Mendez and Alternate timelines

[tombombadil]

does anyone else find it odd that Isaac could predict at least two alternate futures? first the future for the bomb going off and the future where it doesn't? something just doesn't seem right here

[SierraGulf1]

Ah, but he didn't. There exists only one reality, and all of his paintings has come true. However, many can oftentimes be misconstrued, such as:

Spoiler:

1) A blonde girl killed by Sylar in "Homecoming" (people thought it was Claire).
2) Hiro raising his sword to a dinosaur (it was a model).
3) The bomb exploding near New York (it actually exploded over New York, all in the perspective).
4) Noah Bennett gets shot in the eye as Claire watches holding a boy (Claire was actually trying to run to her dad as West stops her, Noah ends up reviving).

Therefore, everything Issac has painted has come true in only one reality.

[tombombadil]

Ah, but he didn't. There exists only one reality, and all of his paintings has come true. However, many can oftentimes be misconstrued, such as:

Spoiler:

1) A blonde girl killed by Sylar in "Homecoming" (people thought it was Claire).
2) Hiro raising his sword to a dinosaur (it was a model).
3) The bomb exploding near New York (it actually exploded over New York, all in the perspective).
4) Noah Bennett gets shot in the eye as Claire watches holding a boy (Claire was actually trying to run to her dad as West stops her, Noah ends up reviving).

Therefore, everything Issac has painted has come true in only one reality.

what about when hiro went to the future in five years later? that reality didn't really happen but isaac still predicted it.

[SierraGulf1]

He did? He may very well have, but my memory's fuzzy. Which painting(s) are you referring to?

[Buddhawasanancient]

He did? He may very well have, but my memory's fuzzy. Which painting(s) are you referring to?

The big one on the floor of his loft

[tombombadil]

He did? He may very well have, but my memory's fuzzy. Which painting(s) are you referring to?

it was a comic book scetching

[cheese]

The fact that the big bomb didn't happen is trouble for Mendez, but it can work. If we use a Back to the Future model of time then we don't really have any problem. All the events he painted did happen. If the bomb didn't happen then it couldn't have been prevented.

The bomb painting was not misinterpreted, it couldn't have been because it very clearly showed buildings in the city being detroyed.

The bomb did go off, allowing it to not. It sounds odd yes, but that's just how time travel works. Issac's power takes this fact into account. (though I wonder sometimes where the visions came from, I think the Heroes answer would have to be God, because they all work in such a way that they are very self fulfilling. For example Hiro only stabbed Syler because he saw a picture of himself doing it. Peter only went to "save the cheerleader" because he saw the events in the pictures. Sylar went to Kirby plaza because he saw that he and Peter were going to be there. At the very least the paintings mean that God is present in the Heroesverse, or a very tight form of determinism. Either way it can work out. Various lines in the show reveal that the writers are hinting more towards the God solution.)