TVSquad

I'm eagerly anticipating Zachary Quinto's return to Heroes as Sylar after watching Star Trek. Now, producer Tim Kring is getting my hopes up for the show's fourth season, which he says will explore some classic and intriguing superhero themes.

Kring recently revealed some details about the show's upcoming plots and themes in his latest "Heroes All Access" newsletter. We have the scoop on what Claire, Peter, Nathan/Sylar and HRG will be up to when the show returns to NBC in the fall.

Click through for spoilers.

Kring writes "One of the big issues we'll be exploring is how should a person with abilities live his or her life. Should they try to assimilate by hiding their abilities, or should they live more honestly, exposing their powers to the world?"

I like that Heroes is going back to this basic idea. It seems appropriate, considering that most of the major characters have grown accustomed to their powers and have traveled throughout time and space. It's time to see how they adjust to living in the here and now after learning more about themselves and their abilities.

Kring says Claire will be at the "forefront" of this issue. She'll be attending college in D.C. and dealing with her parents' split and a "mysterious" suicide on campus. (Hmmm, wonder if that has anything to do with her "quirky" new roommate played by Madeline Zima?)

According to Kring, Peter Petrelli will be puling a Dark Knight by saving people in need but cutting himself off from his family and friends – until he finds a "powerful" new love interest.

As we reported last month, Quinto's Sylar will eventually burst out of his Nathan Petrelli shell, and Matt Parkman's role in capturing Sylar will make it "impossible" for him to live a normal life with his wife and baby Matt Parkman. (Please Syler, don't kill Greg Grunberg!)

My guess is that Sylar will soon set his sights on Angela Petrelli and HRG, who will be busy forming a kinder, gentler version of the Company. They'll be reaching out to people with abilities to lure them away from a rival faction that sounds a bit like The Brotherhood from the X-Men comics.

Kring didn't offer any spoilers about Hiro and Ando, but Masi Oka has said that Hiro probably won't be time traveling when the series returns. Also, no word on the return of the Ando-Cycle.