Theory:Poison emission

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The following fan theories are about poison emission.

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Theories

Theory	Citations	Notes
Maya's ability is a personification of the bubonic plague, or the Black Death.	None.	+ In the episode commentary for The Kindness of Strangers, Tim Kring says that Maya emits "a plague ... that makes people sick". The Black Death was a devastating plague in the 14th and 15th century that killed off 50% of the European population. + The fact that Maya cries black tears could be an allusion to the Black Death. + A curandera said that what Maya carried inside her was "black", which could be an allusion to the Black Death. (Lizards) • Maya's ability could literally be the Black Death, except with drastically different symptoms.
Maya's power is to drain the energy or the life out of someones body, and all the bad parts her body rejects, resulting in the black tears.	None.	+ People who are in the vicinity when Maya uses her power collapse almost instantly, this could be because of losing the ability to remain standing.
Maya's power is a rapid release of the Shanti virus.	None.	+ The narration for Maya y Alejandro indicates that mutations usually are formed to benefit, and the bad mutations still bring about benefits. + Bob worries what would happen if the Shanti Virus crossed over into the general population. + Very little is known about what the Shanti virus does, and the effect that Maya's power produces has never been seen before. - Symptoms exhibited by Haitian in Lizards and Molly Walker in The Hard Part do not resemble Maya's contagion; e.g., black tears are absent from Shanti Virus. - Maya's ability does not affect evolved humans exclusively. + In the Dark Future, the Shanti virus killed humans as well as evolved humans.
Maya's power is the ability to host a deadly virus.	"But, as a contrast, there are mutations that could harm the positive evolution of a species. Like the ability to host a deadly virus." - from Activating Evolution.	+ In the text from Activating Evolution displayed in Maya y Alejandro Chandra has theorized this ability, if it's true she may be able to resist to any kind of viral disease, but became a carrier and can possible release all the diseases that she has came in contact at once. This is why her ability is so lethal. + If this is true and Maya learns to control her ability, she may be immune to the Shanti virus. She may also then hold the cure for any new variations to the virus. + Tim Kring stated that in original version of Volume 3 where the Shanti Virus had been released at the end of "Powerless", Maya would be able to draw in the Shanti Virus and eventually succumb to the massive amount of it held inside her body. - Deleted scenes don't count towards the official storyline.
Maya's power will be what makes the Shanti virus cross over to regular humans.	None.	+ Her powers are similar to that of an extremely fast acting airborne plague. If she comes in contact with the Shanti virus, her plague may mix with that and make it deadly to all. - Strain 138 is what crosses over to the general public, and was made 30 years ago. + If she's infected with the Shanti virus, she could spread it to the population using her power. - If she gets the Shanti virus, her power will stop working altogether.
Maya's power will kill Adam Monroe.	None.	+ In Lizards the curandera said what Maya has inside her could "kill the devil." - Adam has lived for 400 years; it is likely that he has come across many diseases before. The way he spoke of the Shanti virus implied that he was going to outlive even the death of the Earth, so it is unlikely that Maya's disease would do any better.
Maya's power is the ability to continuously emit waves of a unique type of energy that has a harmful effect on human physiology. The cumulative effect of several minutes of exposure is lethal.	None.	+ That would explain how her ability works so quickly and effects people at a considerable distance from Maya. + It also explains why it is able to be 'turned off' so quickly with no lasting effects on people.
Maya's power is the psionic ability to make the brain produce a deadly substance.	None.	+ All powers come from the brain. • Evidently regeneration resides partially in the blood. + Most powers in the show are mental in nature. + Due the speed, range and effectiveness of her power, this sounds likely, explaining how she can kill people so fast. • If so, Alejandro power's was likely the ability to stop the production of that substance or the ability to force the production of a antidote for that substance.
Maya has another ability which is similar to Alejandro's, a power that can "cure" any illness.	None.	+ Maya and Alejandro are twins and therefore genetically similar. - Maya and Alejandro are fraternal twins, and therefore are not genetically identical. + The poison that she releases is not infectious, which may have been weakened by this power.
Maya's ability is Strain 138 of the Shanti Virus.	None.	+ When Maya was shot, she fell over Isaac's painting of the explosion. - What does this prove? It covers up half of his loft floor, Its quite hard to miss... + She probably fell there for a reason, maybe to symbolize that she is the explosion or her death would have the effects of something like it. Anyway the writers didn't allow her to fall there for no reason at all. + Her temporary death happened on or around March 20, 2007, the date when the outbreak began.
Maya is currently "powerless".	None.	• If her power is Strain 138, then she may have been "cured" by the regenerative blood and therefore be powerless. - She uses her ability in The Second Coming.
Maya's ability is triggered by emotional states/stimulus. Once activated, her brain and the brain's of those near her begin to synthesize certain quantities of a fatal chemical which leads to the death of those who are susceptible.	None.	+ Her ability may work based on the principle of non-locality. Otherwise known as entanglement. + Circumstances or thoughts which trigger negative emotions such as anxiety, anger, or fear appear to be directly associated with activation of her ability. + It is well established that negative emotions stimulate the production of harmful chemicals in the brain/body (e.g. Cortisol). • With more practice or proper training, it may be possible for Maya to target specific individuals within visual range, or even by just using a photograph of a person.