Jack Coleman stars in “Heroes Reborn”

What makes a hero? Adoring fans? Billions of dollars to spend on nifty gadgets and weapons? A cape? According to NBC, none of the above. It's been five years since "Heroes" wrapped up its fourth season, but due to an overwhelming amount of support from fans and actors alike, the capeless crusaders will make their return in the form of a 13-part miniseries, aptly titled "Heroes Reborn." The series premiere airs Thursday, Sept. 24, on NBC.

A lot can change in five years. Reboots aside, it's rare to see a television show attempt to pick up where it last left off a few years down the road, let alone five. Five seems to be the magic number, which is something "Heroes" and "Heroes Reborn" creator Tim Kring recently explained to the Television Critics Association.

"I would actually say that it is season 10," he said during an NBC party for the TCA. "I know that sounds a little provocative, but the point is, one of the things that we talked about at the very beginning in the writers room was how we wanted every single bit of the mythology to feel as though there was a continuum from the show, and the show picks up five years later. So, ergo, it would be five seasons later and this would be season 10. That was the thinking."

"Heroes" originally ran for four seasons on NBC from 2006 to 2010 and gained a loyal following, but new fans to the series need not worry. The reboot serves as an ode to the loyal viewer but also as an open-arm gesture to new fans.

"The idea is that for the loyal viewer of the original series, we want to honor them, and they are rewarded for having been loyal fans of the show by seeing all kinds of things inside the show that other people may not see," Kring said. "There are a ton of Easter eggs, but it was really important to me and to the network -- it was never an argument -- we need to be able to say if you weren't a viewer of the show originally, you needed to have an on-ramp."

To the disappointment of many, three of the main characters from the original series will not return for "Heroes Reborn." Sylar (Zachary Quinto, "Star Trek," 2009), the main villain of "Heroes," will neither return nor be referred to. Over to the good guys, the series will be without Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia "Gotham"), the hero with the ability to absorb anyone's power. Additionally, Claire Bennett (Hayden Panettiere, "Nashville"), the invincible and nearly impossible-to-kill cheerleader (technically she can die if her brain is destroyed), will not be making her return -- but her father will.

The man with the horn-rimmed glasses, Noah Bennett (Jack Coleman, "The Office"), will be back in the saddle, however things have drastically changed since we last saw him. When the series kicks off, fans will see Noah attempt to live a quiet, suburban life after losing his adopted daughter, Claire, during a terrorist attack that wiped out all known people with abilities just one year earlier. Significant as it is, the show's producers and crew have been tight-lipped about the attack thus far but do have plans to explain the latest puzzle.

Zachary Levi as seen in “Heroes Reborn”

"There was an event that happened, which is a mystery," said Kring. "It's a big mystery because we all know that Claire shouldn't die. Don't know how, don't know why? We uncover a lot of that."

One new addition to "Heroes Reborn" is a man who is no stranger to the "Heroes" universe, though he never appeared in the original show. Zachary Levi, the star of NBC action-comedy series "Chuck," enters "Reborn" as Luke, a man whose sole purpose is to avenge the death of his daughter by any means necessary. After years of "Chuck" airing on the same nights as "Heroes," Levi is seeing his prayers answered.

"We were on Monday nights together," Levi told "Entertainment Weekly." "We had a lot of press tie-in things and I met all the cast [of 'Heroes'] and became friends with them. I was always looking from the outside in going: 'Man, wouldn't that be so cool to be on that show.' ... So when somebody sent me an article saying they're going to do a 'Heroes Reborn' miniseries, I was like: 'Sign me up!'"

Levi also said that his goal was to get away from the "Chuck" archetype, considering the first thing that typically comes to mind for most people is: "Oh, Chuck! That goofy, geeky techie-turned-top-secret super spy!"

"For me, my one big mandate was I wanted to play something that wasn't Chuck. I wanted to get away from that kind of archetype and do something that was darker and grittier and heavier -- and that's exactly what [Kring and I] found. It also still has a really unique dynamic kind of arc to the character and the journey that he's on."

Catch the series premiere of "Heroes Reborn" when it airs Thursday, Sept. 24, on NBC.