Theories:Events

This article will archive all of the published and fan theories that exist for events from Heroes.

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The Message

Theory	Citations	Notes

Theory	Citations	Notes
Claire's survival is critical, so that Peter will be able to utilize her regenerative ability in a showdown with Sylar.	Peter is able to duplicate Claire's ability even when she is not present. (Distractions)
If Sylar is able to gain Claire's power, he will become indestructible and a bigger threat than he would be otherwise.	In the comic String Theory, it is revealed that Future Hiro enlisted Peter's help in order to stop Sylar from getting Claire's power.
The message is two different commands, meaning the characters have to save the cheerleader, and save the world.	Ando seems to think so. (Fallout)	- Hiro thinks the latter part depends on the former part, and it's his "future self" who gave the message. (Fallout) - In the comic String Theory, Future Hiro thinks that saving Claire's life will save the world. This seems to suggest that the latter part depends on the former part.
Claire's regenerative ability will be used to enter the radioactive area caused by the explosion to stop Peter Petrelli (or possibly Theodore Sprague) from dying/overreacting.	Claire goes into the house to tranquilize Sprague and survives the radiation burns. (Company Man) Peter certainly seems to think this is the case and gives Claire a gun to prepare to kill him if he loses control. (The Hard Part)
The message is vague for a reason. Had Future Hiro been too specific with the message (relaying Claire's full name, her address, or even the town where she lived), he might have created a paradox, possibly causing a rift. Had this occurred, he would instantly have been pulled back into his "present"	None.	+ This is similar to what happened after his attempt to persuade Charlie to come to Japan with him. (Six Months Ago)

Peter's dreams

Theory	Citations	Notes
Peter's dreams are not entirely predictive and can be changed.	When Peter explodes in his dream he does not yet have a visible scar which future Hiro said he will have. (Hiros) His dream about Charles Deveaux didn't come true. (Nothing to Hide)	- It's unclear at this point how Peter will develop a scar, if at all, now that he can regenerate whether Claire is present or not. (Distractions) + Simone and Isaac have died, but appear in the dream. - Peter dreamed of Nathan turning into Sylar, which turned out being true. However, the circumstances of this change are very different in the future reality to how they were in the dream. (Five Years Gone) - Remember that present-day Hiro has not yet made his drastic transition into Future Hiro at the exact time of the explosion, and Peter and Hiro are barely acquainted with each other. Future Hiro would not have said that Peter looked different without his scar if Future Hiro had not become used to it by seeing his face a lot.
Peter envisions himself as other people in his dreams rather than himself.	Peter dreamt of flying but the dreams seem to have had Peter seeing things through Nathan's eyes. (Genesis)	+ Peter has a dream of Nathan's accident and he reaches upward as he wakes up while Nathan was reaching downward at his car. (Six Months Ago) + This could also be the case with the bomb. He can be seeing himself as Ted or Sylar. - In his second version of the dream regarding The Explosion, Nathan addresses him as Peter.
Peter's power revolves around empathy, and therefore allows him to put himself in the shoes of others during these prophetic visions.	Peter dreams he was flying when, in reality, Nathan flies. (Genesis)	- However, Peter has flown, including shortly after Nathan dropped him, so the dream did come true in a fashion. + His main power also seems to be empathetic, since no actual physical contact is required to absorb powers. With the bomb, he could easily be putting himself in the shoes of Ted or Sylar. • In the jail cell dream, it could be that Nathan is supposed to eventually turn evil, since he turned into a face which Peter associates with evil: Sylar. As of Five Years Gone it is seen that Sylar uses the power of illusion to portray Nathan.
Peter's dreams are a lingering effect of duplicating Isaac's power of precognition, making them truly prophetic.	Peter duplicated Isaac's precognition. (Don't Look Back, Hiros, Distractions) He can recall abilities he has duplicated in the past (Distractions)	- Peter's interpretation of his dreams is compatible with Isaac's prophecies and Hiro's experience in the future. - Peter began experiencing his dreams long before he met Isaac, although we have no way of knowing whether or not they passed near to each other before then, especially considering that both of them knew Simone. (Genesis, Six Months Ago) • In Distractions, Peter experienced Isaac's precognitive powers without needing to paint/draw an image.
Peter's dreams are not a separate power nor the result of his copying another person's power. They are a manifestation of his empathy powers allowing him to tap into the collective unconscious of humanity.	None.	+ This would explain how Peter is seeing people who he has never met before but who are still connected to him in ways he can't yet perceive.
Peter's dreams are merely symbolic of future events, and not literal representations of the future.	None.	+ In his explosion dream, Isaac is pulling Simone away from him. This could symbolize Isaac's reunion with Simone which Peter witnesses. (Distractions), or perhaps Isaac taking Simone away from him, by causing her death. (Unexpected) + Also, Peter's blowing up could be a symbol for the stress his powers are causing him. + In an interview, Tim Kring states that Peter's exploding dream "obviously had all kinds of strange, surreal dream imagery in it."
Peter's dreams are not truly precognition, but a form of Astral projection, caused by his empathic abilities.	None.	+ Most of Peter's dreams only occur while he is unconscious, meaning it is possible that his spirit/soul is leaving the body and going somewhere else. • It is also possible that he absorbed this ability from Simone's father. (See Charles Deveaux theories)
Peter's dreams are the result of his copying Sanjog's power.	None.	- The dreams are too unlike Empathic mimicry to be the same power. • It may be that the range with which Peter can copy a power depends on the power; he has copied different powers at different ranges, and Sanjog's power seems to have a larger range than any other thus far. - However, this cannot be proven. Peter has never met Sanjog. They are on opposite sides of the globe.
Sanjog is giving Peter the dreams in an attempt to help him	None.	+ There is no apparent range to Sanjog's power and he can accurately depict images of place people and events he has never seen. Peter mostly has these vision when he's unconscious, just as when Sanjog entered Mohinder's dreams before he'd ever met Mohinder. - However, Peter has also had visions while awake, and stylistically the dreams are very different. Mohinder's were of past events and exact, whereas Peter's are of future events and vague.
Peter's prophetic dreams are a power he absorbed from his mother.	None.	+ It is implied that Angela Petrelli has an undisclosed power (.07%). + Angela Petrelli would be the only person with powers that Peter has come in contact with for which we can not attribute any of his powers to. - There is no direct evidence that Angela Petrelli has such a power. + Angela said she knew Peter and Nathan had powers long before even they knew, which could imply that she saw it in a vision.

The train wreck

Theory	Citations	Notes
The train may have been derailed in order to steal nuclear material.	According to the newscast Isaac sees, it was registered to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. (Genesis)	+ See In His Own Image. The train wreck was initially part of a nuclear terrorist plot in the unaired pilot episode. The engineer, a character who eventually evolved into Ted Sprague, was originally a terrorist. This basic plot was abandoned, but some aspects of it remain.