Rumors continue to circulate that Claire Bennet will be involved in a semi-lesbian storyline next season on Heroes.

As you might expect, this doesn't exactly raise our hopes over the prospects of improvement for the series.

In a recent interview with MTV News, Hayden Panettierre doesn't touch on this subject. Instead, she focuses on a new set of characters that will infiltrate Heroes in the fall.

"The next season of Heroes has a lot of characters that are coming in. There's something called The Carnival... which is kind of the opposite of what The Company was. There's a lot of new, cool characters."

Claire, of course, will be a college freshman when the new season kicks off. But don't expect her to wave any pom poms.

“She’s trying out this new life and trying to figure out how to fit in,” said Panettiere. “I don’t know that I will ever put on a cheerleading outfit again!”

Save the Cheerleader, Save the World? Never again! Hayden Panettierre has bid farewell to uniforms such as these.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.