Theory:Eric Doyle

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The following fan theories are about Eric Doyle.

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Theories

Theory	Citations	Notes
Eric Doyle is somehow related to Matt Parkman or Maury Parkman.	None	+ Eric has abilities not unlike Matt or Maury. - How is telepathy similar to puppet master? + How is Micah's technopathy related to D.L.'s phasing or Niki's enhanced strength? - Niki's ability was synthetic, it could have as-of-yet unknown effects on natural ability inheritance. + Eric has similar features to Maury. - They would have mentioned this earlier as both were locked up in Level 5. + Saying puppet master is similar to telepathy is only logical in the sense that they are both at certain levels of mind control, but the starting theory is like saying that Eric Doyle is somehow related to Brian Davis as telekinesis has more in common with puppet master than telepathy does.
Eric Doyle is a misogynist.	None	+ Eric Doyle tormented no less than three different women in Dying of the Light. To date Doyle has tormented no men. - According to graphic novels and his assignment tracker profile, Doyle was responsible for at least four male deaths: his uncle, his neighbor, a guy who bullied him in school and a complete stranger who cut him in traffic. + These men are all killed coldly and efficiently - his uncle by drowning, his neighbor with a gunshot to the head, the bully with sleeping pills, and the stranger with a car crash. All are simple murders, as opposed to the psychological torture he inflicts on Claire, Sandra, and Meredith. - His uncle's callous destruction of Doyle's toys (the only material reminders he had of his mother) caused Doyle to manifest. He almost certainly despised his uncle, but at the time, he was probably too surprised to think up an elaborate means of murder. He has control over the man's movements, the house was next to a lake, he makes the man swim out and drown himself. It's very simple and hurried. - The man who cut him off in traffic was a complete stranger - Doyle killed him on an impulse. If he killed a stranger for cutting him off in traffic, what would he do to someone who accumulated a lengthy list of grievances? The viciousness of his killings were probably inspired by anger and frustration, not a psychological hatred of women. + Eric Doyle rejects Meredith's love. Maybe he never really wanted her to love him, he just wanted to force her to bend to his will? - Eric didn't reject Meredith's love. He just didn't believe her. + Eric Doyle never married, nor has had any known healthy relationship with a woman. Perhaps it's because he hates women. - Doyle's social skills are almost nonexistent. He would have extreme difficulty blundering through a first date, much less a lengthy relationship. + In Shades of Gray while about to use his ability on Rachel Mills, Eric quotes "I just have this effect on women". - A single quip doesn't equal misogyny. Not everyone who says a mildly derogatory thing about a gender/race/culture is a chauvinist/racist/xenophobe. - People often imagine horrible tortures for those who anger them. Doyle's ability allows him to make them happen. Also, we don't know what else he did to some of his male victims (especially the man who shot himself).
Eric Doyle is Claire's real father.	None	+ Doyle's lecherous behavior towards Meredith combined with her contempt for him are consistent with that of a rapist and his victim. + Nathan's paternity of Claire was never verified with a DNA test. He only thinks he's her father because Meredith told him so, in an effort to extort money from him. Meredith may have been lying. - Nathan's sexual adventure in Texas happened at the same time Meredith became pregnant. - Nothing suggests Doyle has ever been to Texas. + Meredith may very well prefer to let Claire think she's the daughter of a famous and wealthy politician rather than the offspring of an incident of rape. - Meredith can defend herself with her power. + She couldn't during Angels and Monsters and Dying of the Light. Doyle has demonstrated the ability to control other people's powers before. + Angela may be going along with Meredith's lie due to information from a precognitive dream. She's known to be willing to lie to someone about their parentage for her own benefit. + Every confirmed member of the Petrelli family except Claire has black hair. • This is because all the Petrelli's significant others have black hair. Meredith has blonde hair however. • So does Flint, which means Claire has 'Gordon' hair. • Dark hair is dominant over light hair. Based on this and the fact that Meredith appears to have slightly darker hair then Claire, it seems unlikely that Nathan could be her father. - There are many exceptions in real life. - Nothing suggests this. - Angela Petrelli tracked Claire from the beginning. She would not do so unless she was 100% certain of her relation. - Also, Angela was a chairman of the Company, which had Claire when she was an infant. They would have run DNA tests to ensure that she had no genetic defects which might screw up the Catalyst.
Eric Doyle's real ability is telekinesis.	Webisode: Nowhere Man, Part 4	+ At the end of the episode Doyle shuts the door using his powers, the puppet master ability is only the ability to control people's actions. • That was only added at the actor's suggestion, it wasn't part of the original script. • His ability could have evolved. + Sylar used telekinesis on Audrey, in a way that made it look like he was controlling her. Just like Eric.
Eric Doyle's original ability was telekinesis, but his psychological trauma caused it to transform.	None	+ Eric's lifelong obsession has been with puppets. He may have psychologically 'limited' his ability, enhancing the fine control aspects of it while negating its ability to affect objects. - Recently, Doyle's ability has apparently spread to affect objects. • Eric Doyle's psychological recovery may be 'unlocking' the repressed parts of his power. • In an interview, Jim Martin (one of the writers of Nowhere Man) said, "I think he can do some telekinetic control type things, but not all the time...". This seems to imply his ability is telekinesis, or something involving kinetic force.