Heroes: Eclipsed, a reboot of the 2006 Heroes TV series, is in the works, but it will only be worth it if two of its most essential characters return. Heroes was unfortunately canceled after its fourth season in 2010, leaving many vital storylines unresolved. The franchise attempted a reboot in 2015 called Heroes: Reborn, but the show did nothing to tie up the loose ends its predecessor left, and it was nearly immediately canceled as well. Now, Heroes: Eclipsed has the opportunity to prove that it has learned from past mistakes, and if it is ever to be successful, there are some absolute necessities.
The original Heroes series was created by Tim Kring and followed a group of strangers of various ages and backgrounds who suddenly found themselves with powers. Each had to decide how they would use their new gifts, for better or worse, and before long, several chaotic conflicts and mysteries broke out. Characters like Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere), Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia), and Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka) were the heart and soul of Heroes, which is a fact Heroes: Reborn seemed to have forgotten. Now, the upcoming Heroes: Eclipsed can set everything right.
The new Heroes reboot’s story could feasibly be about anything. More than likely, there will be new characters who will get thrilling and sometimes dangerous new powers, just as in other Heroes installments. There’s sure to be political intrigue, nefarious villains, and the never-ending battle between good and evil—both in the world and in the characters’ hearts. It will be exciting to see what Kring comes up with, but whatever it is, it must include the characters Claire and Peter.
The overarching idea of “destiny” that drove the plot of the original Heroes revolved extensively around Panettiere and Ventimiglia’s characters. Claire and Peter were the definitive forces of good and required the most significant emotional investment from audiences. While it would be great to see as many original Heroes characters as possible, Heroes: Eclipsed simply wouldn’t feel like an organic part of the franchise without these two protagonists. 2015’s Heroes: Reborn proved this.
The plot of Heroes: Reborn revolved mostly around new characters, with most of those who carried over from the original series being only minor characters. The series, which only got through season 1 before it was canceled, was led by Claire’s adoptive father, Noah Bennet (Jack Coleman), and this wasn’t a strong enough hook to pull original fans back in. Though Heroes: Reborn did address Claire and Peter’s stories, their respective endings after Heroes season 4’s cliffhanger weren’t satisfying, and the characters themselves never appeared.
Though this would be forgivable if the actors hadn’t been available, Ventimiglia revealed that he had been approached to return to Heroes: Reborn but that he felt that the script used Peter as bait to draw audiences back to the series without delivering on anything of substance with his character. This implies that the 2015 sequel was written without the original Heroes characters in mind, and that didn’t work out. Ventimiglia said, “It felt like the powers that be believed that the creative was bigger than the characters,” which was a fatal mistake.
Peter and Claire are a must for Heroes: Eclipsed, but bringing their characters back is easier said than done. Heroes: Reborn revealed that, sometime after announcing the existence of evolved humans at the end of Heroes season 4, Claire died while giving birth. On the other hand, Peter survived the events of the 2015 spinoff series but didn’t appear because he was busy leading a group of evolveds to save the world. Though this ending allows Peter to return for another reboot, knowing Claire’s fate would put quite a damper on the new story.
Of course, as a sci-fi series, Heroes: Eclipsed can get away with throwing the previous canon story out the window. Any story involving time travel can undo a timeline and start over, which may be the best way to move forward with the new series. Heroes: Eclipsed can simply pick up in a timeline in which Claire either didn’t have children or survived their births, which would likely mean that Peter would stay in the picture as well. Sure, this would require a little explanation, but with some imagination, Heroes: Eclipsed can easily bring back these essential characters.