Precognition
| Precognition | |
|---|---|
 Isaac paints in a prophetic trance. | |
| Originally held by: | Isaac Mendez (deceased), Usutu (deceased), Matt Parkman |
| Absorbed by: | Peter Petrelli (lost), Sylar (lost), Gabriel Gray (exposed future), Arthur Petrelli (deceased) |
| Ability to: | Foresee future events |
| Examples of precognition | |
Precognition is the ability to accurately foresee future events.
Characters
Confirmed
- Isaac Mendez is the first character known to have this ability.
- Peter Petrelli has absorbed this ability from Isaac (Don't Look Back), but lost it when his father stole it from him (Dying of the Light).
- Sylar stole this ability from Isaac but lost it to the Shanti virus. (.07%)
- Usutu had this ability.
- Arthur Petrelli stole this ability from Peter. (It's Coming)
- Matt Parkman manifests this ability.(A Clear and Present Danger)
Future
- In a possible future, Gabriel Gray is able to use this ability. (I Am Become Death)
Unconfirmed
- According to NBC.com's interactive map, Byron Bevington possesses precognition. (Heroes Evolutions)
- According to Chandra's journal, a Brazilian teenager potentially had this ability. (Seven Minutes to Midnight)
Limits
Isaac Mendez
Isaac always made prophecies in the form of paintings or drawings.
When painting a prophetic image, Isaac entered a trance-like state and his eyes became completely white. He was largely unaware of his surroundings in this state. (He did not enter such a trance when making prophetic sketches.)
Isaac was able to depict the past, the present, and the future. The 9th Wonders! graphic novel that Isaac created (namely, Issue #14) contains events from both the present and future timelines (see here for more information). Additionally, at least one of his series of eight paintings depicts a scene from 1671.
Isaac was initially able to make prophetic images only under the influence of heroin. In Fallout, he overcame this limitation.
As of Distractions, Isaac could focus his precognitive powers. He made numerous paintings in an effort to locate Peter Petrelli, but he did not realize that all of them were accurate until he realized that Peter was invisible in them.
It is not known if all the works Isaac created were prophetic or not.
It seems that Isaac could only know the future by painting it because he had to look at the finished work. Peter seems not to make any mention of what he saw in the future, so painting the future is the only way to "record" what one sees. (Distractions)
The events depicted in prophetic images are not completely inevitable. Isaac painted a mural depicting the the explosion happening at ground level, and he and Peter later created several images depicting the destruction it caused. Thanks to the actions of several characters, the explosion occurred at a very high altitude, where it apparently did no damage to the city.
Peter Petrelli
Peter looks at a blank canvas and is able to see flashes of a painting from a distance. Once in front of the canvas, he appears to be locked into the precognitive trance until he finishes. (Fight or Flight)
Sylar
It is unknown if painting is the only way for Sylar to manifest this power, as Sylar was shown receiving quick flashes of the future after killing Isaac in his loft. Sylar lost this power to the Shanti Virus and didn't gain it back once he was cured.
Usutu
Usutu has painted numerous images of Matt Parkman on rocks around his home. Usutu somehow knows when events have changed to invalidate one of his precognitive paintings; and he painted over one such obsolete image with a new image. (One of Us, One of Them)
Future Gabriel
In the exposed future Sylar, now going by Gabriel, has somehow regained his ability to paint the future. After he refused to give Peter his intuitive aptitude so he could correctly change the future, Peter had him paint the future to prove to him that the world would be destroyed if he didn't change how things went. Future Gabriel painted a picture of the world being destroyed and this convinced him to give Peter his power.
Arthur Petrelli
Arthur uses this ability to draw a picture of the eclipse (It's Coming) and many other prophetic drawings, such as Claire in Noah's arms, and Sylar and Elle embracing (The Eclipse, Part 1).
Matt Parkman
Usutu appears to Matt and explains to him that he must now become the Prophet. Matt replies, "I can't even draw", then immediately his eyes turn white, and he grabs a pencil and paper and draws three prophetic sketches. It is unknown how he developed this ability. The writters claim that it has to with him being able to put his mind into the same sort of state precogs can enter due to his telepathy. One of his precognitive drawings is a mural depicting another explosion future this time one where Washington D.C. is destroyed by a nuclear blast.
Selected Examples
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Isaac painted and sketched numerous prophetic images. -
Peter has also created a few paintings and sketches. -
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Matt draws the future after being told by Usutu that he must now be the Prophet.
(A Clear and Present Danger)
Memorable Quotes
"Look around you at all these paintings! Every one of them has come true."
- - Isaac Mendez (to Simone Deveaux) (One Giant Leap)
"You think you can paint the future? Paint one without me in it."
- - Simone Deveaux (to Isaac Mendez) (One Giant Leap)
"You really can paint the future, just like the professor said. Fantastic."
- - Sylar (to Isaac Mendez) (.07%)
Notes
- In Distractions, Peter's eyes glazed over like Isaac's do when he entered a prophetic trance, and Peter again had visions of himself exploding. This was later confirmed to actually be a prophetic dream, an ability he had absorbed from Angela Petrelli. Why his eyes glazed over remains unknown.
- Despite having six present characters with access to the ability and at least two future ones, only one known person in the Heroes Universe can still access it. Peter Petrelli lost the ability to his father (Eris Quod Sum); Sylar lost the ability to the Shanti virus (Four Months Later); Isaac Mendez was killed (.07%); Usutu was also killed (Villains); Arthur Petrelli was, likewise, killed (Dual). In the present, only Matt Parkman retains the ability (A Clear and Present Danger). The future versions of Sylar and Peter Petrelli seen in I Am Become Death were able to paint the future. However, Future Peter was killed and Future Gabriel's fate was undetermined.
See Also
- For the similar ability to dream the future, please see precognitive dreaming.
- For the artwork created by this ability, please see Arthur's drawings, Isaac's paintings, Peter's paintings, Sylar's paintings, Usutu's paintings, or Matt's drawings.
- For the similar state that Usutu induced in Matt and Hiro with his paste, see spirit walk
Fan Theories
Please refer to Theory:Precognition for fan-created theories and other speculation.
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| Abilities |
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| Evolutions Abilities |
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| Graphic Novel Abilities |
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