Theories:Items

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

For help on adding theories, see the Help section.

To view disproven theories, see here.

AWI's gun

Theory	Evidence	Notes
The phony exterminator was working for Mr. Bennet. That's why he has the same gun Eden and Mr. Bennet both use.	The guns are customized identically.
Isaac Mendez will end up working with the AWI.	Hiro found the same gun near Isaac's body that Mr. Bennet, Eden, and the man in the jumpsuit all use.	Isaac has already left Primatech Paper Co., and he doesn't have a gun. However when Isaac left with a keycard and cell phone from Eden, which wasn't necessarily Eden's, he may choose to go back to Primatech and ask Mr. Bennet for help or to help him achieve good things like helping other gifted people learn control like Eden did for him.
One or more of the guns are the same exact gun. In particular, the gun Mohinder got from the exterminator may end up being the gun found in Isaac's apartment.	None, apart from the fact that the guns match.

Exploding Man (painting)

Theory	Evidence	Notes
The painting does not depict Peter absorbing Ted's radiation power and exploding. The painting instead shows Peter absorbing Claire's mother's power of pyrokinesis. Thus, the painting is accurate, yet Peter does not cause the explosion.		Claire's mother will not be introduced for a few more episodes, so evidence is lacking.
The person who is exploding is in control of their powers.	The look in the eyes and position of the head is not the same as that of Peter exploding in his visions. Also the positioning of the face and arms is that of someone who knows how to move energy—possibly Ted Sprague or a new evolved human.	The easter egg that was in Graphic Novel:Fathers and Daughters was this painting. It was labeled "Energy Man".

Hiro's sword

For disproven theories, see here.

Theory	Evidence	Notes
Future Hiro has come from an apocalyptic future where one needs a sword to defend oneself.	None	Based on Isaac's painting, it appears he'll get the sword long before any apocalypse
Since a gun would be completely useless if time were frozen, he uses the sword to defeat enemies.	Hiro can move objects when time is stopped, but there's no evidence he can allow objects (like bullets) to move of their own accord.
He uses the sword to channel his powers.	In Godsend, Hiro claims that having the sword will give him greater control of his power.
Some heroes, such as those with Claire's regeneration ability, might have to be decapitated to be killed, as in the "Highlander" mythos, particularly Sylar.	None
He thinks having a sword would be cool.	His reaction on learning the message	While true, he first becomes interested in actually getting the sword after seeing Isaac's painting
Nightcrawler (a Marvel Comics character who possesses teleporting superpowers) uses a sword, and Hiro is a member of the Marvel Merry Marching Society.	None	As or more likely a coincidence than a rationale on Hiro's part.
With the sword, he will be a deadly adversary, since he will be able to stop time, attack his adversaries while they are helpless, then allow time to resume so that they will feel the effects of the wounds. It is hard to imagine how anyone will be able to defeat Hiro if he has enough warning to use his power to control time.	We've seen that when Hiro "stops time", he can still interact with people and objects that are "frozen".	This may be significant regarding Sylar's apparent resistance to bullets. The sword may be instrumental in defeating Sylar if/when the explanation behind his "bulletproofness" is further explained.
The sword will come in useful on Hiro's predicted trip back in time where he must confront a dinosaur.	Hiro expresses grave concern over making significant alterations to history such as with stepping on a bug. He may consider this reasoning as well for using a sword (aside from fulfilling Isaac's painting vision and Peter's report of meeting future Hiro carrying a sword.	Part of the motivation could be Hiro needing weapons as defense and not wanting to bring back firearms which could leave bullets or casings in the fossil record potentially altering discoveries in paleontology. (This presumes he succeeds in eventually leaving that time and doesn't become part of the fossil record himself, along with his sword.)
Future Hiro may come from a very bad future in which he felt compelled to go back to the past and risk a rift in time to try and change the future in which he exists. This future is probably post apocalyptic and low tech weapons may be the norm. Now that he has changed the past he might have set things in motion that may eliminate this future Hiro and his bad experiences that made him so serious and hard. Another theory for the sword maybe that it would cause less time rifting when in the past, since he has already accidentally gone to the prehistoric past and who knows where else in the five years.	Future Hiro's comment that he was risking a rift just talking to Peter, his manner and long hair. Isaac's painting of Hiro fighting a dinosaur.	Current previews on the official Heroes website show Hiro with a sword in the very near future, not a post-apocalyptic one.
The sword isn't for Hiro, it's for Niki. The sword will allow her two sides to be integrated and bring balance to her personality, giving her full access to her power.	The samurai that originally possessed the sword was feared by everyone because he was brutal and powerful, just like Jessica.
The Sinner Made Sword Saint Theory : The sword belonged to furture Hiro, but in this present it is meant for Sylar. His uncontrolled power and oppressive childhood combined together are what were turning him into a psychopath. With the sword he gains control over both and becomes sane again and tries to atone for his murderous rampage, and at some point before he gains full controlof himself is transported to Feudal Japan.	The beginning of the story of the ancient wielder of the sword, Takezo Kensei, sounds more like Sylar than Hiro.
The sword was Hiro's. Future Hiro traveled back in time and was known as Takezo Kensei.	the painting of Takeo Kensei bears a distinct resemblance to Future Hiro (the long hair and soulpatch)	This is a corollary of a previous theory.
Despite his encounter in the museum, Hiro will face a real dinosaur once he gets the sword.	In Issac's painting, it looks as Hiro is facing the dinosaur with a naked blade. In the museum, when Hiro faced off against the statue, the sword was still in its' scabbard.	In a recent interview, writers defended the scene as not being a "cheat" - Isaac painted Hiro swinging a sword at a dinosaur, which was shown in the next episode. Also, the dinosaur painting was Isaac's first without the aid of heroin. His art may not be as precise/accurate as he develops his ability without using drugs.

The list

Theory	Evidence	Notes
Sylar is using a copy of the list to locate his victims.	According to Mohinder, six of the people on the list, including James Walker and Charlie Andrews, have been killed
Sylar killed Chandra Suresh to obtain a complete copy of the list.
Sylar created his own "better" list using his intuition.	Chandra's original list never made it to Sylar as it was on the flash drive Mohinder found and had to be decoded. One episode shows Sylar making his own list with a map on the wall and saying it was better than Chandra's.
Some fans also believe Mr. Bennet is using a copy of the list.	He has located some of the evolved humans on the list, notably Nathan Petrelli and Matt Parkman	However, his organization predates Chandra's research, so if he is using it, it's a recent development. Perhaps previous to Suresh's list the AWI was merely stumbling across the special people. With the list they could target them far from home where time off wouldn't be missed. The preview after Episode:Fallout makes it clear that he's at least aware of the list. However, in Episode:Godsend, he as much as admitted he does not have a copy of the list.
Felipe Acerra, not Gabriel Gray, is Patient Zero.	Felipe is the first name listed on the list.	There's no indication that the list is sorted in chronological order, so there's no reason to believe Felipe's name being listed first has any special significance. The list could easily be alphabetical, which would put Felipe at or near the top.
The Haitian is on the list, but under his real name	Not all of the names are known, so his is bound to be on there.	If he is on the list it wouldn't make sense to list him as "the Haitian" since Chandra didn't know him as that, or at all for that matter.

Patient Zero

Theory	Evidence	Notes
Mohinder Suresh was incorrect to believe that his father, Chandra, considered Sylar to be Patient Zero.	As late as Genesis, Chandra apparently believed he was "close to finding" Patient Zero. He would not consider himself "close" if he believed Sylar, whom he had met months earlier, was Patient Zero.	It seems extremely unlikely that Sylar could be Patient Zero in the traditional sense of the term -- the first individual case of a particular condition. The "evolved human" genetic code has apparently been spreading around the world, starting from an individual in North America, but Sylar is far too young to be an ancestor of all the known evolved humans, most of whom are in his own age group. When Chandra Suresh was interested in Sylar's powers, Sylar was known only as Gabriel Gray.
The actual "Patient Zero" wasn't Gabriel Gray, but Chandra Suresh just couldn't find his original "Patient Zero" was someone he couldn't get a hold of, like Mr. Petrelli or Claude Rains.	Chandra Suresh seemed thrilled when he finally found a person on his list in the episode "Six Months Ago". Since he already had The List, it was probably more of a case of getting to the people on the list, observing if they had abilities, and being taken seriously when he approached them.

Mohinder's taxi license

Theory	Evidence	Notes
Mohinder's taxi license is a fake.	To acquire such a license in the 36 hours the show leaves him is impossible, and it expires on February 30, 2007. February only has 28 days in 2007...and never has 30 days.	The Chelsea Cab Company boss appeared desperate to hire somebody.