{"id":2097830,"date":"2026-08-17T16:21:44","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T13:21:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2097830"},"modified":"2026-08-17T16:21:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-17T13:21:44","slug":"hayden-panettieres-heroes-character-claire-bennet-is-an-underrated-sci-fi-icon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2097830","title":{"rendered":"Hayden Panettiere\u2019s \u2018Heroes\u2019 character Claire Bennet is an underrated sci-fi icon"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Hayden_Panettiere_Heroes.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-2947849\" class=\"post-2947849 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_71 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>Features<\/span><span>TV Features<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_72 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_72\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Hayden Panettiere\u2019s \u2018Heroes\u2019 character Claire Bennet is an underrated sci-fi icon<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_73 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_73\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>Remembering the actress, who has died aged 36, and her stirring signature role<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_75 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_75\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Nick Levine<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-08-17T17:21:44+01:00\">17th August 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_77\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_78  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_80  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_81 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"696\" height=\"442\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Hayden_Panettiere_Heroes-696x442.jpg\" alt=\"Hayden Panettiere\" title=\"Hayden_Panettiere_Heroes\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">Hayden Panettiere during her run as Claire Bennet in &#8216;Heroes&#8217; in the mid 2000s. CREDIT: Charley Gallay\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_82\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_83  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p><strong class=\"dropcap big-read-dropcap\">F<\/strong>or a couple of years in the late-2000s, <em>Heroes<\/em> was the coolest superhero show on TV \u2013 and Hayden Panettiere was its breakout star. The show\u2019s premise sounds less fresh in the post-MCU era \u2013 it basically followed a motley crew of supposed normies struggling to cope with their superhuman powers \u2013 but the execution was initially superb. The first season, which launched on NBC in 2006, benefited from concise characterisation, rich world-building and the sort of impressive special effects that you just didn\u2019t get on network TV back then.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Read more:<\/strong> Hayden Panettiere, \u2018Heroes\u2019 and \u2018Scream\u2019 star, has died aged 36<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Panettiere, who has died aged 36, played a high school cheerleader called Claire Bennet who discovers she possesses the power of rapid regeneration. When she cuts her thumb with a knife, the wound will heal within seconds. When she jumps off a tall building, any bones she breaks will fix themselves in a matter of minutes. Claire looked like the archetypal All-American girl, but her impact would be felt way beyond the bleachers. \u201cI like to think of myself as just a girl who happens to have powers,\u201d she said in a much later episode. \u201cAnd it\u2019s just one thing in a list of attributes: loyal, friendly, regenerative, good skin, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Panettiere was just 17 when <em>Heroes<\/em> premiered \u2013 she was an actual teenager playing a teenager, a rarity on TV at the time \u2013 and imbued her character with guts, grit and youthful exuberance. In that sensational first season, Claire spent much of her downtime getting her best friend Zach (Thomas Dekker) to document her regenerative powers on video camera. She was already smart enough to know that she\u2019d need receipts further down the line.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lyle Discovers Claire's Power | Heroes\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fGkYvxjH_24?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>Claire was also absolutely integral to the show\u2019s overarching narrative. Back in 2006, the mantra-like line \u201csave the cheerleader, save the world\u201d became part of <em>Heroes<\/em> lore as it was uttered by various characters at various points in the story. Nowadays, it would probably become a meme.<\/p>\n<p><em>Heroes <\/em>started to stutter during its second season, when it got bogged down in its own mythology and swapped zesty storytelling for relentless sombreness, but Claire remained a standout character until it was finally axed in 2010. Sadly, and a little bafflingly, she wasn\u2019t part of the 2015 follow-up series <em>Heroes Reborn<\/em>. Panettiere said she only heard about this short-lived reboot when a family member sent her a text.<\/p>\n<p>In May of this year, while promoting her admirably candid memoir, <em>This Is Me<\/em>, Panettiere spoke unsentimentally about the show\u2019s rapid demise. \u201cI mean, I would love to do a show that was good all the way through,\u201d she told The Independent. \u201c<em>Heroes<\/em> was incredible in the first season, but you\u2019re signed up for six years \u2013 you never know what it\u2019ll become.\u201d By this point, Panettiere was a seasoned industry veteran and then some. \u00a0Panettiere, the daughter of an ambitious soap opera actress from whom she later became estranged, booked her first TV commercial when she was just 11 months old.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Claire Can't Feel Pain | Heroes\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/a4IMgcfdx7s?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>She had high-profile roles after <em>Heroes<\/em> \u2013 starring opposite Connie Britton in the sudsy country music drama <em>Nashville<\/em> (2012-2018) and popped up in three <em>Scream<\/em> movies including 2023\u2019s excellent <i>Scream 6. <\/i>She also spoke without self-pity about the many cruel challenges life threw her way, including losing custody of her daughter, Kaya, and struggling with postpartum depression and alcohol and drug addiction. Panettiere\u2019s younger brother Jansen, who also suffered with substance abuse issues, died in 2023 aged 28. But on screen and in the collective psyche, <em>Heroes<\/em> will remain the cornerstone of her legacy. Panettiere never tried to hide her human frailties but she\u2019ll be remembered, with poignant irony, for playing someone who seemed indestructible.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_88\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_content td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_89  wpb_row td-pb-row tdc-element-style\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_91  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td-block td-a-rec td-a-rec-id-custom-spot tdi_92 td_block_template_2\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_93\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_94  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_96  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_98  vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_100  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_102 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>More Stories<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_103 td-pb-border-top td_module_flex_1--card td_module_flex_1--card--highlight td_block_template_2 tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_103\">\n<div id=\"tdi_103\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Fatboy Slim to reissue seminal debut album \u2018Better Living Through Chemistry\u2019<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Features<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Green Day\u2019s Tr\u00e9 Cool knows you want a biopic \u2013 but \u2018Nimrods\u2019 will do for now<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Features<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Hayden Panettiere\u2019s \u2018Heroes\u2019 character Claire Bennet is an underrated sci-fi icon<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Beatport is now banning fully AI-generated songs<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Film News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Bruce Willis makes rare appearance at daughter Tallulah\u2019s wedding<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Gaming News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">\u2018Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4\u2019 beta to feature full campaign mission for first time in series<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_104\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_105  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_107  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_109 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/article>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p><strong class=\"dropcap big-read-dropcap\">F<\/strong>or a couple of years in the late-2000s, <em>Heroes<\/em> was the coolest superhero show on TV \u2013 and Hayden Panettiere was its breakout star. The show\u2019s premise sounds less fresh in the post-MCU era \u2013 it basically followed a motley crew of supposed normies struggling to cope with their superhuman powers \u2013 but the execution was initially superb. The first season, which launched on NBC in 2006, benefited from concise characterisation, rich world-building and the sort of impressive special effects that you just didn\u2019t get on network TV back then.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Read more:<\/strong> Hayden Panettiere, \u2018Heroes\u2019 and \u2018Scream\u2019 star, has died aged 36<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Panettiere, who has died aged 36, played a high school cheerleader called Claire Bennet who discovers she possesses the power of rapid regeneration. When she cuts her thumb with a knife, the wound will heal within seconds. When she jumps off a tall building, any bones she breaks will fix themselves in a matter of minutes. Claire looked like the archetypal All-American girl, but her impact would be felt way beyond the bleachers. \u201cI like to think of myself as just a girl who happens to have powers,\u201d she said in a much later episode. \u201cAnd it\u2019s just one thing in a list of attributes: loyal, friendly, regenerative, good skin, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Panettiere was just 17 when <em>Heroes<\/em> premiered \u2013 she was an actual teenager playing a teenager, a rarity on TV at the time \u2013 and imbued her character with guts, grit and youthful exuberance. In that sensational first season, Claire spent much of her downtime getting her best friend Zach (Thomas Dekker) to document her regenerative powers on video camera. She was already smart enough to know that she\u2019d need receipts further down the line.<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Lyle Discovers Claire's Power | Heroes\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fGkYvxjH_24?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>Claire was also absolutely integral to the show\u2019s overarching narrative. Back in 2006, the mantra-like line \u201csave the cheerleader, save the world\u201d became part of <em>Heroes<\/em> lore as it was uttered by various characters at various points in the story. Nowadays, it would probably become a meme.<\/p>\n<p><em>Heroes <\/em>started to stutter during its second season, when it got bogged down in its own mythology and swapped zesty storytelling for relentless sombreness, but Claire remained a standout character until it was finally axed in 2010. Sadly, and a little bafflingly, she wasn\u2019t part of the 2015 follow-up series <em>Heroes Reborn<\/em>. Panettiere said she only heard about this short-lived reboot when a family member sent her a text.<\/p>\n<p>In May of this year, while promoting her admirably candid memoir, <em>This Is Me<\/em>, Panettiere spoke unsentimentally about the show\u2019s rapid demise. \u201cI mean, I would love to do a show that was good all the way through,\u201d she told The Independent. \u201c<em>Heroes<\/em> was incredible in the first season, but you\u2019re signed up for six years \u2013 you never know what it\u2019ll become.\u201d By this point, Panettiere was a seasoned industry veteran and then some. \u00a0Panettiere, the daughter of an ambitious soap opera actress from whom she later became estranged, booked her first TV commercial when she was just 11 months old.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Claire Can't Feel Pain | Heroes\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/a4IMgcfdx7s?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>She had high-profile roles after <em>Heroes<\/em> \u2013 starring opposite Connie Britton in the sudsy country music drama <em>Nashville<\/em> (2012-2018) and popped up in three <em>Scream<\/em> movies including 2023\u2019s excellent <i>Scream 6. <\/i>She also spoke without self-pity about the many cruel challenges life threw her way, including losing custody of her daughter, Kaya, and struggling with postpartum depression and alcohol and drug addiction. Panettiere\u2019s younger brother Jansen, who also suffered with substance abuse issues, died in 2023 aged 28. But on screen and in the collective psyche, <em>Heroes<\/em> will remain the cornerstone of her legacy. Panettiere never tried to hide her human frailties but she\u2019ll be remembered, with poignant irony, for playing someone who seemed indestructible.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/features\/tv-features\/hayden-panettiere-heroes-claire-bennet-tribute-3963208&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Hayden_Panettiere_Heroes.jpg&#8221;] FeaturesTV Features Hayden Panettiere\u2019s \u2018Heroes\u2019 character Claire Bennet is an underrated sci-fi icon Remembering the actress, who has died aged 36, and her stirring signature role By Nick Levine 17th August 2026 Hayden Panettiere during her run as Claire Bennet in &#8216;Heroes&#8217; in the mid 2000s. CREDIT: Charley Gallay\/Getty Images For a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-2097830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2097830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2097830"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2097830\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2097830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2097830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2097830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}