Are we ready for our Heroes to become Villains?

“In every hero there could be a villain.”

Fans of Heroes beware. As the above eight words suggest, our favourite gang of ordinary people with extraordinary abilities are about to turn nasty.

After a chapter of the good, Genesis (which saw them save the world), and a chapter of the bad, Generations (where they again scrambled to save the planet, this time from a highly contagious virus), things are about to turn ugly - our Heroes are set to become villains. But the question is: are we ready?

Like its two predecessors, the next chapter in the Heroes series, Villains, which begins on Wednesday (October 1st), arrives not without a hint of expectation. Like thousands of other fans who have followed the adventures of the Petrelli brothers and co since the show first began in America in 2006, I have spent much of the summer scouring the Internet for spoilers.

Our first clue about Villains came during the finale of Generations. In a dark alley, Sylar (Zachary Quinto), after a series of relative superhero impotence, regained his ability to absorb the powers of others. And soon after the chapter’s conclusion, the aforementioned strap line – “In every hero there could be a villain” – appeared in a short teaser for Chapter three which also projected the words “Hero” and “Villain” over various characters’ faces. Ever since, the Internet has been awash with rumours – aided largely by programme creator Tim Kring, who seems incapable of keeping stum – as to what Villains will have in store.

Some fans, for whom speculating about the show seems almost as invigorating as actually watching it, believe Villains will the making of the show, while for others it’s all become a bit too much already. “This is confusing,” wrote one anxious person of some leaked pictures apparently taken on the Heroes set. “I need to start staying away from the spoilers.”

Throughout this period, I’ve tended to maintain a degree of caution as well. I like my heroes - so why should I have to watch them turn against each other?

Well, as many of comic books that Heroes so skilfully re-imagines show, those blessed with special abilities more often than not develop an urge to experiment with them. Everyone from Batman to other, more merciless anti-heroes such as Marvel Comic’s Namor the Sub-Mariner possessed an irrefutable dark side. And the reality is that Villains has been bubbling under the surface since the beginning.

After experimenting with evil of Sylar in Genesis, Kring and his team of writers explored the notion that superheroes weren’t just a force for good in more detail in Generations. Although cut short due to the WGA Writer’s strike, the chapter focussed on the links between the Company - a secret organisation which tracks down and then studies those blessed with extra ordinary powers - and our heroes, many of whom grew restless with their abilities as the series progressed.

If the teaser is to be believed, in Chapter Three this agitation will see a number of the show’s main characters step over to the dark side. While that’s a tantalising thought for some, spare a thought for those who still believe that sparing the life of a cheerleader will save the world. Or is that just me?