Kristen made her first appearance in Heroes last week, here’s an article about her role as Elle. I found it over at Detroit Free Press.

Kristen Bell is ready to give ‘em Elle on “Heroes.”

The charisma queen — who suffused “Veronica Mars” with her sly wit as the coolest teen detective since Nancy Drew — takes a walk on the supernatural dark side when she joins the cast of the hit superhero odyssey at 9 tonight on NBC.

“She’s a very fierce and intense personality,” says Huntington Woods native Bell, speaking of mysterious Elle, her new prime-time alter ego.

“When she wants something, she wants it, and she wants it now. Which is good when you’re working with the good guys and is really bad when you’re working with the bad guys.”

And it’s pretty clear when Elle first appears, tracking down missing hero Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) in Ireland, that’s she’s using a rather nefarious playbook of power moves.

A bit of a thrill-kill tough cookie, she’s an operative for that murky, conspiratorial cartel known as the Company. That’s the organization of subterfuge specialists with a covert agenda for the paranormally gifted who walk among us in the fantasy world of “Heroes.”

“Elle’s character is actually raised within the Company,” says series creator Tim Kring, who joined Bell to talk with reporters about “Heroes” on a recent conference call. “And it’s in some way a cautionary tale of what would happen to any of our characters had they lived with their powers their whole life the way Elle had.”

For Bell, 27, the chance to get into a more menacing groove on “Heroes” has been a special acting treat after three seasons of playing a resourceful, do-right high school sleuth on “Mars.”

Elle, whom Bell has signed to play in 13 episodes this season, is one vixenish twisted sister.

“She’s a little messed up in the head, which makes her really manipulative and always out to get what she wants,” says Bell. “The whole first season (of ‘Heroes’) has been about these fairly good-natured people trying to embrace these confusing abilities and being very conflicted as to how they should use them.

“And Elle is not that way at all. She very much enjoys her power and enjoys the emotional power it gives her over people.”

Besides, playing someone who’s “a little crazy” is just plain fun, says Bell.

Of course, evil Elle of “Heroes” is not the only new fall season TV job for Bell.

But in her other prime-time gig, she’s only heard as the omniscient, snarky-humored narrator of “Gossip Girl,” CW’s hot buzz drama for teens.

” ‘Gossip Girl’s’ been great,” says Bell. “And it’s sort of an easy deal for me because it’s not on camera. I’ve always dreamt about having a job where I could go and show up in my jammies.”

Meanwhile, Bell has not received security clearance to divulge her special “Heroes” superpowers before Elle’s coming-out party tonight.

“I can’t reveal her secret powers. You’ll have to watch. But it’s a very cool power.”

OK, then, if not otherworldly Elle, what kind of superpower would Kristen Bell enjoy having in the real world? That’s easy.

“I think it would be great to be able to multiply myself and cook myself dinner,” says Bell, enjoying the playful fantasy. “I’d just be like, ‘Hey, clean that up,’ you know? Because I always feel like if there’s more of me, I could get much more done. I’d be so much happier.”

What, a world with multiple Kristen Bells?

That blissful squeal you hear is emanating from the Planet Fanboy. Happy, happy, joy, joy.