The missing painting

The missing painting
Simone Deveaux shows Peter Petrelli a digital image of the missing painting.
First mentioned:	Better Halves
Owned by:	Mr. Linderman
Current status:	destroyed by Nathan Petrelli

The missing painting is the missing piece of a narrative made by putting together six of Isaac's paintings like a comic book. It depicts Peter dead at Claire's Homecoming.

About

Better Halves

While Isaac and Peter work together to figure out the meaning of "Save the cheerleader, save the world," they discover that Isaac's paintings can be arranged to tell a story like a comic book. Once this is done, there is a missing piece in the upper-left corner of the full picture. Isaac says that he painted a piece the correct size, but that Simone has taken that painting to her gallery. Isaac claims he cannot describe what was in that painting because he was high when he painted it.

Peter leaves a message on Simone's answering machine saying that he needs to see the painting because it will help save the world.

Nothing to Hide

Simone and Peter visit Isaac's loft after the death of Simone's father and find it empty and Isaac gone. Simone bring up the painting Peter wanted and tells him that she sold it to a man named Linderman in Las Vegas.

Needing the painting, Peter approaches his brother Nathan for help getting it back from Linderman. Nathan refuses, but calls Linderman after Peter covers for him with Oliver Dennison and his wife. Nathan tells Linderman he doesn't know what Peter will do if he doesn't get the painting due to his "obsession" and Linderman agrees to send it back to Simone's gallery.

Nathan later visits Peter at his apartment and lies that Linderman refused to send the painting in hopes of getting Peter to stop with his obsession to save the world.

Homecoming

After Nathan Petrelli bought the painting from Mr. Linderman, Simone Deveaux shows it to at Isaac's apartment. Nathan asks if it's the only copy and then destroys it by splashing black paint over it. He tells Simone he's trying to save Peter's life.

Simone then asks Peter to meet her at Isaac's. She shows him the ruined painting and tells him what happened with Nathan. Peter asks her to describe the painting and that lives are at stake. She shows him a digital image of the painting which was sent along with it, and tells him that she's located Union Wells High School in Odessa, TX.

Notes

• Given the size and shape of the missing painting, Hiro and Ando's absence from the scene, and the order of events in Homecoming, it's fairly clear that Peter has assembled the paintings in the incorrect order.

Trivia

• Tim Sale said that he had a conversation with Santiago Cabrera about Isaac's influences. Santiago felt that the artist Francisco Goya and his Black Paintings series would be a good basis for the style of some of Isaac's paintings including the one of Peter in front of Union Wells at Homecoming.

Gallery

• 
  In Isaac's apartment, Peter notices that some of the paintings fit together like a comic book.
• 
  Isaac and Peter assemble some paintings, noting a space for a missing painting in the upper left.
• 
  After Mr. Linderman sends the painting to Simone's gallery, Nathan destroys the painting at Isaac's studio in an attempt to stop Peter from trying to save the world.
• 
  Simone shows Peter a digital image of the missing painting. Peter determines to go to homecoming to save the cheerleader.
• 
  Peter ends up mangled and flattened in front of the high school, just as the painting predicted. He subsequently mimics Claire's power of regeneration and is revived.