Theory:Claude Rains

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The following fan theories are about Claude Rains.

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Theories

Theory	Citations	Notes
Claude taught Sylar how to control his powers.	When Peter Petrelli asked Claude if he had trained anyone else, Claude gave him a look and then blew off the question without providing an answer one way or another. (The Fix).	- It is unlikely that Claude taught Sylar, since Sylar would have simply killed Claude to gain the power of invisibility. - It is also unlikely that Sylar could have been able to see Claude, as it seems the only way to see him is to posses Claude's powers or if Claude turns them off. - Sylar possibly learned to control his powers using the power he took from Charlie Andrews. - Because Sylar's own power is to understand how things work, it seems unnecessary to have someone tell him. • Claude at one point was keeping an evolved human hidden from the Company.
Claude was part of a former generation of heroes from the seventies and eighties. Because of this, he has trained or been trained by members of the last generation.	None.	+ Claude appears to be in his 40's which is far beyond the ages of the other heroes (all of whom are between 11 and 35). + His comment "Oh, one of those" may indicate that he has experience hunting down and training someone who has empathic power absorption- and as a possible former hunter, knows what's at stake if Peter doesn't control his power.
Claude trained the Haitian in how to use his abilities better.	None.	+ It appears Claude may have trained other evolved humans in how to use their powers. + Claude's history with The Company is confirmed in Company Man.
Claude is Patient Zero.	None.	+ Chandra Suresh was looking for Patient Zero, two days before he was murdered by Sylar. Claude appears to have had a power far longer than any other character. This could indicate he was the first person to have developed powers. Chandra was looking for Patient Zero in New York, and Claude's invisibility would make him hard to find. - Chandra's journal indicates that he had tracked more than five persons he believed to have powers; at least one of them, the Bangladeshi woman, was much older than Claude. - The term "Patient Zero" indicates that this is some sort of infection, rather than a genetic mutation. For there to be a patient zero in this case, taking into account the incredibly high number of people and families from across the globe who are discovering super-powers - not to mention the fact that this is a cross-generational phenomenon - that person would need to be hundreds of years old and intertwined in the lives of each family. While this could be Linderman, it is unlikely, seeing as we have seen him age from being young to old. It could possibly be Adam. - Sylar's dossier states that Chandra termed Sylar his "Patient Zero."
Claude removed the tissue containing the tracking mechanism that was planted in his back by the Company.	None.	+ Claude may have had an "old school" device rather than a radioactive isotope. Technology has bound to have changed. The radioactive isotope used to track could be a relatively new method adopted after Claude dropped off the grid. + His scar looked like a crater, as if something had been burned out of his body. + Claude says that Peter led them straight to him.
The evolved human Claude was protecting was a character with whom we're already familiar.	Claude was shot for allegedly protecting an evolved human. (Company Man)	+ It seems likely given the show's penchant for character connections, that whomever Claude was protecting is one of the current roster of characters.
Claude was protecting a young Sylar.	Claude was shot for allegedly protecting an evolved human. (Company Man)	- It seems unlikely that Gabriel Gray's initial ability would have been detected so early, especially when Chandra could not detect it using modern medical equipment that can detect telepathy (such as the equipment measuring the resting rates of Matt).
The evolved human Claude was protecting was either Charles Deveaux or his daughter, Simone.	None.	+ Claude showed no interest in training Peter until he mentioned in passing that he had taken care of Charles Deveaux. Claude's hangout is on the roof of Deveaux's building. - Charles Deveaux was in the group of twelve, there would be no reason to hide from the Company. + Not necessarily; Bob viciously experimented on Elle. That's why Noah wanted to protect Claire; and why Charles would want to protect Simone, perhaps?
The evolved human Claude was protecting was also the person who shot Nathan.	None.
Claude was protecting Meredith.	None.	+ Tim Kring said Claude and Meredith would have a connection, and it's possible that he found her later after the fire or was even him who suggested Meredith to create the fire and play dead. + It has been stated by the writers that the person he was protecting is "...someone we know." - Claude was sent to bag and tag Meredith (Trial By Fire). + Bennet was sent to bring Claire in to the Company, and arranged to have the Haitian stage a attempted murder and kidnapping. This does not rule out that Claude could have Meredith do the same thing.
One of the pigeons on the Deveaux's building roof is an animorph, and the evolved human who Claude was protecting.	None.	+ The only thing that worried Claude were the pigeons.
Claude trained Maury Parkman.	None.	+ We know Claude trained someone who he considered dangerous. - Maury was in the group of twelve, and likely honed his powers before Claude.
Claude Rains is not his real name.	When Peter Petrelli asks him who he is, he states, "I'm the Invisible Man. I'm Claude Rains." (The Fix) This is the name of the actor who played the Invisible Man in the original 1933 film.	+ For someone who doesn't want to be found, doesn't it seem unlikely that he would right away divulge his full name to a complete stranger? It seems more like he was being witty. - He signed his name "Claude R" in the official report in The Golden Handshake + It's possible that he was using the Rains alias from long before 1990. - Thompson refers to him as "Claude". (Company Man)
Claude Rains was protecting Claire Bennet.	None.	+ When Mr. Bennet asks Claude the identity of the person he is protecting, Claude says, "What if it is your little girl?", implying that the child is the one he is protecting. + The fact that Mr. Bennet said that the Haitian should shoot him specifically in one spot so it wouldn't kill him, he shoots Claude Rains in the same spot right after Claude tells Mr. Bennet he might be protecting his daughter. - Mr. Bennet is protecting Claire.
Claude was protecting Rollo Fusor's accomplice.	None.	- The accomplice died in 1990. Claude is ordered to be killed in 1999 for protecting an evolved human. - Claude was one of the woman's victims and has no perceivable reason for protecting her. + In Interview:Golden Handshake, the writers have confirmed that the depicted events were from Claude's report, and that the report was falsified. - The implication was that the words read on the page were falsified, but the pictures were the actual events.
Claude's power is dynamic camouflage.	None.	+ Dynamic means movement and camouflage keeps people from being seen - If Claude or Peter bent light around themselves, they would be unable to see because light has to hit the retina for us to see.
Claude was hiding Adam Monroe.	None.	+ Claude was shot for hiding an evolved human in Company Man. + Adam was imprisoned by the Company, he may have escaped with the help of Claude. - Adam says he was locked up for 30 years, before Peter helped him escape. If he had escaped during Claude's time as well, it obviously wasn't for long.
Claude Rains was killed by Sylar, who stole his superpower.	After an encounter with Audrey Hanson, Sylar was gone within only a couple seconds. (Landslide) At Kirby Plaza, Peter Petrelli warned Noah Bennet that Sylar must be "hiding in plain sight." Indeed, seconds later, he suddenly appeared right in front of them. (How to Stop an Exploding Man)	• As of Out of Time, Claude Rains has not been seen since he abandoned Peter Petrelli in Unexpected. + Peter Petrelli's familiarity with both Sylar's and Claude Rains' abilities was the reason he knew it was possible that Sylar was "hiding in plain sight" at Kirby Plaza. He may have suspected he killed Claude Rains for his superpower. - Of course given that Peter had the ability to see through Claude's invisibility, it seems likely that Peter would have been able to see Sylar standing out in the open if he were using Claude's power. - If Sylar had taken Claude's power, there are many situations between the time we last saw Claude and the time Sylar confronted Peter when it would have been more advantageous for Sylar to have used that power. For instance, he wouldn't need to use super-hearing to listen in on Claire, Peter and Ted if he could stay close but unseen. - Sylar has always been able to appear and disappear seemingly at will. Examples include him disappearing from Matt's view at FBI HQ, and sneaking into Charlie's room, killing her, and escaping without being seen.
Claude is going to be killed by Sylar at some point and have his power taken.	After Peter became invisible in .07% Sylar said that he "couldn't wait to try that one", and when Sylar says something like that it usually means he is going to kill someone with that ability (Claude.)	- Sylar was referring to the fact that he planned to shortly kill Peter and take all his powers.
Claude was protecting Victoria Pratt.	Pratt was in hiding and Angela kept Pratt's whereabouts a secret. (Cautionary Tales)	• This would imply further that Pratt had an ability. - Pratt already had a hiding place. - Most of the Company appeared to be on her side; the only assailant was Adam, who was locked up in the first place.
Peter was the first empathic mimic that Claude had met, but he mistook Peter's empathic mimicry for another ability that allows the copying of powers.	Claude says to Peter, "Fantastic, one of those." (The Fix)	- Claude was most likely referring to the fact that Peter had an ability. When Claude made that comment, he had no knowledge or hint of Peter's mimicry. - Claude knew that Peter could somehow see him while he was invisible. That would be enough evidence to constitute the existence of an ability; so why was he surprised then? + This isn't correct. While he may not have understood the empathetic nature of Peter's power, he stated this in reply to Peter telling him that he mimicked others' powers. + Claude tried to convince Peter that he needed to forget his benefactors instead of remembering them to access their individual powers. + It is likely that Linda's ability was to steal the abilities of others. This may be the ability referred to.
Claude survived the fall and the gunshot wounds he received in Company Man because he had a needle and a supply of either Adam's or Claire's blood.	None.	+ It seems impossible that anyone who's only power is invisibility could survive two bullets to the chest and a 40 foot fall by normal means. - He could have clung to the ledge and/or hoisted himself back up onto the bridge. Just because Bennett assumed he fell doesn't mean that he did. + The Company may have needed Claire's blood because Claude had stolen Adam's. - In the period between Claude's execution and Adam's escape, it is absurdly unlikely that they would not have noticed the missing blood. They could have simply extracted more blood from Adam to replace anything Claude stole. + Even if he didn't take all of it, Claude still could have taken enough of it to cure any wound he might recieve from Bennet after he found out about his execution. + Claude states he saw Noah and Thompson talking about his execution. He may then have taken some of Adam's blood so he would survive.
Noah will have The Haitian seek out Claude to help them take down the Company from the inside.	None.	+ Noah knows that Claude is alive and hates the Company as much he does. - Noah tried to kill Claude (Company Man). So it seems very unlikely that Claude and Noah will work together in the future. + The Company gave the order to kill Claude, not Noah. Claude may realize this and put aside his differences with Noah if it means taking down the Company. + Claude has the perfect ability to get inside information about the Company. • It is unknown where the Haitian is or who he's currently working with. + Claude is slated to return in Volume Three.
Claude once knew Linda Tavara.	None.	+ When Peter explained to Claude how his ability works, Claude said "one of those" as if he'd met someone with a similar ability. Linda's ability is probably to steal the abilities of others, making her similar to Peter. - Linda died before the formation of the Company. (War Buddies, Part 7) + If Linda was multipowered, it is entirely possible that she had the ability of replication, rapid cell regeneration, pyrokinesis, or some other ability that allowed her to survive being struck and burned. • Although this theory may prove to be true, power theft and empathy are not the same thing. Peter just has to meet someone to absorb their powers, whereas Linda has to physically touch someone to gain their power.