So how can Matt Parkman suddenly draw the future in Heroes? It's not just the need to come up with a new use for series artist Tim Sale, according to the show's writers.
Responding to viewers' questions about the latest turn of events for Heroes' former cop, writer/producers Joe Pokaski and Aron Coliete explained their... um... not-exactly-straightforward way of thinking:
Long story is: Matt's ability is to access the mind – or at least that's how it started. But as he grew powerful and as Usutu opened it up more to the "dreamtime," he began to access that same plane of consciousness that Isaac and Usutu drew from to paint (and arguably the same one Angela accesses from another door). Short story - You don't choose your destiny. Your destiny chooses you.
Or, at least, the destiny that actor availability allows:
It was supposed to be a trio of post-mortem painter-advisors show up to Matt, like at the end of Jedi when Yoda, Obi-Wan, and old Anakin Skywalker are there to give a blue-glow shout out to Luke (we refuse to even acknowledge that Hayden Christiansen revisionist nonsense). But unfortunately, we had two problems: first, Suresh's apartment is only so big, and more importantly, stupid Santiago Cabrera has become a huge movie star (see "Che Part 1").
So, Matt isn't actually telepathic at all, he's just able to use his brain to... access... stuff? I'd wonder if this is ever going to be explained on the show, but it's Heroes; of course it won't.
Behind The Eclipse [Comic Book Resources]