Abilities on Heroes *spoilers?*

[All Seeing Eye]

I was just wondering what abilities we've seen so far on Heroes?

It just seems to me that maybe the writers have reached a limit on just how many different abilities there can possibly be.

I can remember off the top of my head:

The Ability To Control People (The puppet master)
Turning Skin Into Metal (one of the guys from level 5)
Super strength (Nicki Sanders/Knox)
Freezing (Tracy Strauss)
Fire (Meredith)
Time and Space manipulation (Hiro)
Reading Minds (Parkman)
Superspeed (Daphne)
Stealing Abilities (Arthur Petrelli)
Copying Abilities (Peter Petrelli)
Flying (Nathan Petrelli)
Supercharging Abilities (Ando)
Walk through walls (Mika Sanders Dad)
Talk To Computers (Mika Sanders)
Healing Self (Claire)
Healing Others (Linderman)
That black eye plague shit (Maya)
See or dream the future (Angela Petrelli / Isaac Mendez)
Telekinesis (Sylar)
Slicing Skin (Sylar)
Lie Detector (Sylar)
Turning Metal to Liquid (Sylar)
Changeing Any Metal Into Gold (Elle's Father)
Lightning (Elle)
Super Memory
Sound Manipulation
Ability to copy anything seen. (Micas Cousin)
Nuclear Explosion / Radiation
Create Blackholes
Analysing probabilities of a situation and determining outcome (Hiros Father)
Invisibility.
Invulnerability (Haitians Brother)
Render Other Powers Useless (The Haitian)
Wipe Memories (The Haitian)
Super Hearing (Dake Smither)
Locating People With Abilities (Molly)
Creating Illusions (Candice)
Body Insertian (Future Peter)
Magnetism

Have I missed any?

Now the ultimate question is what possible abilities could there be left? have all possible abilities already been used?

I can think of one ability, the ability to create forcefields but other than that I can't think of anything else that would be different from what we've already seen or at least useful in some way.

Anybody else got an idea for a new type of power?

If you were in charge of giving Ando his power when he injected himself, other than the one he got what power would you have given Ando?

 

[Hermiod]

Just some corrections to your list first. There are proper names for some of them. I have not listed those who can duplicate the powers of others here - namely Peter, Arthur and Sylar.

Primary Characters (and others with the same abilities):
Empathic Ability Mimicry - Peter
Intuitive Aptitude - Sylar
Permanent Ability Absorption - Arthur
Regenerative Healing - Claire, Adam Monroe
Time and Space Manipulation - Hiro
Flight - Nathan, West
Telepathy - Matt, Maury
Superhuman Strength - Nikki, Scott
Molecular Phasing - D.L.
Technopathy - Micah
Poison Emission - Maya
Precognition Expressed Through Painting - Isaac Mendez, Usutu
Precognition Expressed Through Dreams - Angela
Dream Manipulation - Angela, Sanjog Iyer
Photographic Reflexes - Monica
Insect Mimicry - Mohinder
Cryokinesis - Tracy
Ability Boosting - Ando

Secondary Characters:
Electricity Manipulation - Elle
Alchemy - Bob
Superhuman Speed - Daphne
Superhuman Strength Through Fear Absorption - Knox
Pyrokinesis - Meredith, Flint
Metal Mimicry - Danny Pine (the veteran)
Clairsentience - Bridget Bailey
Clairvoyance/Remote Location - Molly
Sound Manipulation - Jesse Murphy, Echo DeMille
Puppet Mastery - Eric Doyle
Lie Detection - Sue Landers
Magnetism Manipulation - The German
Body Insertion - Unknown, demonstrated only by Future Peter
Healing - Linderman, Ishi Nakamura
Telekinesis - Brian Davis
Suppression of Poison Emission - Alejandro
Radiation Manipulation - Ted Sprague (also demonstrated by Sylar in the future even after he lost the ability)
Ability Suppression - The Haitian
Memory Removal - The Haitian
Gravitational Manipulation (resulting in the creation of vortexes) - Stephen Canfield
Impenetrable Skin - Baron Samedi
Invisibility - "Claude Rains"
Electronic Communication - Hana Gitelman
Metal Melting - Zane Taylor
Superhuman Hearing - Dale Smither
Kinetic Projection - Trevor Zeitlan
Vocal Persuasion - Eden McCain
Photographic Memory - Charlie
Water Mimicry - Elisa

Some of these characters have only been seen in the various spin-offs and not in the main series.

As yet, Kaito Nakamura has not demonstrated or been confirmed to have the ability to immediately predict outcomes based on a specific set of variables. This was only seen in a deleted scene.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

As yet, Kaito Nakamura has not demonstrated or been confirmed to have the ability to immediately predict outcomes based on a specific set of variables. This was only seen in a deleted scene.

Yes, the scene where he's sat on the bench looking in the newspaper. As far as i'm concerned that's his power regardless of whether the scene was deleted (not used) or not.

As for 'spinoffs' I don't class them as canon. I only class those on the main TV series as canon.

 

[captcalhoun]

no one's had x-ray vision, heat vision, optic blasts, plasma blasts (Havok or Boomer), probability manipulation (Domino/Longshot), bone claws, enhanced sense of smell, projective empathy, shape-shifting, earthquake creation, weather manipulation or super-human leaping yet.

they did want to do an 'earthquake guy', but they realised it was too expensive.

 

[Gryffindorian]

Just some corrections to your list first. There are proper names for some of them. I have not listed those who can duplicate the powers of others here - namely Peter, Arthur and Sylar.

Primary Characters (and others with the same abilities):
Empathic Ability Mimicry - Peter
Intuitive Aptitude - Sylar
Permanent Ability Absorption - Arthur
Regenerative Healing - Claire, Adam Monroe
Time and Space Manipulation - Hiro
Flight - Nathan, West
Telepathy - Matt, Maury
Superhuman Strength - Nikki, Scott
Molecular Phasing - D.L.
Technopathy - Micah
Poison Emission - Maya
Precognition Expressed Through Painting - Isaac Mendez, Usutu
Precognition Expressed Through Dreams - Angela
Dream Manipulation - Angela, Sanjog Iyer
Photographic Reflexes - Monica
Insect Mimicry - Mohinder
Cryokinesis - Tracy
Ability Boosting - Ando

Secondary Characters:
Electricity Manipulation - Elle
Alchemy - Bob
Superhuman Speed - Daphne
Superhuman Strength Through Fear Absorption - Knox
Pyrokinesis - Meredith, Flint
Metal Mimicry - Danny Pine (the veteran)
Clairsentience - Bridget Bailey
Clairvoyance/Remote Location - Molly
Sound Manipulation - Jesse Murphy, Echo DeMille
Puppet Mastery - Eric Doyle
Lie Detection - Sue Landers
Magnetism Manipulation - The German
Body Insertion - Unknown, demonstrated only by Future Peter
Healing - Linderman, Ishi Nakamura
Telekinesis - Brian Davis
Suppression of Poison Emission - Alejandro
Radiation Manipulation - Ted Sprague (also demonstrated by Sylar in the future even after he lost the ability)
Ability Suppression - The Haitian
Memory Removal - The Haitian
Gravitational Manipulation (resulting in the creation of vortexes) - Stephen Canfield
Impenetrable Skin - Baron Samedi
Invisibility - "Claude Rains"
Electronic Communication - Hana Gitelman
Metal Melting - Zane Taylor
Superhuman Hearing - Dale Smither
Kinetic Projection - Trevor Zeitlan
Vocal Persuasion - Eden McCain
Photographic Memory - Charlie
Water Mimicry - Elisa

Some of these characters have only been seen in the various spin-offs and not in the main series.

As yet, Kaito Nakamura has not demonstrated or been confirmed to have the ability to immediately predict outcomes based on a specific set of variables. This was only seen in a deleted scene.

I like your list better.

Instead of saying "Inability to Read or Write English," it's better to say "Illiteracy."

 

[All Seeing Eye]

I like your list better.

Instead of saying "Inability to Read or Write English," it's better to say "Illiteracy."

Whatever.

 

[TheArsenal]

They've rolled out a staggering number of abilities for a show that's been on less than three seasons.

 

[melancholymecha]

Turning Skin Into Metal (one of the guys from level 5)

I thought this was wasted on a redshirt
Id like to see someone who can turn themselves completely into metal ala Colossus or someone who can touch any organic material or metal & they get its properties.

Id also like to see Mystique style shapeshifting.

or someone who can turn into a liquid ameoba-like state like Sloth from Fullmetal Alchemist(that's an anime example but I cant really think of an example from comics that uses that power)

and then there's someone who can make copies of themselves like Multiple Man.

How about someone that can control just animals(imagine what they could do with a swarm of bees)

 

[Yassim]

Everyone missed Ability to Shatter Drinking Glasses from the guy Sylar ate in S3.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Radiation Manipulation - Ted Sprague (also demonstrated by Sylar in the future even after he lost the ability)

Have we had any on-screen confirmation that Sylar lost his S1 powers?

Of course he could have picked up radiation from another metahuman later on.

 

[Hermiod]

Everyone missed Ability to Shatter Drinking Glasses from the guy Sylar ate in S3.

No I didn't - see Kinetic Projection - Trevor Zeitlan.

Have we had any on-screen confirmation that Sylar lost his S1 powers?

Kind of. He couldn't hear Noah and Stephen Canfield's conversation about killing him despite supposedly having superhuman hearing.

The official word is that Sylar lost everything except his own power and his telekinesis. He kept the telekinesis due to the empathic side of his powers and the guilt he feels at killing Brian Davis.

Of course he could have picked up radiation from another metahuman later on.

Of course.

 

[Captain Intrepid]

I'm waiting for the orgasm projecting power.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

I don't think he lost his powers, I think they were blocked by some form of injury to his adrenal gland. We know adrenaline plays a significant part in abilities. When he used claires blood to heal himself the gland healed and he regained all of his abilities from before. Not being able to use his super hearing is nothing more than sloppy writing.

 

[Tom]

You forgot some:

Molinder - Idiocracy
Peter - Pussification Under Pressure

LOL

 

[Temis the Vorta]

He couldn't hear Noah and Stephen Canfield's conversation about killing him despite supposedly having superhuman hearing.

Or he could have been waiting to see what they would do, whether he could trust Noah. He didn't end up being threatened by the vortex and he might have had a defense planned.

The official word is that Sylar lost everything except his own power and his telekinesis. He kept the telekinesis due to the empathic side of his powers and the guilt he feels at killing Brian Davis.

"Official word" means nothing to me. I'm not accepting writers so damn lazy that they can't bother to put things relevant to the plotline in the freakin' TV show. Just because I might have the ability to find out about extraneous theories doesn't mean I accept them as "official." And if the writers really are leaving out essential stuff, no wonder the ratings are dropping. The vast majority of viewers don't read any of these interviews. They're cutting their own throats (and possibly it's getting them fired too, which is a good thing.)

Molinder - Idiocracy
Peter - Pussification Under Pressure

All the characters desperately need a superpower they lack: immunity to shitty writing.

 

[Gryffindorian]

I'm waiting for the orgasm projecting power.

Good one. The ability to control another person's bodily functions (physiological manipulation?) would be a very cool thing to have. In that regard, I've always thought mind control, mind possession, or illusion projection is some form of telepathy, as the person imposes his/her will over another's mind using some kind of mental link.

Other powers I'd like to see (based on City of Heroes MMO):

* Healing Aura (Some kind of energy emission that heals the injuries of other people; I guess this falls under the category of healing)
* Gravity Control
* Forcefield/Bubble Shields Projection
* Plant Control

Others:

* Body Size Manipulation (Gigantism or Size Reduction, just like Hank Pym or the Atom)
* Elasticity (e.g., Mr. Fantastic, Elongated Man)
* Pheromone Control
* Animal Telepathy
* Disease Projection (Viral or Bacterial Manipulation)
* Light Projection/Manipulation (e.g. Dr. Light)
* Lycanthrophic Shapeshifting with superior strength, speed, and endurance
* Acid Emission
* Hormone/Pheromone-induced Paralysis

 

[All Seeing Eye]

Ooh ooh i've thought of the greatest power EVAR!

Being able to turn someone to ash/dust just from the wave of your hand. Even Sylar would be beat! there's no way you heal from that!

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Greatest power ever, one step beyond the 'ash' power - total control over matter and energy, like a human Star Trek replicator, only applying it to existing things. You could not only change a person to ash, but transform anything into any other thing, at the molecular or even atomic level. If there was no limitation on range, you could make the sun explode or why not blow up the universe? (Or were they saving that plotline for season five?)

But Matt's will-control power would trump even that, assuming that Replicator Guy didn't sneak up on him. Matt could take control of the guy and use his power to make him commit suicide or do anything else. And of course a power sponge who could absorb his power would also hold a trump card.

So it still comes down to offense vs. defense. The character with the ability not to be snuck up on would win. Which means invisibility or Molly's metahuman-detecting ability would come in really handy.

Or remote-viewing power. We haven't seen that one yet (for a while, I was thinking they'd assign it to Angela).

 

[Hermiod]

Greatest power ever, one step beyond the 'ash' power - total control over matter and energy, like a human Star Trek replicator, only applying it to existing things. You could not only change a person to ash, but transform anything into any other thing, at the molecular or even atomic level. If there was no limitation on range, you could make the sun explode or why not blow up the universe? (Or were they saving that plotline for season five?)

Sounds familiar.

Of course, they crippled him by mentally unstable and unable to fully realise his true power.

 

[zog]

Greatest power ever, one step beyond the 'ash' power - total control over matter and energy, like a human Star Trek replicator, only applying it to existing things. ...

But Matt's will-control power would trump even that, assuming that Replicator Guy didn't sneak up on him. ...

So it still comes down to offense vs. defense. The character with the ability not to be snuck up on would win. Which means invisibility or Molly's metahuman-detecting ability would come in really handy.

Or remote-viewing power. We haven't seen that one yet (for a while, I was thinking they'd assign it to Angela).

I forget in what direction the wind's currently blowing, but if it's from the north, and if it's, say, a Tuesday, the Heroes may also limited by their skill level with the power. Practice makes perfect, so in theory, a 'weaker' power, used adroitly, could beat someone with a stronger ability.

Also, the multi-powered Peter and especially Sylar seemed capable of using two or more at the same time, although IIRC Arthur was only shown to use one at a time. Unless they introduce a firm constraint that each power requires full concentration (one-power-at-a-time), training might even help hone effective use of two or more powers in conjunction (Peter came close to telekenisis while invisible during a season 1 rescue).

Though honestly, I'm not confident they can depict varying skill levels consistently (notable exceptions aside when it's important to the script, like Elle training Sylar to throw targetted lighting bolts). It might prove too complicated to portray in future showdowns, given the level of writing we've seen (high or low octane, basically).

Anyway, just another variable I'd throw in the mix - proficiency level.