A heroic take on leather: Hayden Panettiere wears striking motorcycle jacket at Philadelphia Comic Con

PUBLISHED: 21:54, 2 June 2012 | UPDATED: 21:54, 2 June 2012

All the savviest actors know their most loyal fans are the geeks.

Which is precisely why Hayden Panettiere strapped on an electric blue motorcycle jacket and joined actors Chris Hemsworth, William Shatner, and Bruce Campbell at the annual Wizard World Comic Con in Philadelphia today.

Readying her autograph-signing hand, the 22-year-old Heroes star opted for a more casual look to greet tens of thousands of attendees with black jeans, dark brown riding boots, and her blonde hair in an elaborate braided crown.

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ComicCon heroine: Hayden Panettiere strapped on an electric blue motorcycle jacket and joined actors Chris Hemsworth, William Shatner, and Bruce Campbell at the Wizard World Comic Con in Philadelphia today

Hayden no doubt discussed her new role on the upcoming ABC musical drama pilot Nashville, her ongoing activism with multiple organizations, and her fan-favourite impervious cheerleader character in Heroes.

The 5ft 2in star has also gained geek cred by lending her voice to a number of Kingdom Hearts video games by Square Enix.

Celebrating the best in pop culture, Philly ComicCon boasts having the most-widely attended of fan conventions and other actors appearing this year are Melissa Joan Hart, Anthony Michael Hall, Jason Priestly, Patrick Stewart, Dean Cain, and special effects wizard Stan Lee.

Crown of braids: Readying her autograph-signing hand, the 22-year-old Heroes star opted for a more casual look to greet tens of thousands of attendees

The last time Hayden wore the striking blue leather jacket was earlier in May when she wore it over a white frilly dress and gold strappy heels as she left her hotel in New York's trendy Soho area.

Yesterday, the globetrotting star promoted Nashville at the CTV Upfront 2012 press conference and presentation in Toronto, where she discussed one of her dream roles.

'I’d love to play the devil,' Panettiere told the Toronto Sun. 'I like that, my descent into hell.'

As Juliette Barnes, Hayden will co-star with Friday Nights alum Connie Britton as a 'bitchy country singer,' and as she answered questions she wore an eye-catching Opening Ceremony dress and Christian Louboutin heels.

Jacket so nice she wore it twice: Hayden wore the same blue leather jacket earlier in May as she left her hotel in New York's trendy SoHo neighborhood

'This show is such a rarity, you don’t get shows like this that come around very often,' Hayden said during the press conference.

Eric Close and Jonathan Jackson also co-star in the ABC series in the United States - and CTV in Canada - which is slated to air at the 10PM time slot on Wednesday nights.

Hayden is probably especially excited to use her pipes for the singing role, having released her own single Wake Up Call back in 2008.

Prior to that, Panettiere starred in Scream 4 and played the guilty/not-guilty lead character in The Amanda Knox Story.

Nashville: She stars as the sexy country singer and teenage sensation Juliette Barnes in the upcoming TV show

Nashville: She stars as a 'bitchy country singer' and teenage sensation Juliette Barnes in upcoming TV show

When asked if she missed playing Claire Bennet on Heroes, the petite blonde said, 'Super powers come with CGI and they come with prosthetics, so, right at the moment, no.'

Hayden, who's currently in a relationship with NFL player Scotty McKnight, will star alongside Oscar winner Melissa Leo in next year's thriller Over the Wall.

Her straight-to-DVD drama The Forger, costarring The Hunger Game's Josh Hutcherson, Lauren Bacall, Alfred Molina, and her younger brother Jansen Panettiere will be released July 3.