Sylar's Powers

[BlasterBoy]

Well, this has always confused me! Somehow, Sylar can take people's powers. How? Can any hero or anyone, period, do it?

Spoiler:

As seen in 2.03, Sylar, without powers, took Candice's powers (well, it didn't work but that might be for a different reason) while not having his powers.

What does he do with the brains? I know, kind of gross, but I don't ever remember it being explained. Does he eat them? Like, how does this give him their power?! How!? Why!?

Help, anyone?

[KingofCretins]

Sylar has a power, is the trick. His power is intuitive learning. He has a preternatural understanding of how things work. He uses his power to acquire the powers of his victims. In fact, presumably, it's the only reason he has to kill them -- he needs access to their brains to learn from them.

So, one of two things is happening -- either his own native power has been suppressed, or he's lost the ability to express powers he's acquired. Candice was ridiculously stupid with Sylar. She knew who and what she was babysitting... how dumb do you have to be to show off such an astounding power in front of him?

[BlasterBoy]

Ah, I see. I knew his power was fixing things and learning, but I don't understand how he just does it. Does the brain transfer it's power and knowledge to Sylar's brain or something?

Spoiler:

Yeah, she is stupid

[KingofCretins]

In the episode "Six Months Ago" (I think), Chandra gives a great bit of metaphysical exposition about the importance of the brain. I don't think that was meant as just filler; it sets up Sylar with the premise for braining that poor guy with telekinesis.

The way I figure is that he takes the brain out and needs to sort of pick over it, and he supernaturally understands how it works and is able to... make his do what that one does.

It's very hard to figure, which is probably why they haven't actually shown us

[DigitalLeonardo]

Sylar has a power, is the trick. His power is intuitive learning. He has a preternatural understanding of how things work. He uses his power to acquire the powers of his victims. In fact, presumably, it's the only reason he has to kill them -- he needs access to their brains to learn from them.

So, one of two things is happening -- either his own native power has been suppressed, or he's lost the ability to express powers he's acquired. Candice was ridiculously stupid with Sylar. She knew who and what she was babysitting... how dumb do you have to be to show off such an astounding power in front of him?

I really don't understand her. I mean she must have known he would get her right? She was stupid to undo her illusion of them in Hawaii, it was so much safer their. Though I was the most shocked when he got up and got her, cause I didn't think he would, or he'd wait to get more information out of her.

Explaining his powers, I think thats why he wanted Peter so much, cause Peter gets the powers so easy, and would make Sylar's journey alot easier and less messy.

Kind of a side question... When we saw Sylar try to steal Peter's powers, his head started to heal (which we figured) but why was Sylar able to steal Claire's powers in "5 Years Gone"? Shouldn't her head have healed as well before he got a chance to attack?

[BlasterBoy]

No, he caught her by surprise, as I remember. And he cut almost all of it off, by the time she could do anything. We've seen that the real weakness of Claire/Peter, is the head. Like, Peter was dead when something was lodged in his head, Peter had to be shot in the head, stuff like that. I think it was because Claire didn't have time to react. She started walking away and boom. Almost all of her head was off. That was my understanding

[KingofCretins]

He definitely coveted Peter's power. It probably really grates at him that Peter will always be more powerful for him -- Peter already presumably has all Sylar's powers, even if he hasn't used them yet.

With Claire... I think it was probably just a plot error, although worth it because the scene was so painful since the first half of the season had been about him trying to get her. If I was going to fanwank it, I would just say that, since he would have then had the memory of trying to take Peter's power, he probably had just figured out a way to get at her brain before she could heal herself.