Theory:Matt Parkman

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The following fan theories are about Matt Parkman.

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Theories

Theory	Citations	Notes
Matt is a clone of Maury Parkman.	They both have the same ability.	+ Very few other characters have the same- or even similar- abilities as their parents. - Matt still has his hair, while Maury is balding. + Matt and Maury are not the same age.
Matt is able to read the minds of animals.	A turtle seemed to speak to Matt to tell him where he could find water.	- The voice Matt heard ended up being Usutu. • The sound of the voice was that of Usutu, but it could have been the turtle actually speaking. Why would Usutu tell him where to find water when he had a canteen of water already? • Usutu seems fairly fond of screwing with people who visit him (hence the multiple shovel blows to Hiro's face). He may have simply been messing around with Parkman.
Matt can kill with his ability.	He implied this to Knox.	+ Bob said that whatever the brain controls, Matt can control. + If this is true, he could possibly make the brain stop the heart beating or stop someone breathing. + The good side needs some more offensive abilities, if they are supposed to defeat the villains. - Having wit/smarts can be just as effective or more effective than an offensive ability. + Betty was able to kill someone with her ability. Since Matt's ability allows him to do the same thing as Betty/Candice, it can be reasonably assumed that he can kill someone as well. + If Matt can control the functions of the brain, by all means he can stop the brain from functioning all together.
Matt Parkman is a stronger telepath than Arthur Petrelli was.	None	+ Matt was able to free Angela Petrelli from the "coma" Arthur put her in. - Matt was only able to get her out because Arthur "unbound" her after she told him to. + Because Matt was able to overcome Arthur's influence, twice (the locked doors, Daphne). • Arthur may have stolen telepathy from a person whose ability was not as highly developed as Matt's. - It's not about how the developed the power is when it was absorbed, but how good a person is with it, Arthur had telepathy for a much longer while than Matt. + It doesn't mean Arthur was a more powerful telepath. + In "Behind the Eclipse: Week Eight", Joe Pokaski and Aron Coliete commented that "Matt’s power is evolving in ways that his father's never did."
Matt will become a major villain.	None	+ The power of precognition is one that requires great strength of character and responsibility. Matt's shirking of his ex-wife and son, his job, his family ties, and his immature relationship with Daphne all have roots in negativity and irresponsibility. - Matt thought that the baby wasn't his; he had good reason to be "negative". + The baby is his. - He could still get bitter at Janice for not telling him the truth. - Isaac had some major flaws but was still considered a 'good' prophet. - Even though he was a serial killer, Sylar seemed to look for retribution from his mother after gaining the power of precognition. - How does Matt's relationship with Daphne "have roots" in either negativity or irresponsibility, let alone suggest Matt's potential for villainy? Furthermore, how is it immature? + Angela Petrelli is a good example of a villainous prophet. + Arthur, to an extent, was a villainous prophet. • He was a villain long before he gained precognition. - Not only precognition requires strength and responsibility. For example, space-time manipulation does. Hiro was childish and irresponsible, but he successfully became a hero. • He has also done very irresponsible things because he wanted a quest, such as allowing his half of the formula to be stolen. + Sylar is currently possessing him since Strange Attractors.
Matt actually has the power of psionic mimicry.	None	+ Matt never developed powers until he was near those with mental abilities, and seems to be able to master those abilities with relative ease shortly after being exposed to them. - Matt was shown to struggle with his ability at first, picking up thoughts when he didn't want to. + Matt first developed telepathy after being told by Eden to go eat donuts. The Haitian was nearby. + Matt's power expanded to full blown telepathy and casting illusions after reuniting with his father, Maury Parkman, and being trapped by him in a nightmare. - They had the same ability. Matt simply picked up some new tricks. • Ted Sprague tried something new with his power. This new trick wasn't radioactive. • It was still related to radioactivity. + Matt developed precognition shortly after meeting Usutu, a precog and eating his paste. + This would also explain the 'feedback' Matt and Peter Petrelli experienced when they first met, as both their powers were trying to mimic each other. + Bob Bishop said that whatever the brain controls, Matt can control. • Telepathy can be used in different manners, it's not a specialized ability such as illusion or persuasion. - Matt encountered Angela several times, but he never saw prophetic dreams, although her ability is mental. - Matt encountered the Haitian several times. Although telepathy can be used to supress memories (as shown by Arthur in Villains), nobody has used it yet to negate abilities of others. + The Haitian suppressed Matt's ability each time they met, perhaps Matt never had an opportunity to absorb his power. - Sometimes Matt could overcome the Haitian's ability and read thoughts, although in single words. - Telekinesis is a mental ability too. But neither Matt or Maury moved things with their mind. - The same with enhanced memory.
There is another telepath inducing nightmares about Sylar in Matt's mind.	Volume Five seems to be full of new characters with powers.	+ Although Matt does understand what he did to Sylar was wrong, it is unlikely he'd want to let him return. - This seems too similar to the plotline involving Linderman and Nathan in Season 3. - Sylar has access to information that neither Matt nor any other character would be likely to know, such as how Peter defeated him in An Invisible Thread or his attempt on Charlie's life at the Burnt Toast Diner.
Matt's going to become a rogue. He's going to cause problems for Janice and other people's lives.	In both Orientation and Jump, Push, Fall, he's having attitude problems.	+ Matt's personal ghost is Sylar. + Matt is jealous which can be a sign of mischief. He lets his jealousy at the end of Jump, Push, Fall get to him by using his ability on the water guy, Roy. During that time he still had Sylar in his mind talking to him. His reaction after using his ability was very rebellious and villainous. + Matt is continually haunted by thoughts of Sylar which can lead him to go crazy and do things he shouldn't. He might start getting wrong ideas about certain situations and cause mischief. + Sylar is currently possessing him since Strange Attractors.
Matt will become the most powerful character ever.	None	+ Matt's power is evolving and becoming more and more powerful, to the extent that he can even suppress memories and control peoples actions. - Any character who's able to have multiple abilities and control them well can overpower Matt. + Now that Peter's power has been severely reduced and Arthur and Maury are both dead, no other character (besides The Haitian) currently possesses any form of resistance to Matt's ability. - Hiro's ability is arguably just as powerful, if not moreso. With Peter depowered and Arthur, Arnold, and Daphne dead, only Edgar seems to stand a chance of resisting it.
Matt loved Daphne more than he loves Janice.	None	+ He actively pursued Daphne. He only got back together with Janice to be with his son. + He never checks up with Janice, while he stayed with Daphne. - Matt has known Janice for some time, while only having newly met and fallen in love with Daphne. Daphne is also a known troubled bird that Matt is concerned will slip back into criminal behavior. Both are credible reasons for Matt to pay more attention to her than to Janice. + In an alternative future, he is with Daphne rather than Janice. + He had a daugther with Daphne. - That occured in an alternate future in which Matt had never reconciled with Janice. - Matt calls Daphne "Janice" when they're in the hospital together. • She needed an alias.
Sylar, as Matt, cannot find the carnival.	None	+ No other character was able to find the carnival on their own. + The compass may be necessary to find the carnival. + Samuel might be in the past forcing Hiro to save Mohinder so Samuel cannot guide Matt/Sylar. • All bets might be off if Sylar accesses his considerable powers. • Sylar in Matt's head may not have other powers than Matt's. • Samuel has already returned to the present. • The episodes may not be taking place in precise chronological order; in previous seasons the timeline would jump around a bit from episode to episode to show what different characters were doing at the same time (i.e. between 1964 and I Am Sylar. + Neither Matt, nor Sylar-in-Matt know about the Carvinal. - It's a carnival. Lots of people attend it. + One of the carnies seems to have the ability to cloak the Carnival from people they don't want visiting.
Matt will survive being shot, somehow, and the shock will force Sylar to give Matt control back.	None	+ It is unlikely that such a developed character would meet an end like this. - A lot of other characters have met their deaths in even worse ways. (Adam, D.L. Nathan, etc.) + Matt is a main character. + Sylar reverted to his true form upon being shot and regenerating. Even though he can't regenerate, the same could happen to Matt.
Sylar hasn't actually possessed Matt's mind. Matt is just developing multi-personality disorder. Possibly driven insane by his powerful ability.	None	+ Matt's problems with Sylar seem similar to the problems Niki used to have. - Sylar claims he entered Matt's mind when Matt was erasing his memory, and Matt believes he is a "mental essence". - Sylar has access to information Matt himself had no knowledge of, such as the fact Peter defeated him by stabbing him in the throat with a syringe, or the fact that Sylar once attacked Charlie in the Burnt Toast Diner.
Matt could easily prevent Sylar from acquiring his ability.	Matt's actions at Shadowboxing.	+ Matt has shown he is able to telepathically control Sylar's actions. (Shadowboxing) - Sylar was in Matt's body. - Once Sylar is back in his body, he'll have access to his other abilities, he doesn't need to move to use telekinesis. - Sylar has resisted other abilities in the past. + Matt is very powerful, he can muddle Sylar's thoughts (like he did to Danko in Turn and Face the Strange), he can cast an illusion (Knox, Eris Quod Sum), he can enter his mind and paralyze him (Molly, The Kindness of Strangers, or Angela, Angels and Monsters). As long as Sylar doesn't have telepathy, he's no match for Matt. - Linderman said that after telepathy still scars in the brain, he was cured Angela after treatment Arthur's telepathy. So, Sylar has regeneration of tissues. + If this were the case, Sylar wouldn't have needed Damien's help. - But Peter also did not immediately regenerated effects of Haitian's manipulation, he needed coaching from Adam.