Hercules. A name I’m sure you have heard of many times before. But this time, we’re not talking about Disney’s underrated 1998 Hercules, or even the Dwayne Johnson version of Hercules - today, we are going to take a deep dive into the latest hero that is soon to come to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
That’s right, another godly superhero (or antagonist) is coming to the MCU soon, to join the ranks with Thor, Loki, and others.
Appearing in a fantastic post-credits scene in Thor: Love and Thunder, featuring Russell Crowe as Zeus, we see him speaking to his son, Hercules, hoping that he will, once again, instill fear of the Gods in humanity. As we cut to Hercules, we see that he will be played by Brett Goldstein - more commonly known for his role as Roy Kent as part of the Ted Lasso cast, which won him an Emmy Award.
This, already, is fantastic news for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but for those who don’t know about this hero, you might be wondering how he fits into the grand scheme of things - and what his story is all about. Fear not, as today, we will break down some quick facts you should know about this new character, before he inevitably pops up again.
Hercules Is Based On Greek Mythology
As you can expect, Hercules in the Marvel Comics is much like the Hercules that we know of from Greek mythology. In the legendary myth of Hercules, he is known as a demi-god (half human, half god, like several characters in Percy Jackson).
In Marvel, Hercules has found the power to become a full-on god after he was poisoned, and was brought back to life thanks to his father, granting him the strength and immortality that Olympian gods possessed. Hercules already had a good amount of strength before then, as Hera (his adoptive mother) fed him her breast milk which was blessed as divine, and this was the moment where Hercules truly became a hero.
Hercules, In The Comics, Is A Part Of The Avengers
I feel like everyone in Marvel Comics has been a part of the Avengers at one time or another, and Hercules is no exception. Oftentimes in the comics, Hercules is a member of the famous team, and has played an important role in huge story arcs, such as Civil War, where he was actually a part of Captain America’s “Secret Avengers,” and World War Hulk.
What this means for him in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s iconic team, I’m not sure. The Avengers in the MCU are kind of torn apart at the moment, as two of its members are dead and Captain America has retired in his old age, and the other three have been having their own solo adventures. But who knows? With two new Avengers movies coming up, we could still see Hercules with the team in the future.
Hercules Is Also Married To His Half-Sister, Hebe, In The Comics
Yeah, this one makes me shiver a little too.
In the Marvel Comics, Hercules is, like his father, a bit of a ladies-man. Zeus, in Greek mythology, will quite literally sleep with anything that walks, and it’s not that far off in the comics. Hercules is a little tamer than his father, but does dive into infidelity. The one person that he’s been with consistently for a good amount of time in the comics is Hebe, his half-sister and the Cupbearer of the Gods.
They share a father, but they don’t share a mother, as she is the biological daughter of Zeus and Hera, and in an attempt for Hercules to reconcile with his adoptive mother after he was brought back from the dead, he married her - and they’ve stayed decently strong throughout the series run - aside from a few relationship hiccups from Hercules. He actually almost lost her to Spider-Man, of all people.
However, since Marvel is owned by Disney, I don’t see this relationship playing out the way it does in the comics - and if she is in a movie, I doubt she’ll be related to Hercules. This isn’t Cersei and Jaime from Game of Thrones, people.
Hercules Was Once A Part Of Another Superhero Group Called The Champions
While we’ve already talked about Hercules being a part of the Avengers, did you know that he was actually a part of another completely different superhero team called The Champions?
He helped co-found the short-lived team, called The Champions of Los Angeles, which actually featured many famous faces from Marvel - such as Black Widow, Ghost Rider, and two X-Men, Iceman and Angel.
Hercules And Thor Have A Long-Running Rivalry With Each Other
As you would probably expect from that post-credits scene in Thor: Love and Thunder, Hercules and Thor have a bit of a rivalry going on. While they were first established as adversaries, it wasn’t that long after that they ended up burying the metaphorical hatchet and working together in certain cases.
But, that doesn’t mean they still don’t have a rivalry to see who is more powerful on a pretty consistent basis, and they don’t have the best friendship, as expected. In that post-credits scene, I personally think that Hercules is being set up more as an antagonist for a possible fifth Thor film, and I do believe it could happen because they said that Thor would return, so I don’t think we’ll see a friendly team-up too soon.
However, I can’t wait to see these two gods bash heads and powers - especially if those two gods are played by Chris Hemsworth and Brett Goldstein.
Hercules And Thor Actually Switched Roles - And Powers - At One Point
I can almost see you staring at the screen and wondering what on Earth I must be on about, but you read that right - these two gods actually switched roles and their powers, once in the comic, Incredible Hercules: The Mighty Thorcules.
Hercules, as Thor, got drunk and married Queen Alfyse - and that led to a huge Dark Elf invasion that ended up being a big loss for Asgard and further added to the rivalry between Thor and Hercules. Yeah, a lot of crazy stuff happens between these two - but what else can you expect from two gods?
I’m sure everyone here is just as excited about seeing Hercules in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as I am, and hopefully, we’ll get to see just how powerful he truly is. Who will be the ultimate god - the God of Thunder? Or the God of Strength and Heroes? Norse vs Greek? It’s about to go down - and I have so many questions.
