Abilities
Ordinary People Discovering Extraordinary Abilities was the promotional campaign for the series, before and after its debut. In an interview conducted by Lost producer Damon Lindelof, Kring states "...it's a show about characters dealing with extraordinary things happening to them. That is the central premise. So my sense is that if one can assume that dealing with their extraordinary abilities is something that these characters will always face, then their stories can bend and morph and evolve forever."
Within the first two volumes, it was implied that these superpowers were genetic; however, in several interviews, Tim Kring has shied away from discussing the origins of the characters' abilities. Kring has given his own personal theory on powers, stating, "...my original theory was that we’re living in such a fucked-up world and things are so awful that Earth needed to populate itself with people who were going to do something about it." When asked in the same interview to give a direct answer, Kring responded, "I’m not going to give an answer to that because that becomes a really fun part of the show." In the third volume, "Villains", it is revealed that some characters' powers, such as Nathan, Tracy, and Niki, are synthetic, having been artificially created by a special formula.
Different characters have different levels of control over their abilities; for example cellular regeneration is always active, Maya's power can be brought on by stress, and telekinesis can be controlled accurately. Furthermore, some abilities have been shown to be able to extend beyond the possessor to their clothing, personal items, or even other individuals who do not share the power. Such examples include phasing, teleportation, shape-shifting, time travel, invisibility, and cellular regeneration (through a transfusion of blood).
Read more about this topic: Mythology Of Heroes
Famous quotes containing the word abilities:
“The art of using moderate abilities to good advantage is a way of stealing the esteem of others, and often brings a man into greater reputation than does real merit.”
—François, Duc De La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680)
“No matter what one says, you can recognize only those matters that are equal to you. Only rulers who possess extraordinary abilities will recognize and esteem properly extraordinary abilities in their subjects and servants.”
—Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (1749–1832)
“Your friends praise your abilities to the skies, submit to you in argument, and seem to have the greatest deference for you; but, though they may ask it, you never find them following your advice upon their own affairs; nor allowing you to manage your own, without thinking that you should follow theirs. Thus, in fact, they all think themselves wiser than you, whatever they may say.”
—William Lamb Melbourne, 2nd Viscount (1779–1848)