Herakles I

**Herakles** (or Heracles), also known by his Roman name **Hercules**, was the son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene and one of the most famous heroes of ancient times. Among his many exploits, he sailed with the Argonauts under Jason. Despite his mostly heroic reputation, he was notorious for the supposed rape of Hippolyta and the enslavement of the Amazons.

Ηρακλής (Iraklís), Hercules Panhellenios, (Birth name: Alcaeus; was renamed Herakles and then later personally changed his name again to Hercules in order to further distance himself from Hera due to all the tragedies she'd helped bring upon him.)

### Aliases

Heracles of Thebes, Herak, Herc, Sub-Mariner (World War II), Agent 125, The Defender of Olympus, Demon Defier, Giant Slayer, "Herakles Giant-Killer", Hero of All Heroes, The Lion of Olympus, The Mighty Hercules, Olympian god of Strength, Prince of Power, The Scion of Olympus, Curly, Forgotten One/Gilgamesh/Hero (mistakenly), Harry Cleese, Muscle Boy, Sign-Bearer of The Plains Lord, Skirt Man, Victor Tegler, Sham (Roman name), Siamat, Tarkukt, Utshpna

### Relatives

Perseus (maternal great-grandfather, dead), Gaea (paternal great-grandmother), Ouranos (paternal great-grandfather, deceased)Electryon (maternal grandfather, dead), Cronus (paternal grandfather), Rhea (paternal grandmother), Zeus (father), Alcmena/Alcmene (mother, dead), Amphitryon (stepfather, dead), Ares (paternal half-brother/cousin), Apollo (paternal half-brother), Dionysus (paternal half-brother), Hermes (paternal half-brother), Hephaestus (paternal half-brothers);Aphrodite, Athena, Artemis, Eileithyia, Helen, Discord (paternal half-sisters);Persephone (paternal half-sister/cousin/aunt);Iphicles (half-brother, deceased)Spouses:Megara (first wife, deceased);[21]Deianira (second wife, deceased);[22]Hebe (paternal half-sister / third wife, separated);[23]Alflyse (ex-fourth wife, marriage annulled, deceased)[24]Children:Hyllus, Ctessipus (sons by Deianira, deceased);three unnamed sons by Megara (deceased);[21]Telephus (son, deceased);[25]Gelonus, Scythes, Agathyrus (sons by Echidna, deceased);Alexiares, Anicetus (sons by Hebe);Celtus (son by Keltine, deceased);Tlepolemus (son by Astyoche, deceased);Lamus, Cleodaius (sons by unnamed mothers, deceased)Descendants:Eurypylus (grandson, deceased), Cleodaeus (grandson, deceased)Other Relatives:Lycminius (maternal uncle, deceased);Poseidon, Hades (paternal uncles);Hera, Demeter, Hestia (paternal aunts);King Creon (father-in-law, deceased);Iole (daughter-in-law, deceased);Eurystheus (cousin, deceased);Iolaus (nephew, deceased):

Zeus (father)Alcmene (mother, deceased)Demeter, Hestia, Hera (aunts)Hades, Poseidon (uncles)Artemis, Cassie Sandsmark, Pallas Athena(half-sisters)Persephone(sister-cousin)Dionysus, Hermes, Phoebus Apollo(half-brothers)Ares, Hephaestus(brother-cousins)Euphemus, Triton (cousins)Harmonia, Hippolyta, Lyta Milton (nieces)Deimos, Eros, Pan, Phobos (nephews)

### Affiliation

Gods of Olympus, Argonauts, Guardians of the Galaxy, Gods of War, Avengers (formerly) (part of Kree delegation during Operation Galactic Storm), Underground, Avengers Academy, God Squad, Council of Godheads, Olympia Corp., Mighty Avengers, G.R.A.M.P.A., Renegades, Secret Avengers, Champions of Los Angeles, Defenders, Heroes for Hire, Damage Control, Defenders for a Day, S.H.I.E.L.D., Queen's Vengeance, Heroes for Hire Olympian Gods

### Occupation

Champion of Olympus, Olympian god of Strength, Labor, and Heroes; King of Svartalfheim, Adventurer

## Physical description

### Species

Demigod (formerly, breastfed by his stepmother, Hera which further enhanced his powers to godlike levels), Deity (after mortal death)

## History

### Early Life

**Herakles** was the son of Zeus, king of the Olympian gods, and Alcmena of Thebes in Ancient Greece. He was born as the result of Zeus seducing Alcmena in the guise of her husband, Amphitryon who was away at war battling the pirates of Taphos. Due to his Olympian lineage, Hercules was born with the potential for extraordinary superhuman strength. Zeus' wife Hera grew jealous of his adultery, Alcmena tried to appease the goddess by naming her child Heracles "Glory of Hera".

The child was at first abandoned outside the city and when Athena and Hera found him, Hera decided to feed infant Hercules with her divine breast milk. While Hera breastfeeding the child, Hercules' godly strength harmed her when he bit down harder on Hera' breast and she flung him away. He was returned to the city and was accepted by Amphitryon and his wife. However, Hera then sent two serpents to kill the child, but even at one year old he had great strength and strangled them both with his bare hands.

### Teen Years

Amphitryon raised Hercules as his own, training him in all forms of combat. It was during a lesson with his music teacher who criticized his lack of skill, Hercules killed him with a single blow. Hercules would go on many adventures of his own.

### 1291 B.C.

On the road to Thebes he encountered a group of Minyan warriors travelling to sack the city, Hercules beat them all with ease. This led to war between Minya and Thebe and Hercules was imprisoned for the attack. It was then that he learned the truth of his origin from his parents and they gave him the garb bestowed on them from Zeus. He met with the leader of the Minyan, but when they tried to execute him with the axe and it shattered on his neck. It was however during the battle Amphitryon was killed. The king thanked him for saving the city and gave him the hand of his daughter Princess Megara.

### Quest for the Golden Fleece

#### 1289 B.C.

He sailed with the Argonauts led by Jason, among them Augeas. During the adventure, he battled the Akaana and faced the Lernean Hydra, saw the death of Medusa, and defeated Antaeus. He was left behind by the Argonauts when his companion Hylas was taken by Nymphs on the island of Mysia and he couldn't resign to search for him.

### Twelve Labors

As an adult, Hercules was best known for his celebrated Twelve Labors, which were performed in part to prove his worthiness for immortality to Zeus. The labors started in 1277 B.C. Hercules tamed the Nemean Lion, slayed the Lernean Hydra with help from his nephew Iolaus in 1271 B.C., captured the Erymanthian Boar, hunted the Ceryneian Hind, killed the Man-eating Birds of Lake Stymphalus in 1271 B.C., who had been created by Ares, cleaned the thousand-cattle stables of King Augeas in 1272 B.C., defeated the Cretan Bull and the Man-Eating Mares of King Diomedes, took the Golden Girdle from the Amazons in 1270 B.C., stole Geryon's Red Cattle, and retrieved Hera's Golden Apples in 1268 B.C.

The twelfth and final labor was to capture and bring back Cerberus from Hades, during which he also rescued Theseus in 1277 B.C. Returning to Thebes, he was believed dead and Euboean Lycus took advantage of that absence to kill Hercules' father-in-law King Creon and condemn Megara and their three sons to death. Enraged, Hercules killed not just Lycus but his family as well.

Hercules' friends, such as Theseus loved him and believed Hera must have placed a curse of bloodlust on him, and Hercules didn't correct them, too ashamed of the rage and lack of self-control he was afflicted with. He changed his name from the Greek Herakles to the Roman Hercules, in order to distance himself from Hera and his deeds.

The Twelve Labors (though the Twelfth was in fact already accomplished) were done in atonement for his family's death, as the nature of myths mean that the order in which things happen are not as important as the story itself.

### Killing Kyknos

In 1268 BC, at the River Echedorus, in Macedonia, Kyknos, the son of Ares, decided to build a temple to his father from the bones of the travelers he met. Meeting with Hercules, the two clashed, and as Ares intervened to help his son, so did Athena to support Hercules. Ares was wounded and retreated, and Kyknos was killed by Hercules.

### Troy

In 1264 B.C., having refused to pay Apollo and Poseidon after they built impenetrable walls around his city, King Laomedon of Troy asked Hercules to save his daughter from the Monster of Poseidon, promising him his herd of magical horses which could run on water in return.

After Hercules was denied his reward, he returned to Troy berserk, wreaking havoc in the city while claiming the horses, and killed Laomedon and all of his sons, save for one.

### Deianira

In 1260 B.C., in western Greece, he battled the river god Achelous to win Deianira as his third wife. During the battle, Achelous transformed into a serpent and then as a bull, but Hercules managed to tear one of his horns off, making him surrender.

Returning, the couple attempted to cross the River Evenus. They asked Nessus the centaur ferryman to take them across. He however bolted with Deianira, whereupon Hercules shot him with an arrow dipped in Hydra's blood. Feigning a wish to make amends, the dying centaur tricked Deianeira how to make a love charm from his allegedly enchanted blood, in fact tainted with the Hydra's blood, and Deianira took the Centaur's blood-soaked shirt.

### Death

In 1246 B.C., Deianira found Hercules in bed with another woman and decided to use the enhanced blood to gain Hercules loyalty once more. Unaware that it was now tainted with the lethal poison of the Hydra, Deianeira rubbed the Centaur's shirt on Hercules. Rendered mad by the poison, Hercules threw himself on the funeral pyre built for him by his nephew Iolaus.

### Olympian

As his mortal body burned his soul fell for three days into the depth of Tartarus. However, Zeus took pity on him and split the immortal part away from his body allowing the "shade" to fall into the underworld. Now a full god, Hercules took his place as God of Strength. In an attempt to reconcile with Hera, he married Hebe. However, like his father, Hercules was a notorious ladies' man. This was compounded with a curse of Hera's that threatened any mortal woman with whom he became too involved.

### Across the Ages

He took part in the very first Olympic Games winning most of the events.

Later, Hercules led time-traveling soldiers against Vikings, bringing him into conflict with Thor.[*citation needed*]

In the 18th century had an affair with Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution. He would later boast about this to Wolverine.

### 20th century

#### 1940

Hercules covertly fought in World War II, he was instrumental in the formation of the Greek Resistance. He was on a covert mission to Paris, France when it was attacked by Baron Strucker in a robot suit. To get around the Olympian rule not to get involved in mortal wars, he donned a pair of green speedos and pretended to be the Sub-Mariner. Wolverine was also in Paris at the time working on a mission to kill a Nazi agent and witnessed the attack.

Hercules formally met Wolverine in the 1950's at the Sign of the Lion Bar. The two squabbled over a red headed girl, but it was a stalemate, but Wolverine secretly took her home. Herc returned the next night to finally seduce the girl, the truth of what truly happened was not revealed for many years. Following this encounter these two immortal warriors became lifelong drink buddies.

### Modern Times

In recent years, the Asgardian Enchantress hoped to gain revenge on her enemies, the Avengers. She mesmerized Hercules and set him to attack the team, but the Avenger Hawkeye managed to free him from his thrall and the Enchantress was routed. However, Hercules was exiled from Olympus by Zeus as punishment for his unauthorized excursion to Earth. The Avengers housed Hercules as their guest for months, and he often assisted them in their adventures. He was eventually made an official member of the team, but he returned to Olympus with the Avengers to rescue the other Olympians from the vengeful Typhon. Afterward, Hercules elected to remain on Olympus with Zeus' blessing.
Later, the Olympian god Ares hoped to incite war among Olympus and Asgard, and eventually Earth. Ares turned all the Olympian gods to crystal, and, as Hercules was unaffected by being only half-god, Ares' agents beat him severely and abandoned him on Earth. Hercules remained amnesiac for many weeks, until he was discovered by Hawkeye and returned to the Avengers. With the Avengers' aid, the plot was uncovered, and Ares was stopped. Hercules and his teammate, the Asgardian thunder-god Thor, sealed the access to both worlds.

Hercules continued to occasionally interact with Earth, as was the case with his helping found the short-lived West Coast super-team called the Champions of Los Angeles after they had helped him and Venus thwart a plot by Pluto to force him into marriage with Hippolyta and invade Olympus. While on this team, Hercules began a relationship with his team leader, the Black Widow. It did not last long, but the two remained on good terms afterward. He also kept in touch with the Avengers, assisting them in reserve capacity against menaces such as Korvac. Eventually, Hercules rejoined the Avengers on a full-time basis.

### Time as an Avenger

When the Avengers' mansion headquarters were invaded by Baron Helmut Zemo's Masters of Evil, Hercules, intoxicated, ignored orders from the Wasp and Captain America, attacking the conquered mansion by himself. He was beaten so severely by a contingent of the Masters that he was left near death, in a coma. The Wasp and Ant-Man (Scott Lang) were only barely able to repulse a Masters assault by Absorbing Man and Titania on his hospital room. Afterwards, Zeus arranged for Hercules to be returned to Olympus, and in revenge, ordered the imprisonment of the Avengers in Hades. The Avengers escaped to confront Zeus directly, but they were saved only by the intervention of Hercules, who had made a recovery and convinced his father the Avengers were not to blame. Nevertheless, Zeus ordered that Hercules remain in Olympus forever.

It was not long, however, until Hercules disobeyed his father, returning to Earth when the Avengers required help against the villainous High Evolutionary, who misguidedly hoped to forcibly jumpstart humankind's evolution. In the final battle, Hercules was attached to a machine that would "evolve" him to a superior state than that of the Evolutionary. Instead, the device jump started the Evolutionary's physiology as well, evolving both to a state beyond godhood, and the two dissipated from Earth's plane.

In reality, the two were captured by the enigmatic beings known as the Celestials and held prisoner in the so-called Black Galaxy. Thor and his friend, Eric Masterson, discovered their fate during an adventure at the High Evolutionary's citadel, Wundagore. Both Masterson and Thor helped rescue the two, and Hercules, Thor, and Masterson returned to Earth, while the High Evolutionary turned Wundagore into a spaceship and returned to the Black Galaxy.

Hercules, Thor, and Masterson were then viciously attacked by Mongoose using weapons he had stolen from Wundagore. Mongoose almost killed Thor using a powerful energy beam. Masterson took a killing blow for Thor, giving Thor and Hercules a chance to defeat Mongoose. Unfortunately, Masterson was dying from his wounds, which led Thor and Masterson to be merged together. Hercules remained on hand to help his friends, and he would also return to the Avengers shortly afterwards, becoming an active reserve member during the U.N. reorganization of the team. He soon became a full member during an absence of Thor.

During Operation Galactic Storm, Hercules was part of Captain America's team bound for the Kree Empire. At the conclusion of the mission, he was part of the group that followed Iron Man to execute the Supreme Intelligence of the Kree, a move against both Avengers policy and Captain America's orders.

Hercules was soon confronted by Zeus, and they had a falling out over Hercules' apparent preference for the mortal world. Punishing his son, Zeus stripped him of his immortality and much of his godly power, exiling him once more. The traumatized Hercules drew emotional support from the Avengers, especially Deathcry, whom he later aided in returning to her alien Shi'ar homeworld.