Sylar's power

[The_Beav]

I've never quite understood Sylar's power. Episode 18 made me change my thought. He said something to the effect "you're just like me" to peter. With Sylar's understanding of the powers, I think he meant more than just that Peter was another person with powers.

Perhaps Sylar can absorb powers just like Peter. The difference is that Sylar cuts open the brain to understand how the power works and how to control it. Peter just uses trial and error. Also, Sylar is greedy and kills the person he absorbs the power from in order to make himself more special.

I still don't understand where the brains are going. Aren't brains 2 lbs.? Even if Sylar ate them, 2lbs. is a lot to consume or even hide. Maybe he collects them somewhere

If his powers are like Peter's, and he lead an isolated life. That could explain why papa Suresh found no powers in him.

Lastly, if he can read brains to learn powers (or whatever he does), that implies he is fast at learning how things work. Why did it take him years to put together that one watch?

Whatever there is to Sylar, I'm sure we have lots of suprises ahead

[The Sage]

I wonder if the watch was a metaphor for Peter, that unlike the other Heroes, it would take Sylar years to figure out how his brain works since the two are similar.

[Hiruu]

I'm sick of Sylar...he needs to die...like now!

[sethcohen]

it seems to me sylar cant replicate their abilities until he cuts open their brains and (im assuming here) eats them... even if he doesnt eat them it seems he isnt able to use the ability until he forcefully "acquires" it, unlike peter who only needs to be in close proximity

[sethcohen]

double post

[Eddie Brock]

Originally Posted by Hiruu

I'm sick of Sylar...he needs to die...like now!

that was a good joke

but seriously, you HAVE to be kidding, right?

[Abaddon]

He doesn't eat brains. God, it's like being back in November.

[storyteller]

I think the idea was that they both aquire others powers except differently.

[Lord Doom]

I think he.....I don't know what the f%&k he does.

[Nokio]

I'm not sure what he does with the brains when he cuts the skull open, but his power from what I saw is that he can see how something works. I remember when he 1st met the prof and although he was one of the specials he seemed to display no power until he looked at the watch and saw its inner workings and then he did the same with the Tk guy. How he takes someone power is a mystery stil. You see he couldn't take the gir who shot her self in the head power.l

[GL1]

Yeah... he needs the actual brains to acqurie the power, maybe to take it apart and study it... not sure...

As for Peter, he can see how something works at a distance, so he could see that Peter is copying other peoples powers, which makes him 'like Sylar' in that way.

[Mysterio]

Originally Posted by The_Beav

I've never quite understood Sylar's power. Episode 18 made me change my thought. He said something to the effect "you're just like me" to peter. With Sylar's understanding of the powers, I think he meant more than just that Peter was another person with powers.

i'm pretty sure he meant that Peter has an ability, and not referring to Peter acquiring powers.

[Mixairian]

One portion of Sylar's powers that seems to be over looked is the term (in Sylar's word): he "knows how things are supposed to work." As I said long ago, he is able to figure things out and piece them together. If something is broken he can "fix" it. Unfortunately since he is mentally broken himself, the way he goes about to fix the problems he see's is through a method most would consider atrocious.

Make note that while Sylar was in the chair, goading Suresh to shoot him. While he was apparently publically psychoanalyzing Suresh, in the background was the distinct sound of a clock ticking. Sylar was figuring out what was wrong and trying to exploit it to get a response. Noticeably he didn't get the response he wanted. He was somewhat surprised Suresh did not shoot immediately.

It's feasable that he can get all of the pieces of a problem together and realistically come together with the wrong outcome.

Originally being one of the biggest supporters of the just TK theory, I do have to change my stance after watching the Sylar's past episode and the current ones that have been aired. He does utilize other powers but he has to consume the part of the human brain to do it (something I believe his powers helped him figure it out). Peter just has to be within proximity to succeed.

Since it was started in an interview with Milo (the actor who plays Peter) that Peter's power is Empathy, it is feasible to say that "figuring how things work" could run on a similar line to empathy.

[squeekness]

If he's not eating the brains then where do they go? It's not like we've seen brain chunks or residue anywhere.

[Parker]

I always got the impression that Sylar stole the powers of his victim and magnified them several times over. This is part of my own little theory to Peter's loss of control over Ted's nuclear powers.

[Mysterio]

Originally Posted by squeekness

If he's not eating the brains then where do they go? It's not like we've seen brain chunks or residue anywhere.

no, we just saw them in jars.

[squeekness]

Oh, I musta missed that.

[Le Diable Blanc]

I agree I think all he meant was the Peter's just like him because he's got more than one power in a way.

[The Lizard]

OK, so Sylar removes the brains and "studies" them to discover what gives that person their powers. How does he then give himself those powers? I can see him doing that by eating the brains or maybe a portion of them, but if he doesn't eat them, how does he make his own brain duplicate the dead person's brain? Does he perform brain surgery on himself or can he just re-configure his brain at will? Being able to duplicate the powers goes beyond just having the ability to "see what makes things work".

[Le Diable Blanc]

His ability is to understand how things work so I guess by studying the brains he gets to know how they work and they he alters his own brain to get the same power. Just a thought.

[The_Beav]

I, too, am stumped as to how he "fixes" himself. The impression I get is that these abilities are genetic. So Sylar has super vision to be able to "read" DNA? How does he alter his own DNA? Two simple explanations are that he can absorb things similar in a way to peter or perhaps all the heroes have all the powers. Maybe each one has only stumbled on how to work with one at a time. Therefore peter is not absorbing powers, but understanding or a key to unlocking them. sylar goes to the source and learns how to unlock it in himself? Just a theory.

The assumption is that Sylar alters himself, even modern medicine can't alter someone's DNA. So how would a watchmaker do it to the first TK guy, without tools?

[Le Diable Blanc]

That would pretty much cancel the whole point of the show if ALL of them had EVERY power don't you think?
Peter is an empath which means he reproduces powers of people around him or he can tap into his memory to recall powers he's encountered (think Mimic from the X-Men).
Sylar needs to study the brain before he can reproduce powers, just hanging around the person isn't enough.

[Caliber]

So can he now combine his powers? He started melting away Peters flesh. Its always been know Sylar studies brains. What could he get from eating them? Friendship with Hannibal Lectar?

[Le Diable Blanc]

I don't think he was melting Peter's flesh, he was using his telekinesis to open his skull the same way he killed that cheerleader (Claire's friend).
As for the brain part, it's still a mystery.

[Mysterio]

Originally Posted by Le Diable Blanc

I don't think he was melting Peter's flesh, he was using his telekinesis to open his skull the same way he killed that cheerleader (Claire's friend).
As for the brain part, it's still a mystery.

i think the shorn lock of hair that fell to the ground suggests something other than telekinesis.