Hercules

**Hercules** is the titular protagonist of Disney's 1997 animated feature film of the same name. The son of Zeus and Hera, Hercules was taken away from his home on Mount Olympus as a baby and turned mortal by his evil uncle Hades, though he maintained his mighty strength. Along with Pegasus and Philoctetes, Hercules set out on a journey of self-discovery and acceptance to prove himself from klutzy "zero" to true hero and reclaim his place among the gods.

Despite his incomparable power and fame throughout Ancient Greece, Hercules initially believed being a hero would simply be battling monsters and rescuing damsels. It wouldn't be until his chance encounter with the femme fatale Megara that Hercules would come to understand the true measure of a hero.

## Background

### Personality

Born on Mount Olympus, Hercules is the vibrant, tenacious and optimistic son of Zeus. Hercules maybe a demigod, but after drinking a mortal potion, he was still considered a mortal. Throughout his life, Hercules is portrayed as gawky and awkward, but mostly clumsy because of not having control of his godly strength which tends to accidentally cause destruction. Among his tics, Herc has an energy and a sort of naïveté quality, having been raised as a polite, hardworking farm-boy in the country. His insecurity stemmed from how hard it was for him to find his place in the world because of how alone and out of place he was. Hercules had often dreamed of a far-off place where crowds would cheer when they saw him, instead of running in the opposite direction. Sometimes he felt like hitting the road to search for that place. He'd go the distance, walk every mile without complaining, and go almost anywhere to feel that he belonged. Hercules searched the sky with the shooting star as if he might find the answer somewhere among the clouds. After learning the truth about his true parentage and godhood, Hercules's head began to fill with dreams of becoming a true hero. As such, Phil and Pegasus did everything in their power to help the klutzy boy turn from a "zero" to hero, though he would unknowingly become the pawn of schemes from Hades, who sought to destroy Hercules for his own personal gain. While his strength is well above average, Hercules isn't all that intelligent, but what the starry-eyed hero lacks in outstanding brains and wits, the more he makes up for it in his compassion and the desire to do good. His "fearless and proud" heroism and "daring deeds" are especially appreciated in a world with constant turmoil around every corner, be it by the hands of a man or beast, or the Lord of the Dead himself. Whether he was the scrawny teenager or the muscular hero, Hercules is compassionate and polite. Even though Herc is very brave, he can still be sensitive, with strong but gentle features. Without any doubt, Hercules's most dominant trait is his innocence and massively kind heart, in spite of being treated like a "geek", "freak", or a "nobody" earning the name "Jerk-ules" by his peers and those around him (except his foster parents) throughout his childhood and adolescent years. His teenage years were difficult with his lack of coordination and tendency to break things. Hercules had tried to do what was right for his family, but it hadn't worked the way he had hoped. When he grows into an adult strongman and a first-class hero, Hercules still retains flaws of which he never quite grew out, such as an "innocent farm-boy routine" as Megara once called it, as well as his optimism. Even after becoming a worldwide phenomenon, Hercules still had his honest, sweet, cheerful and friendly nature, not once letting the fame dangerously inflate his ego. This makes Hercules one of the purest of heart as a Disney character.

Before training with Philoctetes, Hercules a courageous youth but clumsy and inept, where even if he accidentally slips or trips on his too-big feet, losing his balance, he ended up humiliating himself in blunders or goes about inadvertently destroying things. Indeed, when a group of boys throw a discus into the marketplace, Hercules catches it, but stumbles back and causes the destruction of the entire marketplace. Like most teenagers, Hercules was also wide-eyed, shy and timid, having a tendency to stammer when he speaks, fidget with his hands, flinch when startled or frightened, and stand or stagger in a pigeon-toed stance. He beamed or brightened when he gets happy about something, or if dazed, he develops a goofy lopsided grin. When the giant statue of Zeus came to life reaching for Hercules, his first instinct was to scream and tried running away from the towering figure, terrified and unable to help himself before being picked up in the statue's massive hands, feeling like an insect as he tried to escape the god's enormous fingers. Hero-training with Phil was so difficult that Hercules often thought of quitting, but in the end he refused to give up and kept on working to reach his goal, committed to seeing this through, such as practicing swordplay and archery, because he had his eyes on that prize. Hercules' naïvety, clumsiness and not being agile continued throughout his training and while attending Prometheus Academy, as Phil once told Meg that it wasn't the most graceful period of Herc's life. As a hero-in-training, known for his unbridled strength and bravery rather than intelligence and wisdom, Hercules can be reckless, cocky and gets confused easily or distracted, being in way over his head. Sometimes Hercules passes his tests, whereas other times he fails in foolhardy efforts, such as his training to fight a dragon, only for tomatoes (Phil's makeshift dragon fire) to start flying and hit him. On his cousin Triton, Herc described him as a "bumbling, stumbling, uncoordinated goof", which his friends Icarus and Cassandra compared to Herc's own flaws in his attempts to become somebody important. Despite becoming the model of physical perfection as an adult, Hercules retains teenage flaws of which he never quite grows out seen by his various expressions he makes throughout his encounters and exciting adventures. Underneath his heroic bravado, Hercules can be shy as seen when he presented himself to a crowd of Thebans who initially dismiss him as an amateur. In addition, as he faced large creatures like the Hydra, Hercules gaped dumbstruck, staring wide-eyed with his jaw dropped in horror or screaming in terror as his arms flail in panic, having never been so afraid in his life as the monster attempts to eat the young hero. After cutting his way out from inside the Hydra, Hercules was momentarily weakened from the ordeal; dazed, swaying on his feet, exhausted and covered head-to-toe in green slime, he drops his sword with a clang, then collapses to the ground. Lastly, in spite of his reputation and accomplishments at being a handsome hero, muscular, and seemingly confident, Hercules had no idea how to talk to women. When Hercules first tried introducing himself to Megara, he stared at her curiously, smiled a goofy smile, and became tongue-tied, unable to speak as he is smitten with her. Hercules was also nervous when visited by a group of fangirls. Having escaped his fangirls, Meg found the sheepish-looking hero, who tried to cover himself with his hands in an awkward knock-kneed position and round shouldered position of embarrassment. But the more time Hercules got to know Meg, the less nervous he became.

Optimistic and vibrant, Hercules had dreams becoming a true hero, battling monsters, rescuing damsels, and other acts of heroism. He barreled himself into situations without thinking, and got into trouble. And even when outmatched physically and mentally, Hercules would stand his ground and was determined to prove that he isn't afraid. Whenever he confronted a foe, Hercules tried to act bold, sometimes with bravado or by using good manners, but words failed him. He would try and mask his alarm, but that only made it more obvious and he begins to doubt his abilities. Enemies would already had the jump on Hercules, the former usually by being angry at this nuisance or if the naïve hero lets his guard down, causing him to get slammed, dunked, sent flying or beaten in a series of blunders. And yet each time, Hercules had gotten back up, equally as angry and more determined than ever. He would fight as hard as he could as long as he could. But once he concentrated, focused, analyzed the situation and controlled his strength, Hercules would come out victorious. His versatility also allows him to find his way out of situations by unorthodox methods. Upon completion of his training, Hercules became less gawky and klutzy but more athletic and skillful in his heroics, albeit eager and sometimes reckless. However, Hercules does get arrogant, swaggering and puffing out his chest, his brash confidence growing. Phil does berate Hercules for the sloppy rookie mistakes he made in the fight with Nessus, such as being distracted and losing his sword, but Hercules scoffs and pays him little attention, since he did win. His overconfidence and lack of experience is also noted during his battle with the Hydra when the enormous creature manifested legitimate fear within Hercules as the beast initially swallows him whole, and while a swarm of heads close in on the helpless young hero, Hercules tells Phil that he didn't think they covered this in basic training. Varying fighting techniques, albeit clumsily, Hercules used all his skills and ingenuity to attack and avoid falling prey to the multi-headed monster's appetite. Despite the odds against him, Hercules was desperate yet not ready to give up and was willing to sacrifice himself by burying the monster under a mountain of rocks. Though he was weakened from the ordeal, battered, his sword lost, his tunic and cape torn, Hercules impressed the crowd of Thebans having found inspiration in their new champion accomplishing the unsavory yet heroic task and emerges triumphant over what appeared to be a very unbeatable foe. Afterwards, Hercules showed great skill when he was able to win against a boar with a bow and arrow as well as beating monsters with his bare hands. There are instances, such as when he temporarily gave up his mighty strength, Hercules would strain for that last ounce of strength that might go the distance, that might make the difference.

Notably, whilst usually on the bright side, Hercules has a headstrong and assertive side, having an effective sternness and frustration to his personality. For instance, if Hercules was no match for the monsters he battled, struggling to hold them back or wrenching himself free from their grip, it would take all of his might or sometimes desperation to hold his own and keep them at bay. It is also notably seen where the actions of Hades take a turn for the worse, killing and threatening the entire world of Olympus, as well as Megara. This can be seen again when his trainer and close companion, Phil, questioned Megara's affections towards the handsome hero after witnessing her plotting against the latter with Hades (though it was a misunderstanding at that point in the movie).

The primary lesson Hercules learns throughout the film is what it takes to be a true hero. While Hercules defeated many monsters, it was something his father Zeus explained he had to learn for himself, having confused real heroism with being famous. After meeting and falling in love with the beautiful Meg, Hercules would learn a true hero is measured by the strength of his heart, as opposed to the strength of his muscles.

### Physical appearance

Hercules has short strawberry-blond hair and blue wide-eyes and wears a brown sweatband on his head. In his god form, while he was still an infant before two of Hades' lackeys Pain and Panic remove his godhood by forcefully drinking a magic potion to stop his crying and after emerging at the River of Styx after he saves Megara's spirit as an adult, his hair becomes golden blonde and lightens up in a golden hue.

As an infant, he only wears a white Roman-type diaper and wears a red necklace with a golden Zeus pendant.

As a adolescent, Hercules was an overgrown farm-boy that awkward and too big for his body. He was a tall and scrawny teenager, with a long skinny neck and oversized ears, broad but stooped shoulders, extraordinarily long arms and legs, big hands and too-big pigeon-toed clumsy feet. Hercules wore a white single sleeveless Roman garb and brown warrior sandals. When being trained heavily by Phil, where he sometimes wore a brown sweatband with his tunic, Hercules became a little more athletic. In the animated series, Hercules was regarded as "strapping, smooth-skinned son of Zeus" by Clotho, and as a hero-in-training, occasionally had a helmet to accompany his hero gear.

When he becomes a grown adult and a fully-trained hero, Hercules is handsome, robust, and very masculine. He is bronzed, not just "filled out" but square-jawed, chiseled faced, broad-shouldered, top-heavy, muscular and brawny, gaining larger biceps and pectorals and thickened neck, with his chest puffed out and his feet now nicely turned out. Herc has a sharp jawline and an extremely broad neck, conveying his immense strength. While he is the pinnacle of physical perfection, with muscles rippling all over his body, Hercules retained some of his flaws from his awkward teenage years of which he never quite grows out. He is still sensitive with strong but gentle features. As a hero, Hercules wears a brown Roman warrior armor gear with a dark brown belt, brown wristbands, and matching warrior sandals. He also gains a long light blue cape on the back of his tunic and wields a warrior sword and shield.

### Powers and Abilities

* **Superhuman Strength:** Half-mortal and half-god, Hercules possesses high level superhuman strength. This was his sole remaining godly power after being rendered mortal and appears to be higher than most other gods or titans. In the Disney Universe, only Zeus, Bill Cipher, and Genie can rival or surpass the strongman in strength.
* **Enhanced Durability and Stamina:** Despite his clumsiness, Hercules is very resilient and durable. Although being incomparable to that of immortal Gods, his stamina and entire body including skin are seen to be strong enough to withstand his own actions that are beyond of normal humans on many occasions both in the film and in the animated series. Some creatures like Orthos attempt to eat Hercules but call him "stale", whereas others like Ladon and the Hydra were able to briefly swallow him whole, enjoying the pleasant flavor of the young hero's durable body and longed to devour him.
* **Enhanced Speed:** Among his skills, Hercules is seen to be surprisingly fast and is able to disappear being unnoticed by people in physical contacts. He had the build and foot speed that surpassed Achilles. In some occasions, Hercules has demonstrated that he is able to quickly dodge attacks or outrun giant monsters.
* **Trained Hero:** By imposing hundreds of Philoctetes' hero rules, and constant days of practice, Hercules transformed from klutzy boy into hero material, tempering his great strength with incredible precision and control. Hero-training was so difficult, but Hercules refused to give up and kept on working to reach his goal. As a hero-in-training, Hercules is known for his strength and bravery, rather than intelligence and wisdom, as at times he can be reckless, cocky and gets confused easily or distracted, sometimes being in way over his head given his lack of experience. Still, Hercules would keep going and fight as hard as he could as long as he could. He is able to use a variety of attacks and weapons from Ancient Greece including swords, spears, and archery. His versatility also allows him to use his wits to find his way out of situations by unorthodox methods. Hercules is trained to save people, fight monsters, handle dangerous situations and come up with strategies to win battles. However, despite having been taught every trick in the book by Phil, Hercules didn't think they covered a multi-head Hydra in basic training. In the animated series, he is seen to be skilled with various weapons and is able to spy and sneak on subjects diving underground.
* **Immortality and universal divinity capabilities (formerly):** During his brief times as a god, Hercules was completely immortal. Therefore, he would not age, grow sick, or be permanently harmed by any force known. He first lost this power when Hades tried to make him mortal as a baby, and again when he chose to live his life with Meg. Although he was born a god, Hercules was considered a demigod during his time at Prometheus Academy. When Hades tampered with the Tapestry of Fate, one change made was Hercules being amongst the gods, which prevented him from being eaten by the Tapestry's original guardian Arachne, until the Tapestry was fixed.

## Trivia

* In one episode of the series, a messenger asks for Hercules but mistakes the name as Heracles. Hercules is the Roman equivalent of the Greek name Heracles.
* He is the only one in the movie that is called by his Roman name.
* In the original myths, Hercules is driven mad by Hera's jealousy of another step-son and kills his own wife and children.
* According to the original myths and legends, Hercules may have been the founder of the Olympics. There is also some evidence that Hercules may have been a real person as well.
* In the film, when posing for a pottery painting, Hercules is seen wearing a lions' head and skin cloak resembling that of Scar. This is a tribute both to one of his labors (slaying the Nemean Lion) and to the line in *The Lion King* where Zazu says Scar would make a handsome throw rug.
* The last full line Hercules speaks in his movie is "I finally know where I belong." However, he does say "Ma, Pa" during "A Star Is Born".
* If mythology is taken into consideration, Hercules and Ariel are related: Hercules' father is Zeus; Poseidon is a brother of Zeus; one of Poseidon's many sons is Triton; and, of course, Ariel is Triton's seventh daughter. This means Hercules is Triton's first cousin, and Ariel is Hercules' cousin once removed. However, if this were true King Triton's lifespan would be called into question as the Little Mermaid takes place in the 1800s and Hercules takes place well over 3000 years in the past. (Though King Triton *is* a god, and of course, gods are immortal.)
* In the original myth, Hercules had a twin brother named Iphicles by Amphitryon. This is called heteropaternal superfecundation when two different males father fraternal twins by one woman. This was left out when Disney made Hercules, Zeus and Hera's son instead of Zeus and Alcmene.
* When Hercules is made human, his coloring is duller than other humans. This may be because he was not actually a mortal, but a god.
* It is unclear why he had to turn back from immortal life to live on Earth with Megara, and what would happen to him when his life as a mortal comes to an end. Regarding the afterlife, it remains unknown whether he will join the other gods on Olympus and regain his immortality as he did in the Greek legends, or if his soul will enter the Underworld and remain there. Considering that Megara is a mortal and her soul will likely go to the Underworld upon dying, it's likely Hercules will choose to go there as well once he dies to be with her forever due his love for her.
* Unlike in myth, all Olympian or deities of other regions (e.g. Egyptian) including demigods and demigoddesses seem that their superhuman physical capabilities are much restricted (possibly). Demigods and demigoddess are actually capable of matching pantheons.
* Marvel Comics has its own version of Hercules as one of their superheroes, the Marvel version of Hercules has appeared in *Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.*
* He had been mentioned in *School of Secrets* and has a son named Herkie in the franchise.