Theory:The President

+ The timeline is purposefully made unclear, and it could be a vague "present" era.

- The timeline is explicit in this instance. April 2007.

- The episode aired while George W. Bush was still the real U.S. President.

- Aside from skin color, the President shares very few facial similarities with Obama.
- It seems more likely that the President was intended to be a nod to Barack Obama, but not actually be him.
- His first appearance was filmed before the election, thus there was no way of knowing that he would be the President.

+ They could have filmed two versions, one with a white and one with a black president.

- Greg Beeman states in his blog that Tim Kring really wanted to cast an African-American in the role, which implies that this version with Michael Dorn was the only one that was ever filmed.

+ The President spoke with a similar accent to Barack Obama.
+ Obama may be using his controversial spending plans to distract the public.

+ It's illogical to think in a world of empowered humans, that some would not at least attempt to use their special abilities to achieve positions of political influence. It is perhaps more plausible the president is a puppet for one or more empowered humans that are even more powerful and secretive than The Company or Pinehearst, had been.

- It didn't happen in another possible future.

+ Nathan rather than Sylar was President in that future. Sylar has now taken Nathan's place again.

- That man is clearly Knox. See the picture here

+ Knox is dead; he cannot appear in any future storylines, except for flashbacks.

- The painting was shown several episodes before Knox died and the President entered the story.

- Arthur Petrelli is dead, yet he also seems to appear in the painting.

- The President may have nothing to do with the painting; they belong to different story arcs.
- Knox, Flint, Arthur, and Sylar were meant to be the four villains that Hiro sees in his spirit walk after seeing the painting, although Knox's story was cut from the show.
- The President was not involved with Pinehearst.

- The President got involved after Pinehearst was taken down.