Random Heroes Theories, Going Into Tonight...

Why did Peter's powers change? Didn't Arthur say that the forumla would restore Peter's abilities after Arthur took them away?


My guess is that Peter's power is the same as it ever was; just more limited.

A quick flashback or two before I explain.

We already know that a person's emotional state can alter their ability to use their powers effectively. Hiro spent the middle-third of Season One powerless after failing to save Charlie because his confidence was shot. Niki couldn't use her own powers because she didn't think she was strong enough to fight Jessica.

Now think back... what's the first thing we see Peter doing when we saw him in A Clear and Present Danger? Failing to save someone's life and then muttering about how he needs to be better. That he needs to be stronger...

Now consider the nature of Peter's power and how it is dependent on his ability to connect with people on an emotional level. Peter went through a LOT of emotional trauma in Season 3, with everything culminating in his having to kill his own father (never mind that Sylar stopped him - Peter still fired the gun and made the attempt), nearly being killed by Nathan and pretty much having his faith in his mother and Nathan being basically good people deep down shot.

What kind of effect would having your entire family turn on you have on a person? It'd mess up your head a little, to put it mildly. Especially if you are someone who, like Peter, puts so much value on your relationships with your family.

So with all of that baggage and his general faith in people in general shattered by the Future he saw where superpowers became readily available to anyone and the world got ripped apart as a result... is it any wonder that Peter has become more insular, more cynical and self-absorbed to the point that - when failing to save someone's life - his big concern is not the loss of the life but his own inadequacy?

So that is why Peter now needs a physical connection to copy a person's power and why he can apparently only connect with one person at a time.


Why is Angela helping Nathan? Didn't he turn traitor on her when he joined forces with Arthur in Season 3?

Yes, but it's not like she's in a position where she can expose Nathan and his plans without exposing her own crimes.

Even if she did care to reveal the reality of super-powers to the world, it would be all too easy for Nathan to dismiss her as being senile and "telling stories", especially given Angela's carefully constructed facade as an eccentric if harmless rich lady with a penchant for shoplifting. And thanks to the events of Season One, there's already a public history of insanity in the family with Peter - the one person who is likely to give a damn about helping Angela - having been publicly painted as a suicidal, barely functional lunatic. With Nathan's apparent status as a media darling, he probably wouldn't even have to pay off a doctor to have Angela placed "under observation".

My guess is that Angela is biding her time, knowing that Nathan has just enough morality left to need encouragement that he is doing the right thing. By sparing his family the tortures he is inflicting on the rest of the the world, he can convince himself that what he is doing is necessary and that he is not evil. This would also partly explain...


Why is Nathan going out of his way to keep Claire from being sent away with the rest of the powered people? As Claire herself points out, Nathan has nothing to threaten her with and he has to know by now that - like Peter - she is too idealistic to be bought off.

Even if we ignore Nathan's need to keep telling himself he's a good person by sparing his family (when possible, of course - he turned on Peter easily enough), there is one other factor to consider: the Batman of the HEROES universe - Noah "Badass" Bennet. Which bring us to ask...


Why is Noah helping Nathan anyway? Noah was trying to destroy The Company because of the threat they represented through the end of Season 2 and only worked for Angela in Season 3 because of the greater threat presented by the Level 5 Escapees... so why is he suddenly hip to tampering with the lives of innocent people?

I can see at least two possibilities.

A. Noah is planning to bring Nathan's group down from the inside - He already tried this, with some success before Mohinderance flaked out on him - in Season 2 with The Company. And now - in a position of some authority - he's in the perfect place to bring together everyone he knows is trustworthy or who has a grudge against Nathan.

B. Noah is trading his expertise for Claire's safety - Even with Noah's change of heart regarding The Company, he's still just afraid of super-powered people enough to think that something like The Company is necessary. Depending on how much he learned about the aftermath of Season 3, I can see him coming to the same conclusion as Nathan - that even the well-intentioned people with superpowers can cause just as much damage as the would-be criminals. He is somewhat conflicted on this though, at least regarding people who he owes his life to - remember the conflicted look after he shocked Peter?

I'm leaning a little more toward it little of column A but mostly column B, simply because it would explain why Nathan would try and keep Claire off the plane. At least, keeping her off THAT plane - the one Noah was flying. Because Nathan knows Bennet well enough to know that the minute Claire is endangered (well, much as she CAN be endangered), all Hell will break loose. And if you don't think Bennet has a copy of Nathan's file and all the blood information to prove that he's a metahuman in his files at home... well, I have a bridge I'd like to sell you.