Hades

**Hades** is the main antagonist of Disney's 1997animated feature film *Hercules*. He is the fast-talking god of the Underworld, known for having a fiery temper and a vendetta against his eldest brother, Zeus. Over the span of eighteen years, Hades developed a scheme to take over Mount Olympus and the cosmos, but a prophecy by the Fates foretold that a hero would rise against him and end his reign.

While the Hades of Greek mythology was not particularly malevolent, the Disney version portrays him as an evil figure, albeit comedic. This interpretation of the character proved successful, making Hades one of Disney’s most popular antagonists, and a primary member of the *Disney Villains* line-up.

## Appearance

Hades appears as a blue-gray humanoid with flaming blue hair, wearing a black robe and a smoky base. When he gets angry, his skin turns red and he bursts into flames (especially his hair, which becomes yellow-orange). He has yellow eyes sunken deep into their sockets and sharp teeth.

## Personality

As the Lord of the Underworld, Hades is a hot-headed fast talker who hates ruling the Underworld. His dream is to take over Mount Olympus. Hades is generally calm, cool, and collected. Though his machinations are cruel, Hades' informal approach to villainy makes him a widely comedic character with a self-aware and irreverent style of humor (though his jokes are usually played for his own, twisted amusement, and at the expense of others). However, this is partly surface-level; Hades is eternally bitter and imperious, with his most famous trait being his uncontrollably fervid temper. At times, the smallest inconveniences can send Hades over the edge, causing fiery fits and extreme damage to the area and people around him, depending on the situation. This quality makes him a feared figure among Greece and beyond, especially in the eyes of his minions, Pain and Panic.

For all his power, Hades is no match for his eldest brother. What Hades lacks in physical strength, however, he makes up for in cunning. He is incredibly meticulous with his scheming, going so far as to patiently wait eighteen years to unleash an attack upon Mount Olympus. He is also rather analytical; upon witnessing Hercules' strength firsthand, Hades instantly knew that his newborn nephew could cause issues with his plans and sought to eliminate the problem immediately, albeit unsuccessfully.

Having learned from the Fates of his eventual takeover of Mount Olympus, Hades plotted to dispose of Hercules. First by sending Pain and Panic to kidnap baby Hercules, give him a potion that would render him mortal, and kill him. However, unbeknownst to Hades, Hercules didn't drink every last drop, thus retaining his godlike strength. Hades didn't learn that Hercules survived until he grew into an adult and hero-in-training. Determined to humiliate the young hero, Hades sends monsters to destroy Hercules. Having Meg lure Hercules into a fixed contest in facing the Hydra, Hades watches every second of the battle excitedly as the man destined to defeat him struggles under the attacks, only for the multi-headed monster to be buried in a rockslide and Hercules emerging from the monster's claw. Frustrated that none of the monsters have worked, Hades hits upon a new plan to send a reluctant Meg to stop him, hoping that Herc will become too distracted by his attraction for Meg to fight learn his weaknesses. When he learns that Hercules has fallen in love with Megara, Hades uses this to his advantage and makes a deal with Hercules to give up his strength for the next twenty-four hours then reveals that Meg was working for him the whole time, crushing Hercules' will to fight. Unfortunately, Hercules gains his strength back and defeats the Titans, and later Hades after saving Meg's soul from the Underworld.

In addition to his own intellect, Hades relies on schmoozing to get what he wants, more so than his godly power—acting along the lines of a seedy car salesman or con-artist. Even so, he's an honest god and keeps his end of the bargain with every deal, no matter what the stakes are. Additionally, Hades seems to be willing to give people second chances, as he is constantly giving Pain and Panic important tasks in spite of their constant failures. He is also implied to be somewhat sympathetic to Megara, as he is willing to free Meg (or at least reduce her time of servitude) as long as she helps him conquer the Olympus. Also, when reminding her of how she ended up as his prisoner, Hades called Megara's ex-boyfriend a "creep", implying that even Hades was disgusted by what he did after Meg saved him.

## Powers and Abilities

* **Immortality:** As a god, Hades lives eternally. He does not age, nor can he die.
* **Endurance:** Though his endurance is extremely high (being able to withstand lava and freezing cold temperatures), Hades is not impervious to pain, evidenced by his fear of Zeus and his lightning bolts.
* **Fire Manipulation:** Much like Zeus with clouds and lightning, Hades' power is mainly derived from fire and smoke (so much so, that his "hair" is made of flames). Hades can summon fire at will to attack his enemies and cause damage to anything in his vicinity. The extent of his literal firepower is practically unlimited, as he was able to burn an entire forest to the ground in a matter of seconds as a result of an outburst. His fire is fatal to mortals and can be severely damaging to otherworldly beings (as seen with Pain and Panic) or even deities (as seen with Hecate).
* **Smoke Manipulation:** With smoke, Hades can conjure objects and creatures from thin air. He also uses smoke as a means to teleport himself with the snap of a finger. Hades' cloak appears to be made of smoke, specifically at its base. Hades can also turn his arms into extendable, smokey appendages and use them to grab things (or people) from a distance.
* **Telekinesis**: Hades is able to control objets or people with his mind. He was able to throw a large dumbbell to Hercules with this power.
* **Alchemy:** Hades appears to dabble in alchemical practices as he has a potion stored within the Underworld with the power to turn gods into mortals.
* **Dominion over the Dead:** As the Lord of the Underworld, Hades holds dominion over the dead and the spirits of those who died. Regardless, he does not *rule* the dead in the Underworld as the spirits in the River Styx have apparently threatened him at least once, and they dragged him down the Styx upon his defeat.

## Role in Sora’s Adventures

He teamed up with Zexion in Sora's Adventures at Olympus Coliseum