‘Heroes’ attempts Comic-Con comeback

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- After a five-year hiatus, "Heroes" is soaring into Comic-Con to win back fans.

The superhero series about everyday folks with extraordinary powers debuted at the pop-culture convention nine years ago and went on to become a TV phenomenon. The show ran for four seasons before it was killed off by NBC following steep declines in viewership.

"Heroes" creator Tim Kring launched a Sunday session at Comic-Con featuring the cast of the upcoming follow-up series "Heroes Reborn" by directly addressing the show's fans.

"For those people who stuck with it and watched every single episode, you have my undying gratitude," Kring said. "For those of you along the way who maybe grew a little tired because you perceived that perhaps the show grew a little tired, I really only have one thing to say about that."

The cast and crew had "a long rest, a good night's sleep," and they're "ready to save the world again," he said.

Kring was joined on stage by returning "Heroes" stars Greg Grunberg, Jack Coleman, Jimmy Jean-Louis and Masi Oka, as well as such newcomers as Zachary Levi, Robbie Kay, Ryan Guzman and Gatlin Green.

"Heroes Reborn" is set five years after "Heroes" ended and will focus on super-humans - or EVOs, as they were called in footage shown Sunday - living in hiding to avoid persecution by society.

"This is `Heroes' on steroids," said Grunberg, who is reprising his role as mind-reading detective Matt Parkman in "Heroes Reborn."

"Chuck" star Zachary Levi has joined the cast as a gun-toting villain named Luke Collins. He's apparently hunting EVOs. In a scene from a "Heroes Reborn" trailer, his character is standing over a pile of bodies with a gun in his hand.

"Luke is very tortured guy," Levi said. "He's gone down a very dark path in his very twisted relationship with his wife. They've been very hurt by something that's happened."

The panel ended with footage of Masi Oka's Hiro wielding two swords to save Sendhil Ramamurthy's Mohinder from a baddie with the apparent ability to duplicate his body.

"Heroes Reborn" debuts Sept. 24 on NBC.

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