When will Peter get his powers back???

[ibecj83]

Have to see what actually happens when Arthur Petrelli steals abilities on the cellular level. I guess could think of it in terms of The Haitian. The Haitian takes memories, but can't give them back. Later it's discovered that cellular damage occurs and can be reversed/healed which results in memories returning.

In the case of stealing abilities: Arthur may actually damage, disable, or cut off access to the ability-gene. BTnG is able to enable or activate a connection again *maybe some biochemical re-routing*, but not a complete planned activation.

Perhaps an older/more experienced/focused Matt Parkman Junior could completely re-enable Hiro and Peter's powers. Hell, probably could cure cancer one day.

Arthur also mentioned later that he could give Peter his powers back with an injection.

As someone mentioned earlier, Arthur could have been lying about nothing being left. Sort of a way to discourage any attempts in hopes of willing the power back. Depend on what actually happens when powers are stolen. And for all extensive purposes, Arthur truly did believe nothing was left.

Another way at looking for reasons why the powers aren't fully restored is activating powers through artificial *non-natural means* just isn't as good as the original, maybe it'll just take longer.

One thing that is left about the power, is the memory of that ability in the brain/body. Which in the case of the formula the brain/body may push to try and heal/regain what it once had. Hiro's case, already explained my theory on the whole amateur rewiring job.

[targis]

I don't see the connection between the two.

But Arthur's statement has never been refuted in an episode. I think we have both agreed in different posts that there should have been nothing there for Matt Jr. to turn on. So it seems that a plot hole opened up that will need to be closed in a future episode.

We did agree that but I didn't see it then and I do now.

If the shot gave Peter a new ability the one Arthur turned off is still in the same condition it was before he took the shot.

Since Hiro had his power turned back on I now realize there is something that can be turned on after all. Peter would just have two different kinds of power absorbtion

The only thing that would make it not work is if Peter didn't get another power when he took the shot and just had his old power turned back on.

[GrantCalibre]

My theory of how things have worked is thus:
1) Arthur's power deactivates the ability-giving gene in his victims and copies that gene into his own DNA, thus "stealing" the power.
2) Peter took The Formula and it rewrote his DNA, so his old deactivated power gene was replaced by the new active power gene
3) Matt Parkman Jr.'s power can activate/deactivate biochemical and electrical systems (such as genes).
4) Hiro still has his original (but inactive) power genes, and BTnG reactivated part of those genes (giving him access to time-stopping).

This fits with the descriptions of everyone's abilities and doesn't require us to assume any plotholes. If the writers are smart, this is the explanation they'll use. When Arthur said, "I leaves nothing behind", that could easily have been him using colorful language or hyperbole. He didn't say, "I erase their DNA." The producers did precisely describe Parkman Jr's ability and it does not include inserting new genetic sequences or healing those that had been erased.

[CompanyMan]

If they do that, it would actually be considered a retcon of sorts, re-writing or changing what Arthur meant and how his ability to steal powers is concerned. As it stands right now, it is a plot hole.

[GrantCalibre]

Well, Heroes Wiki says he can stop time. They wouldn't lie to me would they?

I wouldn't consider it a lie, personally. Hiro can stop time for all intents and purposes. The only things that have ever moved while he has time frozen were people (Daphne and Peter) who could themselves manipulate time in one way or another. Daphne's power obviously allows her to bend the laws of space and time to a degree (see: Ando supercharging her) and Peter had absorbed Hiro's power.

----- Added 2 Minutes later -----

If they do that, it would actually be considered a retcon of sorts, re-writing or changing what Arthur meant and how his ability to steal powers is concerned. As it stands right now, it is a plot hole.

I wouldn't really consider going back and clarifying some colorful dialogue a "retcon". A retcon is when they tell you that the clone that Spider-man threw into the smokestack was actually the real Peter Parker, and that the clone had been thinking himself to be the real thing for all those years.

As it stands right now, it's only a plot hole if you don't subscribe the the theory I laid out.

[targis]

Daphne by herself could not manipulate time.

[GrantCalibre]

Daphne by herself could not manipulate time.

Sure she can! Ando can't give people powers they don't already have!

If she could could time-travel macroscopically when Ando was supercharging her (as explained by the theory of relativity), she must be time-traveling to a lesser extent when she is speeding on her own.

[CompanyMan]

The first item you quoted was actually a tounge-in-cheek rejoinder to what I thought was a wry retort. I'm aware that Daphne's power is simular in concept to Hiro's. That's why when he stopped time she was still able to move.

As for the other topic, here is the definition of retcon according to Wikipedia:

"Retroactive continuity is the deliberate changing of previously established facts in a work of serial fiction. The change is informally referred to as a "retcon", and producing a retcon is called "retconning".

So changing how Arthur's powers work would be considered a retcon even if it is only one or two facts that are changed.

[targis]

The first item you quoted was actually a tounge-in-cheek rejoinder to what I thought was a wry retort. I'm aware that Daphne's power is simular in concept to Hiro's. That's why when he stopped time she was still able to move.

.

Hiro's power slows down time almost to to the point of stoping it and everybody moving regular speed apears to have stoped. But time never comes to a full stop.

Daphne's power left everybody moving at regular speed and boosted herself into superspeed.

Thats why when Hiro slowed time down Daphne was walking around at regular speed earlier in the season.

[CompanyMan]

Actually, Daphne was frozen in time until the wave-thingy that trailed behind her caught up to her. Then her eyes shifted while she was still frozen in time, then she moved normally.

[targis]

In the scene Hiro says something like "How can you be moving I'm supposed to stop time" Daphne says "I guess you don't" then she punches him in the face and runs off.

I can't quote it exactly because it was awhile back in the season like episode 2 or 3 and I don't have them recorded but that is pretty much what they said.

[GrantCalibre]

So changing how Arthur's powers work would be considered a retcon even if it is only one or two facts that are changed.

If Arthur says, "I leave nothing behind," it is up to the viewer to interpret what exactly he means. It is not a fact that he deletes the genes; thus, facts are not being changed; thus, no retcon. If we had seen genetic tests that showed that their genes had been removed, then we could consider it a retcon when they decide that the genes were actually just deactivated. But in this case, it is not a retcon, but merely the writers clarifying what Arthur's power actually does, since it had never been precisely defined (no, him saying "I leave nothing behind" is not "precisely defining" the power).

----- Added 3 Minutes later -----

Actually, Daphne was frozen in time until the wave-thingy that trailed behind her caught up to her. Then her eyes shifted while she was still frozen in time, then she moved normally.

Oh man, I forgot about her "wake" having to catch up with her in that first encounter. When I first saw it, I took it as a convenient plot-holey way of the writers showing them together; if she continued to move at normal speed from the moment he froze time, he wouldn't have ever caught up to her and had their moment. So maybe it was a plothole for the sake of progressing the plot? I don't know.

Daphne's power depends on perspective. We always see Hiro's power from his perspective: he freezes everyone else and he appears to move normally. Daphne's power is normally shown from others' perspective, but really to her the rest of the world is frozen/moving very slowly. I still don't see why she couldn't outrun a nuclear explosion... :P

[CompanyMan]

If Arthur says, "I leave nothing behind," it is up to the viewer to interpret what exactly he means. It is not a fact that he deletes the genes; thus, facts are not being changed; thus, no retcon. If we had seen genetic tests that showed that their genes had been removed, then we could consider it a retcon when they decide that the genes were actually just deactivated. But in this case, it is not a retcon, but merely the writers clarifying what Arthur's power actually does, since it had never been precisely defined (no, him saying "I leave nothing behind" is not "precisely defining" the power).

I failed to provide the whole quote. I had forgotten about the first part: "When I take a power, I take it all and leave nothing behind."

And then there is the exchange with Peter after he took Peter's powers from him:
Peter: "You took my abilities."
Arthur: "You gave me no choice, son."
Peter: "Are they gone forever?"
Arthur: "Yes."

So it would be established as fact that when someone loses an ability to Arthur it is permanent, and not left to interpretation.

[GrantCalibre]

I failed to provide the whole quote. I had forgotten about the first part: "When I take a power, I take it all and leave nothing behind."

And then there is the exchange with Peter after he took Peter's powers from him:
Peter: "You took my abilities."
Arthur: "You gave me no choice, son."
Peter: "Are they gone forever?"
Arthur: "Yes."

So it would be established as fact that when someone loses an ability to Arthur it is permanent, and not left to interpretation.

Just because a character says something doesn't make it a veritable fact. Arthur could have had any number of reasons (demoralizing Peter comes to mind) for lying to Peter. Or perhaps Arthur thought it was permanent, and simply had never encountered a power like Matt Parkman Jr.'s. Or perhaps Arthur thought that Peter was asking, "Will my powers come back eventually?" and Arthur was answering that the powers will not come back on their own. I mean, how many of us viewers wondered if Peter or Hiro's powers would eventually come back over time?

It was never presented as a fact that Peter or Hiro's genes had been deleted. The only thing that could really do that would be a reputable genetic sequencing of their new DNA, I guess. Or some sort of scientific analysis of the process through which Arthur's power works.

[targis]

Daphne's power depends on perspective. We always see Hiro's power from his perspective: he freezes everyone else and he appears to move normally. Daphne's power is normally shown from others' perspective, but really to her the rest of the world is frozen/moving very slowly. I still don't see why she couldn't outrun a nuclear explosion... :P

She tried to in "5 years gone" and she almost made it but she wasn't fast enough.

----- Added 16 Minutes later -----

I failed to provide the whole quote. I had forgotten about the first part: "When I take a power, I take it all and leave nothing behind."

And then there is the exchange with Peter after he took Peter's powers from him:
Peter: "You took my abilities."
Arthur: "You gave me no choice, son."
Peter: "Are they gone forever?"
Arthur: "Yes."

So it would be established as fact that when someone loses an ability to Arthur it is permanent, and not left to interpretation.

If it is a fact and CompanyMan is correct then BTNG gave Hiro a new power and can give them to anybody.

If it is not a fact then the theory on Peter being able to get his power back through BTNG is correct.