As September 24 grows ever closer, many Heroes addicts grow ever more impatient. Are Nathan and Peter still alive? What’s going to happen with Hiro? Will the Bennets adjust as their “hero life” is seemingly over? What about Sylar? Is he alive, but mortally wounded? And, since Tim Kring & Co. so obviously dropped a hint about the villian for this season, what’s up with the person who’s worse than “the boogyman?”

But for the rest of us, we haven’t been following the comics posted on NBC. We’ve barely given a thought to the series since the season finale, except for the few reruns we might have caught. So then, with the first episode of the season only days away, why happened our heroes (and villains) last time we saw them?

Claire Bennet

Self-Healing
Alive

Peter and Claire are together until Nathan and Angela intercept them, taking Claire. Claire escapes, going to Kirby Plaza where she finds her adoptive father and Peter. As Peter begins to explode, Claire prepares to shoot him to stop the explosion, but she cannot do so. Nathan appears from the sky and flies Peter into the atmosphere, allowing him to explode without harm to anyone on the ground. Claire and Mr. Bennet, sobered, discuss returning home to their family.

Noah Bennet

No Power
Alive

Mr. Bennet realizes that the tracking system is little girl (Molly) with the power to find anyone. They use her to find Peter. Peter and Mr. Bennet arrive at Kirby Plaza, where Sylar throws Mr. Bennet into a wall, wounding him. After Nathan saves everyone, Mr. Bennet and Claire talk about going home to their family.

D.L. Hawkins

Phasing
Alive

After taking a bullet for Jessica and killing Linderman, D.L. stumbles through the episode until arriving at Kirby Plaza where he watches the events unfold. Although he took a shot to the gut, he doesn’t appear to be mortally wounded.

Hiro Nakamura

Manipulation of space/time
Alive

After training with his father, Hiro realizes that Ando has left to kill Sylar himself. After saving Ando from Sylar, he teleports alone to Kirby Plaza, taking Ando’s sword. He stabs Sylar, causing Sylar to fall to the ground. With his last bit of strength, Sylar telekenetically pushes Hiro into the air, intending to slam him into a building. At the last second, Hiro teleports randomly, ending up in Kyoto, Japan in 1671 between two horseback warriors. Before they can battle however, a solar eclipse appears.

Matt Parkman

Telepathy
Alive, for now

When Matt learns that the tracking system is Molly Walker, he uses it to track Sylar to Kirby Plaza. Matt shoots Sylar multiple times, but Sylar stops the bullets mid-air, flinging them back at Matt. Matt collapses, and after Peter explodes, Matt is taken away by EMTs, unconscious.

Nathan Petrelli

Flight
Dead?

Nathan, convinced that he is needed to reunite the United States after the bomb, intercepts Claire to protect her from it. After losing her, he flies to Kirby Plaza where he flies Peter into the atmosphere, allowing him to explode without killing millions of people. Presumably, Nathan has died because of the explosion, but it has not been confirmed in the show.

Peter Petrelli

Duplicates the powers of others
Alive?

After Peter loses Claire to Nathan and his mother, he runs into an alley and begins to glow before blacking out. He is awoken by Mr. Bennet, and they go to Kirby Plaza, where he confronts Sylar. He punches Sylar several times before he begins to explode. Nathan flies him into the atmosphere, where he explodes. Presumably, Peter is still alive because of Claire’s regenerative powers, but it hasn’t been shown.

Micah Sanders

Technopath
Alive

Micah is reunited with his family. He repairs an elevator, allowing them, as well as Mohinder and Molly, to escape from the building. They travel to Kirby Plaza and watch the events unfold. Before Niki can truly help Peter with Sylar, Micah calls her back.

Niki Sanders

Super-strength
Alive

After D.L. kills Linderman, Niki and D.L. escape from Linderman’s guards. Niki leaves D.L. by an elevator while trying to find Micah. She enters a room to find herself, who she presumes to be her alter-ego, Jessica. Jessica shows her that Micah is dead, and Niki punches Jessica, who transforms back into Candice, a shape-shifter. Niki finds the real Micah, and they, along with D.L., Mohinder, and Molly go to Kirby Plaza. Niki grabs a parking meter and slams Sylar with it, but Micah calls her back. She watches with her family as the events unfold.

Mohinder Suresh

No Power
Alive

Protecting Molly, Mohinder confronts Mr. Bennet and Matt before they realize they that Molly can be used to find Sylar. They do so, and after Mr. Bennet and Matt leave, Mohinder and Molly meet up with D.L., Niki, and Micah. They go to Kirby Plaza, where they watch the events unfold.

Ted Sprague

Radioactivity
Dead

Dead before the season finale, Ted still plays an important part. Ted is with Peter and Claire, and they plan to go to Nebraska to prevent the explosion. Slyar overhears their conversation, however, and informs the FBI of Ted’s location. They capture him, and in transit to a prison, Sylar raids the car, killing Ted and stealing his power.

Sylar

Intuition, steals others powers by killing them
Alive?

After Hiro saves Ando from Sylar, Sylar goes to Kirby Plaza, where he fights Peter. Peter begins to explode, but before anything happens, Hiro appears and stabs Sylar. Sylar collapses and throws Hiro into a building, which he narrowly misses because he teleports. Sylar is seemingly dead until the camera pans to where his body was, a trail of smudged blood leading to a manhole.