Theories:Events

This article will archive all of the published and fan theories that exist for events from Heroes.

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The Atmospheric Explosion

Theory	Citations	Notes
Peter didn't explode when Nathan carried him into the atmosphere (How to Stop an Exploding Man).	Hana caused the Company's satellite to self-destruct in the upper atmosphere (The Death of Hana Gitelman, Part 2)	The explosion was the satellite, not Peter. - However, the shooting-star seen in the third to last panel of the comic, seems to suggest that Hana blew up the satellite two days after the atmospheric explosion in New York. It also seems likely that a burning up satellite would look more like a shooting star than an explosion. - Also, the comic states that the satellite was over Australia when Hana attacked it - on the other side of the planet from New York, where the satellite's destruction wouldn't be visible. - Also, given how high up Hana was and the thinness of the atmosphere, it's unlikely the satellite's destruction would have been that big.
Peter survived the explosion.	Angela seemed to think that Peter's regenerative abilities would allow him to survive the explosion. (How to Stop an Exploding Man)	- Claire's regerative powers will not work if her brain is removed or destroyed, as it would be inside a nuclear fireball. + Ted has never been harmed by his radioactive emissions, even when they were powerful enough to ignite household materials a few feet away. + Future Peter had survived the explosion and was wracked with the guilt of the event, so it would not be a stretch to believe that the current Peter would survive as well.
Nathan survived the explosion.	None.	+ It would be entirely possible for Nathan to have taken Peter to a high enough altitude and then released Peter, giving Nathan enough time to escape the radius of the blast. + It took 1 minute for the explosion to set off, however he doesn't look quite high enough for him to have been flying at such speeds for a minute. + Nathan, in E.5 "Hiros" when he flies away to safety creates a ring and vapor trail when he makes his turn from vertical to horizonal flight suggesting he can fly supersonic and could have gotten away from Peter.
Peter doesn't actually explode, but rather causes an explosion		+ The nuclear energy seems to be coming out of him, rather than him actually exploding. + This is implied by the way Ted survives after using his powers, most notably in the comics. Ted exploding

The Message

Theory	Citations	Notes
If Sylar is able to gain Claire's power, he will become indestructible and a bigger threat than he would be otherwise.	In the comic String Theory, it is revealed that Future Hiro enlisted Peter's help in order to stop Sylar from getting Claire's power.	- Claire could be killed by Sylar in the Dark Future. (Five Years Gone). So, if Sylar gained Claire's power it wouldn't necessarily mean that he'd become indestructible, since Claire could be killed while possessing her power.
Claire's survival wasn't necessary to save the world.	Sylar isn't the one who explodes, but Peter. (How To Stop An Exploding Man)	+ If the original purpose of killing Sylar was to prevent him from exploding, then it's not necessary to kill him, since he's not the one who explodes. Therefore, it doesn't matter if he can regenerate or not, and if Claire survives or not. + Even if Sylar could regenerate himself he could still be killed according to what's seen in Five Years Gone, where Claire dies. + Future Hiro thought Sylar exploded, and didn't know that it was Peter.

Peter's dreams

Theory	Citations	Notes
Peter envisions himself as other people in his dreams rather than himself.	Peter dreamt of flying but the dreams seem to have had Peter seeing things through Nathan's eyes. (Genesis)	+ Peter has a dream of Nathan's accident and he reaches upward as he wakes up while Nathan was reaching downward at his car. (Six Months Ago) + This could also be the case with the bomb. He can be seeing himself as Ted or Sylar. - In his second version of the dream regarding The Explosion, Nathan addresses him as Peter.
Peter's power revolves around empathy, and therefore allows him to put himself in the shoes of others during these prophetic visions.	Peter dreams he was flying when, in reality, Nathan flies. (Genesis)	- However, Peter has flown, including shortly after Nathan dropped him, so the dream did come true in a fashion. + His main power also seems to be empathetic, since no actual physical contact is required to absorb powers. With the bomb, he could easily be putting himself in the shoes of Ted or Sylar. • In the jail cell dream, it could be that Nathan is supposed to eventually turn evil, since he turned into a face which Peter associates with evil: Sylar. As of Five Years Gone it is seen that Sylar uses the power of illusion to portray Nathan.
Peter's dreams are a lingering effect of duplicating Isaac's power of precognition, making them truly prophetic.	Peter duplicated Isaac's precognition. (Don't Look Back, Hiros, Distractions) He can recall abilities he has duplicated in the past (Distractions)	- Peter's interpretation of his dreams is compatible with Isaac's prophecies and Hiro's experience in the future. - Peter began experiencing his dreams long before he met Isaac, although we have no way of knowing whether or not they passed near to each other before then, especially considering that both of them knew Simone. (Genesis, Six Months Ago) • In Distractions, Peter experienced Isaac's precognitive powers without needing to paint/draw an image.
Peter's dreams are not a separate power nor the result of his copying another person's power. They are a manifestation of his empathy powers allowing him to tap into the collective unconscious of humanity.	None.	+ This would explain how Peter is seeing people who he has never met before but who are still connected to him in ways he can't yet perceive.
Peter's dreams are merely symbolic of future events, and not literal representations of the future.	None.	+ In his explosion dream, Isaac is pulling Simone away from him. This could symbolize Isaac's reunion with Simone which Peter witnesses. (Distractions), or perhaps Isaac taking Simone away from him, by causing her death. (Unexpected) + Also, Peter's blowing up could be a symbol for the stress his powers are causing him. + In an interview, Tim Kring states that Peter's exploding dream "obviously had all kinds of strange, surreal dream imagery in it."
Peter's dreams are not truly precognition, but a form of Astral projection, caused by his empathic abilities.	None.	+ Most of Peter's dreams only occur while he is unconscious, meaning it is possible that his spirit/soul is leaving the body and going somewhere else. • It is also possible that he absorbed this ability from Simone's father. (See Charles Deveaux theories)
Peter's dreams are the result of his copying Sanjog's power.	None.	- The dreams are too unlike Empathic mimicry to be the same power. • It may be that the range with which Peter can copy a power depends on the power; he has copied different powers at different ranges, and Sanjog's power seems to have a larger range than any other thus far. - However, this cannot be proven. Peter has never met Sanjog. They are on opposite sides of the globe.
Sanjog is giving Peter the dreams in an attempt to help him	None.	+ There is no apparent range to Sanjog's power and he can accurately depict images of place people and events he has never seen. Peter mostly has these vision when he's unconscious, just as when Sanjog entered Mohinder's dreams before he'd ever met Mohinder. - However, Peter has also had visions while awake, and stylistically the dreams are very different. Mohinder's were of past events and exact, whereas Peter's are of future events and vague.
Peter's prophetic dreams are a power he absorbed from his mother.	None.	+ It is implied that Angela Petrelli has an undisclosed power (.07%). + Angela Petrelli would be the only person with powers that Peter has come in contact with for which we can not attribute any of his powers to. - There is no direct evidence that Angela Petrelli has such a power. + Angela said she knew Peter and Nathan had powers long before even they knew, which could imply that she saw it in a vision.

The train wreck

Theory	Citations	Notes
The train may have been derailed in order to steal nuclear material.	According to the newscast Isaac sees, it was registered to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. (Genesis)	+ See In His Own Image. The train wreck was initially part of a nuclear terrorist plot in the unaired pilot episode. The engineer, a character who eventually evolved into Ted Sprague, was originally a terrorist. This basic plot was abandoned, but some aspects of it remain.