- “I wanted to thank you. Because of you, something very important has been done. Those above have finally destroyed the misguided god of death... My brother, Hades.
Zeus.
Indeed.” - ―Zeus and Killian Jones[src]
Zeus is a character who appears in the fifth season of ABC's fantasy-drama series Once Upon a Time.
While mentioned throughout the second half of the season, he makes his only physical appearance in the episode "Last Rites", where he greets Killian Jones to thank him for helping people in Storybrooke destroy Hades.
He is based on the Disney character with the same name and the character from Greco-Roman mythology.
Background[]
Zeus was born to Kronos and an unnamed woman, who grew up with magical powers, in a family of gods. He had an older brother named Hades, who became evil and ruled the Underworld, while Zeus ruled Mount Olympus. Zeus later welcomed a son named Hercules who also had godly powers, which he discovered in his teenhood. However, because Hercules was on earth for so long, he had to complete his 12 labors in order to reunite with Zeus on Mount Olympus, which he failed as Hercules would die at the hands of Cerberus.
Powers and abilities[]
- Immortality: As a god, Zeus does not age and retains his youthful appearance no matter how old he may actually be.
- Resurrection: Zeus is able to resurrect any dead human he may desire, established when he decides to bring Killian Jones back to life. Although he only does this as a reward as he resurrected Hook because he saved the residents of Storybrooke by destroying Hades.
Role in the series[]
Zeus is mentioned by his son, Hercules, during the flashback scenes of "Labor of Love". Hercules mentions to a young Snow White that he is to complete his 12 labors on earth before he can join his father on Mount Olympus. However, Hercules fails and is killed by the three-headed hellhound, Cerberus, before he is able to complete this quest and join his father.
Many, many years later in the Underworld after helping a grown up Snow White and killing Cerberus once and for all, Hercules and Megara are able to leave the underworld and finally make their way to Mount Olympus, where Zeus is waiting for his son. Days later, after Killian Jones saves the underworld and helps Emma Swan defeat Hades, Killian is about to pass on to Mount Olympus, but is greeted by Zeus in a light tunnel. As a thank you for defeating his brother, Zeus appears to Killian and allows him to return to Storybrooke, resurrecting him from the dead and reuniting him with his true love; Emma Swan.
Trivia[]
- This version of Zeus is significantly younger than his the original character and any other versions.
- According to "Our Decay", Zeus is younger than Hades, while it is never actually specifically mentioned in the film which of the brothers is the oldest.
- Zeus is the one who stopped Hades' heart, which meant he could not leave the Underworld, and made it so that only a kiss of true love would be able to restart the heart.
See also[]
- Zeus (Fantasia)
- Zeus (Hercules)
- Zeus (DuckTales)
- Zeus (Marvel)
- Zeus (Percy Jackson and the Olympians)