Heroes is back!

However, the show hit its stride once again in the second half of the last season and delivered a blistering finale that saw fan favourite Nathan Petrelli brutally killed by the evil Sylar.

Psychic cop Matt Parkman put Nathan's memories into Sylar's head, forced him to change his appearance, and effectively resurrected the deceased senator.

However, as the teaser at the end of the last series revealed, Sylar's personality may not have been buried deep enough and, as usual, dark times may be ahead.

While the plot might seem impenetrable to non-fans, the start of this latest series actually does a fairly decent job of resolving old storylines while introducing new ones - and you can rest assured that one of the first things the series deals with is just how

Nathan is getting by, unaware he is actually dead and walking around in Sylar's body.

This new series marks the beginning of Volume Five: Redemption, a new chapter in the story that sees some of the heroes trying to regain some sense of normality following recent events.

The show is very much back on form, and the fourth series sees both the arrival of some interesting new characters as well as the unexpected return of some old favourites.

One new face is former Prison Break star Robert Knepper, who joins the cast in the opening episode as the enigmatic Samuel.

Is he this year's big villain or perhaps a new hero, or does he have another part to play?

"People ask if he's a good guy or a bad guy, and it's more complicated than that,"
Knepper told Digital Spy. "You can't just put him in a little niche there. I love the mystery of it. I didn't even know when we started exactly why he was doing what he did."
Samuel is the leader of a travelling carnival of super-powered performers who, in this first instalment, seems intent on finding others with abilities and bringing them into his fold.

However, some of the characters would rather leave their powers behind them.

Claire has gone off to college, hoping to start a normal life, while her father Noah is trying to distance himself from Angela's plans to rebuild the Company.

Unfortunately, things don't go to plan for either of them when Claire discovers she can't hide her past as easily as she would like and Noah is confronted by a vengeful Tracy.

Meanwhile, Nathan begins to suspect something is seriously wrong when Sylar's abilities begin to reassert themselves, but will he discover his true identity?