Empathic mimicry

Empathic mimicry
Peter mimics Isaac's precognition.
Held by:	Peter Petrelli
Ability to:	Mimic other abilities on an empathic level
Examples of empathic mimicry

Empathy is the ability to "connect" with other people on a mental level. Empathic mimicry is an effect of this power that allows for the duplication of the superhuman abilities of other evolved humans.

Characters

• Peter Petrelli is the only character known to have this ability.

Limits

Peter possesses an empathic ability that has multiple effects.

One aspect of his power is the ability to duplicate or "absorb" the powers of other evolved humans near him. The exact range at which this occurs is not known, but the distance at which he can mimic the power of Claude is just several meters. He is able to duplicate Claude's ability almost immediately upon coming within range. Whether the maximum distance and minimum time is the same to mimic any power is uncertain. Peter does not necessarily have to see other people's powers in use to absorb them. In The Hard Part, Peter begins to absorb Ted Sprague's power even though Ted has not used it in his presence.

Peter's control over other powers that he mimics varies; powers that require active concentration seem to be more difficult for him to manifest or control. Peter seems to absorb powers involuntarily, but he may not be aware of absorbing a power that requires active concentration to use.

Although Peter shows traces of Isaac's precognition the day after accompanying Simone to Isaac's apartment (Don't Look Back), it was not clear until Distractions that Peter could manifest a power in the absence of the person from whom he absorbed it. He has since reproduced many abilities without the original holder of the power being nearby.

Peter once stated that in order to recall another person's power when they are not present, he has to remember how that person made him feel (Distractions). While amnesiac, Peter was still able to recall abilities, even without memories of the person from whom he learned them.

Peter sometimes has dreams involving other people who coincide with important events in their lives. He had a dream about Charles Deveaux at the time of his death, and he dreamed that Nathan was in trouble at the time of his automobile accident. He has even seen people in his visions that he hasn't met, including Niki Sanders, Micah Sanders, D.L. Hawkins, and Claude Rains. Some of his visions predict future events, but they aren't completely accurate and are partially symbolic. Though events very similar to his dream of himself exploding (Fallout) do actually occur (How to Stop an Exploding Man), many details of the actual incident differ substantially from the dream. It is revealed in (The Second Coming) that Peter's dreams are not products of his own empathy but are the results of Angela Petrelli's power of precognitive dreaming.

Peter's power and those he has absorbed may make him one of the most powerful evolved humans. This is mentioned by his mother (Out of Time), and by Claude (Unexpected). With the absorption of so many abilities from many evolved humans, he has become the 'swiss army knife' of Heroes. However, he can still be affected by the Haitian's ability (Four Months Ago...).

A side-effect of his ability to mimic is that he is unaffected by the powers of many other evolved humans. For example, he was able to see Claude while he was invisible (Godsend), he could still move when Hiro froze time (Collision), and he was unaffected by Matt's telepathic commands (Powerless).

It is revealed in (I Am Become Death), that peter naturally absorbs powers he is exposed to when he is the area of the person who possesses the powers. But he must consciously have an understanding of how the powers work for him to duplicate them, as when he went to the future and had to learn from future Sylar how to use his powers of Intuitive aptitude. This apparently is a general rule for powers the require actual concentration or complex passive powers like Sylar's.

Peter has used multiple powers simultaneously on several occasions:

• Invisibility and telekinesis in Five Years Gone
• Telekinesis and rapid cell regeneration in Kindred
• Space-time manipulation and lightning in Truth & Consequences
• Space-time manipulation and telekinesis in Unexpected, and Powerless

Selected Examples

• 
  Peter duplicates Isaac's ability to paint the future.
  (Don't Look Back, Hiros)
• 
  Peter duplicates Claire's ability to heal, and heals from the fatal injuries he received in a long fall.
  (Homecoming)
• 
  Peter duplicates Claude's invisibility; Peter and Claude can't be seen by anyone but each other.
  (Godsend)
• 
  In a flurry of duplicated powers, Peter mimics Matt Parkman's telepathy.
  (Distractions)
• 
  Peter blocks an overhead swing from a staff-wielding Claude using telekinesis...
• 
  ...then later freezes time...
• 
  ...and subsequently flies away, carrying Claude with him.
  (Unexpected)
• 
  Peter duplicates enhanced speed from an agent in a future timeline.
  (Walls, Part 2)
• 
  Peter duplicates pyrokinesis in a future epic battle against Sylar.
  (Five Years Gone)
• 
  Peter mimics Niki's enhanced strength, and barehandedly pummels Sylar's face into a bloody mess.
  (How to Stop an Exploding Man)
• 
  Peter duplicates Ted's induced radioactivity and explodes in a bright light in the sky.
  (How to Stop an Exploding Man)
• 
  Peter duplicates the power to create lightning, and sends Tuko flying backwards.
  (Four Months Later...)

Memorable Quotes

"Peter's specific DNA allows for a blend. Like colors in a mosaic, resequencing itself to mimic the abilities of those around him."

"Like a chameleon?"

"More like a sponge. It's precisely why I've been studying him."

"Could his condition become dangerous to himself or to other people?"

"If he absorbs too much, or comes into contact with an unstable ability, then most definitely yes."

- Mohinder, Nathan (The Fix)

"You know, before I hit the ground ... when I knew what was about to happen, I had this flash ... in my head, of this girl that I met in Texas. This cheerleader. She could heal herself. Oh, gosh, she's this sweet kid. Sad little smile, and she just ... You were wrong! I don't have to cut her out! I have to remember her!"

- Peter Petrelli (to Claude) (Distractions)

"You need to focus. You can move objects with your mind, heal; you can paint the future."

"How do you know about that?"

"You absorb abilities from other people. You are the most powerful of us all."

- Future Angela, Peter Petrelli (Out of Time)

Notes

• In doing research for Peter's power, Aron Coleite said that the Heroes crew consulted several scientists about the concept of mosaic DNA.
• Press materials released before Heroes aired skirted the issue of Peter's powers, saying instead that he was "trying to convince his brother he could fly." The exact nature of his ability did not become clear for several episodes.
• Mohinder says that Peter's power is "like a sponge" to the powers of other evolved humans (and not like a "chameleon"), and it could be dangerous for him to get near someone with an "unstable" power. (The Fix)
• Claude opines that it is fitting for an "empath" to be a nurse, as though he has had a prior familiarity with people of Peter's ability or at least an ability that is similar to it. (The Fix)
• In an interview, Tim Kring elaborated on the similarities and differences between Peter and Sylar's powers, calling them "two halves of a similar coin".

  "Both are able to absorb people’s powers, but in two very different ways. Peter’s is based on his empathy and his ability to connect with people and when he’s around them. Sylar actually has to take your brain and do something with it."

• Milo Ventimiglia (Peter Petrelli), in a behind-the-scenes video, reveals that Peter passes out at the end of Fallout because he is overwhelmed by all of the abilities he has been absorbing.
• When Peter yells at Isaac, some have speculated that he may have (unsuccessfully) used Eden's power of persuasion. However this is more likely a reflection of production effects rather than the use of a power. The sound effects for Eden's persuasive voice (listen) and Peter's yell (listen) are very different (Unexpected). In an interview, it is stated that the voice change was for the "coolness factor."
• Despite Peter using multiple powers simultaneously on several occassions, it was stated in an interview that Peter only has access to one power at a time.

See Also

• For other uses of mimic, see mimic (disambig).
• For other uses of memory, see memory (disambig).
• For a list of dreams/visions Peter has experienced, see Peter's dreams.
• For abilities to which Peter has been exposed, see powers exposed.
• For Sylar's ability to steal the abilities of others through the process of brain removal, see power theft.
• For Linda Tavara's ability to take the abilities of others after killing them, see aura absorption.