Heroes Reborn is gearing up for a splashy premiere over at NBC. We’ve seen footage and know a bit about the new and returning cast, as well. This week at the TCA summer press tour, Heroes Reborn creator Tim Kring admitted that one fan favorite won’t be returning, because she’s very, very dead. Apparently, Hayden Panettiere’s character died sometime before the events in the revival pick up.
Heroes Reborn will start out a whole lot bleaker than the original series. A terrorist attack has wiped out Odessa, Texas a year before the events in the show. Interestingly, The Wrap reports that Kring is also saying Claire died one year before the events in Heroes: Reborn take place. Following the terrorist attack, those with special abilities were blamed for the incident and many specials have gone into hiding (or have even died). Claire’s father, Noah Bennett, will be returning and the official plot summary from NBC indicates he will work with a conspiracy theorist to determine what really happened in Odessa.
It’s more than a little shocking that a character known for her regenerative abilities has been killed off, but it makes sense, considering the comments Panettiere has made in the time after the project was announced. Panettiere revealed that she “hadn’t been asked” back to the NBC drama. At the time, I assumed that this may have had to do with her demanding schedule over at ABC, where she plays a lead in the drama Nashville. Now, it seems her character may have always been considered the catalyst to the events that will occur during Heroes Reborn, which we’ve already seen footage from.
The last time we saw Claire Bennett was at the end of the Season 4—and series—finale. In that episode, she stood on a ferris wheel in front of a slew of reporters and jumped, showing off her amazing regenerative abilities and revealing the heroes to the world. Clearly that public display has had ramifications in the time since, for herself and others with special abilities. And Kring also revealed that Claire’s death is what is fueling her father, Noah, to look into the Odessa attack.
Heroes Reborn is getting a huge push by NBC this season. If you’re interested in checking the revival out, you can catch new episodes on Thursday, September 24 at 8 p.m. ET. For more premiere dates, take a look at our fall TV premiere schedule.
