I've always assumed the Haitian was the one who blocked other Heroes' abilities. However, when Sylar is captured, HRG says: "Everyone else we've encountered has only one ability. You appear to have several" (or words to that effect). Assuming the mind-wipe is one of the Haitian's abilities, we have several options:

1) HRG was lying
2) The Haitian has a single, general ability that somehow encompasses both power-blocking and mind-wiping
3) HRG is a Hero, with the ability to block powers
4) HRG has access to a device that blocks powers

I don't think it likely that HRG was lying. He didn't need to tell Sylar that they'd never met anyone else with only one ability, and it felt more like he was trying to confide in Sylar as a way to get him to open up.

If someone can think of a plausible, general ability for the Haitian to have that can encompass both powers, shoot. Someone on another thread suggested that the Haitian could erase thoughts as they happened, thus preventing anyone from using a power that had to be consciously triggered. However, if he had that ability, he'd also have the ability to pretty much stop anyone in their tracks - he could erase their thoughts of moving their legs or arms, lock someone into stasis. He hasn't shown any sign of doing that, and I think that's a bit of a stretch.

I don't like the thought of HRG as a Hero - I think he has more impact as a normal competing as an equal in a world of Heroes.

The technological measure sounds more likely to me, as it would also explain how they power-proofed Sylar's enclosure, and how he managed to use his powers anyway (Eden disabled it when she entered).

It could also be a combination of the last two: HRG has the power, and through experimentation was able to create a device to replicate the effect.

Thoughts?

I am starting to tilt towards number 4. I think Nathan broke or knocked off the glasses before he flew away. Maybe the glasses consist of the same material as the jail cell.

You mean I wrote that huge long post and they just answer it straight out? Bastards! Still, I think #4 still holds water, except their device was based on experimentation with the Haitian instead of HRG. I'm firmly of the opinion they needed such a device in the Sylar-holding cell.

The writers said blocking powers is part of the Haitian's ability in the latest CBR interview. Considering how evasive they are about most questions, I'd call that case closed.

As for whether the Haitian can erase minds and block powers all as one power: so far, we've only seen him block mental powers (telepathy, suggestion) and we've seen him fail to block a physical power (flight). If his ability is a general one to modify people's minds, then he could prevent them from using mind-based powers and he could erase memories. If that's his power, he may well be able to do other things, too, like plant false memories.

Why would they need such a device? In the dark Sylar cannot TK anything (can't TK what you can't see) and he has no other powers we know of that could break him out of that cell (which seemed watertight, though presumably not airtight, to me)

#4 in the cell, #2 for everything else

Where was it stated that you can't TK what you can't see? Or is that just an assumption? Also, HRG doesn't know exactly what powers Sylar has. They know he's killed nine people - who knows how many other powers they have? I doubt they'd risk trying to neutralize him just by leaving him in the dark - even if total darkness did prevent him from using TK.

It's a standard rule of telekinesis. It seems reasonable that Heroes is applying it.


And I doubt they would have any other option. If they have the ability to copy people's powers (as they would have to to be able to copy power-blocking) then they don't need Sylar, and if they only have tech to do it then every scene with MBG in it suddenly makes no sense.

WORD.

Anyone who thinks otherwise should kick themselves in the crotch. Go on try it, I bet you can't do it.

Problem with #2 - Nathan flying away.
Broken glasses = unable to block.

IsItMonday, you're my new best friend... you are one of the only people on this board with the ability to use logic and reason (aka, I typically agree with everything you say)



I disagree, that is not a standard rule of telekinesis. They can affect any objects they can see with their "mind's eye" or basically anything within range of their powers. They often look at an object to focus their powers, true, but its not a rule to use the ability. Also, some telekinetics can affect objects on a molecular level... clearly they cannot see atoms and molecules.

This seems like the most plausible explanation to me, at least based on the information that we have. The Haitian's powers clearly fall under the realm of mental powers, and so far we have only seen him be able to stop the powers of those with similar abilities.

It seems certain based on Nathan's flying away that at the very least, it takes more than just the Haitian being there for powers to be blocked. Since it makes sense that if he could have stopped him, he would have, I'm working under the assumption that this isn't within the realm of his abilities. For example, I don't believe he could stop Claire from healing.

Therefore, I would conclude that both mind wiping and the nullification of powers fall under his same general mental aptitude, and so far the latter only applies to other people with mental abilities.

Whether the room itself blocks powers (at least completely) seems to have been answered by Sylar's ability to yank Eden through the glass.

Umm, that's telekinesis+ESP. If they couldn't sense the atoms using some sort of ESP they wouldn't be able to slow them down relative to each other.

Plain old telekinesis you need to be able to see, or sometimes touch (in which case it's hardly TK) or hear, an object in order to move it.

If Sylar had ESP enabling him to "sense" where objects were so he could TK them he wouldn't need to remove the brains, he'd be able to "sense" everything about the brin with his ESP, and thus wouldn't need to remove it.

Considering we're talking about a fictional phenomenon here, you can't really say "it's a standard rule". The scriptwriters may want to deviate from the standard, after all. And besides that, I can name a number of series that didn't require TKs to have line-of-sight. Anne McCaffrey's Talent series, Star Wars, any book were the TK closes their eyes when they concentrate. There's nothing to demonstrate in this series that there is any such restriction on TK, there are plenty of exceptions in other works of the genre, and even if there was, there's no evidence HRG and his cronies knew about the restriction.

Sure you can. It's a standard rule of vampires that you can kill them by cutting off their head.

It's not absolute, but it's standard
They can "see" their DNA. They have ESP.
The force is known to grant ESP. In fact, ESP is demonstrated BEFORE TK IIRC, and definitely before non-line-of-sight TK.
All such books I've read describe their ability to sense the locations of the objects they're moving, AKA ESP.

All of which involve some form of ESP. Unless TK in the Heroverse comes paired with ESP we have no reason to believe that Sylar has ESP. They know who Sylar has killed. They likely know the powers those people had (they seem to be more knowledgable than Suresh was). If none of them had any power which would allow him to TK things in the dark then he shouldn't be able to.

Don't have children. Also, let scientists experiment on you because that is the only way you'll contribute anything to humanity.

Ok, I am only half joking, but come on now! There is a mountain of evidence pointing to the Haitian blocking mental powers, AND NO FREAKING EVIDENCE AT ALL that HRG is behind it. You take one stupid little coincidence, and run with it. It is downright ridiculous.

Maybe HRG does have the power to block, but it doesn't work in broad daylight at a relative humidity of 5% at a temperature of 75 degrees (or whatever the conditions were when Nathan flew away). That ****** theory I just made up has as much evidence going for it as the "magic glasses" one.

It is the HAITIAN HAITIAN HAITIAN.