Theory:Telepathy

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The following fan theories are about telepathy.

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Theories

Theory	Citations	Notes
Telepathy could extend to incorporate aspects of Bliss and horror.	Bob Bishop says that like his father, Matt Parkman can manipulate people's actions. (Out of Time)	+ Maury created similar sensations to these during the "raid" on his apartment by Nathan and Matt (Fight or Flight). While he may not be able to create the emotions themselves, he can certainly create a mental scenario which leads to them, which is essentially the same conclusion. + Matt told Baby Matt that he can't "drop a whammy" on Janice and make her forgive him for running out on them (I Am Sylar), implying that he can use his telepathy to sway her feelings.
Telepathy may be, more so then most powers, a corruptive influence on the user.	Angela says to Matt Parkman: "If you take this secret from me, you're not just like your father; you are him!"	+ Maury and Future Matt were both noticeably dark individuals. Matt has certainly become more like them as the show progresses, ripping out and implanting thoughts as his power develops, plus trapping Maury in his own nightmare (a very Biblical form of revenge). This trend of using his powers to get what he wants may continue as his powers grow. - Matt trapped Maury in his nightmare but it was really the only way to defeat him without giving him the Shanti Virus and was thus somewhat more humane as it wouldn't kill him. Also Matt has only used his powers to implant thoughts and things like that for a good cause and not to harm anyone like Future Matt and Maury do. + The temptation to wield potentially absolute control over a person's actions would be very strong and hard to resist for anyone. It has already had, in a fairly brief time span, a large impact on Matt who is a kind individual at heart. - Matt has never thought to use his powers against innocents, only guilty parties. Even still, he was morally bothered after the events of An Invisible Thread. + How about when he used his power to make Molly finish her cereal? Other than Baby Matt, she's the most innocent character in the entire show. - Matt only did it to see if he had made her say she was a normal girl, he didn't do it to harm her. + Harm or not, he used his ability to manipulate a child against her will. That's pretty questionable. - He made her finish her cereal... That hardly calls for a moral debate. + Despite it only being cereal, Parkman imposed his will over a human being, restricting Molly's autonomy. Making her do any action is morally wrong according to most philosophers. - No one is entirely morally correct. And his intention wasn't to restrict her autonomy, it was to see if his ability was what swayed her decision.
Telepathy could extend to mimicking/nulling/etc. abilities.	Bob Bishop claims that Matt Parkman can manipulate any of the functions of the brain (Out of Time)	+ If it can control anything the brain controls, and the brain controls abilities, telepathy may be able to control abilities. - Matt was unable to control Arthur Petrelli's telepathy in It's Coming, nor Daphne's super speed when she ran away in The Eclipse, Part One, even though he was trying to stop both of them. + In theory he could make a person see themselves on fire (for example) and tell the brain that the fire is really there, possibly making the victim feel pain as if it were really happening, à la The Matrix. - How is that proof that he can mimic/null/etc. abilities? • He can influence people's minds, and the mind plays a role in the control of abilities.
Telepathy, mental manipulation, and ability suppression should be considered separate abilities.	None.	+ The definition of telepathy is communication from one mind to another (i.e. hearing another's thoughts). Thus telepathy would have nothing to do with control over another's mind. + Mental manipulation would be the ability to change or control the thoughts of another person, or block or erase memories, or anything else in their mind, etc. Matt, Maury, The Haitian, and Arthur appear to have the ability of mental manipulation. The Haitian's ability of "ability suppression" should be a separate ability in itself, and not part of mental manipulation, because it appears to be a passive ability in which he does not control another's thoughts. + One could have telepathy by itself, if they are not able to control another's mind, which is what it appeared Matt Parkman had before he demonstrated the ability to control another's thoughts (Cautionary Tales). + It has been verified that Arthur has mental manipulation as a separate ability from telepathy. + Arthur has mental manipulation but has not shown the ability to suppress other's abilities by being in their presence. This leans towards mental manipulation and ability suppression as being separate abilities. - Arthur has had no need to nullify any other person's abilities, he can just take them for himself. • Perhaps Arthur suppressed Hiro's ability, thus allowing him to not escape the area by Usutu's home while he erased/blocked Hiro's memories (It's Coming). • Hiro didn't have enough time to react. As soon as Hiro saw Usutu's head, Arthur was already upon him.
Being telepathic would allow a person's mind to survive after their physical body's death.	None.	+ The minds of Charles Deveaux and Hana Gitelman both seem to have survived their physical deaths through their abilities. - Charles Deveaux has only appeared in dreams (How To Stop An Exploding Man) or flashbacks (1961). - Hana's power was not telepathy. • It's a similar concept, to show that the mind of an evolved human might go on without a physical body due to the ability. - But the theory is about how a telepath's mind functions. Hana, not being a telepath, is not a viable example to cite. • Her ability is mental based, she is listed for purporses to show that people with abilities can live on as an entity with no body, in a similar process, not necessarily the same one. + This would allow Maury Parkman to return, whether it be in someone's head or in a new body which would make for an interesting plot device. • It would depend on if at the point of someones death, they consciously expelled their mind out into the world. • Not necessarily, because psychics' minds could exist on a different level to others'. + Sylar's consciousness was able to survive within Matt Parkman's mind for an expended period of time following a mental expulsion, possibly due to Sylar's subconscious refusing to allow his conscious mind to be overwritten. It can be derived that if honed well enough, telepathy could be used as a sort of "mental possession", allowing their consciousness and mental activity to transfer and take over another living being's, allowing them to outlive physical bodies many times over.
With enough training of opening their mind, a telepath could discover telekinesis as another byproduct.	Jean Grey processes both telepathy and telekinesis.	- The way abilities work in Heroes is different than how it works in the Marvel universe.
Telepathy can be used to find people.	None.	+ It was shown that telepaths can access anyone's mind from a great distance. If so, nothing prevents them from learning the location of their targets. - Maury was only able to affect Molly because of her own ability, he was able to detected her ability, using the channel it opened between them to affect her. + Maury also induced an illusion of Linderman in Nathan and Daphne's mind, whose abilities aren't mental. - Maury was more than once shown near Daphne when he created Linderman's illusion, he had to be near her. Clairvoyance has no distance limitation, unlike illusion. + Yet he never was near Nathan when he sent Linderman. - He was never seen, it doesn't mean he wasn't there. As shown when it's first discovered Maury was the one responsible for Linderman's reappearance, while proximity is required, it doesn't have to be terribly close.