Theories:Evolved Humans

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The following are all of the published and fan theories that exist for evolved humans on Heroes.

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To view disproven theories, see here.

Andrews, Charlie

For disproven theories, see here.

Theory	Citations	Notes
Charlie is merely a victim of time. No matter how much Hiro bends time and space, Charlie dies at the same time.	Hiro tells Ando he couldn't save her, no matter how hard he tried	Because of his failure to save Charlie, Hiro believes he cannot change the past.
The Haitian visited Charlie and erased some of her memories.	In Seven Minutes to Midnight, she says that she had started only a week before reading the Japanese phrase book she received for her birthday six months earlier. In Six Months Ago, she started using the book right away. Altering her memory may have interfered with Hiro's efforts to save her — even though he bought her a ticket to Japan, her memory of being told to leave was erased.	This begs the question of just how The Haitian knew how to find Charlie in the first place. It doesn't seem like Charlie was being watched by AWI — otherwise they probably would have warned her if they knew Sylar was on the way to Odessa/Midland. Short of Hiro meeting The Haitian in the future, winning his trust and being given a way to prove himself to The Haitian in the past so that he could convince him to go and erase Charlie's memory, there's no way this scenario could work.
Charlie knew of her impending death, and of Hiro in the changed time line. She simply did not acknowledge that she already knew Hiro. She accepted her death at the hands of Sylar because she was going to die of the blood clot anyway.	Ando doesn't remember anything differently.	This doesn't account for the changing photo, however. (1 2)
Hiro's actions did create some changes in the past, but he is apparently unable to make a change that would create a causality paradox: he cannot change the past in such a way that it would prevent him from going into the past.	The different versions of Charlie's birthday photo (and Ando's reaction to the change) indicate the past has changed.

Austin

Theory	Citation	Notes
Austin is Linderman.	Error creating thumbnail: Unable to save thumbnail to destination In 1971's A Clockwork Orange, Malcolm McDowell shows a striking resemblance to Austin, who is seen here in a Vietnam battle of the same era.	The character's ages are right and the file was extremely difficult to access. If Dallas is Mr. Petrelli, this would explain why Linderman is said to have "owned" him--he saved his life. Also, the new password for the Titan Club is "Vietnam". Linderman is, however, English, which may exclude him from being a member of the US Armed Forces. There is a possibility of him being second generation. It is possible he was on assignment with US forces from British intelligence or special forces, but given the covert nature of the operation its seem they would avoid using someone with such a clearly identifiable accent. However it is possible he used a fake accent or that his current accent is fake.
Austin is Mr. Petrelli.	None	Austin's hair, while being a different color, looks very close in style to that of Peter. This would also continue the pattern of powers being passed down family lines from parent to child. In addition, Peter's empathic mimicry powers would be similar to healing, referring to Peter's conversation with Mohinder: "We're all just cheap knockoffs of our father."
Austin was or is currently working for the Company	None	The Company employs many evolved humans.

Bennet, Claire

For disproven theories, see here

Theory	Citations	Notes
Claire cannot regenerate if she has a foreign object stuck in her body.	In One Giant Leap Claire did not wake up after her injury by the bleachers, or on the autopsy table. She only woke up and started regenerating after the medical examiner pulled the branch out of her head.	This may have been because her body was trying to regenerate, but she would continue dying if she woke up with the branch through her skull. Therefore the body couldn't properly heal itself until the lethal object was removed. Also, Claire said that she had a steel rod through her neck and was able to regenerate it after removing — but it did not kill her. It could also be that Chandra Suresh's theory about the abilities being centred and /or controlled by the brain, possibly if that connection is severed, and kept severed, the abilities may not be able to manifest in the rest of the body. The branch was located in the area of the brain stem, an area that connects the brain to the rest of the body. It is also a kill point; soldiers are trained to stab that location to quickly kill a person because it stops both voluntary and involuntary body functions.

Gitelman, Hana

For disproven theories, see here.

Theory	Citations	Notes
Hana has a list of evolved humans.	She knew where Ted was. She had saved a document containing the needle that made "the mark", so she could have saved a list of evolved humans. She could've intercepted some of Mohinder's phone calls or emails, or even accessed the list on Mohinder's computer.||Hana could also have tracked Ted using her powers quite easily, assuming Ted left some kind of electronic trail in reaching Nevada. Even if the DHS kept Ted's escape and existence out of the media, their own e-mail and phone-calls would still be accessible to Hana. Hana did get to Ted just before Homeland Security did, making it more than likely she was piggy-backing off their reconnaissance. (How Do You Stop an Exploding Man?, Part 1)
Hana is the hacker who is a part of the Heroes 360 experience, and she is using her power to do so.	Hana can intercept emails and texts as well as responded to them.

The Haitian

Theory	Citations	Notes
The Haitian's orders come from an organization of powered individuals in resistance to AWI. He functions as a deep-cover agent with AWI.	None	The Haitian has been hiding his vocal abilities from AWI for a number of years. He wears a symbol associated to other heroes. Mr. Bennet's memories of shooting Claude appear to be discontinuous and could represent an attempt to fake Claude's death.
The Haitian works for future Hiro.	None	With Future Hiro's attempts to prevent rifts or temporal paradoxes, an agent who could use his memory abilities to minimize predestination paradoxes would be beneficial. The Haitian could have some set of employers interested in Claire, and Future Hiro was the source of the "Save the Cheerleader, Save the World" meme. The Haitian wears the same RNA symbol as a necklace as Hiro has on his sword.
The Haitian can fly.	None	Mr. Bennet told Sylar that all the other evolved humans the Company has contacted have only had one power (Fallout). The Haitian already has a power.

Hawkins, D.L.

For disproven theories, see here.

Theory	Citations	Notes
D.L.'s power may involve more ways of manipulating the molecules of his body than just phasing.	At the end of the video about Niki and D.L. on the official NBC site, D.L. is called a "shape-shifter."	They also refer to Niki's power being "Good and Evil" which seems unlikely. Niki Sanders has thus far not revealed any indication that her powers have something to do with the divide between ultimate good and ultimate evil. Therefore, it is possible that the editors simply made an error, since he hasn't displayed any other power than phasing to date. In addition to this, Mr. Bennet does say to Sylar that so far he is the only individual to display more than one power- and in comic books there have only been one or two instances where shape-shifting has also granted the person the power of phasing. This show is also popular amongst people who do not have previous experiences with super-heroes, so the editors made the choice to put him down as a shape shifter instead of a phaser- seeing as that would be easier for people to understand. It is also possible that the editors did not make an error. Just because he hasn't displayed any other power than phasing, doesn't mean he can't.

Iyer, Sanjog

For disproven theories, see here.

Theory	Citations	Notes
Iyer may have the power to see the past, not just entering other's minds while they dream.	He was able to see the murder of Mohinder's father, for example. This event, as far as we know, was not witnessed by either Mohinder or Sanjog. Sylar's stopped watch seems enough to suggest that the vision is accurate, as neither Mohinder nor Sanjog had seen that watch either.
Sanjog was murdered by Sylar, and Sylar obtained his ability. This is how Sylar appeared in Peter's dream when he was in his cell in Fallout.	Nathan changed from Nathan to Sylar in Peter's dream in Fallout.	Sanjog was most definitely still alive during the events leading up to Homecoming, because Mohinder met him. It's possible that Sylar killed Charlie in Midland, flew to India, killed Sanjog, and flew back to Odessa, but it seems unlikely. Another reason is because Sylar was in the metal room at the time at Mr. Bennet's company. The Haitian would have prevented him from using his powers.

Mendez, Isaac

Theory	Citations	Notes
Isaac is the character who is killed off this season.	Hiro found Isaac dead with his brain removed when he traveled into the future in Don't Look Back. Since Sylar is once again free, it is possible that Isaac could still die.	Based on the events of Parasite, it seems certain now that Isaac will die; Sylar knows about him and even has his phone number. Furthermore, Isaac has now painted himself dead in a manner consistent with Sylar's MO and what Hiro saw in the future. Thus far, all of Isaac's paintings have come true. Yet this must mean that either Peter gets killed, or that Sylar escapes the upcoming battle between him and Peter.
Isaac Mendez will end up working with the AWI.	Hiro found the same gun near Isaac's body that Mr. Bennet, Eden, and the man in the jumpsuit all use. (Don't Look Back) Furthermore, the AWI cleaned up Isaac's murder, putting him deeply in their debt.	Isaac calls Mr. Bennet and seems to be working with him to track down Peter. (Distractions) This theory seems to have been confirmed as of Unexpected.

Nakamura, Hiro

Theory	Citations	Notes
Hiro is Takezo Kensei	The picture of Takezo in the museum looks a lot like Hiro in the future.	He can manipulate time, and he does end up in the past. It cannot be a far off idea that he is the "Godsend" after he teleports into ancient Japan. As further evidence of this, a comment from Kristen@E-Online (02/12/07) suggests that Hiro will not be with the rest of the cast for Season Two, because he will be trapped in another century. George Takei stated that Takezo Kensai is Hiro's ancestor.
Hiro is patterned after the Flemish comic book character, Nero.	Hiro rhymes with Nero. Hiro fantasizes of being the ancient warrior Takezo Kensai, while Nero thought he was the emperor Nero. Hiro and Nero both love waffles. Hiro and Nero both have their lives told in a comic book. Hiro and Nero both have sidekicks. Their sidekicks are closely attached to their cars, a Nissan Versa in one case and a Porsche 911 in the other. Hiro and Nero both span ages of time, Hiro by time travel and Nero by starring in the longest running comic book by the same artist ever.	Tim Kring claims not to read comic books. Therefore it is more likely that the comic book character, Nero, is patterned after Hiro. Hiro could very easily have time-traveled to Belgium some time around WWII and made an impression on Mark Sleen just before he came up with his character. However, this is unlikely since Mark Sleen exists in the real world and Hiro does not.
Hiro's powers resulted from mutations in his grandfather's DNA. These mutations were caused by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.	Hiro's grandfather was a survivor of Hiroshima and died of cancer. (The Crane)
Hiro's grandfather is Patient Zero. The first of the evolved humans	Hiro's grandfather was a survivor of Hiroshima. His exposure to radiation could have caused him to develop special powers. (The Crane) Hiro's grandfather knew that Hiro would one day develop powers and introduced his grandson to comics fostering dreams of special abilities. Could Hiro's father and sister also have special abilities?	All details about Hiro's grandfather and comics were presented in the graphic novel The Crane. Also, radiation gives you cancer, not powers; otherwise Mrs. Sprague would have powers. On the other hand, Hiro's father likely recieved a much smaller dose than Mrs. Sprague presumably got. Cancer is a type of genetic mutation, and Chandra Suresh believed that most powers first presented themselves as genetic mutations; also, in "Parasite" Mohinder reveals that his father called Sylar Patient Zero.
Hiro is the cause of Charlie's brain tumor.	Future Hiro mentions that he is "risking a rift just by coming." It could be that a rift is the re-aligning of history. Suppose that future-Hiro stayed too long. Claire would still end up getting killed by Sylar, dooming the world. future-Hiro probably made sure that he knew his message and that it was short to prevent a re-aligning like the one that doomed Charlie. Hiro spent longer than he should have in the past with the goal of saving her life. Hiro probably also crashed timelines, staying in the past at the time his "power" activated, sending history on an eternal loop. Probably, Time fixed itself, and punished Hiro for staying until his powers manifest by warping him without most of his powers back to the future.
Hiro has been adopted by Kaito Nakamura.	Claire is adopted by a member of The Company (Mr. Bennet) while waiting for her powers to manifest. Likewise, Hiro could have been adopted by Kaito while waiting for his powers to manifest.	It seems inconsistent with Japanese culture to offer leadership to an adoptive child over a biological child, but that could be a way to cover Hiro's non-biological relationship to Kaito. Also, Hiro's powers manifested fairly late in life, and would be extremely difficult for Mr. Nakamura (or anybody else) to detect. However, if Nakamura Hiro's real father, then either he or his wife may have powers (possibly their daughter too, though she could theoretically be adopted as well). In an interview, writers Aron Coleite and Joe Pokaski stated that Hiro is Kaito's son.
Hiro is his own ancestor	The picture of Takezo in the museum looks a lot like Hiro in the future. He can manipulate time, and he does end up in the past. It cannot be a far off idea that he is the "Godsend" after he teleports into ancient Japan. As further evidence of this, a comment from Kristen@E-Online (02/12/07) suggests that Hiro will not be with the rest of the cast for Season Two, because he will be trapped in another century. George Takei stated that Takezo Kensai is Hiro's ancestor.	It is a popular narrative time travel concept, often used in science fiction, e.g. Futurama.

Parkman, Matt

For disproven theories, see here.

Theory	Citations	Notes
Matt will be the rumored cast-member who is killed off.	None	Matt is a bodyguard and they have high mortality rates. Matt joins up with Ted Sprague. This may lead to his death directly (being shot by the FBI) or indirectly (radiation poisoning)
Matt will work for AWI now, partnered with someone without powers.	Thompson suggests he'd make a good partner. (Company Man)

Petrelli, Nathan

Theory	Citations	Notes
Nathan might have impregnated Niki when they met in Collision.	None	Nathan is Claire's father, so he has impregnated an evolved human before. The child of Nathan and Niki might have powers. Also, it has been a matter of weeks, not months, since Niki and Nathan's encounter. Unless Niki's superpower involves some kind of super-fast gestation period, it would be impossible for her to give birth to a baby in the time since she was arrested in Fallout. Unless the child was moved through time, by someone with powers like Hiro, this means either Hiro or Peter could be the child's "godfather" hiding it in time from Nathan as he falls to the Dark Side. The theory does not state that Niki had the baby yet. The theory is that she is pregnant, but not showing. She might not even be aware of the pregnancy herself. Perhaps Jessica knows, but Niki does not.
Nathan will be the next hero to be killed off	None.	Tim Kring recently revealed in an interview that he will be killing a prominent hero before the end of the season. Peter's "exploding man" premonition in Godsend ends with Nathan disintegrating in front of Peter when he explodes. This could be interpreted as a foreboding sign. It should also be observed that the same thing happens to Simone. The death of Nathan could serve as a key turning point in the plot and especially in Peter's life as it would possibly motivate him to further hone his powers. If Peter was to get Jessica's power, potentially he could talk to Nathan via mirrors after his death. This might be the meaning behind "a hero might die, but not in the way you think."
Nathan will be a major villain.	He consistently makes unethical choices and values power more than morality.	*Nathan repeatedly picks his political career over "doing the right thing." He has connections to Linderman. Although it was revealed he was working for the FBI to get to Linderman, Nathan still turned down a chance to do the right, heroic thing and kill Linderman when given a chance to in Parasite. In Run!, Nathan is obviously at a cross-roads. Will he "do the right thing", accept Claire as his daughter, and help her? Or will he choose his own political career instead? There is an obvious moment where he considers what to do, and clearly, he chooses the villainous course. In Unexpected, he says that if it were up to him, he would take all the people with powers and put them on an island in the middle of the ocean. This is exactly what the most famous mutant villain of all time, Magneto, does when he leads the mutant island-nation of Genosha in the X-men comics.
Nathan will become President of the United States.	This man looks like Nathan. Plus, he is already a politician, so he may try to run for President eventually. Alternatively, he may run for Vice-President and later be appointed President after the elected president dies or becomes unfit to serve. Linderman tells Nathan that in two years he will be in the White House and a heartbeat away from the presidency (i.e. Vice President).	The empty chair at his side seems awkward with this painting; it is possible that Claude (or Peter) is sitting in it, hence the President would still be standing seemingly alone. However, most grand offices will have a chair next to the main desk for informal meetings. Also of note is his facial expression, clearly irritated and looking towards his right side.

Petrelli, Peter

For disproven theories, see here.

Theory	Citations	Notes
Peter's power is empathy. This would give him the ability to channel powers and would explain his prophetic dreams about Nathan, and explain how he knows what he felt.	According to Tim Kring: "Peter’s [power] is based on his empathy and his ability to connect with people and when he’s around them."	This would also match the theory that their abilities are based on their personalities...or personality on abilities. Peter became a nurse to help people, so gaining empathy would just further his wanting to help.
Peter has some unknown additional power that is or causes these dreams and blackouts.	None	According to the writers, each character has only one innate power.
Peter's dreams come from an ability he is mimicking, possibly his father's.	None	Since it looks like the first ability he has mimicked, it would have to be from someone that is always around him. Since Peter's father died six months before Genesis, and Peter didn't learn to recall powers until Distractions, he would have to be recalling the power subconsciously.
Peter's dreams come from an ability he is mimicking, probably from Charles Deveaux.	None	Peter was getting prophetic dreams before he encountered many others. He shared a "goodbye dream" with Charles, where Peter showed him he could fly. Peter's first vision occurred six months ago, long before he began working for Charles Deveaux. (Six Months Ago)
Peter can share his duplicated powers with non-powered people.	None
Peter's impending explosion, foreseen in Fallout, may be caused by the proximity of many other evolved humans, whose power he absorbs all at once; it's too much power for him to handle.	After being in close proximity to several others in a short time, Peter appears weak and sickly. (Fallout)	Peter seemed to come close to overloading as he learned how to access powers he had absorbed once before at the end of Distractions; after absorbing Ted's power, such an overload could result in an explosion.
Peter's vision of himself exploding may not be a prophecy; it may be form of empathic communication, like some of his other dream experiences seem to be.	His dream about Charles Deveaux was not prophetic. Neither was his dream about Nathan and Heidi's accident, which was occurring at the same time Peter was asleep.	If so, Peter is wrong to think he will be the cause of the explosion. Also, Claire is alive in the vision, implying that this cannot be the actual end of the world. In Godsend, more of Peter's vision is seen, including scenes with Claude laughing while stealing money. These portions of Peter's vision, at least, have definitely proven to be prophetic.
Peter may use the vision as a warning that he needs to learn how to better control his powers in order to prevent a disaster like the explosion. He may now start making an effort to learn to control his powers in order to prevent the explosion from happening or to limit its destruction.	Spoilers indicate he will gain a mentor who helps him control his powers.	Claude is teaching Peter how to control his powers.
As seen in a painting in the background of Isaac's room at Primatech Paper Co, Peter could evolve into something akin to the Human Torch.	Isaac's painting
If Peter's power is mimicking/copying the special abilities of others, why did he stick just to Claire's healing power when he was very close to Sylar (and a bit farther away from Eden and the Haitian)?	He used telekinesis to throw Isaac against the wall, in Unexpected.	It's unknown how close Peter has to be to another evolved human to duplicate their powers, or how long he has to be near them. It is possible he didn't get Claire's healing power until after she came close to him after he fell off the bleachers. Also, he may be unable to duplicate the acquired powers of Sylar (as opposed to his innate power of intuitive analysis). Also note that Sylar used his acquired ability of telekinesis to launch lockers that did not hit Peter. It is possible that Peter unknowingly used telekinesis to prevent damage to himself. This was suggested in the Q & A session with the writers. It also looks like the lockers are just flying around him. It is probable that Peter had access to all of Sylar's powers, but did not know how to wield them and he was using the telekinesis reflexively.
In the vision, Peter explodes from mimicking too many powers at once.	Most of the known evolved humans are near him before exploding. In Distractions, Peter said, as he figured out how to access powers he had copied before, that he felt like he was going to explode as he lost control of all the powers he had.	From the way the other characters are responding to Peter in his dream, this seems most likely. Claire says she is sorry, Simone is running to him, Nathan is walking towards him determinedly, etc.... The dream may also not be prophetic in nature at all, but merely a means for his body to explain its dilemma; that it cannot mimic so many powers simultaneously, probably causing damage similar to what is occurring to Sylar. It would explain why Peter suddenly "blows" when his brother gets too close. The New York setting as well as serving the content of Isaac's painting may be his subconscious linking real life events to a dream. This would also explain the shorter Nathan/Sylar dream, though it doesn't explain how Peter could render images of Micah, Niki, D. L. and Hiro whom he has never met, as well as Sylar, who he had seen very briefly. It also doesn't explain the other characters' reactions to him in his dream.
In the vision, Peter sees himself as Sylar, who loses control of Theodore Sprague's power after stealing it.	His trench coat and watch are similar to Sylar's.	Peter has been shown to wear a trench coat since the beginning of the series, and many characters wear watches. Peter's watch in the vision is not broken and is a different shape than Sylar's. In Godsend, more of Peter's vision is seen, including conversation between himself and Nathan. Nathan addresses him as Peter.
Peter is manifesting the abilities of a female human torch.	"A new female hero is joining the cast for a mini arc, and this person's power is unlike anything we've seen on the show so far. All I'll say is, she'd come in very handy on Survivor." (possible source)	The foretold character is likely Meredith, Claire's birth-mother, who is a pyrokinetic.
Peter exploding may be a self-fulfilling prophecy	Some of Isaac's paintings have happened because the paintings were seen	Peter will contact the others and tell them he is the one who is going to explode. They'll believe this because of the exploding man painting and barricade the city. At that point he will be near many Heroes at once; he will explode because of the overload of powers.
Peter's regeneration after his encounter with Sylar was incomplete.	When we see Peter in Fallout, he is coughing and sickly. It would appear that he did not heal completely.	Peter's illness could also be attributed to overuse of his powers or coming into contact with too many other evolved humans in too short a time span.
Peter has visions of himself as Nathan since, as brothers, they share the same blood. When Peter falls with Sylar, their blood becomes mixed thereby giving Peter visions of himself as Sylar.	None whatsoever.
Future Hiro contacted Peter because Peter is the only person who can hold a conversation with him while he has stopped time.	Peter's experience with Claude supports the theory. By duplicating Claude's invisibility power, Peter made himself immune to it. Duplicating Hiro's space-time manipulation power may have a similar effect.	It is still unclear whether Future Hiro has enough control of his power to exclude other people from the time-stopping effect.
Evolved humans must be living for Peter to duplicate their power.	When Peter activates another evolved human's ability he thinks of the person, linking empathically to them enabling him to have access to their power. If an evolved human dies, that connection has been broken and Peter cannot access the power. This would also support the idea that Peter is a kind of "anti-Sylar". (Peter copies powers of the living and it appears Sylar must kill in order to gain an ability.)	This could be why it is so vital to save the cheerleader, since Peter will frequently have to rely on her power to save the world.
Peter mimicked the power of suggestion from Eden McCain.	While Peter visited Mohinder Suresh's apartment while Eden McCain was present, there is no indication that he duplicated her suggestion power. However, since Eden could use her power at her discretion, it's possible Peter duplicated it and simply didn't know how to activate it. Additionally, the fact that Peter was able to convince Mohinder to visit Isaac, but later fail to do it again may suggest that Peter tapped into Eden's power, but later did not.	In the fight with Isaac, Peter yells in an unnaturally deep voice, which may have been Eden's suggestion power. However, he did not give Isaac enough time to answer before flinging him across the room, so we can't know for sure.
Peter is the character who is killed off this season.	None	Tim Kring mentioned that one of the main characters would be killed off, and that Peter was a possibility. If this is so, and the explosion is caused by an overload of powers that Peter can not control, then the sword that Hiro needs may be a way to stop it—by killing Peter. Claude punches Peter during his vision, indicating that Peter's powers can be rendered useless if he is unable to focus on them. (Distractions) If he is overloaded and can not control them, he would not be able to regenerate after being killed.
Sylar's attack will be unsuccessful.	In Parasite, Peter is attacked by Sylar and loses a lock of hair.	When Future Hiro visits Peter in the subway, he comments on how different he looks without a scar... perhaps a large scar horizontally across his forehead?
Peter only absorbs a power that is used in his presence	Of Sylar's many acquired powers, Peter has only used telekinesis.	Peter has now come close to Sylar, the Haitian, Eden and others who may have powers. Claire is presumably always healing herself. Sylar's perfect memory may also be always operating. It would make sense for Peter to have a limit like this. On the other hand, Peter absorbed Isaac's ability and Isaac never used it in Peter's presence.
Peter absorbs personalities as well as powers as a result of having to "feel" another person's presence in order for absorption.	In his fight with Isaac, Peter displays an "evil", aggressive nature to him when he uses his telekinetic abilities, which likens to that of Sylar.	Peter, being empathetic, needs to experience another person's "essence" in order to use their abilities. Being around Sylar invoked fear and chaos, so using Sylar's powers would inevitably cause Peter to have violent tendencies.
Peter can also mimic non-superhuman abilities of others.	Peter initially seemed only able to draw stick figures, but is able to paint similarly to Isaac without painting anything precognitive.
Peter's abilities reside in the long-term memory portion of his brain and are not a part of his genetic code. His empathic powers are therefore susceptible to The Haitian's ability. In contrast, Sylar changes his genetics with each power theft.	None.	By the end of Unexpected, Peter demonstrates he has the power to dominate any foe. Unbridled, his powers will only increase. Peter's powers must be abated for there to be any suspense in a Peter vs. anyone duel. However, just like all powers, it seems an individual cannot use their own power against themselves. If Peter were around the Haitian, he would mimic his ability, meaning he would be immune to his powers, similar to how he can see Claude when Claude is invisible.
Once Claire and Peter meet, they will realize that they need each other's abilities to save the world, and they will form a long-term partnership to save the world.	When Claire insisted on travelling to New York to find Peter, The Haitian claimed that Peter was not in a position to protect himself, let alone Claire. However, once they find each other, they will realize that working together is the only way either one will survive.
Peter Petrelli will become Uluru by blowing up at the end of season one and regenerating his disintegrated form with other atomic particles from around the blast site.	None

Rains, Claude

For disproven theories, see here.

Theory	Citations	Notes
Claude taught Sylar how to control his powers.	When Peter Petrelli asked Claude if he had trained anyone else, Claude gave him a look and then blew off the question without providing an answer one way or another.	It is unlikely that Claude taught Sylar, since Sylar would have simply killed Claude to gain the power of invisibility.
Claude was part of a former generation of heroes from the seventies and eighties. Because of this, he has trained or been trained by members of the last generation.	Claude is in his 40's which is far beyond the ages of the other heroes (all of whom are between 11 and 35). His comment ("Oh, one of those.") may indicate that he has experience hunting down and training someone who has empathic power absorption- and as a possible former hunter, knows what's at stake if Peter doesn't control his power.	It is possible that other characters are also part of this group: Linderman, Charles Deveaux, Mr. Bennet, Meredith, Mr. Nakamura and so on.
Claude trained the Haitian and possibly even Eden McCain how to use their abilities.	The Haitian and Eden had obviously developed their abilities, and it appears Claude may have trained other evolved humans how to use their powers. It's been made obvious that Claude and Mr. Bennet also share a connection, possibly through the organization.	Claude's history with The Company is confirmed in Company Man.
Claude is Patient Zero.	Chandra Suresh was looking for Patient Zero, two days before he was murdered by Sylar. Claude appears to have had a power far longer than any other character. This could indicate he was the first person to have developed powers. Chandra was looking for Patient Zero in New York, and Claude's invisibility would make him hard to find.
Claude removed the tissue containing the radioactive isotope used for tracking that was planted in his back by the Company. Claude may have had an "old school" device rather than a radioactive isotope. Technology has bound to have changed. The radioactive isotope used to track could be a relatively new method adopted after Claude dropped off the grid.	His scar looked like a crater... as if something had been burned out of his body.
The evolved human Claude was protecting was a character with whom we're already familiar.	Claude was shot for allegedly protecting an evolved human.	It seems likely given the show's penchant for character connections, that whomever Claude was protecting is one of the current roster of characters.
Claude was protecting a young Sylar.	Claude was shot for allegedly protecting an evolved human.	It seems unlikely that Gabriel Gray's initial ability would have been detected so early.
The evolved human Claude was protecting was either Charles Deveaux or his daughter, Simone.	Claude showed no interest in training Peter until he mentioned in passing that he had taken care of Charles Deveaux. Claude's hangout is on the roof of Deveaux's building.
Claude was protecting Meredith.	Tim Kring said Claude and Meredith would have a connection, and it's possible that he found her later after the fire or was even him who suggested Meredith to create the fire and play dead.	It has been stated by the writers that the person he was protecting is "...someone we know."

Sanders, Micah

Theory	Citations	Notes
The most likely power that Micah was exhibiting is known as technopathy, or the ability to control technology with one's mind.	His repair of the payphone in Nothing to Hide and manipulation of the ATM in The Fix fit with a power of this description.
Micah will build a suit similar to Iron Man's.	None	There's no evidence that Micah's abilities extend to building new technology. He's only been shown repairing existing technology.
Micah will build a cybernetic limb, like Forge and Cable; a time machine like Forge and Cable; an evolved human tracking or detecting device.	None	There's no evidence that Micah's abilities extend to building new technology. He's only been shown repairing existing technology.
Micah will become a first-class computer hacker.	None	His abilities shown to date could all be hardware, not software, related. However, his abilities, as shown hacking the ATMs in The Fix could have involved influencing the software of the ATM computer.
Micah is unusual because he exhibits powers as a child. This is because both of his parents are also evolved humans.	Micah used an out-of-order pay-phone to call his mother. He places his hand on ATMs and they dispense money	The next youngest character to have powers is Sanjog Iyer -- who seems to be Micah's age -- followed by Claire Bennet, who is 16. Both of Micah's parents are evolved humans; both of Claire's biological parents are evolved; nothing is known about Sanjog's parents. All other powered characters did not become aware of their abilities until well into adulthood. It also seems likely considering that the abilities have to do with genetics. As such there would theoretically be greater odds that two evolved parents produce an evolved child.
The early manifestation of Micah's abilities may be related to his intelligence.	None	It has been quasi-demonstrated that Micah is smarter than most children his age, and he is often referred to by Niki as "my little genius". It has also been stated that the abilities are dependent on the brain. It's not a far jump to assume that Micah is a genius, and as such, if the abilities are in fact dependent on the user's brains, then Micah's increased cognitive abilities might contribute to his early development.
Micah is the one who distorted the recording of Niki and Linderman's thugs in the video camera.	None	Micah was at Tina's house when Niki first watched the video and saw that it was scrambled. Since his power seems to require physical contact with the device he would have no way to scramble it.

Sanders, Niki

Theory	Citations	Notes
Niki and Jessica are not merely split personalities in the psychological disorder sense, but a temporal anomaly, trapped between near identical temporal paths. When Niki has control in one reality, Jessica is in control in the other reality. This alternate reality is different only in what the other alter has accomplished in that reality	They can see one another through mirrors. Neither alter has described what it's like when not in control, suggesting there is no jarring difference in environment for the recessive personality.	If this theory is true, this means both realities exist simultaneously, and Niki and Jessica are experiencing things very differently from how we've been perceiving them. Jessica's tattoo simulates the symbol on the sword Hiro is seeking, which may mean a temporal connection between the characters.
Niki has Dissociative Identity Disorder and Jessica is her alternate personality. For some reason, only Jessica is able to tap into her powers for now.	Apparently all superhuman powers are based in the brain, including Jessica's superhuman strength. Since the power is in her brain, not her muscles, it is plausible for only one personality to be able to access it.	Niki's psychiatrist has diagnosed her as a classic case of Multiple Personality Disorder, the older term for DID. However, in Godsend Niki snaps a guard's baton in half with her bare hands. In Run!, Matt Parkman is able to hear Niki and Jessica conversing with his telepathy. This seems to suggest that there really are two separate people living inside Niki's head.
Niki had control of her powers at one point, but HRG captured her, and had the Haitian wipe her memory. The old personality might not have been fully erased, which explains her alter-ego.	Other characters that the AWI has studied (Ted Sprague and Matt Parkman) have a distinctive mark, and Jessica has a tattoo of the Symbol.	This hypothesis does not explain why all of her friends/family know her as Niki and not as Jessica. The mark and the symbol are not necessarily connected.
Niki will go to the "Dark Side".	None
Niki's other personality is actually her sister Jessica, who may have had an ability before dying and somehow came to take over Niki's body so she could continue protecting her.	The Jessica persona definitely believes it's the dead sister. In "Six Months Ago", the way the Jessica persona speaks is as if she is Jessica.	A dead twin still being able to talk to or influence their "other half" is a common idea in many stories involving twins. In Run!, Matt Parkman is able to hear Niki and Jessica conversing with his telepathy. This seems to suggest that there really are two separate people living inside Niki's head.
Niki is a medium. She can talk to the dead and channel spirits, but has so far only had contact with her sister Jessica, who takes over Niki's body when she has things to take care of.	None.	Spirit communication or channeling is a common power claimed by many real-world mystics, along with levitation (or flight), telekinesis and space-time manipulation. If levitation, telekinesis and space-time manipulation are genetically possible in the world of Heroes, why not the power to talk to the dead? In Run!, Matt Parkman is able to hear Niki and Jessica conversing with his telepathy. This seems to suggest that there really are two separate people living inside Niki's head.
Niki may have a power of her own, probably something related to motherhood or nurturing (or the Madonna side of the Madonna/whore dichotomy). She may have used a healing touch on Micah after Jessica threw him into the rocks in Fallout. This would explain why Micah suddenly stopped favoring his arm when she touched him and suffered no further distress from it.
Given that Niki is a close analogue to Marvel Comics' Incredible Hulk, if this homage continues, we may see an even stronger rage based personality or a full integration of the two (via hypnosis?) in the future.	Both characters were abused as children, have physical and personality changes brought on by stress, and powers only accessible to one personality state
Niki can theoretically tap into the same power, but doesn't know how.	The source of Jessica's superhuman strength is somehow a part of her brain, as are the abilities of other evolved humans, and the personae share a brain.	In Godsend Niki snaps a guard's baton in half with her bare hands. Theory is further supported by the fact that Jessica has had access to the strength at least six months longer that Niki has. (Six Months Ago). We have seen other characters (Isaac Mendez and Peter Petrelli, at least) further develop their abilities over time. This is only relevant if it is assumed that Niki did not know of her enhanced strength before the scene in Genesis.
Jessica is a sleeper agent for the Yamagato Corporation's Genetic Research Division, which is headed by Hiro's father, Kaito Nakamura	None	Niki Sanders is the quiet little web-stripper from Las Vegas whose marriage has gone sour and has left her stranded, alone and desperate...or is she? Niki Sanders may be a sleeper agent for the Yamagato Corporation. Since it is possible that Hiro receives his katana from his father, it is also likely that the symbol on the handle of the sword is the Corporation's Genetic Division logo, who has a hand in the creation of the evolved humans, or at least funded Suresh's research and used the logo after it appeared in repeating patterns in the results. The logo also appears on Suresh's book, which supports this theory, since the financial backers would probably want themselves included on the cover. When Jessica appears, the same symbol appears on Niki's back, tying her to the source of the symbol in some way. The ink used to make this tattoo could be temperature controlled, and when the personality switch occurs as an identifying mark, Niki's body temperature increases or decreases causing the mark to appear. Like all sleeper agents, Niki likely has a trigger that switches her from suburban stripper mom to super hero assassin. Someone like Niki should have no knowledge of where to find or how to operate military hardware. Jessica, however, was precise in her shooting of D.L. Hawkins - she knew where to find and buy weapons off-the-market and how to conduct herself on a hunt. If Niki were exhibiting schizophrenic behavior, there still would be no way for her to know about all these things. With the stress of her sister's death, Niki's trigger seems to have been damaged, and the layers of mental conditioning and brainwashing that she has undergone has eroded, allowing her to switch from Niki to Jessica in moments of duress or pressure. Jessica knows about her powers, has had obvious combat training and knows about the Niki persona, while Niki had no knowledge of her alter-ego until recently- all of these things are characteristic of a sleeper agent. But why would Niki choose the name of her sister for her sleeper persona? It is possible that Jessica is the real personality, and used her twin sister's name as a cover- since Niki could get close to someone as an unassuming woman, where Jessica's name could be recognized. There is no indication that Yamagato Industries has a genetic research division. There is no evidence that the Symbol is in any way associated with Yamagato Industries.
Jessica (possibly Niki's twin sister) is a soul/spirit existing inside Niki's brain.	Suresh once stated that if a soul does exist scientifically, it will most likely exist in the brain. (Six Months Ago). If Jessica is Niki's twin sister, and it is true that twins tend to have the strongest psychological links, Jessica's soul most likely exists within Niki's brain.	In Run!, Matt Parkman is able to hear Niki and Jessica conversing with his telepathy. This seems to suggest that there really are two separate people living inside Niki's head.
Jessica is a spirit. Her presence caused the interference on Niki's tape.	Spirits hypothetically cause static interference.	Linderman's tape, showing Jessica committing adultery with Nathan, showed no static interference.
The sword that Hiro is trying to obtain isn't for him, it's for Niki. The sword will allow her two sides to be integrated and bring balance to her personality, giving her full access to her power.	The samurai that originally possessed the sword was feared by everyone because he was brutal and powerful, just like Jessica.
Niki's powers are her enhanced strength. Jessica's power is the ability to possess other bodies, like a symbiote.	In Godsend, Niki breaks a cop's nose and snaps his nightstick in half.	Although the cast commentaries on NBC.com indicate that Ali Larter believes this was Niki's first display of enhanced strength, it's also possible that Jessica took over to protect Niki.
The Twins Super-Switching Theory: As children Jessica had the power to jump into Niki's body and possibly visa versa. Through this the stronger willed Jessica could be the hero and always protect her vulnerable weaker sister by switching bodies. Being twins, their drunken abusive father never noticed the difference. Unfortunately when Jessica died, she out of desperation did one last instinctual attempt to body swap to save herself, but since there was no place for Niki to go she stayed in the body she was and Niki was trapped in the same body. It is also possible that the body that they are in is actually Niki's.	In the episode Six Months Ago, Hal Sanders, Niki and Jessica's alcoholic father tries to reconnect with Niki. Jessica then takes over and goes to Hal's hotel room and tells him that he should be apologizing to her, not Niki, since she took all the beatings for her and wouldn't let Niki remember the abuse after Jessica died. This may mean the contempt that Jessica now has for Niki may be due to her alcoholism, weakness, and her getting to have a regular life. Also many children of abusive or controlling relationships look at the aggressor and the victim, in this case Hal and either his wife, Niki, or both, and think the following: I care for all involved, but what the aggressor is doing is wrong and I will never be like that, but I will never let myself become the victim. They overcompensate trying not to be the victim, but they become more like the aggressor and don't see it. Jessica may have , and doesn't realize she is hurting people this way. When Niki was an actively drinking as an alcoholic, this was possiblly self-medication pushing Jessica, who needs control, into a position of non-control for an extended period of time, turning her into what she could not stand being. When Niki became sober it would allow for Jessica to come out, and although she loves her sister, she would possibly be angry and resentful, especially if Micah is Jessica's biological son.	The likelihood of only one twin being the "Target of Opportunity" all the time of a drunken/ abusive parent is very unlikely, especially twins at the age of 10 to 11 years, the age on Jessica's Grave. In her reflective visions of Jessica, Niki has seen Jessica in bed with DL and protective of Micah, in Jessica's own way. It is possible that Jessica considers them hers, and if Jessica can influence Niki's memories, they very well may be. This may not be what DL thinks though. Hal may have been the straw that broke Jessica's back because Niki would let her (Jessica's) abuser near Micah in any way after all she had done for Niki. D.I.D. (Dissociative Identity Disorder) is a more likely explanation, but in a world where men can walk through walls, fly, time travel, and explode, it is not impossible. In Run!, Matt Parkman is able to hear Niki and Jessica conversing with his telepathy. This seems to suggest that there really are two separate people living inside Niki's head.
Jessica can only take possession of Niki's body when there is a mirror in the room.	To date, Jessica has only taken control when a reflective surface is present.	The reflective surface does not have to be a mirror (e.g., the reflection in the water by the cabin in Utah, the shiny Montecito elevator doors). Jessica took control on Godsend's end. There was no reflection in the room.
Either Niki or Jessica will "break out" of a mirror while the other is in control.	At the end of Distractions, Jessica is in control and Niki pounds on the mirror from the "other side" and causes it to shake, which she shouldn't be able to do if she was merely a reflection.
Multiple personality disorder is often triggered by child abuse. In Niki/Jessica's case they took it to the next level. This fits with theories that powers are amplifications of the natural gifts of the hero in question. Jessica, as a video chat stripper, detached herself from what she was doing... When abused by her father, Niki became Jessica, whose strength made her more capable of dealing with their father.	None.	Jessica has the super strength. Niki may have some form of telepathy; possibly the ability to see intentions or anticipate danger. The treatment for multiple personality disorder is to integrate the separate personalities. Niki's use of super strength may be the first step toward this integration. This continuing process will become a big part of Niki/Jessica's story line.
Niki's talent is enhanced strength. The personality of Jessica is another enhanced human, with the power to possess other people, pushing the primary personality to the side.	None	The key is the visible mark that appears on Niki's shoulder when Jessica is in control. This mark seems to be linked with establishments that know about enhanced humans, i.e. Linderman's group and the Organization. Jessica appears to have been an assassin for Linderman for some time, as evidenced by her phone conversations after receiving her assignments. The Niki/Jessica relationship is very similar to the Polaris/Malice relationship from Marvel Comics X-Men comic book.
Niki has a third personality and it could be a man.	None	This was mentioned in spoilers from Paul Davidson.
Niki is on steroids.	She has superhuman strength.	She has none of the associated symptoms of steroid use. She has no advanced muscle development. No steroid could give her the strength she exhibited.
Niki and Nathan will have a child together and/or they're married in 2011.	Episode 20 will be featured 5 years in the future and Adrian Pasdar said that the Nathan and Niki/Jessica relationship would take an interesting twist (which could be a child or a marriage, or even both).
Niki is able to physically separate from Jessica. Instead of just inhabiting the same body, when Niki escapes, they are two entities separate from each other.	In Run!, when they are arguing in the stairwell, Jessica sees Niki on the stairs and seems surprised. Later, in Parasite Niki is able to sneak Nathan's picture onto the bed for D.L. Hawkins to find.	It is also worth noting that at the end of Parasite, Niki appears to be warning Nathan about what Jessica is there to do while Jessica is carrying out her assignment. Mostly, this theory comes from the loss of obvious transition scenes between Niki and Jessica in the last few episodes. We haven't seen Niki go to Jessica on camera for a while. Also, since in Run!, Matt Parkman is able to hear Niki and Jessica conversing. Since the telepathic communication Matt picks up has never been presented to be as coherent as what he heard when Niki and Jessica are arguing in the stairwell, this would also suggest that he just heard two voices in the stairwell, not two minds. -|

Sprague, Ted

Theory	Citations	Notes
Theodore is the source of the explosion in New York. (He isn't the explosion but his powers are the source)	Ted says he doesn't know what would happen if he were shot, that "Maybe I'll wipe out this whole city like an atomic bomb!"	Ted being the cause would be consistent with Isaac's "Exploding Man" painting.
Ted is the bomb. Peter absorbs his power to contain radiation. Peter then becomes the bomb.	As above, also, when he is shot by Thompson, his eyes turn like that of Peter in his vision.	Peter's second vision (as seen in Godsend) of himself exploding touches on this theory. Before exploding, Peter tells Nathan that he took "his" power. Peter did not specify whom, however he is most likely referring to Ted (as Ted is the only known character with a radioactive power).
Theodore is the individual who sent Hana the email regarding Mr. Bennet.	The sender's handle appears to be "TEDDYBEAR," the nickname Ted's wife had for him.
Ted, along with Matt Parkman and Hana Gitelman, will take revenge on Mr. Bennet and his group, and extract from him that his boss is in New York.	None.	Ted, Matt, and Hana are going to work together and Ted and Matt will go to Texas. They retrieved information that led them to New York, which could explain the nuclear explosion and Matt's presence in Peter's dream. However, neither Ted nor Hana appeared in the dream.
Ted is impotent.	None	The radioactivity in his body can only have an adverse effect on his reproductive system. His incessant rage could very well be caused by the agony of being impotent.
Hiro teleported Ted from prehistoric times to present day.	Ted looks like a caveman.	Ted was born August 28th, 1973. However, this could be a false birthdate.
Ted gave everyone near the Bennet house cancer and they will all die.	Ted was emitting large amounts of radiation.	It is possible that a hero will be introduced and will cure them all of their cancer before they die.
Ted actually has the ability to absorb the properties of various materials as his power, not the ability to emit radiation.	The Company's needle injects people with a radioisotope. Ted could be absorbing the radioactivity from the isotope.	It is worth noting that it was originally thought that Peter's power was to fly, but he was absorbing that power from his brother. A similar thing could be happening to Ted, but with the radioisotope, instead of Nathan. However, as of Company Man, Mr. Bennet comments that Ted was only tagged and released due to his only giving off low levels of radiation. Presumably Primatech only tags those it wishes to release, so Ted's low level of radiation had to precede his tagging. For this to have been an observed power he had before tagging would suggest that this theory is false. All elements emit low levels of radiation, as he was only giving off low levels before, but once the isotope was injected it was exacerbated by several magnitudes.

Sylar

For disproven theories, see here.

Sylar has a limited form of tissue regeneration as a side-effect of his ability. || At one point, Sylar is able to alter his physiology enough to fool Hank into thinking that he is dead. He then appears to recover from the condition. (The Fix) ||

Theory	Citations	Notes
Sylar is dying because he attained his powers unnaturally or because his power was fatal, and the only way he's staying alive is by consuming the brains of other evolved humans.	None	While it's possible that either Sylar's power or his acquired powers are damaging him in some way, there's no evidence to support such a conclusion. Additionally, it's confirmed that he is taking (but not necessarily eating) brains to absorb powers.
Sylar's powers have something to do with emotion, due to what Chandra says to him and his intonation in Six Months Ago.	None	Sylar may have some sort of emotional power in addition to his others, but there's little evidence to support such a theory.
Sylar can alter his brain by studying the physical characteristics of other brains, which is why he is able to alter his own abilities.	Sylar's gift of fixing objects and the profound instance when Sylar noticed his first victim's 'defect' supports this theory. Sylar can fix intricate devices, and brains, specifically his own. Micah seems to have a similar gift.	Sylar's intuitive aptitude was confirmed in Fallout, but there's no clear evidence how he absorbs powers. Knowing how things work and being able to alter his own brain seem like two distinct powers. He has not yet fixed anything, mechanical or biological, other than manually. Mr. Bennet said it was his DNA he was altering (Fallout). Sylar was able to absorb Charlie Andrews's power despite only having a matter of seconds to look at her brain once it was exposed (Seven Minutes to Midnight, Road Kill).
Sylar takes the brains and somehow figures out how to take the parts with the ability and place it in his brain. He has convinced himself that either all the Heroes are broken or incapable of their abilities, or that he needs the powers just to satisfy his hunger for power.	Sylar's Intuitive aptitude	His comments to Mr. Bennet in Fallout support the idea that he is acquiring powers to be more "special".
Sylar believes all the Heroes need to be "fixed".	Sylar's Intuitive aptitude Episode 13 is titled The Fix	To get "a fix" is also a term used by drug users, meaning to satiate their need for their drug of choice. This could be a reference to Isaac or perhaps Sylar's own need for power.
Sylar may be heeding an evolutionary imperative to kill dying Heroes and augment their powers to his for the sake of efficiency.	This would explain Charlie, who is dying from a blood clot, and possibly Brian Davis. Sylar uses the phrase evolutionary imperative in describing his mission in the graphic novel Road Kill.	However, evolutionary imperative doesn't state anything about greed, so he might kill people out of his lust for being "special".
Sylar may also be a thematic foil to evolution itself.	His profession of watchmaker is often used as an analogue to an intelligent designer. Rather than following an evolutionary imperative, he appears to be redesigning himself using existing powers as a template which he then improves upon.	In contrast, evolution requires reproduction of the fittest, not merely survival of the fittest. So, unless he starts trying to have babies, he can't affect evolution at all. (If he did try to reproduce, it would likely be through rape or with the equally immoral and extremely powerful Jessica.)
Sylar is meant to be Peter's literary/thematic antithesis.	He has a similar motivation (to be special), similar looks, (perhaps) similar powers, and both men have even talked to a Suresh who ultimately gave up on him before he could prove that he was special. One major difference between them is that Sylar's main power depends upon logic and Peter's power depends upon emotion - a common theme in many literary conflicts.
Sylar is suspected to have learned one or more of the following powers from his victims: cryokinesis, eidetic memory, concussive resistance or bullet-proof skin, super-jump, enhanced reflexes or flight.	Molly's father is frozen solid while eating dinner, mid bite, with the top of his skull removed. (Don't Look Back) In an unaired scene, Audrey and Matt discover a police officer frozen solid. (One Giant Leap) After being hit by several of Matt's bullets, Sylar rises a minute later, almost "lifting" himself from the floor, seemingly unharmed. The sound of metal hitting to the floor is heard, as if Sylar was able to shield himself from the bullets. (One Giant Leap) Sylar escapes, possibly by leaping up the wall or flying. (One Giant Leap) Sylar is relatively unharmed after a fall which badly mangled. Peter. (Homecoming) Sylar tells Eden that bullets can't harm him. (Fallout) Sylar seems to move faster than normal in getting to his feet and out the back door of the Bennet home. (Distractions) Sylar uses telekinesis to kill a trucker. (Road Kill) Sylar is able to study and memorize a big-rig manual in minutes. (Road Kill) Sylar freezes the road behind him to slow police pursuit. (Road Kill)	Sylar could have used his telekinesis to stop the bullets, lift himself up (giving the appearance of flight), and could have possibly protected himself from the fall with the same power. He could even, assuming his telekinesis is powerful enough to work on an atomic level, possibly flash-freeze people by slowing the molecular motion of the air around the person. In an interview, Aron Coleite and Joe Pokaski state that much of Sylar's apparent invulnerability is in fact merely his telekinesis. Also, Mr. Bennet confirmed that Sylar had more than one power. (Fallout)
Sylar may have unwittingly gained Charlie's blood clot when he killed her to acquire her power.	None	Given Sylar's ability to understand complex systems and repair them, he would probably have detected the clot and not duplicated it in himself.
Sylar is the anti-Chandra, much like he would be the antithesis to Peter.	He finds the special people, much like Suresh did. He has a map like Chandra's. He even worked with him.	While Chandra found the special people and helped them harness their own abilities, Gabriel would steal their abilities to become even more powerful.
Even if The Haitian were to remove the memories of Claire from Sylar, Sylar would not be effected because of the memory power he gained from Charlie.	None.	There is no reason to think that Charlie's exceptional memory capacity would grant special resistance to the Haitian's power to erase specific memories.
When Sylar fell from the bleachers in Homecoming, he lost a power which Peter then absorbed. This is why Peter appeared sick in Fallout. He doesn't yet know how to handle the new power.	None
Sylar could have the ability of shadow travel as a power.	In the episode "One Giant Leap" when Matt corners Sylar, Sylar disappears without the camera watching and it didn't sound like he jumped. Also it was dark on the floor and on the side of the building. In the episode Homecoming when Peter tells Claire to go find people, when he turns back, Sylar is right in front of him. When Peter was talking to Claire, they didn't behave as if Sylar were approaching, or else they would have indicated as such. Sylar could have crept through the shadows that were surrounding the bleachers. Also in Unexpected, Dale asks Sylar why she didn't hear his footsteps. Sylar replies, "Because there weren't any." Whether Sylar used telekinesis or shadow travel is unclear.	In all the dark areas he seems to move faster than normal.
The Doctor Sylar Theory : Sylar has developed the power of Psychic Surgery. He has done this either through the combination of his intuitive abilities and telekinesis or by acquiring it from a victim.	In the episode Godsend the AWI doctor that was running tests on Sylar claims the only power they can trace in him is telekinesis, in spite of his victims show the signs of other abilities being used against them. In an earlier episode Mohinder Suresh broke into Sylar's apartment and found medical books seeming to focus on medical procedures, primarily on the brain. This is perhaps a sign that his telekinesis is powerful enough and precise enough that he can use it to do intricate procedures on others and himself. Additionally, Sylar had to smash his victim's head open with an ornamental crystal to acquire his first stolen ability; now he seems to carry no tool or weapon.	He could be using this ability to heal his injuries on the fly and to transplant the grey matter of his victims with special abilities to his own body, thus gaining their powers.
Sylar has no intuitive sense of whether a person has an ability or not, and must actually observe someone using their ability before he is able to understand how it works, and how to steal it.	Sylar watched Charlie all morning before her ability became clear to him, and killed her soon after. Hiro was also present in the diner at this time, and Sylar was unaware that he had any ability. (Road Kill)	Every time so far Sylar has stolen (or attempted to steal) an ability, he has waited for the evolved human to use their power before he kills them. (Seven Minutes to Midnight, Six Months Ago, Fallout, Run!) In Road Kill, he speaks of not knowing Charlie's ability until she spoke about it, but knew she was special since she was on the list. In addition he attacks Jackie rather than Claire out of mistaken identity, which would be difficult to explain if he could actually sense powers from Claire. This also helps to explain why Sylar needs the list from Mohinder so badly.
Sylar is the half brother of Peter and Nathan Petrelli through an affair of Mr. Petrelli.	Sylar states he used to wish that "some stranger would come and tell [him] that [his] family wasn't really [his] family" because they were so insignificant, and he wanted to be special. (Six Months Ago)	So far, neither of Sylar's parents are known to have had powers. In fact, Sylar expresses loathing for his father's ordinary life, so how did he get his original mutation? Also, there are an incredible number of parallels and coincidences between Peter and Sylar. Both wanted desperately to be special, their powers are similar (though Peter's is born of emotion rather than logic), both men have talked to a Suresh who prematurely gave up on them being special, when Peter imagines himself as a bomb he is wearing a similar (but not identical) coat and watch to Sylar's, and when in the hospital Peter has a vision of his brother Nathan suddenly becoming Sylar (which may have been a mix of his recent trauma and a foreshadowing of their relationship). Finally, these two characters are the only two to have alliterative initials, Peter Petrelli and Gabriel Gray.
Sylar can be identified with some supernatural harbinger of the end of the world.	Sylar, as Gabriel Gray, refers to himself as "the son of a watchmaker." The notion of supernatural "watchmaker," setting the laws of science in place then letting them tick away, is one frequent symbol for God (a rather apt one for a show centering around apparently God-directed evolution). Sylar, like the mythical Lucifer/Satan, became dissatisfied with his status in life, wanting desperately to be more important, more special. By acquiring more and more superhuman powers, he appears to be making himself God-like, an act of supreme hubris. Also, "Gabriel" is the name of the archangel supposed to arrive immediately prior to the apocalypse.	Additionally of note is that the first episode of the first two seasons both had titles of religious significance, the first being "Genesis" and the next being "Godsend." Also, the Haitian associates these powers with being from God, Jessica's character flippantly rejects the need for God's help at the end of Godsend. Basically, there are many religious references (predominantly Christian) throughout the show, lending some believability to the idea that Sylar plays a significant role in a supernatural scheme. However, most indications are merely hints towards that interpretation, not solid evidence.
Sylar's powers become weaker when he absorbs more powers.	None	Sylar doesn't seem to notice his watch is stuck at 11:53. Later he may have fixed it but this could show that his powers are becoming weaker. However, 11:53 is also the time that he killed Chandra Suresh, and the watch may be set to that point in some sort of twisted homage to the man who told him he was special. In Unexpected he is having trouble with headaches from his enhanced hearing. This could also be a sign that his powers are weakening or that he is simply going through the same process that Dale did as she learned to control her powers.
Sylar and Peter actually have identical powers, but come at them from different directions. Peter emotionally connects with the donor; Sylar's connection is more mechanical. Sylar has always known that he can retain the powers he has acquired; Peter has just learned this from Claude. While Sylar believes that he needs to kill the donor to acquire their powers, he could mistaken about this just as Peter was mistaken about the need to be close to the donor. Evidence that Sylar has the powers of people he has not killed would support this.	There is evidence that Sylar has Claire's powers already; he survived the fall in Homecoming, and he appeared to die in The Fix, probably from an overdose of the tranquilizers they were giving him in his cell. They removed the drip and he comes back to life. 3) Mr. Bennet shot him at least once. He was bleeding in the graphic novel Road Kill. He seemed to recover in record time. There is also some evidence that Sylar has Eden's powers as well.	Sylar survived his fall (Homecoming) Sylar revives after being declared dead by Hank. (The Fix) Sylar was wounded. (Run!) His wounds were confirmed in Road Kill. Also, in "Godsend", Claude Rains mentions to Peter Petrelli that there are others out there like him. This could be referring to Sylar.
Sylar absorbs personalities as well as powers when he steals someone's powers.	Sylar's internal monologue mirrors Charlie Andrews's way of talking as he is using her eidetic memory. (Road Kill) After killing Zane Taylor, when pretending to be Zane and using Zane's power, Sylar seems to be much more nervous and excitable than usual. (Run!, Unexpected)	In the commentary for Unexpected, Zachary Quinto and Greg Beeman both comment upon the subtle clues in the lighting and acting that show Sylar "changing".
Sylar will be the next character to be killed off.
Sylar has the power of indestructibility.	Sylar pulls the bullets out of his chest (Road Kill) and survives a fall from the roof of Union Wells (Homecoming).	Writers Aron Coleite and Joe Pokaski have said that much of Sylar's apparent invulnerability is merely application of telekinesis. Sylar was actually shown stopping a bullet with telekinesis in Parasite.
Sylar won't be able to absorb Peter's powers.	Sylar's method of power theft seems to depend entirely upon his ability to logically understand how that person's brain works through intuitive aptitude. Since Peter's power is based off of emotion, it is possible Sylar will not be able to figure out what makes Peter "tick".	Peter's power-duplication ability relies on empathy. Because Sylar isn't at all empathic, he won't be able to use Peter's ability. Sylar doesn't have any feeling for others, so he won't be able to duplicate anything he might get through Peter's power anyway.
Sylar's powers may be able to counteract those of Candace Willmer.	Sylar's intuitive aptitude allows him mentally dismantle and quite simply "figure out" complicated things, such as the illusions used by Candace.
After murdering Isaac Mendez and stealing his power, an imprisoned Sylar will take over as the painter of future events in a Hannibal Lector-like role.	None	Spoilers from Kristin Veitch indicated that a character whose ability is central to the plot will die, but someone else will be able to fill their role. In Isaac's case, both Peter Petrelli and Sylar could potentially fulfill the role. Tim Kring has indicated that Sylar's story will continue into the second season. Mr. Linderman collects Isaac's paintings. Spoilers indicate he does so because he relies on their prophecies. The Company has also used Isaac in the same role. It's possible that either organization could imprison Sylar and use him to replace Isaac. Meanwhile, Peter could simultaneously fill the same role for the other characters.
Sylar obtains powers through the manipulation of [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/transposons transposons].	None	Transposons have the ability to literally cut and paste genetic material, and are responsible for 40% of human evolution. If Sylar had worked out how to manipulate them it would allow him to cut the desired genetic material and paste it into his own genome.

Walker, James

For disproven theories, see here.

Theory	Citations	Notes
James Walker was killed using cryokinesis before his brain was taken.	James was frozen in mid-bite while eating breakfast; he would not be in this position if he wasn't frozen before his brain was taken.	In Road Kill, Sylar uses a power that is most likely cryokinesis to cover a section of road with a slippery layer.

Willmer, Candace

Theory	Citations	Notes
Sylar actually kills Candace Willmer while she is creating the illusion of Isaac.	None	Previews show Sylar wanting to make contact with Isaac, as well as Candace interacting with Isaac. This would open the possibility of Sylar choosing the wrong "Isaac". However, it is likely that if Candace were killed, her illusion would wear off.
Sylar kills Candace Willmer and Ted Sprague. Peter's dream about seeing himself blow up is really Sylar blowing up.	None.