Theory:Sylar

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The following fan theories are about Sylar.

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Theories

Theory	Citations	Notes
The Company kept Sylar alive with Adam's blood while they tested him.	Mr. Bennet told Hank to keep bringing Sylar back if he died.	+ It appears that the company has done the same with HRG. + Sylar hasn't demonstrated any other ability that would allow him to recover from death. If he did, he probably wouldn't have needed Claire. • This might also explain why Sylar no longer needs glasses. - If the Company has a stock of Adam's blood, they wouldn't need Claire's blood - and they would have cured Sylar after the Kirby plaza event instead of letting him cure by himself under the guard of Candice. + They could have ran out of Adam's blood, and by the time they went to get some more, Adam had already escaped. + Bob seemed to be confident of Claire's blood's regenerative powers. This could because he saw Adam's blood have the same effect. + Adam could have found out about his blood's healing factor through this.
Sylar is meant to be Peter's literary/thematic antithesis.	None	+ He has a similar motivation (to be special), similar looks, (perhaps) similar powers, both have mothers that don't believe in them, and both men have even talked to a Suresh who ultimately gave up on him before he could prove that he was special. One major difference between them is that Sylar's main power depends upon logic and Peter's power depends upon emotion - a common theme in many literary conflicts. + In Five Years Gone, when Sylar and Peter fight, Sylar uses cryokinesis while Peter uses the power of pyrokinesis. In other words, Sylar is cold and emotionless ice, while Peter is hot and passionate fire. + The cast commentary confirms that it was "fire and ice". + Peter and Sylar have the same initials as a well-known pair of comic book nemeses: Peter Parker (Spider-Man) and the Green Goblin.
Sylar may also be a thematic foil to evolution itself.	None	+ His profession of watchmaker is often used as an analogue to an intelligent designer. Rather than following an evolutionary imperative, he appears to be redesigning himself using existing powers as a template which he then improves upon. + Evolution requires reproduction of the fittest, not merely survival of the fittest. So, unless he starts trying to have babies, he can't affect evolution at all. In fact, by taking so many evolved people out of the gene pool, he is actually slowing down evolution. + With all the alterations to his DNA, it is possible that he will cease to be genetically human and will therefore be unable to reproduce.
Sylar can be identified with some supernatural harbinger of the end of the world.	None	+ Sylar builds and restores watches. The notion of supernatural "watchmaker," setting the laws of science in place then letting them tick away, is one frequent symbol for God (a rather apt one for a show centering around apparently God-directed evolution). + Sylar, like the biblical Lucifer/Satan, became dissatisfied with his status in life, wanting desperately to be more important, more special. By acquiring more and more superhuman powers, he appears to be making himself God-like, an act of supreme hubris. + "Gabriel" is the name of the archangel supposed to arrive immediately prior to the apocalypse. • The first episode of the first season (Genesis) and the first episode after the mid-season break (Godsend) both had titles of religious significance, the first being "Genesis" and the next being "Godsend." The Haitian associates these powers with being from God, and Jessica's character flippantly rejects the need for God's help at the end of Godsend. There are many religious references (predominantly Christian) throughout the show, which could be hints that Sylar plays a significant role in a supernatural scheme. • Both "Genesis" and "Godsend" begin with a G, as do both of Sylar's real names (Gabriel Gray).
Sylar has at least one brother.	The shop that Gabriel Gray worked at when Chandra Suresh found him was his family's business Gray and Sons. (Six Months Ago)	+ Gabriel was a second-generation watchmaker, meaning his father first owned the store. - The Gray in Gray and Sons may refer to Sylar's grandfather; the sons may be his father and uncle(s). • The name of the store could also mean that Sylar owned the store, and he himself had unmentioned sons, who he feels the need to be special for. + If his brother had an ability, Gabriel would feel ordinary by contrast, contributing to his pathological need to be special.
Sylar is the half brother of Peter and Nathan Petrelli through an affair of Mr. Petrelli.	Sylar states he used to wish that "some stranger would come and tell [him] that [his] family wasn't really [his] family" because they were so insignificant, and he wanted to be special. (Six Months Ago)	• So far, neither of Sylar's parents are known to have had powers. + There are an incredible number of parallels and coincidences between Peter and Sylar. Both wanted desperately to be special, their powers are similar (though Peter's is born of emotion rather than logic), both men have talked to a Suresh who prematurely gave up on them being special, when Peter imagines himself as a bomb he is wearing a similar (but not identical) coat and watch to Sylar's, and when in the hospital Peter has a vision of his brother Nathan suddenly becoming Sylar (which may have been a mix of his recent trauma and a foreshadowing of their relationship). • Remember in the dark future, Sylar had taken taken on Nathans looks and powers. + These two characters are the only two to have alliterative initials, Peter Petrelli and Gabriel Gray.
Sylar is Peter Petrelli's twin brother.	None	+ Tim Kring said "Peter and Sylar are two halves of a similar coin". - That would rather refer to them being enemies and completely opposite. + Their abilities are both absorbing powers, although differently. + Both Zachary Quinto (Sylar) and Milo Ventimiglia (Peter) were born in 1977. + Sylar's comment about "brother against brother" in Five Years Gone would have been coincidentally accurate, making a dark joke out of Peter's reply that his brother can't phase through walls. + In his interview with Chandra Suresh he stated he wished someone would come along and tell him that his family wasn't really his family, this could have been foreshadowing, as Angela could very well had not been able to detect a power from Sylar and placed him up for adoption to keep him from getting hurt.
Sylar may have a secondary ability that works with his intuitive aptitude to alter his genetics.	None	+ Sylar takes brains and does something with them, but we don't know what. + Sylar somehow altered his own body to mimic death when he was in the cell at Primatech. + Several evolved humans seem to have multiple, related abilities (Hiro bends time and space, the Haitian removes memories negates abilities of those around him). - Noah Bennet said that all the evolved humans with whom the Company has come in contact have only had one power each. Whatever Sylar does to give himself more powers should be just another facet of his own ability, or something that anyone could do (but only Sylar knows how). + If Sylar had some secondary ability to alter his body as long as he understood the principles and what was needed, he could modify himself in order to add powers to the core of his specific genome that gives all evolved humans their abilities. This is similar to Peter's mimicking, which is perhaps the reason Sylar said, "You're like me aren't you? I'd like to see how that works."
Sylar's intuitive understanding of how things work is not a special power, but some form of autism or savant ability.	None	+ When Chandra first tested him, none of the tests suggested that he had an ability. + While being tested by Hank at Primatech, Hank could see no signs of any special abilities other than telekinesis, possibly suggesting that before he killed Brian Davis and acquired his ability, he had none of his own. + We have never seen Peter manifest this ability.
Sylar is a different species of evolved human.	None	+ there is much about him that is different from the others know evolved humans, and his original power was not detected by Chandra. - Chandra might have lacked the necessary equipment to detect intuitive aptitude. + Only his telekinesis was detected by The Company. + This would make him a even better villain and a opposite force for other characters.
Sylar has Mosaic DNA and is a Chimera	None	+ This explains why the company only found "telekinesis DNA" when tested him.
Sylar steals abilities by eating part of an evolved human's brain.	Referring to Sylar, Molly Walker said, "You can't stop the boogeyman. He sees into your soul, and then he eats your brain." (The Hard Part)	• As yet, there is no conclusive proof that Sylar actually consumes any part of the brains he steals. + January 20, 2007 Kring confessed that he does eat at least part of the brains at Wizard Universe a con similar to Comic-Con. + The removed brains are never found. Since Sylar is always on the move, eating them would be the quickest way for him to dispose of them. - On two occasions (.07% and Kindred), Sylar was shown right after he had stolen a power or attempted to steal a power. In both cases, he had blood all over his hands, but his face was totally clean.
Sylar can recover from near-fatal wounds (such as being shot) by using his telekinesis to perform surgery on himself.	None	+ There were many medical textbooks in Sylar's apartment, which he could have memorized once he gained enhanced memory. + In the graphic novel Road Kill, Sylar definitely shows bullet wounds where Noah shot him, and he mentions "These bullet holes wouldn't be a problem if I had just gotten to that cheerleader." However, he still manages to recover remarkably fast. His telekinesis could also have eased the impact of the bullets. + The writers have stated that much of Sylar's apparent invulnerability is due to his telekinesis.
Sylar has some sort of enhanced durability or a super charged immune system power.	None	+ Hank told Noah Bennet that they had administered enough glycimerine to kill an elephant. + He hit the Bennet's fridge with enough force to dent it and was able to escape the Haitian with relative ease. + Sylar has killed at least ten people but has only conclusively exhibited seven acquired powers. + Sylar fell off the roof of Union Wells High and walked away. When Peter sustained the same fall, his legs were mangled and entire body bloodied. + After being stabbed through the chest, it took four months for him to heal enough to wake up, but he did heal.
Sylar wasn't going to kill Molly Walker; he was going to kidnap her and use her to find other evolved humans.	None	• Sylar normally left no signs of physical contact when attacking his victims. Sylar causes a ruckus when he tries to drag Molly away when he could have easily killed her in the blink of an eye. (One Giant Leap). + Sylar showed that he had some conscience when he was afraid of blowing up after painting the explosion. He may have, at first, also been opposed to killing a child. - Sylar can just kill Molly and take her ability.
Even if the Haitian were to remove the memories of Claire from Sylar, Sylar would not be affected because of the enhanced memory he gained from Charlie.	None	- Having an eidetic memory means one can form memories quickly and accurately, and in volume. Those memories can still be lost by damage to the brain, so the Haitian could excise those memories like any others. However, Sylar's precise memory may make it more likely for him to notice incongruities in what is left. + Charlie's power comes from a genetic anomaly, and not simply eidetic memory. The Haitian could suppress her power long enough to erase her memories, but might have to continually nullify her power to keep her memory from returning via enhanced memory. + The first trailer for Godsend included a shot of Sylar lying on the floor of his cell with Mr. Bennet saying "He is to have no memory of Claire." This may mean that, in an unaired scene, Mr. Bennet had the Haitian erase Sylar's memories of Claire. If so, Sylar somehow resisted having his memories erased.
Sylar killed Claude and stole his power.	None	+ In How to Stop an Exploding Man, Noah and Peter go to Kirby Plaza, but they don't see Sylar. Peter says that he must be "hiding in plain sight." Sylar then seemingly appears out of nowhere behind Noah. - Sylar has always been sneaky. He could use telekinesis or an unknown power to increase his speed or stealth. - Claude is invisible, making it near impossible for Sylar to find him. - Invisible people can see other invisible people (Peter first finding Claude). In Mohinder's apartment when Peter saves Mohinder from Sylar, Sylar cannot see Peter, and so uses the glass shards to find him.
Sylar has gained a power which repairs or enhances his vision.	Gabriel Gray wore glasses. (Six Months Ago) After this time, he did not wear them until visiting his mother. (The Hard Part)	- It is possible that he only wore glasses in Six Months Ago because he was working on a watch. - Gabriel wears glasses while talking to Chandra and outside of his apartment. - Sylar could be wearing corrective contact lenses. + With his apparent knowledge of optical lenses, Sylar could have studied up on refractive surgery and then used telekinesis to change the shape of his own cornea in order to give himself 20/20 vision. - He could simply be wearing contacts. - Hiro always uses glasses, but when he travels to ancient Japan he seems to see perfectly without them.
Sylar developed powers at a young age, as Micah and Sanjog did.	None	+ Sylar has stated matter-of-factly on more than one occasion that he can understand how things work. The connotation of this may imply that he has had this particular power for a long time, that he, too, developed powers at a young age. + His initial power suggests an inherent intellectual prowess; both Micah and Sanjog are smarter than usual for their age. - His apparent cleverness may simply be a byproduct of intuitive aptitude. - Intuitive aptitude may not actually be a power. + Intuitive Aptitude has been confirmed as a power by Sylar himself, when talking to Maya in the car on the way to the border.
One of Sylar's abilities is enhanced reflexes or "danger sense".	None	+ Sylar would need enhanced senses to stop speeding bullets. - Sylar doesn't make an attempt to dodge Hiro when he rushes at him from about ten feet away yelling loudly with his sword pointed towards Sylar's chest. (How to Stop an Exploding Man) + He may only be able to sense things he can't see.
Sylar never acquired and never will acquire Candice's power of illusion.	None	+ Since none of Sylar's powers worked in Kindred, his intuitive aptitude would not have worked either, and thus he would never have learned how Candice's brain worked. - Sylar seems to understand how Candice's power works, but is unable to duplicate it. • Since he didn't have his Intuitive aptitude, he could have botched the power-taking process, and he won't have it even with his powers back. Of course, he could have also been doing it from memory (He's done it so many times before).
Sylar's father, if he appears, will be played by Leonard Nimoy	None	+ Two principal cast members from Star Trek (George Takei and Nichelle Nichols) have played the parent (or grandparent) of a main character, and Zachary Quinto is going to portray a young Spock in the next Star Trek movie.
Sylar understands Spanish.	None	+ Sylar often showed some form of understanding of conversations between Alejandro and Maya, such as the fact that Alejandro needed Maya to translate English to Spanish, or his desire to abandon Sylar and cross with a coyote. - Sylar may have understood Alejandro's intent from tone and body language. + Sylar's intuitive aptitude, if it still works, may have helped him to learn the language by now. + Sylar could have used Charlie's power to learn Spanish earlier, or could simply have learned in school. + In How to Stop an Exploding Man, Sylar appears to understand Japanese, as he responds very specifically to what Hiro says to Ando. • Again, Sylar may simply have been picking up intent from tone, context, and body language.
Sylar physically absorbed Brian Davis's DNA to gain his power, but thanks to a more recently acquired power he no longer must do this.	Hank says that Sylar only has telekinesis DNA in his body.	+ Sylar obtained an unknown power from James Walker that he has not otherwise shown.  :- In that case, Hank's inspection would also show James Walker's or the other person's DNA he used to more easily acquire other abilities.
Sylar has to think about the person that he has taken his power from just like Peter.	None	+ This might explain why we have not seen all of his power that he has taken, he might never have seen their face, just their brain, it might also explain why he might never be able to use Candice's power, as he only thinks of her as when he saw her illusion. - Sylar has to see his victims eventually in order to take their brains, he even saw the real Candice (Betty) once she was dead.
Sylar will be replaced by Adam Monroe as the series' primary antagonist, and will serve as more of an anti-hero figure.	None	+ Sylar at this point in the story is a classic example of an anti-hero as he is out for himself, regardless of his actions being either beneficial or deleterious to the human race. + The current season seems to be portraying Adam as the harbinger of the end of the the world rather than Sylar. - Adam Monroe is currently trapped in Kaito Nakamura's coffin. Presumably Nathan's assailant, or Sylar will assume the now open position of villain. - The trailer for Volume 3 portrays Sylar as very much a main villain.
Sylar will become Nathan to use Peter to try and destroy the company	None	+ Both Peter and Sylar have good reasons to go after the company. Peter for the death of his brother, and Sylar for injecting him with a virus. - There's no clear evidence that anyone working with the company shot Nathan. + Peter will realize that the one entity that didn't want the truth out, was The Company. In addition, it wouldn't be hard to convince him that the company was responsible. + This would also allow Sylar to get close to Peter.
Sylar does not have the power of intuitive aptitude.	None	- He did not steal Candice's power, as his power of figuring out how things work was gone. • There is no evidence suggesting that he uses a power in order to gain the powers of others. For all we know, he could have eaten part of Candice's brain. + Sylar evidently knew what he was doing when he took Candice's brain. Just because he had the Shanti virus when he took Candice's brain doesn't necessarily mean he won't have her powers once he's cured. + When he was infected with the Shanti virus, he did not lose the ticking sound in his head which people believe to be his intuitive aptitude. This ticking and understanding of how things work could come from all the time he spent fixing watches. • But this would conflict with the fact that Sylar requires some means of stealing peoples' powers. If he cannot do biologically what he can do to watches, then this leaves us clueless as to how he acquires his abilities.
Sylar's plotline in Volume 3 will involve him targeting the Company.	None	+ Sylar seemed deeply offended when he learned that an organization stole his abilities from him. He probably considers the Company a threat to his power that needs to be removed. + The Company, with it's extensive files on evolved humans and collection of evolved human personnel, would represent a juicy target for Sylar's drive to acquire new abilities. + Having Sylar simply traveling the country killing random evolved humans would simply be a re-hash of Season 1; it seems unlike the writers would repeat what has already been done. • The writers did create two new characters with powers we've already seen.
The Company spent considerable resources saving Sylar's life because they need him to extract the power stored in the brain inside the Vault.	One of the items inside the Primatech Vault is a preserved brain.	+ The brain is stored alongside assorted mystery items, including a virus with the power to wipe out the human race, suggesting it holds high value or significant power. + Despite the incredible danger Sylar poses to all evolved humans, the Company has gone to great lengths to preserve his life; forbidding Mr. Bennet from killing him in Season 1, and treating him with several major surgeries to save him from the stab wound from Hiro's katana. + The crew commentary to Powerless suggests that the vault items are major clues to future plot points. + Sylar is the only character to be associated with brains as a plot element. - It would be insane to willingly give a powerful ability to someone as dangerous and uncontrollable as Sylar. + The brain's power may be of a highly valuable but non-combat-related nature, such as Bob's ability to turn base metals into gold. • The Company may believe that they had the means to control Sylar, i.e. by having Maury Parkman mentally dominate him, or by having the Haitian mindwipe his more vicious impulses. • It would be insane to create a virus that could destroy more than 90% of the world's population. + It could also be the reason why the company kept Peter in a cell. Peter should have Sylar's intuitive aptitude ability and would also be able to extract the power from the brain.
Sylar cannot become angry as he uses telekinesis to slow his own heart rate down.	It seems that Sylar only ever becomes angry when he cannot use his powers or when he is distracted.	- Hypothetically it's possible, if impractical (it'd be dangerous if someone surprised him while he did so). But more likely, it's because Sylar thinks he's untouchable, and of course he'd become angry if the only things that make him feel "unique" and "special" were taken away.
Sylar uses Charlie's power to remember the powers of all the people he has killed.	None	- It does not take superhuman memory to remember people.
Sylar will eventually hear about Adam and his power and give up trying to kill Claire and kill Adam while he is in his grave and take his power.	Sylar has been trying for a long time to gain the power of rapid cell regeneration	+ Sylar could use Ted's power to get Adam out of his grave and kill him. - As of now, Sylar has no idea who or where Adam is.
If Sylar obtains the Haitian's power he will not have to kill anyone else to obtain more abilities.	None	+ Sylar's power allows him to "understand how things work." If he obtains the Haitian's power he could be able to analyze someone's brain without having to kill them. • This method has not yet been used. • It's not yet revealed how Sylar obtains abilities.
Sylar obtained rapid cellular regeneration when he injected himself with Claire's blood.	None	+ The brain gets oxygen when blood flows to it. Sylar could've subconsciously analyzed Claire's DNA through her blood and absorb her ability. • It is not yet revealed how Sylar obtains abilities.
The Serpent in story of the Serpent and the Crane is a symbolic representation of Sylar.	None	+ The Serpent kills the Crane and takes its ability to fly. This sounds a lot like power theft. - The story may be symbolic of the Haitian and his ability. The Haitian take the memories of others and "takes" the powers of others. He takes away Guillame's ability, and Guillame tells him that he wants to fly again. (It Takes a Village, Part 3) + Guillame asks, "What good is it to fly, if you have nowhere to go?" Sylar is in a similar situation because he takes powers but does not use them for anything except to gain more powers. + The Serpent believes that the Crane is unworthy of its wings just as Sylar believes his victims are unworthy of their powers. + Serpents are always symbols of evil, especially a form the devil commonly takes. - Although the resemblances are interesting, it's unlikely that the Haitian's tribe would have ever met someone like Sylar before, nor is it likely Sylar would have heard the legend. + While Guillame probably was not deliberately referring to Sylar himself, it is likely that the writers meant for the Serpent to be a symbol or representation of Sylar. - Sylar has had very little contact with the Haitian at all. - Around the time that the It Takes a Village series would have taken place, Sylar would have been very young and still call himself Gabriel. - Sylar is probably not connected to a Haitian tale.
Sylar will work for The Company in Volume Three under hypnosis by Angela Petrelli.	Heroes Volume 3 sneak peek [1]	+ Angela convinced Heidi to keep quiet about Nathan's supposed insanity while touching her. Heidi agrees with a seemingly hypnotized nod. This suggests that Angela's ability is similar to persuasion by touch. + When Sylar grabs Angela's shoulders in the teaser, that would be the perfect chance for Angela to use her ability on him.
Sylar's rescue by Maya, Alejandro, and Derek was engineered by Drucker.	None	+ One evolved human being saved by two other evolved humans riding in a car stolen from a third evolved human is a very big coincidence. + Derek's fraternity, the reason he stole the Rogue and went to Mexico, has a portrait of Drucker, strongly suggesting that the two are connected.