Poison emission
| Poison emission | |
|---|---|
 Maya and her victims cry black tears. | |
| Originally held by: | Maya Herrera (lost) |
| Absorbed by: | Arthur Petrelli |
| Ability to: | Emit and expel a poison |
| Examples of poison emission | |
Poison emission is the ability to emit a deadly poison, which can kill people in one's vicinity.
Characters
- Maya Herrera possessed this ability naturally, but lost it after Arthur absorbed it. (Eris Quod Sum)
- Arthur Petrelli has taken this ability from Maya.
Limits
When distressed, Maya emits a black liquid from her eyes. People near her when she manifests these symptoms rapidly become ill and die, also leaking black liquid from their eyes. The blood of Maya's victims also turns black (Maya y Alejandro). The maximum range of this effect is not yet known, but seems to be substantial, as she is able to kill all of the guests at a wedding reception (Four Months Ago...).
Maya's power incapacitates people who are affected almost immediately, leaving little opportunity for them to try to attack her. What would happen to victims if she were killed or rendered unconscious while manifesting her power is not known. Alejandro's ability can negate this power and even reverse the effects on victims if applied quickly enough.
Maya used to have little, if any, control over her ability. Thanks to Sylar, she can now stop the manifestation of her power without the help of Alejandro. Her power spontaneously manifests when she feels emotional distress: fear, grief, anger, etc. She has yet to activate her power under other circumstances, and she does not appear to be able to "target" the power against particular people.
Memorable Quotes
"It is a new illness. You fear it will spread. You fear... yourself. What you carry inside you is black. Enough to kill the devil. No one can heal you. You are cursed."
Notes
- Maya's ability is referred to in several updates on Hana's website.
- In the episode commentary for The Kindness of Strangers, Tim Kring says that Maya emits "a plague ... that makes people sick".
- In Powerless, Maya refers to this ability both as a "sickness" and as a "poison". Dania Ramirez also has referred to this ability as a "venom" in some interviews.
Selected Examples
-
In a Central American town, a corpse leaks a black liquid from its eyes... -
...and from its torso.
(Maya y Alejandro) -
Maya's tears turn black while using her ability... -
...and she is responsible for the death of many people.
(Four Months Later...) -
-
-
...and Sylar begins to fall victim to them.
(The Kindness of Strangers) -
Arthur takes Maya's ability and shows Mohinder that he has it. (Eris Quod Sum)