Heroes #15: Trust and Blood/Season 3/2009

[fba827]

A near total lack of combat training? Immortality doesn't mean a thing if you'll just keep getting shot and cut up. Not to mention he may figure out if a bullet to the back of the brain kills Sylar, it'll work on Claire too. Or, just discover it by accident.

Actually, Claire knows that they know how to kill her.
There was the whole scene where the guy grabbed her and said he was going to put her down by shooting her right in the back of the head. That's when HRG came in and Claire was horrified/scared that "they were really going to pull the trigger" and HRG confirmed that they have no qualms about killing you. So, in my mind, Claire was doing what she could to provide distraction, but at the same time, perhaps for the first time that she control of her powers can she actually still feel "mortal" and in danger from them since they know her 'kill spot'

 

[Brown Jenkin]

The bullet to the back of the brain shouldn't really kill either, that is just a theory that the characters seem to treat as truth. The two "kills" to immortals has to do with being knifed in the back of the skull and leaving the knife there. In both cases when the knife was removed the brain and everything else healed. A bullet would continue through and not remain allowing the brain to heal just like removing the knife would.

 

[Remus Lupin]

The bullet to the back of the brain shouldn't really kill either, that is just a theory that the characters seem to treat as truth. The two "kills" to immortals has to do with being knifed in the back of the skull and leaving the knife there. In both cases when the knife was removed the brain and everything else healed. A bullet would continue through and not remain allowing the brain to heal just like removing the knife would.

I was thinking the same thing. Have they just reconned or handwaved that, or are the characters simply mistaken in what they think they "know"?

 

[fba827]

I was thinking the same thing. Have they just reconned or handwaved that, or are the characters simply mistaken in what they think they "know"?

It's what Claire told them last season would kill Sylar (and her) and therefore she believes it to be true, hence the reason everyone else thinks its true.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

It's what Claire told them last season would kill Sylar (and her) and therefore she believes it to be true, hence the reason everyone else thinks its true.

Well, depending on how you count your seasons (e.g. the Highlander way of counting, or the official counting ), I might have to correct you: The first reference to this was in the first season, in I think the last episode. Peter told Claire to shoot him in the back of his head thinking that would kill him if he would go nuclear again.

We never found out if it actually worked. But this theory is holding so far, and I think that the ex-PrimaTech doctor that Adam kills in the 2nd season also alluded to the idea that this would kill him.

But can this _really_ be true? I mean, they had him in custody for years, and he claimed it wouldn't be easy to kill him. Shooting someone in the head might not be easy for your average guy on the street or before the TV, but it shouldn't be a big problem to the PrimaTech guys. Either he was lying or everyone is mistaken.

I prefer the idea everyone is mistaken. Claire just can't die, but there are ways to halt her regeneration. But truth to be told, even then fully disabling her or Adam wouldn't be _that_ hard. Put a metal stake in Adams head, then burn him. If that can still regenerate, through him in a frigging Volcano or something. He might regenerate at some point, but not any time soon.
(Of course, if he could recover from that, maybe it's a good idea not to do it, since if he ever comes back, he will be mightily pissed. )

 

[Steel_Wind]

The bullet to the back of the brain shouldn't really kill either, that is just a theory that the characters seem to treat as truth. The two "kills" to immortals has to do with being knifed in the back of the skull and leaving the knife there. In both cases when the knife was removed the brain and everything else healed. A bullet would continue through and not remain allowing the brain to heal just like removing the knife would.

I had written elsewhere that the characters miskakenly believe it to be true.

But like you, I forgot. We have not had two "immortal kills". We've had four.

We know that stripping an immortal of his power will cause him to age and die if he's centuries old. (x)

We also know a bullet to the head will kill. (x)

Arthur Petrelli is killed by a bullet to the head. He was immortal as he had Adam's power. Now? Arthur Petrelli is just dead.

Should a bullet work based on what we have been shown on the show? No and hell no.

But did it work in Arthur's case? Yes. We can quibble about whether or not the Haitain was "suppressing" his healing power or not at the time I suppose, so there is wiggle room if the writers want that wiggle room.

I think the point to take away is that it works if the writers want it to work.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

I had written elsewhere that the characters miskakenly believe it to be true.

But like you, I forgot. We have not had two "immortal kills". We've had four.

We know that stripping an immortal of his power will cause him to age and die if he's centuries old. (x)

We also know a bullet to the head will kill. (x)

Arthur Petrelli is killed by a bullet to the head. He was immortal as he had Adam's power. Now? Arthur Petrelli is just dead.

Should a bullet work based on what we have been shown on the show? No and hell no.

But did it work in Arthur's case? Yes. We can quibble about whether or not the Haitain was "suppressing" his healing power or not at the time I suppose, so there is wiggle room if the writers want that wiggle room.

I think the point to take away is that it works if the writers want it to work.

You are correct on the overall number maybe.

I had discounted Adam because he was dusted by aurthur. Arthur permanently took away his powers which is what caused his death. This is not repeatable by anyone else so I discounted it, much like immortals could have been killed by vortex guy.

I had forgotten about Arthur but there is no reason to assume he is dead. His power was suppressed not removed so when everyone left he could have regenerated. There was no final body, it was left behind in the fire. Given the writers constant retconning I see no reason that Arthur is dead since they left a loophole the size of a planet for his possible return.

 

[fba827]

Well, depending on how you count your seasons (e.g. the Highlander way of counting, or the official counting ), I might have to correct you: The first reference to this was in the first season, in I think the last episode.

Okay there was that but I was actually thinking about last volume (I said last season, but I meant volume, the one that ended December 2008). When HRG, Angela, Merideth, Flint, and Claire were trapped in Primatech by Sylar. They just finished saying how could they kill since since he has Claire's regeneration, ten Claire told the other 4 that the way to kill Sylar (despite having her regeneration) was to shoot him in the back of the head (and then she showed them where the spot was).

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

So, if you stab an immortal in the back of the head and leave the knife they'll regenerate if you remove the knife. So what happens when the body decomposes around the knife?

 

[LightPhoenix]

Okay there was that but I was actually thinking about last volume (I said last season, but I meant volume, the one that ended December 2008). When HRG, Angela, Merideth, Flint, and Claire were trapped in Primatech by Sylar. They just finished saying how could they kill since since he has Claire's regeneration, ten Claire told the other 4 that the way to kill Sylar (despite having her regeneration) was to shoot him in the back of the head (and then she showed them where the spot was).

That was also how Angela told Matt to kill Peter, if he was a problem.