Puppet master
| Puppet master | |
|---|---|
 Eric controls Meredith's movements. | |
| Held by: | Eric Doyle |
| Ability to: | Control the movement of people and objects |
| Examples of puppet master | |
Puppet master (sometimes referred to as puppetting or remote manipulation of others) is the ability to take control of other people's bodies and motor functions against their will, as well as the functions of objects.
Characters
- Eric Doyle is the only character known to have this ability. (Angels and Monsters)
Limits
Eric appears to have complete control over another person's actions, but not their thoughts. He is able to force people to perform any physical action he desires, even if it would force them to harm to themselves or others. Most of the time, he forces the user to mimic his own actions, but he is also able to exercise some control with simple hand movements. He has not yet forced someone to act without some kind of gesture or movement of his own.
Eric can simultaneously immobilize at least three people with this ability. He can also force at least one of them to move while keeping the others paralyzed. Eric does not require a line of sight to his victims to keep them paralyzed, but he has not yet shown that he can force them to move when they are not in his line of sight. While he can maintain control of someone that he cannot see, he has not shown that he can establish such control over someone he can not see. (Dying of the Light)
Eric can force another evolved human to use their ability, as he did with Michael's lasers (Doyle). In Brave New World, Doyle is able to force Emma to not only play the cello, but to use her power to draw thousands of people to the Carnival. Later, he controls Sylar and Emma simultaneously, but isn't able to focus on both for long, as Emma escaped from his hold.
Eric has to concentrate on an individual to control their actions. If he is unaware of their presence or believes there is no longer any reason to maintain control, they are no longer influenced by his power. This is shown when he believes Claire to be dead and stops focusing on her, allowing her to surprise him (Dying of the Light). This is shown later when he unknowingly lets go of Emma's right hand while taunting her and Sylar. He doesn't seem to notice (or possibly doesn't think it significant) and it gives her the opening to blast him with her powers, knocking him over and releasing his hold on her and Sylar despite him not being knocked out. (Brave New World)
In Puppet with No Strings, Eric says "You can't stop their faces. You can't stop their eyes" suggesting that his ability to control facial expressions is somehow limited.
When Sylar attacks Meredith in Primatech facility, Eric comes to her rescue and controls Sylar's limbs. However, Sylar overpowers Eric and makes him collapse, thus ending Eric's hold of him. (Dual)
In Nowhere Man, Part 4, Eric is shown to close a door using his power, showing he can control the motor functions of objects. He also claims he can control the movement of a thrown ball in chapter 2 of The Puppet Master.
Selected Examples
-
Eric forces a kiss out of Meredith.
(Angels and Monsters) -
Eric forces Michael to kill himself with lasers.
(Doyle) -
Eric mimes cutting his throat with a shard of glass, forcing Meredith to do it for real.
(Dying of the Light) -
Eric forces Claire to shoot at Meredith.
(Dying of the Light) -
-
Rachel Mills is controlled by Eric.
(Shades of Gray) -
Eric uses his power to have his way with a woman.
(Puppet with No Strings) -
When Dilman tries to to verbally abuse Doyle, Doyle silences him. (Nowhere Man, Part 3)
Memorable Quotes
"You know how this works, Meredith. You don't move unless I make you move."
- - Eric Doyle (to Meredith)
"You really think you... can control me?"
Notes
- Sylar was shown controlling Claire's movements in An Invisible Thread, but it's not clear whether he used this ability or telekinesis.
- In an alternative ending of The Puppet Master, right before Joseph Sullivan uses his ability to sedate Doyle, it is said that he recognizes the ability. This suggests that there is at least one other person with the same ability.
- The Heroes Reborn app refers to this ability as "remote manipulation of others". It also says that Doyle has "telekinetic powers".
See also
- For other uses of puppet master, see puppet master (disambig).
- For the ability to control a person by inserting oneself or another person into someone else's body, see possession.
- For the ability to control a person by manipulating their nerves, see nerve manipulation.
- For the ability to remotely control other people and things, see telekinesis.
- For the ability to sometimes control the minds of others, see telepathy.
External links
- Interview with David H. Lawrence XVII about his ability (they start talking about puppet master at 30:00).
Fan Theories
Please refer to Theory:Puppet master for fan-created theories and other speculation.