Is Claire Bennet Dead? 'Heroes Reborn' Theories About The Cheerleader's Fate

Noah Bennet (Jack Coleman) wants to know what happened to his daughter Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere) on NBC's "Heroes Reborn." The girl with the incredible healing power that was last scene showing off her ability to the world has been nowhere to be found in the "Heroes" reboot ... and Noah believes she was killed.

Claire's name has popped up in every episode on "Heroes Reborn" so far, but very little has been answered as to what her fate is. Some believe she is dead, while others still feel there is hope that the "Heroes" fan-favorite is still alive and will make a surprise cameo before the season is over. Here are three reasons Claire may be alive ... and three reasons why she may be dead.

Claire is Alive

1. Her power: Based on Claire's ability alone it's really hard to see how she can really be dead. Claire had the ability to regenerate any tissue in her body, meaning she can basically heal herself after whatever injury she may suffer. Sylar (Zachary Quinto), a former character on "Heroes," said Claire would never die because of her ability.

2. No definite body has turned up: Episode 3 showed Bennet at a hospital looking at a body he thought could possibly be Claire's. However, her face was never shown, so it may be he was looking at someone else's body. Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka) was seen in the security footage along with Noah, so Hiro could give Noah some insight and answer the audience's questions in episode 6.

3. She supposedly wasn't at the summit: During the "Heroes Reborn" premiere Bennet and Quentin (Henry Zebrowski) were looking for documents when they found a list of evos who were not present at the summit the day of the terrorist attack. On the list it said Claire was not in attendance that day. So if Claire wasn't there on June 13, does that mean she's still out there?

Claire is Dead

1. Panettiere wasn't asked back: In an interview with Cosmopolitan in 2014, Panettiere said she wasn't asked back to the show by NBC. "It's a little bit of an interesting feeling because you go, "That was our show, our home, our family," something that we had a major part in creating as well, and, I mean, I hope that they don't have somebody else playing our characters, that would be a little dagger in the heart. But, you never know. I wish them success in it, for sure."

Panettiere is currently a lead on ABC's "Nashville" and also now has a baby, so it's very possible the actress simply didn't have the time to return to the show.

2. There was a way Claire could die: Although Sylar told Claire there was no way to kill her. "Heroes" writers Aron Coliete & Joe Pokaski told Comic Book Resources in September 2008 that Claire can be killed as can any hero. "Decapitation does a pretty good job. We think Sylar was just f------ with Claire," they dished. There is also the idea that if she's burned she might not come back, but she has survived nuclear explosions before.

3. Renautas: Just as Primatech/The Company was a powerful entity throughout the original "Heroes." The new company Renautas is proving to be just a ruthless, which gets whatever evo they are after. It's possible Renautas wanted Claire like they did Molly (Francesa Eastwood) to create a weapon, which could be what Bennet can't remember. We've also seen their ability to get their hands on valuable weapons, like Hiro's sword.

Fans will hopefully learn the fate of Claire by the time the show's finale rolls around. "Heroes Reborn" airs Thursdays on NBC at 8 p.m. EDT.