| Claire Bennet | |
|---|---|
| Heroes character | |
 Hayden Panettiere as Claire Bennet. | |
| First appearance | "Genesis" |
| Last appearance | "Brave New World" |
| Portrayed by | Hayden Panettiere |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | "The Cheerleader" "Claire Bear" |
| Children | Tommy Clark Malina Bennet |
| Relatives | Nathan Petrelli (father) Meredith Gordon (mother) Lyle Bennet (adoptive brother) Noah Bennet (adoptive father) Peter Petrelli (paternal uncle) Angela Petrelli (paternal grandmother) |
| Ability | Rapid cellular regeneration |
Claire Bennet is a fictional character in the NBC psychological thriller superhero drama series Heroes. She is portrayed by Hayden Panettiere and first appeared on television in the pilot episode of the series, "Genesis", on September 25, 2006. She is a high school cheerleader with the power of rapid cellular regeneration. Claire appears in more episodes than any other character (72, plus a 73rd through stock footage). In Heroes Reborn, she dies while giving birth to Malina and Tommy.
Thanks to her power, she has an incredibly high pain tolerance; Claire states in "The Butterfly Effect" that, when injured, she feels pain just as severe as anyone else who was injured in such a way, but her power quickly deadens pain. When asked about this, series writers Joe Pokaski and Aron Coleite would only comment that she "feels pain, but not the way most of us do."[1] Claire, describing her response to pain to West, says "I feel pain; I just get over it quickly."[2] Between her tolerance for pain and seemingly unlimited healing potential, Hayden Panettiere compares her character to the X-Men character Wolverine, although she is "less hairy and without claws."[3] Since having her brain examined by Sylar, Claire has stated that she no longer feels physical pain of any kind.[citation needed]
- ^ "Behind the Eclipse: Episode 7". Comic Book Resources. November 7, 2006. Retrieved December 4, 2006.
- ^ "Kindred". Heroes. Season 2. Episode 3. October 8, 2007.
- ^ Douglas, Edward (August 7, 2006). "Exclusive: Heroes' Hayden Panettiere". SuperHeroHype. Retrieved March 1, 2022.