Faith and religion

Faith and religion
Various world religions are referenced frequently in Heroes.

There are several references to religion and faith by the narrators, the characters, names, episode titles, and places. Many characters believe that there is a God or that there are gods playing an active part in their lives. Religion is often an influence on moral choices.

Episodic Recurrences

Season One

For an episode-by-episode summary, see Faith and religion: Season One History.

Four Months Later...

• Maya wears a cross necklace.
• An old villager asks Hiro if there is no God to protect them from Whitebeard.

Lizards

• The Haitian and Mohinder discuss at length whether or not God would allow the Shanti virus to exist.
• Hiro tells Yaeko that his father once told him that deer are the messengers of God.
• A curandera tells Maya that what she carries inside her is black, enough to kill the devil, and that Maya is cursed.

Kindred

• After discovering his ability, Takezo Kensei exclaims "Lazarus risen!" and claims Hiro is a devil who cursed him. Later, Kensei asks how he and Hiro can have abilities, and Hiro explains that some believe their abilities are gifts from God.

The Kindness of Strangers

• Maya, Alejandro, and Derek find a half dead Sylar lying in the middle of a road. Sylar claims that he had been robbed, and the trio show compassion towards him. This parallels to the Parable of the Good Samaritan, which tells the story of a Jewish man who had been attacked and robbed, left to die on the road. A Samaritan comes across the beaten man, and shows compassion towards him, tending to his needs.
• When Maya meets Sylar, he introduces himself as Gabriel Gray, and she replies, "Like the angel?" Also, she tells Alejandro that them meeting Sylar is a sign from God that they are on the right path.
• Monica expresses guilt at praying for an escape from Katrina-ravaged New Orleans while everyone else was praying for the recovery of their community.

Fight or Flight

• After finding out about Monica's ability, Micah compares her to a 9th Wonders! superhero named St. Joan.
• Monica and Micah discuss why God might have given them powers.

The Line

• Maya tells Alejandro that God sent Sylar to help them.
• Ivan says that if Noah shoots him, he condemns himself to hell.

Out of Time

• Bob says that Adam Monroe thought himself to be a god, and that Linderman was one of his disciples.

Four Months Ago...

• Maya is a nun at a Venezuelan convent, which contains a crucifix of Jesus.

Cautionary Tales

• Kaito tells Hiro that they have the power of gods, but should not play God.
• In Hiro's eulogy, he says his father taught him to understand that certain things are in God's hands, but for everything else, God has given us the gift of choice.

Truth & Consequences

• While preparing to break into a house and retrieve Micah's comics and D.L.'s medal of valor, Monica dons a hooded sweatshirt as a disguise. Micah claims that she is St. Joan.

Powerless

• Adam tells Hiro that God didn't like what became of the Earth, so he wiped out the inhabitants with a global flood that lasted 40 days and 40 nights. Hiro argues to Adam that he isn't God.
• Angela says on the phone that a Pandora's box has opened.

Season Three

For an episode-by-episode summary, see Faith and religion: Season Three History.

Strange Attractors

• After having sex with Janice, Sylar crunches an apple calling it "forbidden fruit" (though technically there was no specified forbidden fruit in the Bible).

Brother's Keeper

• The title refers to the biblical brothers Cain and Abel.

Thanksgiving

• Sylar mocks Peter for his optimism asking if the latter has any speeches about hope or the triumph of the human spirit. Also, Sylar says that he is not a religious man, but there is something that he believes in--blood.
• Hiro calls Samuel the devil. Samuel retorts saying that he is Hiro's savior.

The Fifth Stage

• Peter crucifies Sylar to a piece of wood with a nail gun, putting nails in each of his palms like Jesus Christ.
• While Nathan is losing his battle with Sylar, Sylar comes to the forefront to tell Peter that he wanted to crucify him in Times Square.

Upon This Rock

• The title refers to Saint Peter, the rock, upon which the catholic church is built, and to Samuel's rock.
• Lauren talks of Samuel as a "cult leader".

Odessa

• Trapped deep within the Primatech facility in Odessa, Luke suggests to his wife that they are in hell.
• Carlos enters a confessional at St. Francis to talk to Father Mauricio. Carlos tells the priest that he is only on his knees so that he knows where to sit, but Mauricio replies that he is more concerned about Carlos's faith in himself than his faith in God.

Under the Mask

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The Needs of the Many

• Farah Nazan, a Muslim, prays on a prayer mat while in the Arctic.
• When Jose shows Father Mauricio his power of phasing, Mauricio crosses his chest, a ritual that some Christians perform in order to bless themselves after witnessing something that might be perceived as blasphemous.

Graphic Novel Recurrences

• The Haitian visits the crossroads to receive redemption from the gods before traveling to America. (The Crossroads)
• Adam again exclaims "Lazarus risen!" when he kills Evan for an apparent second time. After killing many Evans over the course of seasons, Adam proclaims to Evan and his clones that only gods live as long as he does. He also narrates that he was alone, while gods should have disciples. (Revolutionary War, Part 2)
• In Ancient Egypt, Khufu kept his and his kin's ability in hiding so as not to anger the gods. (History of a Secret)
• Howard Grigsby believes that his ability is a gift from God. He also quotes Jesus Christ, calling himself 'the light of the world.' (Blindsided)
• Ida May Walker tells her dominoes partner she can see "angels". Later, Linda Tavara tells Ida May she is an angel. (Moonlight Serenade)
• Donna Dunlap is nailed to a board through the feet, creating wounds that resemble those of Jesus Christ. (Into the Wild, Part 3)
• Gordon Hovey is religious. He asks God for forgiveness after killing an agent with his ability, and later prays in a field. (Exodus)
• A thug in Los Angeles has the face of Jesus Christ tattooed across his chest. (Vengeance, Part 1)

Names of Biblical Reference

• Adam (Adam Soo Hoo, Adam Monroe)
• Andrew (Charlie Andrews)
• Angel (Angela Petrelli)
• Aaron (Aron Malsky)
• Benjamin (Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Washington)
• Bishop (Robert Bishop, Elle Bishop)
• Cain (Eden McCain)
• First and Second Corinthians (Corinthian Casino)
• Daniel (Daniel Buzzetti, Daniel Linderman, Daniel Lawrence Hawkins)
• David (Brian Davis, Sheriff Davidson, David, David Berman)
• Eden, Garden of (Eden McCain, Garden of Eden)
• Eli (Eli)
• Elijah (Sarah Ellis)
• Exodus (Volume Three: Exodus, Exodus)
• Gabriel (Gabriel Gray)
• Hannah (Hana Gitelman)
• Genesis (Genesis)
• Isaac (Isaac Mendez)
• James (James Walker, James Martin)
• Jacob (Jackie Wilcox, Santiago)
• John (Janice Parkman, Hana Gitelman, Ivan Spektor)
• Jesse = Isaiah (Jesse Murphy)
• Joseph (Joe Landers, Joseph Sullivan)
• Luke (Luke Campbell)
• Mary (Molly Walker, Maury Parkman)
• Matthew (Matt Parkman, Matt Parkman, Jr.)
• Micah (Micah Sanders)
• Nathan (Nathan Petrelli)
• Noah (Noah Bennet, Noah Gray)
• Paul (Paulette Hawkins, Paula Gramble, Paul E. Sylar)
• Samson (Samson Gray)
• Sarah (Sarah Ellis)
• Simon Peter (The Petrellis, Peter Petrelli, Simone Deveaux, Simon Petrelli)
• Thomas (Eric Thompson, Eric Thompson, Jr., Tom Miller)
• Zechariah (Zach)

Other references

• "In His Own Image" is the title of the original, unbroadcasted version of the pilot, and refers to God creating man in His own image.
• "Genesis" is the name of the first book of the Old Testament and Torah as well as the title of the first volume of Heroes and its first episode.
• Theodore comes via French from the Greek name Theodōros, composed of the elements theos (god – in Greek, θεός) + dōron (gift – in Greek, δώρον), meaning "gift of God".
• "Bennet" is a variant of Bennett, meaning "blessed."
• Virginia Gray's first name may refer to the Virgin Mary, who was visited by the angel Gabriel and received the news that she would be the earthly mother of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
• Chandra's name refers to the Hindu lunar deity Chandra.
• Shanti's name can refer to inner peace or the Buddhist paramita Ksanti, meaning patience, forbearance, and forgiveness.
• The graphic novels titled Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration could refer to the title "Our Lady of Blessed Sacrament", a title referring to the Virgin Mary in the Catholic faith.
• Our Father is also the name of a Christian prayer.
• When Santiago goes to church after first experiencing his ability as a miracle, Iris says that God watches over all of us, that there is a reason God saved him.
• Exodus is the name of the second book of the Jewish Torah and of the Christian Old Testament.

Notes

• yamagatofellowship.org's repository page has a picture of Thor, the Norse god of thunder and war.
• Included in Linderman's archives is a painting of Christ by Matthias Grünewald called Isenheim Altarpiece: The Resurrection.

Trivia

• In an interview with Jeph Loeb, he said that Tim Kring originally wanted Sylar to be a priest before becoming a killer.

Gallery

• 
  Maya resigns herself to a convent in Zulia, Venezuela.
• 
  Hana has a book with the Star of David on its cover.
• 
  Peter had a deal with the Sacred Heart.
  (Into Asylum)
• 
  Angela dreamt of a female angel.
  (Into Asylum)

See Also

• Judaism
• Kali
• Vodou

Fan Theories

Please refer to Theory:Faith and religion for fan-created theories and other speculation.