I am – Hercules!!

I fear for the second season of “Heroes,” which launches tonight. The brilliant Bryan Fuller, who created “Dead Like Me” and “Wonderfalls” before writing on “Heroes” last season, has gone off to ABC, where he serves as showrunner on his own creation, the hugely acclaimed “Pushing Daisies.” Staying behind on “Heroes” is the “Teen Wolf Too” team of series creator Tim Kring (“Crossing Jordan”) and “Smallville” vet Jeph Loeb.

Can they make it work without Fuller? You decide!

BEWARE SPOILERS FOR
TONIGHT'S EPISODE AND BEYOND!!!

The current Entertainment Weekly (the one with Hiro on the cover) contains an article authored by Jeff Jensen. It discusses season two of “Heroes.”

* Why didn’t Peter just fly into the sky by himself at the end of last season? An EW excerpt:

''It's all about Peter's mental state,'' says Ventimiglia. ''He was so focused on stopping this power coming up from within him, he couldn't tap into anything else.'' Coleman teasingly suggests that expectations may have blinded viewers to the possibility that Sylar was diabolically manipulating the entire denouement, from his apparent defeat to Peter's paralyzing meltdown. ''Maybe we needed to play that up some more,'' allows Coleman. ''But I think there was a slyness that some people missed.''

Other interesting info from Jensen’s piece:

* In perhaps another nod to “Watchmen,” somebody gets killed in 2.1 and the first half of season two is a murder mystery. (Hiro’s dad and Claire’s grandma seem to believe they’re targets as well. I’m guessing the worse-than-Sylar boogieman little Molly referenced last season is the culprit.)

* Peter starts the season locked away, and with amnesia.

* Nathan, believing Peter dead, has descended into alcoholism and starts the season with a giant beard.

* In sunnier Costa Verde, Calif. (which doubtlessly neighbors Neptune and Sunnydale), Claire comes to date another superhero (played by Nick D’Agosto, who also played Jan’s assistant on “The Office”).

* Papa Noah Bennet is going after his old bosses. (Possibly with the help of Sylar??)

* Mohinder, Matt and Molly the little mutant-finder are all living together. (With Matt’s pregnant wife?)

* Jessica/Niki gets a virus that only affects superheroes, presumably the one that killed Mohinder’s sister and vexes Molly.

* Molly’s “worse than Sylar” boogieman is identified in 2.5.

* Hiro, who gets busy with a princess, may not return to the present until 2.8.

* Many questions about the season-one cliffhanger will be answered in 2.8, titled “Four Months Ago.”

* Sylar leaves the series around 2.16 to play Spock in the movies but is expected to return at season’s end.

* We’ll discover that several mutants share the same superpowers.

* Stephen Tobolowski (Ned from “Groundhog Day”) is introduced as a Primatech boss.

* The characters introduced in next April’s spinoff “Heroes: Origins” could join the mother show or be spun off into their own series. For those who overlooked Harry’s post on Saturday (or Kring’s announcement on G4’s “Attack fo the Show” earlier in the week), big-screen writer-directors John August (“The Nines”), Michael Dougherty (“Trick ‘r Treat”), Kevin Smith (“Clerks II”) and Eli Roth (“Hostel”) will be among those creating “Origins” episodes.

Read all of the Jensen’s EW story here.

Details we knew previously:

* Kristen Bell, whose character may or may not be a lightning lass like Gwen Raiden, is slated to join the show with episode five. She’s to hang around for at least 13 episodes.

* It looks like Primatech might be behind the virus that killed Mohinder’s sister.

* Dominic Keating (“Enterprise”) plays a hero involved with mobsters in Ireland.

* Dania Ramierez (who played the mutant Callisto in “X-Men: The Last Stand”) plays a northbound Central American criminal named Maya with a dangerous power that works with her superpowered twin Aldjandro (Puerto Rican/Dominican actor Shalim Ortiz). Kind of like Jayna and Zan on “Super Friends.”

* David Anders (“Alias”) plays Hiro’s ancient Japanese idol, Takezo Kensei, who turns out to be a blonde, blue-eyed assassin with a British accent and a drinking problem. His real name may or may not be Kane. His superpower is revealed in 2.2; is he immortal?

* Ando will find himself shuttling between New York and Japan, where Hiro is presumably leaving him clues from 400 years in the past.

* Dana Davis (“The Nine”) will play Micah’s hot superpowered cousin Monica, who - post-Katrina - works in a New Orleans fast-food restaurant. Nichelle Nichols (“Star Trek”) will play Monica’s grandmother.

* Claire’s new boyfriend, who has the same superpower as her biological dad, seems to have encountered Claire’s adoptive dad in the past.

* Claire gets a new California cheerleading rival, May, played by Janel Parrish (“Bratz”) and a lesbian cheerleader pal named April.

* Claire and Nikijessica will finally meet.

* Jessica Collins (“The Nine”) will play a superpowered Primatech thug named Sophie. She speaks French.

* Kristen Bell’s character, Elle, has ties to both the Bennet and Petrelli families.

Behold NBC’s loglines for the first four episodes:

2.1 "FOUR MONTHS LATER..." - Sept. 24
AS THE EMMY-NOMINATED "HEROES" RETURNS, THE EXTRAORDINARY STRIVE TO BE ORDINARY FOUR MONTHS AFTER THE EXPLOSIVE EVENTS IN NEW YORK, BUT DEADLY NEW THREATS LOOM AS BRAND-NEW INDIVIDUALS WITH ABILITIES EMERGE WORLDWIDE -- WRITTEN BY EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/CREATOR TIM KRING AND DIRECTED BY EXECUTIVE PRODUCER GREG BEEMAN -- As the second volume of "Heroes" begins, the fates of Peter (Milo Ventimiglia), Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) and Matt (Greg Grunberg) are revealed, following the horrible showdown with Sylar (Zachary Quinto) and Peter's uncontrolled nuclear detonation miles above New York City. As everyone attempts to move on, a new sinister force begins stalking and murdering Heroes. With the family hiding in Southern California, H.R.G. (Jack Coleman) and Claire (Hayden Panettiere) attempt to live as inconspicuously as possible...which proves to be easier said than done. Meanwhile, after landing in feudal Japan, Hiro (Masi Oka) meets his hero Takezo Kensei (David Anders). Twins Maya (Dania Ramirez) and Alejandro Herrera (Shalim Ortiz) hope to make the crossing into the U.S. from Mexico, in hopes of finding help with their deadly abilities. Dana Davis, Noah Gray-Cabey, James Kyson Lee, Ali Larter, Sendhil Ramamurthy also star. Nick D'Agosto, Lyndsy Fonseca, Cristine Rose, Barry Shabaka Henley, George Takei, Eriko Tamura, Adair Tishler and Stephen Tobolowsky guest star.

2.2 "LIZARDS" - Oct. 1
AS MATT INVESIGATES THE DEATH OF ONE HERO, ANOTHER IS ATTACKED BY THIS NEW SINISTER FORCE STALKING THOSE WITH ABILITIES -- THE HAITIAN RETURNS -- DIRECTED BY EXECUTIVE PRODUCER ALLAN ARKUSH -- With one person dead, Matt (Greg Grunberg) enlists some unlikely help as the attacks continue on people with abilities. Claire's (Hayden Panettiere) efforts to hide her healing abilities at her new California high school are jeopardized by a fellow student with a secret of his own. As part of his new job, Dr. Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) must track down The Haitian (guest star Jimmy Jean-Louis). While crossing into Mexico, Maya (Dania Ramirez) and Alejandro's (Shalim Ortiz) abilities prove to be a threat to those around them. Meanwhile, disappointed by his hero Kensei (David Anders), Hiro (Masi Oka) resolves to rectify any damage his presence in feudal Japan has done to history. And another lost Hero falls in with a gang of Irish gangsters with clues to his past. Jack Coleman, Dana Davis, James Kyson Lee, Adrian Pasdar, Zachary Quinto, Milo Ventimiglia also star. Nick D'Agosto, Katie Carr, Ashley Crow, Cristine Rose, Barry Shabaka Henley, Dominic Keating, Holt McCallany, Eriko Tamura, Adair Tishler and Stephen Tobolowsky guest star.

2.3 "KINDRED" - Oct. 8
BOTH IN PAST AND PRESENT, SEVERAL HEROES MAKE SHOCKING DISCOVERIES -- NIKI AND MICAH RETURN -- Upon his return to New York, Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) is unnerved to find an undiscovered Issac Mendez painting that foretells death of someone close to him. Both Claire (Hayden Panettiere) and H.R.G. (Jack Coleman) pursue their own secret personal agendas. Determined to make it to the U.S., Maya (Dania Ramirez) uses her deadly abilities to free Alejandro (Shalim Ortiz) from a Mexican jail. Ando (James Kyson Lee) returns to his job in Japan and makes a happy discovery. Meanwhile, in Japan's past, just when Hiro (Masi Oka) had written off Kensei (David Anders), his childhood hero surprises him. Niki (Ali Larter) and Micah (Noah Gray-Cabey) leave Las Vegas in an attempt to start over. Later, Niki and a lost Hero individually strike shady bargains to reach their goals. Two familiar people with abilities make an unexpected return. Dana Davis, Noah Gray-Cabey, Greg Grunberg, Adrian Pasdar, Zachary Quinto, Milo Ventimiglia also star. Nick D'Agosto, Katie Carr, Ashley Crow, Cristine Rose, Barry Shabaka Henley, Dominic Keating, Holt McCallany, Eriko Tamura, Adair Tishler and Stephen Tobolowsky guest star.

2.4 "THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS" - Oct. 15
AS SECRETS ABOUT THE PREVIOUS GENERATION OF HEROES ARE REVEALED, A NEW HERO EMERGES IN POST-KATRINA NEW ORLEANS -- While taking care of her brother Damon (guest star Carlon Jeffery), grandmother Nana (guest star Nichelle Nichols) and cousin Micah (Noah Gray-Cabey) between shifts at a local fast food joint, Monica Dawson (Dana Davis) begins to exhibit some unexpected new abilities. Angela Petrelli (guest star Cristine Rose) makes a shocking confession as new information about the previous generation of Heroes is revealed. With Molly's (guest star Adair Tishler) "boogyman" continuing to turn her dreams into nightmares, Matt (Greg Grunberg) asks her to put aside her fears and locate him on a map -- with terrible results. Suspecting Claire (Hayden Panettiere) has a new boyfriend, H.R.G. (Jack Coleman) fears for the future. As they get closer to the U.S., Maya (Dania Ramirez) and Alejandro (Shalim Ortiz) make a grim discovery on the road. David Anders, James Kyson Lee, Masi Oka, Adrian Pasdar, Zachary Quinto, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Milo Ventimiglia also star. Randall Bentley, Ashley Crow, Barry Shabaka Henley and Jimmy Jean-Louis guest star.

9 p.m. Monday. NBC.

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