Word of NBC’s “Heroes: Reborn” may be drowned out by groans, but if done right it could be the reboot of something special.

After a teaser aired, the Internet was ablaze with the fandom clashing on whether “Heroes: Reborn” was the best idea. Would revisiting old characters be best, or does the series need a breath of fresh air? I know I’m tired of the stale, “Save the cheerleader, save the world.”

The only way I could return to this sinking ship would be with Zachary Quinto, who has expressed little interest in returning to the series. His character, Sylar, was mentally twisted with superhuman capabilities, yet Quinto made him all too human. The lack of this actor alone makes me question the series’ return.

This Quinto problem stretches further than his absence. Jack Coleman, Adrian Pasdar and Sendhil Ramamurthy showed talent, bringing different sides of humanity — dark and dangerous — to the series. But the cast was trapped in Quinto’s shadow. The reboot has a strong chance of failing from the same issue.

This puts the writers in a bad position only if Quinto does come back. The shoes seem almost too big to fill without him.

As the show makes its return next year I hope to see it taken in an entirely new direction. Scrap whatever eminence of season four you can find and start anew.

Starting the mini-series before the events of season one can go a long way. Seeing ordinary lives of people being changed by emerging super powers may be interesting, but it’s been overdone.

It’s time for the series to focus on one character’s struggle with superhuman life. Dropping in on a weary, super-powered individual going through his daily pressures could bring much-needed change to the tired series.

Kring, though, may fear isolating the old audience with new characters. If he must decide to bring anyone back from the prior series, I cast my vote for invisible man Claude played by Christopher Eccleston.

Claude was one of the most mysterious and engaging characters of season one. He was a man with the power of invisibility on the run from The Company, whom he used to be an agent of.

Catching up with this dead man on the run would bring me back to the show.