Iolaus

Iolaus is a fictional character and the deuteragonist of the television show Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, portrayed by Michael Hurst. In the show, he is Hercules' sidekick and best friend. 
Iolaus also appears in the spinoffs Hercules and Xena – The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus, Xena: Warrior Princess and Young Hercules, with Iolaus being portrayed by Dean O'Gorman in Young Hercules. 
Iolaus is a well liked character within the fandom for the show, and was often the focus of mailing lists and individual fan sites in the 1990s and early 2000s. In fanworks, he is a popular target for whump and hurt/comfort. 
== Canon ==
Iolaus is the best friend of the demigod Hercules, and grew up with him in the same village. They went to Cheiron's Academy together, fought in their first war together, and have traveled through Greece to deal with monsters, warlords, gods and demons together ever since. 
Like many characters in the Hercules and Xena universes, Iolaus' backstory is inconsistent. In the TV movie, 'Amazon Women', he marries Ania, and Hurst mentioned in an interview that he was told Iolaus had two sons with her. However, within the Legendary Journey series, it is revealed his wife died and a reference to one child is made. The only reference to parenthood takes place in a single episode and is never discussed again, then seems to be retconned entirely by season three. 
Iolaus dies four times within the canonical universe of Hercules, with his fourth and final death causing strong reactions from fans as it appeared to be permanent. Many had come to believe that the show would never keep Iolaus dead. This later turned out to be true, when the showrunners brought Iolaus back one last time before the show's final season.
In late 1997, a fan on alt.tv.hercules reviewed and discussed Iolaus-centric episodes, see Iolausian Episodes.
== Fandom ==
Most of the early fandom around Iolaus, and the series, was located on mailing lists and small individual H:tLJ fan sites and archives, like The Iolausian Library, most of which are now defunct. A few, including the Less Than Legendary Journeys, survive and several stories are now archived at AO3.
=== Fanon and Fannish Debates ===
*Eye Color: While the actor who portrayed Iolaus has gray green eyes, Michael Hurst occasionally wore blue contact lenses "to mess with the fans." He wore the contacts in just a few episodes but they included a few memorable ones. As a consequence, the Iolaus that was written about in fandom had very bright, very blue eyes. His blue eyes are often a key point in the description of the character. In bad writing, he has blue "orbs". Kevin Sorbo (Hercules) actually has blue eyes, which may also account for the fan writer insistence on a blue-eyed Iolaus.
* Golden Hunter: This epithet was never attached to Iolaus on the show, but it became very popular in fandom, to the extent that Iolaus is often called just 'the hunter' in fanfic. (And never, for example, 'the warrior' or 'the mortal', or even 'the blacksmith'.) The fanon apparently got back to the show's creators, which resulted in official "Iolaus, the Golden Hunter" T-shirts.
*Pallid Hunter: We Always Hurt the One We Love, an essay by Helena Handbasket, which describes (and derides) the fanon where Iolaus is a wimpy, pathetic figure who always needs to be rescued, and who is treated appallingly badly by Hercules.
* Iolaus' sons: most fanfic that deals with Iolaus' and Ania's ill-fated offspring suggest one child, almost always a son. Sometimes there are two sons, sometimes three. In an interview, Michael Hurst stated that he was told that Iolaus had two sons, and in Maze of the Minotaur Iolaus refers to the difficulties of being a single parent after Ania's death. The children are never mentioned again.
=== Common Tropes and Storylines in Fanworks ===
* Hurt/Comfort: Iolaus is popular character to be whumped in fanworks. He is usually comforted by Hercules or other characters. These stories were sometimes labelled FSFI (Feel Sorry For Iolaus). Also see Cult of the Pallid Hunter.
* Kidnapping: it was a common trope to have Iolaus kidnapped or captured by villains, these stories could include torture and other dark elements. Many stories often resolved with a big rescue from Hercules.
* Adventure: similar to canon, where he defends those in need, usually beside Hercules
* Episode Codas: expanding on individual episodes and sometimes dealing with the aftermath of canon events. The Iolausian Writer's Circle had challenges connected to various episodes. 
* Young Iolaus: these stories can be set within the Young Hercules series, or completely fan-created, with a focus on Iolaus as a child, teen and young adult. Before the introduction of the Young Hercules film Iolaus' background was a little bit fuzzy, aside from being Hercules' childhood friend, so fans would try and fill in the gaps.
* Pre-canon: these fanworks usually take place post Young Hercules and before the beginning of The Legendary Journeys usually when Iolaus was marred to his wife Ania.
* Iolaus' deaths: Iolaus died and then was resurrected a few times on the series, before his final death at the beginning of season 5, which many at the time thought was permanent. Many fanworks will try and deal with this and the effects it could have had on Iolaus and those around him. Although, it is not unusual for some fans to ignore his death completely in their fanworks,
* Resurrection: after Iolaus' canonical death in season five, which many at the time believed was permanent, it was popular to write fic where he was resurrected in some fashion.
* Height Difference, fans describing Iolaus with the epithet, "little" or "little buddy": From a 2000 essay: "One thing in Hercules fanfiction that will cause me to hit the back button faster than almost anything else is Hercules calling Iolaus 'little buddy.'" , by Randi DuMois (2000) 
===Pairings===
Iolaus is shipped in a large number of pairings, including slash (Hercules/Iolaus, Iolaus/Ares, Iolaus/Autolycus, and other pairings), and het (Iolaus/Ania, Iolaus/Niobe, Iolaus/Nebula, Iolaus/Xena, Iolaus/Gabrielle, and many others). 
His most popular pairing is Hercules/Iolaus. Unlike in many other fandoms of its time, the sexual undercurrent between Hercules and Iolaus was quietly acknowledged by the actors and everyone involved, if only because in myth, Heracles had sex with everybody including Iolaus, who was his nephew and charioteer.
There are also Reader/Iolaus fanworks, primarily for the Young Hercules Iolaus, as portrayed by Dean O'Gorman. The annual Dean O'Gorman focused fan event, Deano Bingo, sometimes includes these pairings as well as Iolaus/Original Character fanworks. 
There was also a large gen fandom focused on Iolaus' friendships, the most popular being Iolaus & Hercules.
==Reactions and analysis by fans==
=== Sidekick role ===
Iolaus was sometimes described in reviews as being in the role of 'goofy sidekick', but many fans felt that there is less of a serious partner and goofy partner dynamic between Hercules and Iolaus than in other partnerships. Iolaus has realistic and relatable character strengths and flaws – the latter of which lead to key events in canon, such as him being manipulated by Xena to turn on Hercules – and fans feel this offers his character greater depth than just a comedic sidekick. 
However, while most fans recognised and enjoyed Iolaus as the sidekick character, some also felt that the dynamic between Hercules and Iolaus was meant to portray the fact that Hercules never thought of Iolaus as his sidekick, instead seeing him as his equal in their journey. 
As can happen in shows with a human character amidst supernatural or superhuman character, some fans were drawn to Iolaus' character specifically because he was fighting alongside a demigod and against powerful beings and creatures, all while being human and therefore much more vulnerable.
Michael Hurst himself discussed how managing the portrayal of the human sidekick "everyman", who would need to be rescued by Hercules from time-to-time, was an important aspect of balancing their core dynamic of the show. By using the strengths and flaws that many fans found interesting about Iolaus, the show was able to create realistic situations out of Iolaus's flaws:
In addition to being rescued multiple times by Hercules, Iolaus was also kidnapped on multiple occasions, otherwise found himself in some kind of difficulty, or was the recipient of injuries - fatal or otherwise. This, alongside his sense of pride, and the the feelings of inadequacy or jealousy that sometimes arose due to him being in the sidekick role to a demigod, offered the opportunity for a considerable amount of angst to be explored in fanworks, which many fans did. For their episodic challenges, the Iolausian Writer's Circle often used prompts building on the scenes evoking angst or where Iolaus had been canonically whumped, or the prompt involved changing character roles so Iolaus became the recipient of more suffering. These prompts all had multiple submissions.
=== Season 5 death & alternate universe Iolaus ===
Iolaus dies for the fourth and final time on-screen at the beginning of season 5, to the great disappointment of his fans. His previous three deaths were all resolved quickly in canon, with the intervention of gods or Hercules restoring his life. However, his death at the beginning of season 5 was originally planned to be permanent, and so the story-lines throughout the season all seemed to reinforce that this death was not being reversed. 
Later that season another Iolaus from an alternative universe, played by the same actor, was introduced, but had a very different characterization then the original Iolaus. He was refered to by the fans as Iolaus2, IolausToo, Jester Iolaus and JIolaus (because he had been a jester in the alt universe), to differentiate between the two in discussions and fanworks. Many fans disliked this character greatly.
There were some fans that liked Iolaus2 – though they may have been in the minority – and others who initially disliked him, but grew to like him over time, or at least became appreciative of how Michael Hurst managed to make the two characters seem so different to each other
However, the original Iolaus eventually returned in the season 5 finale when he is thrown out of heaven for escaping and warning Hercules about the four horsemen of the apocalypse and the impending end of the world. Iolaus returned in the shortened season 6, reprising his role alongside Hercules. 
There is debate over how much influence the fandom had on Iolaus' final return, given the reported intentions for him to remain dead and the rumours that season 5 was meant to be the final season.
==Example Fanworks==
===Fanfic===
* The Encounter by Denyse M. Bridger (Black Magic Issue #4, 2002) - While on his way to visit Iphicles, Iolaus meets a young woman who steals his heart. Too bad she's hiding a secret that might destroy them all. 
* Home is Where the Heart is by LTLJ and Kimberley Rector, one of the many "Iolaus comes back to life" stories written after his death in the fifth season. There is an entire alternate timeline based on this story, including one of the greatest crossover stories of all time, "When Hellmouths Collide," that drops Buffy Sumers and company into the Hercverse.
* Many Deaths by Therienne, playing on Iolaus's canonical many deaths.
* Refiner's Fire by Melisande. Hurt/comfort stories were very popular in the fandom. In this one, Iolaus has to transport an injured Hercules across rough country, with Gabrielle's help.
=== Graphics and Gif Sets ===
* gif set by iolausian-fields (Hercules: The Legend Continues and Young Hercules)
*Full Circle - Iolaus graphic by YoungPhoenix3191
===Vids===
* Live Till I Die by Mary Crawford, celebrating the many lives of Iolaus.
=== Zines ===
* The Gates of Death
* Loose Arrows
* Oracle
* You're Iolaus?!
===Meta===
====1998====
*Iolaus << Spoilers>>; archive link (September 24, 1998)
* hercules need iolaus; archive link (November 3, 1998) 
* Iolaus fans be warned!; archive link (November 26, 1998)
====1999====
* We Always Hurt the One We Love ... and then turn him into a sorry-ass, emasculated, mentally unstable, whiny, co-dependent tag-along by Helena Handbasket (December 1999)
* Iolaus - What the he** ????; archive link (January 22, 1999)
* the iolus paradox; archive link (January 23, 1999)
* so, season 5 fans, has it been worth it?; archive link (January 31, 1999) and the response: Iolaus? Is it worth it? Just a TV show?; archive link (February 2, 1999)
* I dont want old Iolaus back because…; archive link (May 9, 1999)
====2000====
* Zeus Doesn't Approve of Our Relationship by Randi DuMois. (Jan 2000)
* When Bad Things Happen to Good Characters by Lucy Gillam (Jan 2000)
* Subjective Characterization a.k.a. Are Bad Things Really Bad? by GenX (Jun 2000)
====2001====
* The Quill is Slashier...The Ten Commandments of Hercules: TLJ Slash by Morgan (Jan 2001)
====2004====
* Subtext and the Single Warrior; archive link page 1, comments expanded the second page of comments is offensive spam only, so skip it ; by LtLJ, a Hercules/Iolaus ship manifesto (Dec 2004)
====2005====
* The Apology!Fic Rant by LtLJ (Apr 2005)
===Fanart===
* by eliounora
* by dadrielle
*Iolaus (Hercules the Legendary Journeys) by LeahPlainAndTallish
=== Example Art Gallery ===
File:Wildcards5-3.jpg|Art from Wild Cards #5 by KOZ (1997), here with Hercules.
File:Lessthan3.jpg|Cover art for The Less Than Legendary Journeys #3 by Karen River (2002)
File:Buddies10.jpg|Art from Buddies: A Collection of Media Art 1958-2001 by Warren Oddsson (2005), with Hercules. 
== Communities ==
* herc_iolaus - Livejournal community
* Iolausian Writer's Circle (late 1990s)
==Mailing lists==
The majority of these mailing lists were on Yahoo groups and are no longer active:
* Iolausian Mailing List 
* GoldApple 
* Golden Lust
* Iolausian Corner (Russian language mailing list)
==Archives and Links==
* Ceryndip's Sanctuary
* The Iolausian Library
* The Iolausian Dimension
* Hercules and Iolaus Fanfiction
* The Less Than Legendary Journeys (Hercules archive)
* The shadowland - kalynn's fan fiction - has an Iolaus section
* Iolaus tag at Archive of Our Own
* Iolaus at FanFiction.Net
* 
* 
* Just Here for Iolaus Iolaus-focused, Tumblr blog
* Iolaus's Feminine Side, Young Hercules Iolaus-focused Tumblr blog
== References ==
 
Category:Hercules: The Legendary Journeys Characters