-East Asia and Japan are two very geographically different places and there is also no reason for a man in the US military to have met a Japanese businessman. + The power of probability, which Kaito has in a deleted scene, would be extremely helpful when playing cards. + Arthur seems to have an ability that helped him win at cards, as it would be unlikely that his unusual adeptness at cards would be included as extraneous material in War Buddies, Part 2 + All of the items in the vault (which include some playing cards) are said to be big clues to plot points.
Angela didn't love Arthur.	None.	+ She cheated on him with Kaito. + When Angela discovered that he is, in fact, alive, her demeanor was one of surprise and fear, rather than any sort of relief or joy. - That's because the last time she saw him, she'd tried to kill him (and thought she'd succeeded). - On the contrary, Angela seemed to love Arthur very much. (Villains) + It is possible she fell out of love with him after she learned that he tried to kill their son. - She refers to him as "the man [she] loved".
Arthur Petrelli is Noah Bennet's biological father.	None.	+ Noah Bennet's father needed glasses. (Company Man) - Other characters wore glasses too, for example, Bob. + Mr. Petrelli needed glasses and apparently wore a horn-rimmed version. (The Kindness of Strangers) - Noah got to need glasses because his sight was damaged by Howard Grigsby. + All of Mr. Petrelli's sons (if you include Noah) are named after prominent Biblical characters. - A lot of Anglo Saxon Names appear in the bible, including Matthew, Thomas, Gabriel, and Daniel aka D.L. • If Claire meets Arthur, she would recognize him as her adoptive grandfather. - Claire did meet Arthur. She didn't recognize him.
Arthur arranged for the unwitting reporter to discover a link between Niki Sanders and Tracy Strauss and use that to blackmail Tracy in order to stress her out and trigger her powers.	None.	+ Arthur Petrelli is a master manipulator much like Daniel Linderman. Under Arthur's orders, Maury (as Linderman) has been manipulating events to push Tracy and Nathan together in much the same way that Linderman manipulated Niki and D.L.'s lives in order to produce Micah.
Arthur had the ability of aura absorption, the same as Linda Tavara.	None.	+ His power is similar to how her ability worked, touching people and taking their abilities. • He might have learned how to only take a person's ability, seeing as how aura absorption usually kills the victim. + When he took Peter's power, something looked like it was being pulled out of him, like what it looked like when Linda used it. • He might have learned how to only take a person's ability, seeing as how aura absorption usually kills the victim. - If Arthur wanted to get super powerful, then the logical option is to get a power that gets more powers. Like making a wish to have 1000 wishes. Making a Formula to give that specific power is not the case since its imperfect. It's too much of a coincidence that Arthur has this power naturally. Perhaps another evolved human with power transfer took power theft from another evolved human?
Nathan was born with an ability, but Arthur stole it, either knowingly or by accident.	None.	- Angela said Nathan was born without an ability despite his lineage. + Angela has been known to misrepresent the truth to control Nathan. - That doesn't mean her every single word is a lie. + If Arthur unwillingly stole Nathan's powers, that would explain why he spearheaded Pinehearst to create synthetic abilities out of guilt and desire to fix what he did. - Arthur has demonstrated a distinct lack of remorse for everything he's done.
Arthur Petrelli's power theft was a synthetic ability and he originally had a much simpler power.	None.	+ Angela implies that Arthur had some sort of power prior to Nathan's birth. + Nathan did not inherit the ability to copy powers, but Peter did. Perhaps Arthur did not give himself the ability until after he was satisfied with the results on Nathan. - Without other supers nearby, it's likely Arthur had no reason to believe he was different. - According to Mohinder, a person with one power cannot use the formula to gain another power. The formula takes the current genetic structure of the person and unlocks and manifests the powers hidden in that genetic code. A person can only have one power, unless their power is to gain other powers (such as Arthur, Sylar, and Peter). He could not have had one ability and then gained a synthetic ability. + Mohinder used the formula on himself twice, and each time his ability was different. Arthur could have been injected with an uncatalyzed formula first. + The limitation is something Mohinder talks about in regards to his own formula, not the Company's. The Company may have found away around that and become capable of replicating other people's individual abilities. + It is at least fundamentally possible to have at least two root abilities. Matt Parkman is a telepath and is now apparently able to use precognition as well. Less certain examples may include the Haitian and possibly Sylar.
Arthur used a mix of dream manipulation and persuasion to go into Angela's dream and paralyze her.	None.	+ It does appear like he used these two abilities - dream manipulation would allow him to go into Angela's dream and persuasion would make Angela do whatever he said and/or implied, thus "You won't even be able to move" would paralyze her. - Maury can easily do this with his power, too. - Molly Walker was placed into a coma, trapped in her head like Angela. This was done by Maury using no other power than telepathy. + Telepathy itself can not be used over long distance (Maury was only able to trap Molly because she connected to him with her ability), but dream manipulation can be used like this. - Maury sent an illusion of Linderman to haunt Nathan.
Arthur planned on giving everyone abilities (as seen in the future) so he could absorb them all.	None.	+ It would be the perfect plan for a villain to gain more power: give everyone abilities so he can take them all using his and Peter's powers combined to steal them from a distance. • In Eris Quod Sum, Arthur appeared to have knowledge of what Peter was talking about when Peter claimed that Arthur's plan was to give everyone abilities. • This could be because he absorbed Sylar's ability. • The writers say that Arthur has not activated Sylar's ability. - Arthur claims that this isn't what he wants. • Arthur is trying to create the formula that, according to Future Peter, led to the exposed future.
Arthur wasn't an evil villain.	None.	+ It'd make for some twist. - Villains are evil by definition. + He removed Maya's power for her. - He probably just did this to gain power and allies. - He killed Maury only because he went against him. Maury was doing a heroic thing: defending his son. - He killed Adam because he needed his regeneration ability. - He made no effort to stop Sylar from attempting to kill Peter. + He could have been meaning to let Peter go and keep Sylar there. It could have been Arthur that used psychic powers to cushion the fall. - Arthur deduced that Sylar has empathy because Sylar saved Peter. - Perhaps waffles cushioned Peter's fall. - Arthur thinks he is better than everyone else. + It doesn't mean he's evil. - Those things tend to go hand-in-hand. - Arthur holds the threat of death over Daphne's head. + She's a cheating thief. - Since when is thievery punishable by death? Not to mention that she was stealing "on his orders". - Arthur ordered Matt to be killed. + It was later seen with his conversation with Daphne that this wasn't the full plan. - Because Daphne talked him out of it. - Arthur seems to hold a strict "if you're not with me, you're against me" policy. - He put Angela in a coma. + She let other people like Bridget die, by letting Sylar loose. Maybe he wants to stop her evilness. - Arthur doesn't seem to have a problem using Sylar for his own ends. - He stole Peter's powers. + He could have foreseen what would happen with Peter having the hunger and potentially turning evil. - More likely, he didn't want Peter to interfere with his plans. - He calls his own team "the bad guys" and "villains." + He could have been sarcastic. - His tone was not one of sarcasm. - Promos for Dying of the Light and Angels and Monsters stated that Arthur is the leader of the villains. + This doesn't mean much. - On the contrary; why would the promos call him the leader of the villains if he's actually a hero? - Arthur has recruited Knox, who is evil. - Arthur has recruited Flint, who is evil. - Arthur likes Sylar the way he is; that is to say, a killer. + He could be recruiting all the villains together so they don't go killing others, and so he can have them all together to steal their powers and stop them from being a threat to society. - So Arthur's plan is to prevent villains from being a threat to society. Yet Arthur himself is a murderer. - Arthur killed Peter, Nathan, and Tracy in Angela's dream. + He wasn't shown to have killed anyone, except maybe Peter in self-defense. Peter was the one with blood on his hands. - Arthur had blood on his hands as well. - He was fully behind the New York plan, and wouldn't hesitate to kill his own son to protect himself. - To add, even Linderman had his reservations about his boss. - He killed Usutu. - Arthur removed 15 years worth of memory from Hiro's mind. - Hiro saw Arthur in his "villain-seeking" dream. - Even Nathan thinks Arthur is insane. - Arthur took Hiro's power, leaving him in the past.
Arthur had adopted an "ubermensch" philosophy.	He is seen reading Nietzsche while waiting for Peter to wake up in Eris Quod Sum.	+ When Peter tells accuses Arthur of feeling superior to other people (even evolved humans), Arthur simply states that it is a "fact". + He demonstrated an early form of this philosophy in War Buddies.
Arthur's power absorption effects people with artificial powers and genetic powers differently.	None.	+ Arthur killed Adam Monroe when he absorbed Monroe's cellular regeneration however, but when he took Maya and Peter's powers they were only shown to experience severe discomfort. - As far as it's known, Adam, Maya and Peter's abilities were all natural. - Adam Monroe died because once his power was taken from him, his body could not hold off the aging process and so he rapidly aged 400 years in a matter of seconds. Peter or Maya's abilities were not necessary to sustain their bodies. + Adam Monroe's power was rapid cellular regeneration, the regeneration was so fast and efficient the cells regenerated at the same rate as aging destroyed them, there was no build up of 400 years of aging that was suspended over him because his cells were dealing with the aging as it happened, if having his powers removed would kill him wouldn't the Haitian accidentally do it like as soon as they met? • Logically you are completely correct, but this is a fictional television show with writers that are human and make mistakes. It is impossible to determine what they were thinking. • Yes, it would seem that instead of aging quickly, when Adam lost his regeneration ability, he would have just ceased staying the same age, and begun aging at the normal rate of any other normal person. - No, that's not how the aging process works; there actually would have been a build up. Replicated cells don't live as long as cells from the previous generation, but Adam's ability was able to keep up with this degenerating process over time. With his ability taken away, all of his cells basically died instantly. - The Haitian also suppressed Daphne's ability, yet she was still able to walk. - Nothing suggests the Haitian ever suppressed Adam's ability. + Adam Monroe first showed signs of his power hundreds of years ago long before an artificial formula was created, Peter is a son of Arthur it is known that Arthur used the formula on Peter's older brother Nathan, Maya could have been artificially given powers when she was younger with Alejandro their past has as of yet not been shown in flashbacks. - Nothing hints at Maya and Peter's abilities being synthetic. • It seems highly coincidental that Peter's power would be similar to Arthur without it being an inherent power.
Arthur absorbed Maury Parkman's powers before the beginning of the series, and over time Maury regenerated them.	None.	+ Maury was one of the company founders, so it stands to reason that he and Arthur came into contact many times prior to the series. So it is very possible that Arthur stole his powers from Maury. - Charles Deveaux also had telepathy. • This would mean that stolen powers do regenerate over time, since Maury had his powers in season two. - Arthur seems confident that his power absorption is permanent, yet he has been working with Maury again for an undisclosed amount of time, and obviously knows that Maury still has his ability. + Maury could have regained his powers by using the formula. - Arthur's ability could have an empathic side to it as well, which may explain why he was so confident Sylar's did also.
Arthur stole dream manipulation from Sanjog Iyer.	None.	+ Arthur has entered Angela's dream, spoken to her and put her into a coma. He also did a similar thing to Matt Parkman, creating a dream-illusion of Daphne to attack Matt while he was inside Angela's dream. + Neither Matt nor Maury have been seen to be capable of using their telepathy at such great a distance (Arthur was in New Jersey, while Angela was in New York); suggesting that Arthur was not using telepathy during these circumstances. - Maury was able to use his telepathy on Molly Walker once she located him. Arthur used a similar connection to Angela when she dreamed of him. Arthur told Hiro "I understand you've been dreaming about me", so apparently he senses those dreams in much the same way that Maury sensed Molly locating him. + We haven't seen Sanjog in a while, and Pinehearst has been locating and capturing a lot of evolved humans lately. - There is no evidence that Arthur has ever heard of Sanjog, much less captured him.
Arthur is or was an empath.	None.	+ Peter and Sylar both gain abilities through empathy and have abilities similar to Arthur. - Arthur's ability has nothing to do with emotions or understanding people. - Arthur said that Nathan was most like him and Nathan is not an empath. + The fact that Arthur, Peter, and Sylar all collect abilities from others didn't keep Arthur from saying this either. + He is now an empath, because he has stolen Peter's abilities, including empathic mimicry. However he was not an empath before that point, because he needed to kill Adam to take his power, instead of using empathic mimicry. - The limits, scope, and breadth of Arthur's ability are unclear at this time. He may be able to consciously activate and deactivate powers he has absorbed, such as empathic mimicry and intuitive aptitude. His own ability requires active concentration, but it is unknown if absorbed abilities require active concentration, as well. + It has been confirmed in Season Three DVD that Arthur and Peter's abilities are the same.
The naturally powered Petrelli men (Arthur and Peter) are empaths, though each has his own "version" of it.	None.	+ Perhaps his power is a branch of empathy, as are Peter's and Gabriel's/Sylar's. Peter's is the receptive type, Sylar's intuitive aptitude is the inquisitive type (learns), while his is somewhere in the middle. + His power involves accessing the particular emotions associated with the activation of powers (i.e. the emotion that Peter feels for Claire which allowed him to access her healing ability) and then "draw out" the power by drawing out the actual emotion used to activate it and not the actual power. + At first, he couldn't control this power and he began to sense all emotions around him and it started driving him insane. However, later on, he noticed that he could tap into specific emotions from the people around him and "draw power" from them to control himself. + Later on, he noticed that not only can he draw or absorb emotional strength from evolved people but also their powers. And when he accesses the correct emotion from evolved humans, he can draw the very power that they posses by detecting the emotional key of it and from there absorb all the energies associated with that emotion (but not the actual power). He was able to take Peter's power because it's emotional trigger is love. He may have all the powers Peter has acquired so far but he is yet to master which emotion (and memory) triggers which power. + He was able to take Maya's power since that is triggered by panic and rage. + And since Arthur, Sylar, and Peter's powers are all branches of empathy, they all have the same "potential" of leaning the powers of other people. This was why Sylar finally learned to "empathize" with Elle and gain her power. But, unlike Peter's, he has to "understand" the emotional key first before he could access it. + The reason why the evolved people from whom Arthur drew powers from are unable to access their powers is because they can no longer "feel" the association between their emotions and their powers. This thus leaves the illusion that they have lost their powers when in fact they only lost the ability to draw out their powers through emotions. - Some abilities are passive and not actually triggered by emotions or memories (i.e., Peter having amnesia and still somehow being able to use his powers, Claire's ability to heal). + They may seem passive, but each ability is actually triggered by an emotion. Peter's abilities during his amnesia are accessed whenever he's distressed/panicked. Claire may not be aware of it, but panic is a trigger of her powers and she may not be aware of it, but her body is still in a "sense of panic" so much so that it triggers the ability without her knowledge. - What about precognition or space-time manipulation? These powers were activated by accident and were not triggered by the same emotions that were used by the Heroes later on (i.e. Hiro was day dreaming when he teleported to New York and yet later on he has to focus to activate that same power; Isaac is often high when he accessed his powers early in the series). + Specific emotions are tied to specific powers. Perhaps Hiro was calm when he teleported to New York and his latter concentrations grant him this same level of calm in later applications (he cannot just teleport out of panic). Isaac's power may be triggered by euphoria. - Hiro couldn't have been calm when Hope was about to shoot him and Ando and still he accessed it. + On the contrary, he and Ando were "getting back together" and both have resigned each other to death which brings in calm... + Sometimes powers can run in the family such as Matt and Maury and Meredith and Flint. • It has been indicated that powers are tied to a person's emotions and triggered by a specific emotion. (i.e; Telekinesis is triggered by anger). When the triggered emotion is at the most powerful the person's ability has greater strength. Elle's lightning ability could be triggered by "panic and threat". She created an electrical outburst when she was threatened - Peter manifested this ability in the docks when he was about to be beat by one of the thugs and when he felt Caitlin being threatened. Hiro's space time-manipulation could be triggered by confidence - we can clearly see that when he lacks confidence his powers are weak or they simply do not work at all. Since Hiro believes he is 10 now - a child, usually is over-confident, thus why Hiro has greater control over his ability now when he was an "adult". The ability to phase through matter could be associated with calm - To phase through something is to pass through water which is a calm and soothing substance - Peter manifested this ability when he exhaled a breath in relief and calmness - releasing himself from being tied. - Brian didn't look angry when he displayed his ability, and Sylar is calm most of the times he is seen using Telekinesis. • The abilities are triggered by a specific emotion - once out the user doesn't have to feel that emotion in order to use it - But the ability would be at it's most powerful if the user feels the triggered emotion. Brian's telekinesis was really weak because he was nervous and feared something was wrong with him. "Powers are tied to emotions". Weak emotions shows weakened abilities - Strong emotions show stronger abilities, but in some cases it can be vice versa. + It has been confirmed in Season Three DVD that Arthur and Peter's abilities are the same.
Arthur had plans on stopping anyone that could see and try to prevent his version of the future.	None.	+ Arthur stole Peter's powers, which include space-time manipulation, precognition and precognitive dreaming. + Arthur put Angela in a coma. + Arthur killed Usutu. + Arthur tried to wipe Hiro's mind. + Arthur removed Hiro's ability, then threw him off a roof.
Arthur Petrelli could take powers from others without stealing them.	-"What's on your mind Daniel?" -"The question is: what's not in yours." - Angela and Linderman. (Villains)	+ Arthur does have the telepathy, that Maury still had. And this was a pretty rare power. - Telepathy was never mentioned to be a rare power, Chandra had notes about other evolved humans who had that ability. + Arthur wipes Angela's memory, the same way the Haitian's power allows it. But Arthur hadn't absorbed Peter at that time, so I assume if he used Haitian's power on Hiro, that's because telepathy could not be used for "wiping memories". That implies he somehow had Haitian's power before. - The writers interviews don't seem to follow that logic, but maybe in order to prevent spoilers. - The effects used in the scene suggested telepathy, and Arthur did use mental manipulation on Hiro, as confirmed in the BTE interview. + This should be true, after Arthur stole empathic mimicry from Peter. • A BTE stated that Arthur can choose with which ability he takes a new one. + It has been confirmed in Season Three DVD that Arthur and Peter's abilities are the same.
Because Arthur has mental manipulation, he can use it to suppress his own abilities, and that's why he doesn't suffer the Hunger of intuitive aptitude.	None.	- It's been stated that Arthur doesn't have the hunger because he has yet to access intuitive aptitude. + He may have accessed the ability after this. - Peter also had mental manipulation, and clearly that didn't help. + Peter didn't know he had that ability, and he never displayed it.
Arthur will come back to life.	None.	+ Arthur's body shines with the catalyst as he lay on the floor dead. It should be kept in mind that it was only when Ishi gave up the catalyst to Hiro that she finally died. Perhaps the catalyst will have similar life-sustaining effects on Arthur. - The glow is also similar to that which appears when Arthur takes powers away. It can also mean that they return now. - Ishi died from the strain of what she did. She was already dying. She said this was so, and claimed she thought it would happen that night, so having the catalyst doesn't prevent death. + Both Claire and Peter have died by having something lodged into their brain, and both of them came back to life once said object was removed. The same thing could happen to Arthur. + Noah was also shot in the head, but regenerated just by getting an IV with Claire's blood. - Perhaps a different area of the brain was damaged. + It looked like the bullet went all the way through his head. - If the bullet did go through Arthur's head, he would've regenerated immediately, because there was no object lodged in his brain. But he hasn't. - Unless the bullet damaged a crucial part of Arthur's brain that somehow prevented him from regenerating. - Or unless the Haitian had recovered enough of his strength to keep Arthur from regenerating and that somehow kept Arthur from healing in time. + Both Claire and Sylar died in the episode The Eclipse, Part 2, but when the eclipse ended and their powers returned, they both came back to life. You have to assume that if the Haitian was negating Arthur's regeneration, he would eventually be able to heal and come back to life when the Haitian was out of range. - Upon rewatching that part of the episode Our Father, it appears as if the bullet just entered his head and didn't go out the back. The blood was flying from the front of his head; the angle is probably confusing us. - The glow seemed to indicate that the catalyst also died, something logical to happen if its host died. • This makes sense since when Arthur told Sylar to capture Claire, he wanted her alive. He must have known that should the host die, the catalyst would die also. + The host and catalyst both dying does not mean that the host (Arthur) can't be brought back to life. Arthur can still have died, causing the catalyst to "die". He can then be brought back to life if indeed the bullet (or bullet fragment) is lodged in his brain, and this is removed, allowing him to regenerate. + He absorbed the cellular regeneration ability from Adam.
Arthur used 9th Wonders! comics to carry out his plans.	None.	+ He somehow knew everything that was happening - in Tokyo, where Hiro decided to open his father's safe; in New York, where Sylar and Elle released the villains; even in the past, where Claire was given the Catalyst. This story was depicted in 9th Wonders!. - Yoji Hayata told Daphne to watch the camera feed of Hiro opening the safe. - While it is unknown how Maury came into contact with Arthur, Maury could have informed him of the Level 5 escape. + That would be the easiest way. And Arthur was smart enough to choose the best tool. - Arthur has drawn the future himself. + He couldn't do it before he stole Peter's abilities, especially when paralyzed.
Arthur somehow attained the ability to transfer his consciousness to Nathan's body after his death.	It explains why Nathan suddenly turned so evil.	- Nathan has been manipulated before. This time the manipulation may have been more effective, lasting after the manipulator's death. - Nathan said himself that the events in Haiti changed his mind.
Arthur's native ability is telepathy, which has become so advanced that rather than ripping thoughts out of people's heads, he was able to rip powers out of people and implant them into himself.	"I just wonder sometimes if, without your power, you'd know me at all anymore." - Angela (to Arthur)	+ The quote clearly applies to telepathy and not power absorption. - Not necessarily; without power absorption, Arthur might have never had telepathy to begin with. + Arthur displays only telepathy and never power absorption during the Villains episode. - He had no reason to display power absorption. - It was confirmed Arthur and Peter's abilities are the same. Peter never displayed any telepathic aspects of empathic mimicry.
Maury Parkman had a sibling or other relative who also had the power of telepathy, and the two came into some sort of conflict. When Arthur and Maury first met, they worked together to defeat the other telepathy-user, ending in Arthur taking the other user's telepathy with his ability of power absorption.	None.	+ This could explain how Arthur gained telepathy, as well as how he gained Maury's friendship and loyalty, eventually leading to Maury becoming one of the founders of the Company. + Both Maury and his son, Matt Parkman, have telepathy, proving that the power runs in the Parkman family. - Matt's son has a different power.
Arthur used telepathy to create the illusion that he was killed.	None.	+ Sylar's telekinesis can only be used to control the situation physically. Arthur had broken the Haitian's hold and had ample time to take control of the situation. But, outwardly he attempts nothing, even in that dangerous situation. Maybe he is focusing on telepathy instead, since it's his forte. + If Matt Parkman can pull this kind of illusion off, it should be nothing for Arthur. + He may have manipulated or replaced Nathan in the current storyline. • Nathan had already started acting the way he was before Arthur was "killed". + Arthur had the ability to stop time at this point. It would be a natural reaction for him to stop time and formulate a plan. It is perhaps suspicious that he seems not to have. + If Arthur didn't feel that he was in control, he could have simply teleported away. He likely would have done this, since he has indicated unease when vulnerable. - Arthur is apparently shown going to hell in Truths.
Arthur has survived or resurrected, and is manipulating the current situation so that he can round up as many posthumans as possible and steal their abilities.	None.	+ If he is alive, he easily could replace or control any number of authority figures. + Arthur had specifically referred to certain abilities such as precognition as 'dangerous', and he may not want anyone not under his control to have any abilities at all. - When Arthur died, the catalyst was shown dying with him.
When Arthur is killed, the effects of his power absorption are slowly reversed over time.	None.	+ Many times when a person is knocked unconscience or killed, the immediate effects of their powers dissipate. In Arthur's case, his power may be so strong that the effects linger for a while after his death. - If that was so, character who had their powers removed by Arthur would have been repowered by now. • Possibly. But with a "permanent" ability such as Arthur's, who knows how long the effects could persist. • Perhaps permanently? - Removing an ability from an evolved human is a genetical injury. A sliced hand cannot grow back, even if the one who sliced it off is dead.
Arthur is related to Samson Gray.	None.	+ They both have relatively similar powers. + It explains the gap between the lie detection. - Lie detection's limits are unclear. + If he was a cousin or a half brother to Samson and Martin Gray, it would explains why the Company knew so much about him. - The Company has a great deal of resources, so they may have known him this way.
Arthur originally had an ability to absorb powers through physical contact, much like Peter's ability replication. He later absorbed an ability to render evolved humans powerless.	None.	+ Since Hiro's ability was partially restored, it applies that some traces of it still remained, which means that Arthur did not steal it completely, but rather made it inaccessible.
Arthur stole telepathy from Charles Deveaux.	Charles Deveaux demonstrated telepathy in the episode 1961.	+ Charles expressed his ability of telepathy in his youth, but not in his adult life. + BTE admitted they were hinting on that. - Charles still seemed to have his telepathy in How to Stop an Exploding Man. Although it was confirmed Peter was using precognitive dreaming, Charles was the only one to be able to contact him - perhaps because precognitive dreaming works by sending the dreamer's mind to another time, which the adept telepaths can detect. + Precognitive dreams do not show events as they really were/are/will be. Charles talking to Peter could be just another metaphore, since he was the one Peter was taking care of and had a strong empathic connection with him. If Charles had his power then, Peter would be able to mimic it through that connection long before meeting Matt Parkman.
Arthur died because the bullet went through his brain and came out of the 'sweet spot'.	None.	+ When Sylar came to Danko's apartment, he wasn't afraid the latter would shoot him, commenting that the 'sweet spot' is microscopic and implying that if a shot is made wrong, a regenerator would not die. + In Dual Claire said that the only way to stop a regenerator is to penetrate the 'sweet spot' in the back of head. - Angela told Nathan in Powerless that in order to kill Adam he has to shoot him in head without mentioning anything about the 'sweet spot'.