Hercules (character)

"Well, that’s just something you’ll have to find out for yourselves. Just the way that I did."

- Hercules

Hercules is the main protagonist from the 1997 film of the same name and its television series. He was voiced by Tate Donovan, and by Roger Bart when singing.

Hercules
Hercules was born on Mount Olympus with all the powers of a god, to parents, Zeus and Hera. In this movie, Hera has been recast as a loving mother instead of a spiteful stepmother like in Mythological tales. On the celebration of his birth, during which the Olympian gods present the infant god with a multitude of gifts. Zeus himself creates the winged-horse Pegasus as a gift. It seems to be a joyous occasion, although one god is not happy about the new arrival: Hercules's evil uncle Hades, lord of the Underworld. Hades tried to give his gift, a spiked skull-shaped pacifier to Hercules by attempting to stick it into the baby's mouth. Hercules, however, managed to squeeze Hades' hand in order to drop the pacifier before it almost went into his mouth.

Hades wants to take control of Mount Olympus and the world, and he sees that if Hercules chooses to fight when he is older, his plans will be ruined. Knowing that as a god, Hercules is immortal, Hades sends his two lackeys, Pain and Panic, to kidnap Hercules and turn him mortal by means of a magic potion. Although they succeed in the first part of the plan, carrying Hercules down to Earth, they are interrupted by two human peasants (Amphytryon and Alcmene) before Hercules finishes drinking and the final drop falls wasted on the ground. Pain and Panic nevertheless attack him in the guise of snakes, and discover that because he did not drink the last drop he has retained his godly strength and they are beaten back. Amphytryon and Alcmene adopt the child, considering his arrival a gift from the gods since they are themselves childless. Too late, Zeus and the other gods discover the kidnapping. Because Herc is now mortal, however, they are unable to take him back to Olympus.

Hercules grows into a strong but clumsy teenager. He desperately wants to fit in, but as he cannot control his godly strength he only ends up causing havoc and alienating those around him. On one occasion, he accidentally flattens the local market town during a game of discus. His foster parents decide to finally come clean to him about the circumstances of his adoption, showing him a medallion they find that bears the symbol of the gods (Zeus's lightning bolt). Hercules sets off to find his place in the world, and goes to the Temple of Zeus for guidance.

While in the temple, Zeus himself appears (embodying his own statue), and reveals Hercules's origin. He explains that the only way Hercules can rejoin his parents on Mount Olympus is to prove himself a "true hero". A grown-up Pegasus also joins Hercules as a constant companion.

He goes to see Philoctetes (a satyr) a trainer of heroes who initially says he will not train Hercules, having been let down too many times by losers who couldn't go the distance, but changes his mind after Zeus zaps him with a bolt of lightning.

When Hercules has reached adulthood and has passed his training, he sets off with Philoctetes to become a Hero in Thebes. On his way he encounters Megara, who is being pursued by the lecherous Nessus. Hercules then intervenes, defeating Nessus (after a couple of disastrous missteps) and rescuing Megara (who felt she didn't even need his help in the first place.) Phil and Pegasus dislike her. Megara relates the events to Hades, by which he learns that Hercules is still alive and so sends a variety of monsters to kill Hercules, the first of which is the Lernaean Hydra. But Hercules dispatches the Hydra and, during the song "Zero to Hero", is shown to dispatch every other monster Hades sends against him.

By this time, Hercules has become the toast of Greece: famous, rich, and perhaps a little too cocky. He believes himself a true hero, and is distraught when Zeus tells him he has not quite gotten there yet, unsure of what more he can do. Megara (on assignment from Hades) convinces him to play 'hooky', or truant for the day, going on a date. The date is ended by Phil, irate at Herc for skipping training. Phil is knocked off Pegasus, and wakes up in time to learn of Meg's involvement with Hades. He leaves to tell his sure-to-be-devastated protege, not hearing Meg's refusal to help destroy Hercules. Hades then discovers that Hercules loves Megara and uses that knowledge to attempt to take the young hero out of the picture while he attempts to overtake Olympus.

Hercules, ecstatic from the date, refuses to believe Phil's warning about Meg, even hitting him in a flash of blind anger, prompting Phil to quit as his trainer. As soon as he is fone, Hades confronts Herc, offering Meg's safety if the hero will give up his strength for 24 hours (long enough for Hades to conquer Olympus.) Hercules is reluctant to see anyone hurt, but Hades vows that no harm will come to Meg. Herc agrees, and Hades takes the opportunity to humiliate him by revealing Meg's role in his scheme. Enacting his plan, Hades sends a Cyclops to destroy Hercules so that he can't get in the way later on. Hercules has been so disheartened by learning that Meg had been working for Hades, that he doesn't even try to defeat the Cyclops. Meg hurries to fetch Phil, who convinces Hercules not to give up. Using his wits, he is able to defeat the Cyclops and send him hurtling off a cliff.

The monster's fall causes a pillar to topple towards Hercules and Megara pushes him out of the way, taking the impact of the pillar. This in turn causes Hercules to regain his strength because Hades' end of the bargain is now broken. Megara, however, is gravely injured and Hercules leaves her in the care of Phil while he rushes off to thwart Hades' invasion of Olympus. After thwarting the invasion, Hades shouts to him that he's got Meg's soul as his 'consolation prize', and Hercules rushes back to Meg's side, only to find that she had died moments before he got there.

However, he then travels to the Underworld to rescue Megara's spirit. When Hades points out that Meg is dead and belongs in the Underworld now, Hercules makes a deal that he will trade his soul for Meg's. Hades agrees to this - IF Hercules can get her out. To do so he must dive into the river Styx, which swiftly ages mortals upon contact, killing them if they spend too long in there. Hercules nevertheless enters the pool to rescue Megara's soul. He does not die, however, as his selfless act fulfills the requirement for being a true hero and, thus, Hercules regains his godhood. He then defeats Hades by punching him into the River Styx, and returns Megara's soul to her body.

He is invited by Zeus to live in Olympus, which was indeed originally his wish, but he decides rather to live his life on earth as a mortal with Megara. Although he will eventually die, he believes that even an immortal life without Megara would be empty.

Hercules: The Series
The animated series Hercules is set in the intervening period between his teen years and his first journey to Thebes as an adult, while he is still in training on Phil's island. The series also reveals that, on Zeus's instruction, Hercules attends a high school called the Prometheus Academy. While there he befriends Icarus and Cassandra and gains a rivalry with Adonis. It is also revealed that after graduating high school and after the movie he and Meg get married.

In a special crossover episode, Hercules met, and battled Aladdin. When Hades and Jafar teamed up, they kidnapped Icarus and blamed the kidnapping on Aladdin. They then kidnapped Aladdin's monkey Abu, and blamed it on Hercules. After a battle, the heroes learn that they've been duped and travels to the Underworld. Aladdin and Hercules work together to eliminate Jafar once more, forcing Hades to simply give up.

House of Mouse
He also appeared in the television series House of Mouse. In the episode Salute to Sports, Hercules was competing in the Olympics with Donald Duck. He is seen in Everybody Loves Mickey when Meg complements Mickey on his heroic cartoon. In Donald Wants to Fly, Hercules and Phil were seen watching Carpet's stunt performance. Herc can also be seen during the opening song with Phil and Megara.

Kingdom Hearts series
Hercules is one of the primary characters featured in the Kingdom Hearts series. He is very supportive of Sora's goal to become a true hero.

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep
Young Hercules is training to become a hero alongside Zack, hoping to restore his godhood and return to Mt. Olympus by proving himself a true hero. After seeing Terra fight, he wishes to become like Terra.

He meets Ventus and after he, Ven and Zack fight and defeat the Unversed, Hercules suggests to Ven that he should train under Phil to become a hero. During the final match with Zack, the Unversed attack the city and Ven runs off to defeat them. Herc instantly gives up the fight to help Ventus.

He also meets Aqua, appearing after Zack attempted to ask Aqua out. He points out how Aqua's "face is all red", and also gets advice from Aqua to not always rely on his strength, and she also tells him that she believes he will become a true hero someday. In the ending credits, Hercules is seen training under Phil with Zack watching by the gate before something takes him away.

Kingdom Hearts
Hercules is not seen in Olympus Coliseum until he saves Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Cloud Strife from Cerberus. Sora, Donald and Goofy run back to battle Cerberus so Hercules can escape with an unconscious Cloud. Upon the defeat of Cerberus, Hercules is impressed with the trio but encourages them to continue training when Phil grants them "Junior Heroes". When they leave, Hercules reveals to Phil that he had already worn out Cerberus by the time Sora and company came to fight him. Hercules later battles Sora in a one-on-one battle in the Hercules Cup. When Sora wins and gains the Hercules Cup, as well as the ability to access the Yellow Trinity Mark, he comments that his heart's strength comes from his friends, and Hercules supports him in it.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
Hercules' storyline for Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories is basically the same for as Kingdom Hearts. You meet him where Phil is about to cancel the games because no one else got past his preliminary course. Sora convinces them to keep the games because Sora wants to fight Hercules. Hercules agrees and Cloud shows up to add another contender to the games. During the games, Cloud wants to eliminate Hercules so he can have his lost memories restored. At the end of the course, Cloud and Hercules are fighting to the death and Hades intervenes, determined to kill Hercules himself, as Cloud could not finish him off. Sora then defends Hercules from Hades. After Hades is beaten, Hercules would like to fight Sora, but is not in his top fighting form and promises Sora a fight when he is.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
Hercules makes a small appearance in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. He was out looking for possible new heroes for the Coliseum and was said to have sent someone to start training with Phil. Phil mistook Roxas as this person and started training him. Hercules is shown training in a couple of scenes and another one where he walks by Roxas to talk to Phil. Phil then tells Hercules how well Roxas is doing and Hercules says that his person he found couldn't even be here since it will take him awhile to get to the Coliseum.

Kingdom Hearts II
Hercules spends most of his days in the coliseum battling Hades' monsters, including the Rock Titan and the Hydra. He gets rather tired but hides his exhaustion from Megara and his friends. When Megara is captured by Hades, Sora and the others offer to find her so that he can deal with the Hydra at hand. After he "kills" the monster, he runs into the Underworld to join the others in saving Meg. He later feels depressed for the destruction of the coliseum at the hands of the Hydra.

Upon Sora's second visit to the destroyed Coliseum, Hercules is still depressed. Hades forces Hercules to join in the tournaments in the Underdrome and uses Megara as threat. Before the finals, Sora and the others encounter their friend Auron, who was being brainwashed at the time. In order to buy them time, Hercules offers to fight Auron one-on-one - to the death. Sora, Donald and Goofy stop the fight by helping Auron regain his will just as Hercules is pinned under his weapon and about to run out of endurance. Angered by the outcome, Hades throws Megara into the Styx and Hercules jumps in after her and so regains his strength by reminding himself that a true hero's strength comes from his heart. With the revived Hercules on their side, the group defeats Hades, and witnesses the creation of a new constellation shaped like Sora, Donald, and Goofy, making the trio true heroes at long last. The credits of the game show that Hercules has successfully rebuilt the Coliseum with the help of his friends.

Kingdom Hearts coded
In coded, Hercules makes his first appearance as one of Sora's party members. He teams up with Sora to help him find Hades, as well as destroy the Heartless and Blocks in the way. Like in Kingdom Hearts, he has been seen battling Cloud, who ironically also joins Sora as a party member. Hercules fights Cerberus alongside with Sora and Cloud. After defeating Cerberus, he fights Hades again. After that is over, Hercules will take bundles of scraps for you and trade them for synthesis items. You can give him bundles of 39, 49, or 60 scraps.

Disney Parks
Hercules appears at the Disney Parks daily for greetings. Hercules can be found at Disneyland Paris on occasions.

Hercules can also be found at Tokyo Disneyland around the Mediterranean Harbor.

Hercules has a spell card known as "Hercules' Tower Topple" in the attraction Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom.

Fantasmic!
Hercules appears in the Walt Disney World version of Fantasmic! making a cameo during the floating bubble montage alongside other characters from his film. He occasionally appears on the Steamboat Willie at the end of the show as well.

Disney Cruise Line
He also has his own stage show on the Disney Cruise Line. He is most likely to be seen on the long-running live show The Golden Mickeys.

On the Disney Fantasy ship show Wishes Hercules and the Muses meet three high school graduates. The Muses perform Zero to Hero whilst Hercules battle some of the Titans during the show.

Powers and Abilities

 * Super-Strength: Hercules possesses virtually limitless superstrength. This was his sole remaining godly power and appears to be higher than most other gods or titans. In the Disney Universe, only Zeus and Genie rival or suprass him in strength.
 * Trained Hero: As a trained hero, Hercules is a master at using a variety of weapons from ancient Greece including swords, spears, and archery. He is trained to handly dangerous situations, battle monsters, and come up with a battle plan to win battles.
 * Immortality (formerly): During his brief times as a god Hercules was completely immortal. He would not age, grow sick, or be permanently harmed by any force known. He first lost this power when Hades made him mortal and again to live his life with Meg.

Trivia

 * Despite being the son of the king and queen of the Gods, Hercules himself is not considered a prince nor is he featured in the Disney Princes line.
 * Hercules is the most well-built Disney male out of the others, in the likes of Li Shang and those who are rather muscular propotioned as demonstrated by their fitting outfits.
 * Hercules is the only Disney hero to have defeated a number of different beasts and monsters.
 * As a baby, Hercules is the first Disney hero to be given a pacifier.
 * 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.
 * Hercules' mother in the myth is not Hera, but a mortal named Alcmene.
 * In Mythology, Hercules is driven mad by Hera's jealousy of another step-son, and kills his own wife and children.
 * Hercules is the only Disney male hero to have a personality of naive and innocence.
 * He is most likely the youngest of all male Disney Heroes, as he is 18 during the majority of the film, and most of the other Disney Heroes are in their early twenties. This is with the exception of Simba, who is either 3-7 given both movies (that and lions usually won't live past 16 in the wild).
 * In the film, when posing for a pottery painting, Hercules is seen wearing a lions' head and skin cloak resembling that of Scar.
 * 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".
 * Hercules is the first Disney hero to have siblings, the second is Prince Naveen who has a little brother. The other Disney Heroes are all presumably only children.
 * If mythology is taken into consideration, Hercules and Ariel are related: Hercules’s 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’s 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 1800's and Hercules takes place well over 3000 years in the past.(Though King Triton is a God, and of course, God's are immortal.)