Theory:Sylar's victims

Main Article Theories about Sylar's victims Main Discussion

The following fan theories are about Sylar's victims.

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Theories

Theory	Citations	Notes
Sylar may need to physically see the functioning brain (or believe he does) in order to give himself that power.	He is removing and taking brains, not merely observing their owners. (Don't Look Back, Seven Minutes to Midnight, Homecoming)	+ He was unable to take Eden's power, as she destroyed her brain by shooting herself. + Sylar has seen enough brains by now that he knows exactly where to look in the brain for the use of the DNA mutation to figure out how the evolved human's powers function. + Sylar's intuitive aptitude would allow him to analyze how a power works very quickly.
Sylar must know beforehand what an evolved person's power is in order to take it.	None.	+ Sylar has never been shown to kill someone without knowing their ability first. • It is clear that Sylar was watching Charlie and waited to kill her until after she demonstrated her ability (Seven Minutes to Midnight). - It is more likely that he did not know she possessed a power at all until he observed her using one. • Sylar did not kill Molly even though he could have very easily (One Giant Leap). Perhaps he had no clue what her power was and he was dragging her off so he could figure out what it was. - Sylar killed Jackie and removed her brain, but obviously she didn't show any ability. + Sylar thought Jackie was Claire, who has rapid cell regeneration. - Sylar had no way of knowing that regeneration was how the mysterious cheerleader survived the train fire. + If a person is reported as walking into a fire, staying in there for a while, and walking out completely unscathed, it would be kind of obvious... - Not really; it could've been because she had inpenetrable skin, forcefield projection, phasing, or maybe even pyrokinesis, all of which would allow her to walk in and out unscathed. Teleportation and telekinesis may also be possible alternatives. + Gabriel was able to figure out Knox's ability by simply fighting him. This was without any obvious concentration or brain-viewing. He even understands it to the point where he knows that Knox's strength comes from absorbing fear. - He attempted to take an ability from Gael Cruz, oblivious to the fact that Gael didn't even have an ability.
Sylar's hunger derives not from his addiction to power but more from a desperation to fully understand how things work.	In I Am Become Death Gabriel tells Peter that he now has an insatiable hunger to understand how things work.	+ Maybe Sylar's current resistance to his hunger is the realization that he doesn't need to know how it all works. - Arthur Petrelli said that Sylar's hunger isn't for knowledge or abilities but power. Not power in the sense of peoples powers but just power. After activating Sylar's ability and fighting with Sylar, Peter said "I know why you do this now, all this power, it feels good".
The metalic arm on the floor in Dual is actually Sylar's arm after he killed Danny Pine and stole his ability.	Danny was confirmed to be deceased. Most likely, Sylar killed him.	+ Sylar has rapid cell regeneration, so he could cut his arm off and it would grow back. • Limb regeneration of this magnitude hasn't been seen, and significant healing (of broken bones and such) has required some 'help'. • In the exposed future, Claire regrew her arm and part of torso in seconds. {Resistance) + Sylar's hunger would make him get Danny's ability. - He didn't steal Eric Doyle's ability. + Puppet master would be redundant to Sylar's telekinesis. • It would appear that Trevor's ability is redundant to telekinesis, but Sylar took that regardless. - He didn't kill Meredith. • According to The Natural Order of Things, he did. - He didn't succumb to his hunger and didn't kill Meredith for her power. • The need to psychologically torture Claire may have been stronger then his need to acquire new abilities. - Sylar had a better control over his hunger at the end of Volume Three. • Sylar could've stolen metal mimicry, and then discovered that it's a weak ability against fire. Sylar can't control the ability and his arm turns metal. He can't turn his arm back to normal and cuts his arm off so Meredith can't attack his metallic arm. - Sylar learns to wield his abilities very fast. - Sylar has a great control over the abilities he steal by brain removal. + Sylar couldn't control shape shifting very well. The lack of control over the metal mimicry could be the beginning of him losing control over his abilities. • Sylar took shape shifting through the empathic aspect of his intuitive aptitude, he has less control over abilities taken this way. - If Sylar ripped Danny Pine's head open and took his power, who ripped Sylar's arm off? + Sylar did. Sylar has rapid cell regeneration, so he could cut his arm off and it would grow back. - Danny Pine's body was never shown, and Sylar never displayed his ability. Usually, it is always shown when Sylar obtains a new power, but this time there's no evidence Pine's brain was removed, apart from Sylar being in proximity. - Echo DeMille was killed by slitting his throat. Although Sylar already possessed sound manipulation, he couldn't know Echo had it too - he never knows what an evolved human's ability is until he witnesses it. + Sylar was in control of the facility and could have examined the profiles of all of the inmates to learn their powers.