hercules the legendary journeys centaur

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

When his stepmother, demonic snake-woman, Hero, destroys his family, Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) is so consumed by hatred that he loses sight of his purpose to help people in need. Hercules declares he will take on the demon face-to-face. Entering the darkness of her cave, he is immediately confronted by her sensuous, tantalizing form. Using her demonic charms, she attempts to seduce him into submission. A battle of wits and strength ensues, taxing all of Hercules' powers. Michael Hurst co-stars as Iolaus.

Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) learns the real reason why a giant Cyclops (Richard Moll) has been terrorizing a village. In a spectacular battle against Hera's executioners, they join forces in victory.

Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) accompanies a town's citizens, cursed by Hera because of a theft at her temple, on a perilous journey to a city offering safe haven. On their exhausting trek they are attacked by a huge pterodactyl-like bird. Hercules wages a long and desperate battle against the winged monstrosity, which he ultimately buries in a pit of quicksand. Norman Forsey co-stars as the seer.

Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) uncovers an elaborate plot calling for the murder of a king (Noel Trevarthen) during a celebration honoring the god of wine. Hercules must grapple with a ten-foot eel-like creature and try and reach the festival and stop the virgins from drinking the wine possessed by Ares which will cause them to slay the king. Norman Forsey co-stars as the seer.

Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) aided by the alluring and powerful Atalanta (Cory Everson) confronts his wicked half-brother Ares, the god of war, who uses a band of boy-soldiers to quench his undying thirst for bloodshed. Hercules goes to Ares’ cave. There he sees his wicked half-brother, rising from behind a pool of blood, his huge bulbous skull-head atop a body of mangled corpses of fallen warriors. A fierce battle ensues.

Hercules (Kevin Sorbo) attends a friend's wedding where Nemis the Centaur (Cliff Curtis) arrives and kidnaps the bride (Jacqueline Collen) and her maid of honor (Fiona Mogridge). Hercules is temporarily blinded as he seeks to rescue them and is forced to battle in the dark. Lucy Lawless guest stars as Lyla.

Cast & Crew

Kevin Sorbo

Michael Hurst

Executive Producer

Roberto Orci

Campy '90s action series has solid messages for teens.

Information

© 1995 Universal Network Television LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2024 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.

Internet Service Terms Apple TV & Privacy Cookie Policy Support

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Episode list

Hercules: the legendary journeys.

S1.E1 ∙ The Wrong Path

S1.E2 ∙ Eye of the Beholder

S1.E3 ∙ The Road to Calydon

S1.E4 ∙ The Festival of Dionysus

S1.E5 ∙ Ares

S1.E6 ∙ As Darkness Falls

S1.E7 ∙ Pride Comes Before a Brawl

S1.E8 ∙ The March to Freedom

S1.E9 ∙ The Warrior Princess

S1.E10 ∙ Gladiator

S1.E11 ∙ The Vanishing Dead

S1.E12 ∙ The Gauntlet

S1.E13 ∙ Unchained Heart

S2.E1 ∙ The King of Thieves

S2.E2 ∙ All That Glitters

S2.E3 ∙ What's in a Name?

S2.E4 ∙ Siege at Naxos

S2.E5 ∙ Outcast

S2.E6 ∙ Under the Broken Sky

S2.E7 ∙ The Mother of All Monsters

S2.E8 ∙ The Other Side

S2.E9 ∙ The Fire Down Below

S2.E10 ∙ Cast a Giant Shadow

S2.E11 ∙ Highway to Hades

Contribute to this page.

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More from this title

More to explore.

Recently viewed

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

• What's the Tomatometer®?
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening this week
• Top box office
• Coming soon to theaters
• Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

• Fandango at Home
• Netflix streaming
• Prime Video
• Most popular streaming movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• Challengers Link to Challengers
• Abigail Link to Abigail
• Arcadian Link to Arcadian

New TV Tonight

• Dead Boy Detectives: Season 1
• The Jinx: Season 2
• The Big Door Prize: Season 2
• Knuckles: Season 1
• Them: Season 2
• Velma: Season 2
• Secrets of the Octopus: Season 1
• Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story: Season 1
• We're Here: Season 4

Most Popular TV on RT

• Baby Reindeer: Season 1
• Fallout: Season 1
• Shōgun: Season 1
• Under the Bridge: Season 1
• The Sympathizer: Season 1
• Ripley: Season 1
• 3 Body Problem: Season 1
• X-Men '97: Season 1
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV
• TV & Streaming News

Certified fresh pick

• Baby Reindeer Link to Baby Reindeer
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

DC Animated Movies In Order: How to Watch 54 Original and Universe Films

The Best TV Seasons Certified Fresh at 100%

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Awards Tour

Poll: Most Anticipated Movies of May 2024

Poll: Most Anticipated TV and Streaming Shows of May 2024

• Trending on RT
• Challengers
• Play Movie Trivia

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

Where to watch.

Watch Hercules: The Legendary Journeys with a subscription on Prime Video, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

Cast & Crew

Kevin Sorbo

Michael Hurst

Executive Producer

More Like This

Series info.

• Web Channels
• Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
• Episode Guide

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys - Episode Guide

Episode List

The Wrong Path

Episode: 1x01 | Airdate: Jan 29, 1995

When his stepmother Hera destroys his family, Hercules is so consumed by hatred that he loses sight of his purpose to help people in need.

Eye of the Beholder

Episode: 1x02 | Airdate: Feb 5, 1995

Hercules learns the real reason why a giant Cyclops has been terrorizing a village.

The Road to Calydon

Episode: 1x03 | Airdate: Feb 12, 1995

Hercules accompanies a town's citizens, cursed by Hera because of a theft at her temple, on a perilous journey to a city offering safe haven.

The Festival of Dionysus

Episode: 1x04 | Airdate: Feb 19, 1995

Hercules uncovers an elaborate plot calling for the murder of a king during a celebration honoring the god of wine.

Episode: 1x05 | Airdate: Feb 26, 1995

Hercules confronts his half brother Ares, the god of war, in his attempt to prevent a teen-age boy from becoming one of the evil deity's soldiers.

As Darkness Falls

Episode: 1x06 | Airdate: Mar 5, 1995

Hercules attends a friend's wedding where Nemis the Centaur arrives and kidnaps the bride and her maid of honor.

Pride Comes Before a Brawl

Episode: 1x07 | Airdate: Mar 12, 1995

Hercules' friend Iolaus fights for his life when Hera decides to punish him for an act of pride.

The March to Freedom

Episode: 1x08 | Airdate: Mar 19, 1995

Hercules saves a woman from slavery and then must help to free her fiancee from the slavers.

The Warrior Princess

Episode: 1x09 | Airdate: Mar 26, 1995

The perfect woman is waiting for Iolaus. Unfortunately, she's an evil, power-hungry warrior princess, who's using him to get Hercules out of the way.

Episode: 1x10 | Airdate: Apr 2, 1995

Hercules and Iolaus fight to free the slaves forced to battle to the death in a gladiatorial arena.

The Vanishing Dead

Episode: 1x11 | Airdate: May 7, 1995

A civil war pits brother against sister, and someone—or some nasty god—is stealing the bodies of their dead soldiers.

The Gauntlet

Episode: 1x12 | Airdate: May 14, 1995

Warrior princess Xena joins forces with Hercules when her troops turn on her under the command of the cruel and ruthless Darphus.

Unchained Heart

Episode: 1x13 | Airdate: May 21, 1995

While working together to stop the marauding Darphus, Hercules and the warrior princess Xena take their personal relationship to a new level.

The King of Thieves

Episode: 2x01 | Airdate: Sep 15, 1995

When Iolaus is falsely accused of robbery, Hercules races against time to apprehend the real thief before his friend is executed.

All That Glitters

Episode: 2x02 | Airdate: Sep 22, 1995

Hercules helps out his friend King Midas, whose gambling palace has gotten out of control with sadistic entertainment.

What's in a Name?

Episode: 2x03 | Airdate: Sep 29, 1995

A not-so-heroic Hercules imposter, hi s mortal half-brother Iphicles, is about to wed the stepdaughter of an evil warlord.

Siege at Naxos

Episode: 2x04 | Airdate: Oct 6, 1995

Hercules and Iolaus capture Goth, wanted for war crimes, but are forced to take refuge in abandoned fort while Goth's brother and his army try to rescue him.

Episode: 2x05 | Airdate: Oct 13, 1995

Hercules helps a centaur and his family combat the prejudice of a fanatical group of townspeople seeking ethnic purity.

Under the Broken Sky

Episode: 2x06 | Airdate: Oct 20, 1995

Hercules plays Cupid to a forlorn farmer and his alluring wife, who ran away to work in a "sin bin" after the death of their two children.

The Mother of All Monsters

Episode: 2x07 | Airdate: Oct 27, 1995

Echidna, the Mother of All Monsters, is out to get Hercules for killing all her children.

The Other Side

Episode: 2x08 | Airdate: Nov 10, 1995

While trying to rescue Persephone, Hades' stolen love, Herc visits the Underworld. He's sorely tempted to stay with his beloved dead wife and children.

The Fire Down Below

Episode: 2x09 | Airdate: Nov 17, 1995

Salmoneus is set up with treasure stolen from Hera. When Hercules convinces Nemesis that Salmoneus is innocent, Hera sends a deadly creature of fire to eliminate all three of them.

Cast a Giant Shadow

Episode: 2x10 | Airdate: Nov 24, 1995

Hercules and Iolaus fall in with fellow traveler Typhon, a gentle and friendly giant. They are astounded to discover he is married to Echidna, the Mother of All Monsters.

Highway to Hades

Episode: 2x11 | Airdate: Dec 1, 1995

Hercules has an uphill battle when he goes after King Sisyphus, who's tricked a young man into taking his place in the underworld.

The Sword of Veracity

Episode: 2x12 | Airdate: Jan 19, 1996

Hercules and Iolaus search for a mystical relic that allows nothing but the truth to be uttered in its presence.

The Enforcer

Episode: 2x13 | Airdate: Jan 26, 1996

Hercules' good time at a harvest festival is interrupted by the arrival of an assassin sent by his vindictive stepmother.

Once a Hero

Episode: 2x14 | Airdate: Feb 9, 1996

Hercules and Iolaus helps Jason and the Argonauts search for the Golden Fleece.

Heedless Hearts

Episode: 2x15 | Airdate: Feb 16, 1996

Hecules is in for both love and war when he falls in love with the leader of a rebel band that is fighting a tyrant.

Let the Games Begin

Episode: 2x16 | Airdate: Feb 23, 1996

Hercules promotes peace by organizing an athletic competition between the warring Spartans and Eleans, thus creating the Olympic Games.

Episode: 2x17 | Airdate: Mar 1, 1996

Episode: 2x18 | Airdate: Mar 15, 1996

Hercules and Iolaus get caught in the middle of a love triangle when they volunteer to help a king rescue his kidnapped fiancée.

King for a Day

Episode: 2x19 | Airdate: Mar 30, 1996

Iolaus discovers he has a royal look-alike and ends up helping him defend his throne from a jealous brother and a conniving general.

Protean Challenge

Episode: 2x20 | Airdate: May 4, 1996

A friend of Hercules and Iolaus is accused of theft when an angry god distorts reality by making people appear to have performed acts they didn't.

The Wedding of Alcmene

Episode: 2x21 | Airdate: May 12, 1996

The wedding of Hercules' mother to the legendary Greek hero Jason is threatened by another of Hera's plots to kill Hercules.

Episode: 2x22 | Airdate: May 18, 1996

Hercules intervenes when a young man with divine powers is manipulated by a relative into using his gift for villanious purposes.

Centaur Mentor Journey

Episode: 2x23 | Airdate: May 25, 1996

A dying centaur asks Hercules for help when a centaur group's struggle for equal rights with humans takes a violent turn.

The Cave of Echoes

Episode: 2x24 | Airdate: Jul 6, 1996

An eager young writer learns a lesson about courage when he helps Hercules and Iolaus rescue a maiden trapped in a cave.

Episode: 3x01 | Airdate: Oct 12, 1996

A storm at sea maroons Hercules on an island where he deals with pirates, sand monsters and a wanted killer he is transporting to Sparta.

Episode: 3x02 | Airdate: Oct 19, 1996

Hercules learns from a scribe, that Icarus is dead and his father, Hercules' old friend Daedalus, is being blamed.

Love Takes a Holiday

Episode: 3x03 | Airdate: Oct 26, 1996

Aphrodite, bored with her role as goddess of love, abandons it to try other activities.

Mummy Dearest

Episode: 3x04 | Airdate: Nov 2, 1996

An Egyptian princess travel to Greece to ask Hercules to find an old, walking, dangerous mummy who is being exhibited in Salmoneus' "House of Horrors".

Not Fade Away

Episode: 3x05 | Airdate: Nov 9, 1996

Iolaus will remain forever in the afterlife unless Hercules makes good on his deal with the god of the underworld to destroy Hera's latest assassin.

Monster Child in the Promised Land

Episode: 3x06 | Airdate: Nov 16, 1996

Hercules helps the monster Echidna and the giant Typhon find their kidnapped child.

The Green-Eyed Monster

Episode: 3x07 | Airdate: Nov 23, 1996

Hercules and Cupid get caught in the middle of a plot by jealous Aphrodite to marry off a mortal female whose beauty is drawing attention away from her.

Prince Hercules

Episode: 3x08 | Airdate: Nov 30, 1996

Queen Parnassa strikes Hercules with amnesia so he will believe she is his mother and agree to lead her army.

A Star to Guide Them

Episode: 3x09 | Airdate: Dec 21, 1996

Weak King Polonius receives a prophecy that a newborn baby will reign over his kingdom, and wicked Queen Maliphone convinces him to order the slaughter of all the babies in the kingdom to ensure their unborn child's succession.

The Lady and the Dragon

Episode: 3x10 | Airdate: Jan 25, 1997

A young dragon starts killing warriors and destroying villages at the same time a warlord returns from exile seeking revenge on his enemies.

Long Live the King

Episode: 3x11 | Airdate: Feb 1, 1997

Iolaus joins his look-alike cousin, King Orestes, on a dangerous diplomantic mission to ask a power-hungry ruler to support a new league of kingdoms.

Episode: 3x12 | Airdate: Feb 8, 1997

Xena's old enemy Callisto returns from the afterlife when she makes a deal with Hera to kill Hercules in exchange for immortality.

Episode: 3x13 | Airdate: Feb 15, 1997

Saving a beautiful creature that is part woman and part deer pits Hercules against his half brother Ares and the vengeful Prince Nestor.

When a Man Loves a Woman

Episode: 3x14 | Airdate: Feb 22, 1997

When Hercules proposes to Serena, he must deal with Iolaus's disapproval, Deianeira's hurt feelings and Ares' plot to destroy the relationship.

Judgment Day

Episode: 3x15 | Airdate: Mar 2, 1997

Xena intervenes when Ares and Strife frame Hercules for the murder of someone close to him.

The Lost City

Episode: 3x16 | Airdate: Mar 8, 1997

Iolaus's search for his missing cousin Regina takes him to a commune where everyone has been brainwashed by a seemingly benevolent leader.

Les Contemptibles

Episode: 3x17 | Airdate: Apr 19, 1997

Brave Marie de Valle inspires thieves, who bear uncanny resemblances to Hercules, Iolaus and Salmoneus, to fight for the French Revolution.

Reign of Terror

Episode: 3x18 | Airdate: Apr 26, 1997

Hera plays up to Augeas's delusion that he is Zeus by giving him a taste of godly power, which he can keep if he kills Hercules.

The End of the Beginning

Episode: 3x19 | Airdate: May 3, 1997

Autolycus steals a powerful stone which causes Hercules to travel back in time where he meets up with his beloved Serena and the ruthless Ares.

Episode: 3x20 | Airdate: May 10, 1997

When Princess Melissa is kidnapped on the eve of her wedding to Prince Gordius, Hercules must rescue her and prevent a war.

A Rock and a Hard Place

Episode: 3x21 | Airdate: May 17, 1997

When a murder suspect escapes and flees into an old mine, only Hercules and Iolaus can keep a vengeful mob away until the crime is solved.

Episode: 3x22 | Airdate: May 24, 1997

Cassandra is a prophet without honor in her own land when she predicts that her island homeland Atlantis will be destroyed.

Beanstalks and Bad Eggs

Episode: 4x01 | Airdate: Oct 11, 1997

Hercules and Autolycus team up to rescue the caretaker of golden Harpy eggs from the clutches of a giant living in the clouds.

Hero's Heart

Episode: 4x02 | Airdate: Oct 18, 1997

When Iolaus is unable to save a woman from falling to her death, Fortune, goddess of luck, attempts to relieve his anguish by taking away his memory of everything, including Hercules.

Regrets... I've Had a Few

Episode: 4x03 | Airdate: Oct 25, 1997

Hercules reminisces about the accidental death of a childhood bully, when Celesta arrives to take the brother of the deceased boy to the Elysian Fields.

Web of Desire

Episode: 4x04 | Airdate: Nov 1, 1997

Hercules and Iolaus team up with a woman pirate to battle a queen who is now part arachnid.

Stranger in a Strange World

Episode: 4x05 | Airdate: Nov 8, 1997

Following a fierce battle with Ares, Hercules races to rescue Iolaus from a cutthroat parallel universe and save the life of his father, Zeus.

Two Men and a Baby

Episode: 4x06 | Airdate: Nov 15, 1997

After finding out he's a father, Hercules engages in a fierce battle with Ares over the life of the magically endowed baby.

Prodigal Sister

Episode: 4x07 | Airdate: Nov 22, 1997

Hercules fights members of a renegade Amazon clan to reunite a blind teenager with his sister, who is a member of the female warriors' group.

...And Fancy Free

Episode: 4x08 | Airdate: Nov 29, 1997

In order to help a village girl, Hercules agrees to be her partner in a dance contest. They attend the dance classes of a very extravagant teacher.

If I Had a Hammer

Episode: 4x09 | Airdate: Jan 24, 1998

The blacksmith Atalanta forges a perfect likeness of Hercules, which raises havoc when it comes to life.

Hercules on Trial

Episode: 4x10 | Airdate: Jan 31, 1998

Hercules is tried for manslaughter when a man impersonating him is killed while doing a good deed.

Medea Culpa

Episode: 4x11 | Airdate: Feb 7, 1998

Hercules and Iolaus reminisce about their first battle with the fire-breathing Ghidra, the seductive powers of Medea and Hera's meddling tactics.

Men in Pink

Episode: 4x12 | Airdate: Feb 14, 1998

On the run from phony murder charges, Autolycus and Salmoneus change their names to Autolyca and Salmonella and join Widow Twanky's all-female dance troupe.

Armageddon Now (1)

Episode: 4x13 | Airdate: Feb 21, 1998

Hope frees Callisto and sends her back in time to keep Hercules from being born.

Armageddon Now (2)

Episode: 4x14 | Airdate: Feb 28, 1998

As Hercules tries to escape from the Netherworld, Iolaus travels back in time to prevent Callisto from killing Hercules' mother.

Yes Virginia, There is a Hercules

Episode: 4x15 | Airdate: Mar 7, 1998

The writers and producers of "Hercules" panic when the star of the show is nowhere to be found following an earthquake in modern day Los Angeles.

Episode: 4x16 | Airdate: Mar 28, 1998

Discord purchases Artemis' purloined bow and, with an arrow, turns Hercules into a pig.

One Fowl Day

Episode: 4x17 | Airdate: Apr 4, 1998

Ares punishes Iolaus and Autolycus for turning Discord into a chicken by chaining them together. Hercules' pig friend fulfills her dream of becoming human.

My Fair Cupcake

Episode: 4x18 | Airdate: Apr 25, 1998

Autolycus uses the voluptuous and naive Cupcake to distract Prince Alexandros so he can steal the ruler's famous sapphire as Antioch and Carpathia ready for war.

Episode: 4x19 | Airdate: May 2, 1998

A bitter King Iphicles' actions against Grecian war veterans puts his and Iolaus's lives in danger when they are forced to battle the carnivorous sandworms.

Episode: 4x20 | Airdate: May 9, 1998

Hercules reminisces about his first battle against the Parthans as he comforts his dying mother, Alcmene, and confronts his father, Zeus.

Episode: 4x21 | Airdate: May 16, 1998

Zeus' proposal for Hercules to join him as a god on Mount Olympus brings up memories of the warrior's first brush with divine immortality.

Episode: 4x22 | Airdate: May 23, 1998

Hera blackmails Zeus into becoming mortal. Hercules battles the gods to return Alcmene's soul to the Elysian Fields and restore his father's powers.

Episode: 5x01 | Airdate: Oct 3, 1998

Hercules and Iolaus' attempt to save Sumeria from the wrath of evil deities leads to disastrous consequences.

Episode: 5x02 | Airdate: Oct 10, 1998

Consumed by grief over the loss of Iolaus, Hercules attempts to bring his best friend back from the Underworld.

Resurrection

Episode: 5x03 | Airdate: Oct 17, 1998

Hercules must fight an evil female demigod sent to destroy the Druids.

Genies and Grecians and Geeks, Oh My

Episode: 5x04 | Airdate: Oct 24, 1998

Autolycus and Salmoneus learn the drawbacks of stealing a magic lamp from a sultan.

Render Unto Caesar

Episode: 5x05 | Airdate: Oct 31, 1998

As Julius Caesar prepares to attack the emerald isle of Eire, Hercules helps the demigod Morrigan find the good within her.

Norse by Norsevest

Episode: 5x06 | Airdate: Nov 7, 1998

Hercules embarks on an odyssey to save the Norse god Balder from an evil prophecy.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow Bridge

Episode: 5x07 | Airdate: Nov 14, 1998

The three tragedies of Norse prophecy have occurred, and Ragnarok, the end of all things, is a certainty.

Darkness Rising

Episode: 5x08 | Airdate: Nov 21, 1998

A dark vision sends Herc from Eire to Sumeria, where Nebula is in danger

For Those of You Just Joining Us

Episode: 5x09 | Airdate: Jan 9, 1999

The writers retreat to a camp and Kevin Sorbo must rescue them from a would-be murderer without revealing his true identity as Hercules.

Let There Be Light

Episode: 5x10 | Airdate: Jan 16, 1999

Hercules, Morrigan and Nebula return to Corinth to discover the people following the cult-like form of Iolaus, who is possessed by Dahak.

Episode: 5x11 | Airdate: Jan 23, 1999

Hercules and Zarathustra must exorcise Dahak from Iolaus' body.

Episode: 5x12 | Airdate: Jan 30, 1999

Hercules, with the help of the Amazon Ephiny, the Centaur Nagus and a youth marked for murder, must stop a volcano from destroying the people of Mount Pelion.

Stranger and Stranger

Episode: 5x13 | Airdate: Feb 6, 1999

Hercules travels to the parallel Netherworld to rescue the gods of Olympus before both worlds are destroyed.

Just Passing Through

Episode: 5x14 | Airdate: Feb 13, 1999

Hercules reminisces about a typical day filled with desperate villagers and derring-do with his late friend, Iolaus.

Greece is Burning

Episode: 5x15 | Airdate: Feb 20, 1999

In the big city of Trendopolis, Hercules and the Widow Twanky help Althea put on a fashion show. But first, they must fend off the fashion police.

We'll Always Have Cyprus

Episode: 5x16 | Airdate: Feb 27, 1999

Morrigan joins Hercules on his mission to save the Oracle of Cyprus from predictions of her own death.

The Academy

Episode: 5x17 | Airdate: Mar 27, 1999

Hercules returns to Cheiron's academy to stop a band of renegade cadets from taking over the school.

Love on the Rocks

Episode: 5x18 | Airdate: Apr 24, 1999

The evil Discord tricks a mermaid into giving up her tail for legs.

Once Upon a Future King

Episode: 5x19 | Airdate: May 1, 1999

A young Merlin enlists Hercules to save Britain from a cruel and calculating tyrant—Arthur of Camelot.

Episode: 5x20 | Airdate: May 8, 1999

Hercules and Iolaus find a town where people are literally fading to death.

My Best Girl's Wedding

Episode: 5x21 | Airdate: May 15, 1999

Iolaus learns to his shock that his beloved Nautica is being forced into marrying the leader of a group of thugs.

Revelations

Episode: 5x22 | Airdate: May 22, 1999

Iolaus returns from the dead to warn Hercules that the end of the world is at hand.

Episode: 6x01 | Airdate: Oct 2, 1999

Hercules meets a Serena lookalike who persuades him to help her return one of his enemies to Hades.

Love Amazon Style

Episode: 6x02 | Airdate: Oct 9, 1999

Deimos exploits a tribe of Amazons when Aphrodite accidentally puts them under a spell.

Rebel with a Cause

Episode: 6x03 | Airdate: Oct 16, 1999

Hercules and Oedipus battle the ruthless Creon to help Antigone assume her rightful position as Queen of Thebes.

Darkness Visible

Episode: 6x04 | Airdate: Oct 30, 1999

Hercules and Iolaus are asked by their old friend Vlad to fight some unusually blood-thirsty foes.

Hercules, Tramps & Thieves

Episode: 6x05 | Airdate: Nov 6, 1999

Hercules must save Autolycus from taking the rap for a bank robbery his ex-wife committed.

City of the Dead

Episode: 6x06 | Airdate: Nov 13, 1999

Hercules and Iolaus also travel to Egypt on a diplomatic mission only to become embroiled in a royal family feud that threatens the life of Queen Nefertiti.

A Wicked Good Time

Episode: 6x07 | Airdate: Nov 20, 1999

A witch in training frames Hercules as an evil warlock and casts a love spell on Iolaus.

Full Circle

Episode: 6x08 | Airdate: Nov 27, 1999

The fate of the world rests with Hercules when Zeus releases Hera from the Abyss of Tartarus and inadvertently lets loose the Titans.

Hercules and the Amazon Women

Episode: S01 Special | Airdate: May 5, 1994 (120 min)

Hercules and Iolaus take time out from Iolaus' wedding preparations to help a distant village under attack from "monsters," who are in fact Amazonian women controlled by Hera.

Hercules and the Lost Kingdom

Episode: S01 Special | Airdate: May 12, 1994 (120 min)

Hercules saves a princess from being sacrificed and they search for a missing city.

Hercules and the Circle of Fire

Episode: S01 Special | Airdate: Nov 11, 1994 (120 min)

Hercules and Deianeira go in search of fire to save the world from cold.

Hercules in the Underworld

Episode: S01 Special | Airdate: Nov 18, 1994 (120 min)

Hercules is accidentally poisoned by his wife and must find a way out of the underworld.

Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur

Episode: S01 Special | Airdate: Nov 24, 1994 (120 min)

Hercules, settled down with his wife and children, is persuaded out of retirement to help a distant village which is being attacked by an unseen monster.

• Show Spoilers
• Night Vision
• Sticky Header
• Highlight Links

Follow TV Tropes

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Series/HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys

Series / Hercules: The Legendary Journeys

Edit locked.

"This is the story of a time long ago, a time of myth and legend, when the ancient gods were petty and cruel, and they plagued mankind with suffering. Only one man dared to challenge their power: Hercules!

Hercules possessed a strength the world had never seen, a strength surpassed only by the power of his heart. He journeyed the Earth, battling the minions of his wicked stepmother Hera, the all-powerful queen of the gods.

But wherever there was evil, whenever an innocent would suffer, there would be Hercules!"

Hercules: The Legendary Journeys followed the life of the legendary hero played by Kevin Sorbo throughout ancient Greece as he fought tyrants, monsters, and the machinations of the Olympian gods with the help of his trusty sidekick Iolaus. It never took itself too seriously, it started out cheesy and got campier and campier as it went on, but it retained a good sense of humor throughout its run (and it had a kickass theme song ). Hercules was closely tied to its spinoff Xena: Warrior Princess , which soon overshadowed it in popularity. It also spawned another spinoff , Young Hercules , starring a young Ryan Gosling , which didn't fare quite as well.

The show began life as a series of TV movies as a part of Universal 's syndicated Action Pack which proved successful enough to go on to a series (which had a good deal of cosmetic and thematic differences, the events of the movies were not referred to in the show proper), and being filmed in New Zealand gave it an unprecedented level of Scenery Porn that other shows couldn't manage. It put a new spin on Greek Mythology , deliberately avoiding the white togas normally associated with this time period. It was delightfully tongue-in-cheek (including a hearty serving of Anachronism Stew and lots of awful Puns ) and impressively epic in its scope, using a lot of Wire Fu action sequences. It was also one of the first television series to make extensive use of CG creatures.

It was executive produced by Sam Raimi of Evil Dead fame, who would later go on to direct the Spider-Man Trilogy movies. Speaking of Evil Dead , Bruce Campbell directed a few episodes (Including the series finale), and played Autolycus. As an interesting note, the writing duo Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci got their start on this show, and have continued to complete a nerd trifecta of scripting movies for Mission: Impossible , Transformers , and Star Trek (2009) .

Incidentally, although the series ended two years before Xena: Warrior Princess , Kevin Sorbo's final appearance as Hercules was on the spinoff's "God Fearing Child."

This series provides examples of:

• Accidental Misnaming : A Running Gag in "War Bride" is Princess Melissa constantly getting Iolaus' name wrong and calling him "Iolfus." She gets it right in the end, though Hercules can't resist a little fun with it himself. Hercules: I was just starting to get used to "Doofus." Iolaus: Hey, that's "Iolfus."
• Alas, Poor Villain : When Strife is killed by Callisto in "Armageddon Now", Ares is visibly upset: "He wasn't so bad. He-he tried real hard. He was just no good at his job." (to Callisto) "You didn't have to do this!"
• "...And Fancy Free" features an exchange that doubles as a reference to a role that Kevin Sorbo tried out for.
• "Porkules" has this exchange after Herc's turned into a pig and encounters Katherine (voiced by Alexandra Tydings). Hercules: I'm Hercules. Katherine: Yeah, and I'm Aphrodite.
• Adaptational Angst Upgrade : Proteus is depicted as being deformed and ostracized from birth - to the point that everyone on Olympus would mock him for his appearance when he was a child, including Hercules - and is so unloved that he resorts to shapeshifting into people in order to interact with society. In the original myths, not only did Proteus look fairly normal, but never needed to use his shapeshifting powers to pose as anyone, for had no interest in interacting with anyone except on the few occasions when he ended up fathering children. Indeed, his only real trouble in life was the fact that heroes would routinely track him down and wrestle him into submission in order to force him into revealing the future for them.
• Typhon, as depicted in the myth, is a horrifying monster with either a serpentine body of multiple tails, or a body of tentacles, likely a set of wings and a horrible face (either demonic or skull-like), or sometimes as a multi-headed dragon of immense size. He's also quite evil, as he and Echidna deliberately send monsters out to trouble humans. In the series he's a giant that looks like a normal man (played by actor Glenn Shadix), is quite friendly especially with children, and his children with Echidna only turned evil because Echidna was distraught over Typhon's absence, which happened only because Hera had trapped him for a century.
• Adaptational Ugliness : In the episode "Protean Challenge," Proteus is portrayed as hideously disfigured, to the point that his shapeshifting powers are used to hide his deformities and find love. In the original myths and artworks inspired by them, Proteus tended to look like a fairly ordinary old man - hence his title "The Old Man Of The Sea" - and any odd features he possessed were usually limited to a piscine lower half . And far from being unloved, he had numerous romantic partners across the Mediterranean, along with several offspring (two of which ended up getting killed in battle by Hercules himself, incidentally).
• Adaptational Wimp : Proteus is easily given away by his reflection , a weakness he never had in the myths (which would have been quite a pickle considering that Proteus is a sea god ). He also doesn't have the ability to predict the future, and his shapeshifting powers are apparently limited to transforming into living things - whereas the myths describe him as being able to turn into everything from trees to fire.
• Seriously, if a trope mentions "amazons" in its title, it probably showed up in this series. Or in the spinoff, Xena: Warrior Princess .
• Apple of Discord : The golden apple makes an appearance in the episode "The Apple", but strangely it's one of Aphrodite's little toys instead of Discord's. Aphrodite actually says the phrase "how d'you like them apples?" when she incites a war in order to wipe out shrines set up in rival kingdoms to her sisters Artemis and Athena. Hercules makes an Ironic Echo of the phrase when he uses the apple's power to make the two sides at peace.
• Amazonian Beauty : Atalanta. Played by Real Life Amazonian Beauty Cory Everson to boot.
• Anachronism Stew : Where to begin... probably that it was done intentionally for Rule of Funny . Apparently, the big rule in the writers room was "Anything B.C." with season 3 episode 9 "A Star To Guide Them" having Hercules and Iolaus witness the birth of Jesus (6-4 BC). And even then the writers sometimes just didn't care either way and threw in then-modern references, such as the fashion show episode in which "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred is played at an event that's supposed to be in ancient Greece. Another big offender was "Darkness Visible" where Hercules met Vlad the Impaler and it was mentioned that they had fought the Turks together. Vlad and his conflict with the Turks wouldn't come into existence until the 1400s in the AD era .
• It's possibly because his Greek name, Heracles, has the ironic meaning "Hera's Glory." (His mother consecrated him as a priest of Hera immediately after his birth, in an attempt to protect him from her wrath.) Even if people do not know the meaning, it would sound odd to have his name sound so similar to hers. Then again, "Hercules" has been the more commonly used name in various works of contemporary fiction so it may have been a matter of simply using the familiar name.
• Except Cupid who also goes by his more well-known Roman name rather than the actual Greek Name Eros.
• Eris. You don't know who Eris is? Yup, that's exactly why she went as "Discord". (Same for Strife, who is neither Phobos nor Deimos.)
• And I Must Scream : In "Descent", Hercules discovers Dumuzi (gatekeeper to the Sumerian Underworld) is using human souls as nourishment.
• And Starring : After becoming a regular, Michael Hurst had a "Also Starring" credit. And as seasons wore on, Bruce Campbell and Robert Trebor got this kind of treatment — varying between "And ... as" or "Special Guest Star."
• Animated Adaptation : A Crossover with Xena: Warrior Princess called Hercules and Xena – The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mount Olympus .
• This might be more so because of 2 factors. Firstly, there are a few ways to kill Gods with special items that can be used on any God, and the last thing Zeus wants is certain individuals looking for those items, squabbling over them, and them falling into the hands of his enemies; and secondly, a real all-out fight between Gods would probably wreck most of Greece, if they were lucky. This also means that Gods who try to thwart Hercules can only do so in a certain, scope, to avoid killing him.
• Archangel Michael : Appears in the appropriately titled fifth season finale, "Revelations." This version of the character (along with his actor) later had appearances on Xena .
• The Artifact - This part of the opening narration: "He journeyed the earth battling the minions of his wicked stepmother Hera the all powerful Queen of the Gods" while this is true in the Action Pack movies and the first two seasons to an extent, Ares takes over the rule of Big Bad midway through season 3, Hera appears in the season 4 finale but gets sealed off with Dahak becoming the new Big Bad in season 5 yet the narration always stays the same.
• Ascended Extra : Iolaus. When the character died in the first TV-Movie, Hercules and the Amazon Women , he was originally going to stay dead. But Michael Hurst impressed the producers with his performance, so they re-wrote the ending to leave Iolaus alive. The only reason Iolaus doesn't appear in the next three movies is because they were written before the change was made. Iolaus returned in the fifth movie and was a recurring character in the first two seasons before becoming a regular in Season 3.

• Both Deric the centaur and his human lover Lyla came off as this in the episode Outcast . In the episode itself, they were definitely sympathetic characters and their son Kefor definitely didn't deserve any of the persecution that they received in Athens. However, with their previous appearance in As Darkness Falls , the two of them schemed together to poison and blind Hercules. Not only that, but Deric and Lyla also aided Nemis and another centaur in kidnapping two brides from the village. Considering how Deric and Lyla had little qualms about kidnapping and breaking apart families in their first appearance, the punishment and persecution they receive in their second appearance pretty much comes off as a case of Laser-Guided Karma based on how they themselves had willingly poisoned Hercules and helped Nemis to terrorize and tear apart other couples in the past.
• Iolaus lampshades this himself when he is bitten by a vampire:
• Played for much drama with Iolaus in a later season when he dies and stays dead saving Hercules' life. When Hercules finally returns home to Greece an arc and a half later, Iolaus is up and walking around, but things aren't exactly what they appear to be at first...
• Badass Normal : Iolaus, Autolycus, and of course Xena, Jason, Atalanta...and a never-ending stream of one-shot badass characters showing up nearly every week. Perhaps most surprisingly, Alcmene demonstrates in "The Wedding of Alcmene" that not only can she hold her own in a fight, she actually enjoys it.
• Bar Brawl : Hercules gets into quite a few of these. Even regular fights out of taverns do a lot of collateral damage to nearby furniture.
• Barbarian Longhair : Hercules, without a doubt. Being played by hunk Kevin Sorbo helped.
• Barehanded Blade Block : Hercules does one against Xena's sword.
• Barred from the Afterlife : The fallen soldiers in "The Vanishing Dead" couldn't move on to the afterlife until they were given proper burials.
• Batman Gambit : In "Reunions", Hera has Apollo provoke Hercules and threaten a village. Of course, this distraction allows Hera to overthrow Zeus without any difficulty. Apollo: And you could've stopped it to if you'd been there instead of here. Hercules: And how many of these people would be dead if I hadn't? Apollo: Well, that was sort of the point of it all. Who cares... other than you?
• Demeaning the memory of Hercules' family is one of the fastest way to get him angry.
• The Sovereign is a pretty unstable person in general, but in "Stranger In A Strange World", he really flips out when Iolaus refers to him as "Hercules."
• Let's just say if you're doing evil in Hera's name, you'd better make sure Hercules doesn't find out.
• Beta Couple : Iolaus and Nebula.
• Beware the Nice Ones : Hercules is probably the nicest, most easy-going guy in the series. Course, if you threaten innocent people or those he cares about — well, remember, he has super-strength. "No more Mr. Nice Guy."
• Alternately, Ares serves this function in Season 4 and (after Dahak is defeated) Season 5.
• In the fifth season, Hercules has to deal with even more divine antagonists all working their own agenda. Ares is still his archfoe for much of Season 5. Also, Dahak took center stage as an Arc Villain of the first half of the season. There were also a few deities working outside of Dahak's influence such as Dumuzi and Kernunnos who menaced Hercules. And unconnected with the rest was Archangel Michael who had his own plans for the world in the form of the Four Horsemen towards the end of the season.
• Big "NO!" : Used often, particularly the episode "Not Fade Away".
• Bittersweet Ending : Not so much for the show but for Hercules himself when it came to his final appearance in the shared Hercules/Xena universe. In his final appearance in God Fearing Child , he manages to save Xena's baby and finally makes peace with his stepmother Hera. However, it came at the high price of Hera dying right after Herc made his peace with her and Hercules being forced to kill his own father Zeus in order to save Xena's baby, starting a chain of events which would spell the downfall of the Olympian gods. Though, this ending does become less bitter if the Hercules-in-modern-times episodes Yes Virginia There Is A Hercules and For Those Of You Now Joining Us are taken into consideration since it shows Hercules moving past the tragedies of his life in ancient times and still leading a happy, heroic, and productive life even into the 20th Century.
• Blood Knight : Xena (formerly before her Heel–Face Turn ), Ares, and Morrigan respectively.
• Ares in particular, is aware of this. Hence why the plans of both himself and Hera regarding Hercules have to be mindful of not actually putting him in enough danger to kill him, and yet try to hurt him at the same time. For Ares, whose plans usually are either A) seduction, B) kill, or C) wage war, this is very frustrating and stretches his limited creative ability rather thinly.
• Break the Haughty : Princess Melissa in "War Bride" starts off as very spoiled, whiny, self-centered and greatly romanticizing war. Being kidnapped, hoofing it through wilderness and having to tend to wounded soldiers causes a sizable shift in her character and priorities.
• You can kind of skirt around this in that the Gods have a rather...odd concept of the 'family unit' that is rather estranged. They seem to only consider each other brother and sister if they have a common father and if they are brought up as brother and sister. You only find this out if you track who calls who brother or sister . For example Aphrodite calls Hercules and Ares her brother, but not Haephestus.
• In "When A Man Loves A Woman", Hercules willingly surrenders his powers in order to marry Serena (who also gave up her powers to do the same).
• But for Me, It Was Tuesday : Subverted in that Hera is well-aware that she murdered Hercules' family; it's just one action among many and she just doesn't see it as a big deal anyway. Hera: I wanted Zeus to understand what he had done to me. The world was incidental. Hercules: Not to me!
• Strife consistently.
• In Season 5, Ares was reduced into a sad joke as compared to being treated as a credible antagonist to Hercules in the earlier seasons. During that season, he loses almost every confrontation (Be it with Hercules or another god), in a comical and humiliating fashion. Even Discord was treated with more respect. Overlaps with Villain Decay and Sorting Algorithm of Evil , where Hercules took on more powerful opponents season after season, so Ares was completely displaced as a former threat to the protagonists. By the time he became an Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain in Season 6 it was almost a promotion from this status.
• Iolaus gets his own chance to do this to his father in "Not Fade Away."
• Camp : And how!
• Camera Abuse : Non-stop.
• The Cape : Hercules. Played straight in the first few seasons, and then Deconstructed from season 5 onwards.
• Casting Gag : A genius one in "The Academy" as Hercules has to tangle with an upstart corrupt student, who mocks him on "being an old-timer, let me take over." The student's actor? A then-unknown Ryan Gosling who had played the title role in the short-lived Young Hercules spin-off. As a bonus, Jodie Rimmer, who played Lillith on Young Hercules plays Lillith's daughter, Seska, in the same episode.
• In the same vein, Charon (who works for Hades) is portrayed as a disgruntled employee that's irritated with the monotony of his job and willing to bend the rules for a little profit on the side.
• Character Development : Aphrodite. In her first appearance, she's shown to be quite amoral, willing to start a war between two kingdoms so she could gain possession of the gold there. She was also willing to use her spells to age her own son's love interest because of how jealous she was that mortals considered Psyche more beautiful than her. However, by the episode Reign of Terror, she eventually learns to start genuinely caring for others and even sheds tears over one mortal who was on the brink of death.
• Chaste Hero : You'd be surprised how often Herc turns down women.
• Chekhov's Gun : a magical candle which takes Hercules back to his babyhood in "Hercules and the Amazon Women" is the gun that Herc gets Zeus to use for a Reset Button at the end of the film.
• Chivalrous Pervert : Iolaus. He was shown to get involved with a number of women — so much so that "The Cave Of Echoes" had a montage about it. Still, true to the trope, he showed the upmost respect to each one.
• Chronic Backstabbing Disorder : Ares. He wants to be top god and some of his plans and actions revolve around achieving that. Lampshaded and justified by Ares himself: "Zeus stuck it to old Cronus like Cronus stuck to his old man. What can I say? It's a family trait."
• Chronic Hero Syndrome : Kind of a given, isn't it? Lampshaded in "Faith": "You're blinded by your own goodness. In a way, you're your own worst enemy."
• Clark Kent Outfit : In-universe, Atalanta in Let The Games Begin . She was seen in a dress until she challenged her nephew to arm-wrestling. Her nephew was in shock when he saw how buff she was.
• Classical Mythology : Chewed up, spit out, and hung out to dry.
• How could you forget "Hercules on Trial"? There he has to clear his own name, with help from Iolaus, Dirce and previous guest characters.
• And also in "Judgement Day", where he's framed for murdering his own wife.
• Hercules and Iolaus for Amphion in "The Sword of Veracity."
• Hercules And The Maze Of The Minotaur : The fifth TV-Movie featured a number of clips of the preceding four.
• "The Cave Of Echoes": Hercules, Iolaus and a one-shot character enter a cave to rescue a Damsel in Distress , recapping old adventures. Notable in that clips from the TV-Movies (which aren't regularly re-broadcast) were also reused.
• "Les Contemptibles": Set in revolutionary France, a pair of con men (played by Sorbo and Hurst) are educated about the heroes of Greece by a pair of seeming aristocrats. This and succeeding clip shows would see the regular and recurring actors playing different characters.
• "Yes, Virginia, There Is A Hercules": One of the most clever uses of this trope ever . All of the supporting actors play a part in the modern day as actual members of the production staff, panicking over Kevin Sorbo going missing. They desperately try to figure out how to carry on without Sorbo, including Spinoff Babies and an animated feature. Pretty much epitomizes the humor of this show. Bruce Campbell as Robert Tapert, etc.
• "For Those Of You Just Joining Us": A sequel episode of sorts, as the Ren Pics staff go on a corporate retreat to come up with ideas for the fifth season (recapping every important development up to that point).
• Combat Tentacles : Echidna has them, although when Typhon returns to her they become altogether naughtier.
• Composite Character : Hercules' first wife Deianeira on the show is actually closer to Heracles wife Megara from the myth. Although Heracles did marry a Deianeira, she was his third wife and she wasn't killed by Hera, directly or indirectly.
• Also the entire plot of Serena. Only in that episode is it shown that Hercules frequently visits his family with extreme ease and that not only do they know that they are dead (something they previously didn't), but that they are cognizant of his visits (while before it was a one-time-thing to visit his family, and Hercules told Hades to wipe their memories of his visit so they didn't have to 'live' with his pain of separation).
• Every time someone is landed with a horrible and unfair punishment that Hercules would have to rage against the Gods in order to change, they turn out to be evil anyway so he doesn't have to do a thing. Unfortunately this dilutes the entire ethos of the show that is stated in the narration.
• In "One Fowl Day", Catherine does this for fun.
• Crapsack World : All of Ancient Greece is shown as this. Not only are the Jerkass Gods on a rampage making things awful, every other king is either corrupt, warmongering, or criminally insane , torch-wielding racist mobs are all over the place, and good is almost always horribly punished .
• And then they had the episode where they walked through Bethlehem and saw Christ and his family in the stable.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass : Autolycus may be comical, but he earned the right to be called "the King of Thieves." Heck, he once stole items from two different gods... in the same day.
• Dark Action Girl : Xena before the Heel–Face Turn
• Dark and Troubled Past : Iolaus used be to a thief prone to getting into trouble. He credits his friendship with Hercules for turning his life around.
• Echidna also counts. She's the mother of monsters, but she's not really evil. She only tries to kill Hercules because Herc killed her children. After Hercules reunites her with her husband she becomes a lot nicer.
• Dawn Attack : "Hercules and the Lost Kingdom" has: Hercules: We attack at dawn. Telamon: Dawn? Why don't we attack tonight? Hercules: Because we attack at dawn.
• A Day in the Limelight : There are several episodes primarily starring Iolaus, Autolycus, and/or Salmoneus.
• They sorted out that if you are in the weird alternate dimension — the "space between worlds" — you are suspended from time and space, and hence the rules of normal universes don't apply. Hence, when Hercules is forced into one of these alternate dimensions with the Sovereign, and he is wiped from existence due to an alternate timeline, he survives, but if he went back into one of the universes while that alternate timeline was in place, he would cease to exist (he had to wait for the original timeline to be restored before he could go back). Likewise, when Iolaus's double stumbles into an alternate dimension through a weird portal, and is there while the original Iolaus is killed, he doesn't experience the killing blow, and hence he is okay.
• Death Is Cheap : Unsurpringly, when the Underworld is shown as a physical realm which one can travel to and back from and there are characters with power over life and death, dying is by no means guaranteed to be permanent in the Hercules Universe. Notably Callisto and (more than once) Iolaus have both died and come back.
• Death Takes a Holiday : Love takes a holiday in the episode of the same name when Aphrodite decides she's bored of being a Love Goddess . The amount of cranky loveless people skyrockets in the interim.
• Defeating the Undefeatable : None of the Olympians are allowed to directly kill Hercules, but this only mostly applies to Ares since he's more likely to physically fight him instead of direct someone else to. He's the god of war, immortal and really hates his brother, but dreads the punishment for violating the "no kill" rule, so he pulls his punches. "Stranger In A Strange World" and Xena 's "God Fearing Child" show exactly how dangerous Ares could be to Hercules if he wasn't willing to play by the rules. Though, it is implied that Herc's victories over the gods were more legitimate later on in the series as Ares was unable to defeat Hercules even when the Olympians were out of the picture (Stranger and Stranger) and he proved unable to kill his brother despite feuding with Hercules up to modern times (long after Zeus's life and protection over Hercules had ended in the Xena episode "God Fearing Child").
• Demonization : In Season 5, Dahak (pretending to be Iolaus) claims to the people of Greece that Hercules has gone insane and vowed to kill the Olympians, thus causing them to flee. By the time Hercules makes it back to Greece, most everyone (including Jason) believes the lies. Hercules: Livia, you were my mother's best friend. You know me. Livia: I don't know who you are anymore. I'm just glad Alcmene isn't here to see what you've become.
• Did Not Think This Through : One episode featured a local ruler who spent all his free time in developing primitive industrialization technology that let one man do the work of five... and then realized he couldn't actually use it without putting 80% of his population out of a job.
• Iolaus does this to Ares in "Porkules." Ares spends the entirety of "One Fowl Day" making him (and by extension, Autolycus) pay for it.
• Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu? : Every time Hercules faces one of the gods, he wins. It's a subversion with the Olympians, who have been forbidden from killing him directly. (The rare times where they do choose to violate the rule, Hercules only manages to survive via good fortune and not just his strength.) Played straight, however, when he faces gods from other lands that aren't bound by said rule.
• Dies Differently in Adaptation : In the original myth, Hera tricked Hercules into killing his wife Deianeira and their children. Here, she killed them herself to spite Hercules.
• Diplomatic Immunity : Hercules himself is granted quite a fair amount of this from Zeus, with harsh punishments promised to any Olympian who dares to kill Hercules. Not only does this force the gods to pull their punches when fighting Hercules but it even allows Hercules to go around openly insulting the gods and telling the people to rely on themselves with little retaliation from anybody on Mount Olympus. It becomes especially apparent in episodes where if a mortal like Iolaus would show the same amount of pride as Hercules, the gods would come after him mercilessly ("Pride Comes Before A Brawl" and "Heedless Hearts") whereas Hercules would suffer no such retribution. And while this protection from Zeus didn't completely protect Hercules from being tormented by gods like Hera or Ares, as his two marriages to Deianira and Serena have shown, it did seem to protect him from some of the more petty and humiliating punishments a god like Ares would dish out to both Iolaus and Autolycus in "One Fowl Day".
• Direct Line to the Author : Some episodes, such as "Yes Virginia, There is a Hercules", show an immortal Hercules having adopted the identity of an actor named Kevin Sorbo and playing himself in the show. Hercules also reveals that the show's creators have taken some liberties with retelling the myth. Apparently, killing off Iolaus (the original one) did not happen as Hercules remembers it. According to him, Iolaus lived to be an old man. And Hercules had to correct them... quite a bit. Ares also shows up, to get the show cancelled.
• One of Hercules' complaints about Zeus is that he took no visible role in his life. From "Regrets... I've Had A Few":
• Iolaus' father abandoned his family and later died in war.
• Disguised in Drag : Autolycus and Salmoneus in "Men in Pink."
• In "One Fowl Day", Ares goes out of his way to make Iolaus and Autolycus miserable simply because the former showed him disrespect. Played for Laughs in this case.
• On a more meta-level, Cory Everson (Atalanta's actress) was previously a top-level bodybuilder , then regarded (and still is by some) as a domain exclusively for men.
• Drives Like Crazy : The Enforcer, with a chariot.
• Dual Wielding : Xena and Darphus, her former second-in-command, duel with swords in each hand.
• The Dulcinea Effect : Exploited by Xena in her first appearance. She played herself up as an underdog warrior princess bravely fighting against evil and seeking male companions to love her and fight for her. She used this trick to con Iolaus into fighting Hercules, and it's implied she got most of her recruits this way.
• Dumb Blonde : Subverted with Aphrodite. She does prefer the materialistic, easy side of life, but as Hercules notes in her first appearance, she's smarter than she lets on.
• Early-Installment Weirdness : The first season depicted Ares as a mostly unseen entity that was represented by a skull in the moon and a distorted voice, with his first physical appearance being as an armored glowing-eyed demon about twice as big as Hercules, and was said that his blood was poison that could kill anyone, including Hercules. When Kevin Smith was cast this totally changed and the idea of his blood being poison was dropped.
• Effortless Amazonian Lift : Atalanta does this to Hercules in a bout of playfulness.
• Elemental Embodiment : Hera's two Enforcers are woman-shaped golems created from a singular element to hunt down and defeat Hercules after Nemesis refused to do so. Whilst they look like human beings, they're actually masses of elemental matter, and this manifests itself if they are injured or they wish to revert to a less human form. The first Enforcer is made of water, and the second is made of fire.
• Elseworld : Hercules in the French Revolution!
• Emergency Impersonation : In two episodes Iolaus has to stand in for his lookalike King Orestes.
• Enemy Mine : Hercules and Iolaus team-up with Ares in "Revelations."
• Ares generally uses "loved ones" for his own goals, but he demonstrates some genuine fondness for family, such as Aphrodite. In "Two Men and a Baby", after Discord threatens to drown little Evander (Nemesis' son with Ares) out of jealousy, the god of war has a genuine Papa Wolf reaction. ("He's my son. You don't wanna try me.")
• Echidna, the Mother of All Monsters. Before her Heel–Face Turn , she was very unapologetic about her actions or those of her children. However, she dearly loved said children and her husband.
• Even Evil Has Standards : In "The Gauntlet", Xena is against killing women and children. She even saves one baby that survived a slaughter her army carried out while she was away. In the same episode, Xena's followers were willing to turn on her in favor of a leader who would allow them to Rape, Pillage, and Burn as much as they wanted, but when ordered to kill her even after she survives the Gauntlet fair and square, they refuse.
• Everybody Hates Hades : Thankfully averted. Hades is completely overworked and under-appreciated, but at no point is he ever shown to be a bad guy. Even when he kidnaps Persephone, it's only because he's so tired of being alone.
• The Sovereign, literally. Ares also counts, as he is an antagonistic son of Zeus.
• Hilariously subverted when Hercules enters the Alternate Universe, where that world's Ares is a smooth-talking God of Love, meaning the Ares we've known all along is the evil counterpart .
• Discord falls into this for Aphrodite.
• Expendable Alternate Universe : Subverted; Iolaus's alternate-universe twin gets developed into a main character in his own right for about a season.
• The Faceless : Hera, until the fourth season and the final episode.
• Fake Shemp : In the first epsiode of the series Hera kills Herc's wife Deianeira. We see this happen, but we never see her face. Guess the producers didn't want to pay Tawny Kitaen to come back for a one second death scene.
• Fanservice : Pretty much every female character on the show... and the male heroes as well. This show had some of the skimpiest clothes on television since Star Trek: The Original Series . Special mention should go to Atalanta's outfit which seemed rather lacking compared to the male blacksmiths seen in the series, especially in the back.
• Monsters, likewise are frequently the children of Typhon and Echidna, who don't necessarily go out of their way to eat anyone not dumb enough to wander into their open maw. Dragons, while not the babies of Titans, are likewise immediately feared and loathed despite being more apathetic than antagonistic toward humans by default (unless humans hunt their parents .)
• Hercules himself despises all gods regardless of where they come from or knowing anything about them. He thinks the world would be better off with all of them dead and does not hesitate to kill compared to showing some hesitation for humans. He doesn't bat an eyelid at learning he caused the deaths of all the Sumarian gods despite them not attacking humanity. Nor the Norse gods even after learning they care about their human worshipers and try to help them. He only restores the latter because their worshippers actually need them to survive.
• An episode of Young Hercules sort of answered this. Violating Zeus's orders on killing Hercules would result in eternal imprisonment in the dark abyss of Tartarus.
• Faux Affably Evil : Dahak. He presents himself as a pleasant being that wants "to bring freedom to the world." Of course, among his deeds are: using Iolaus' good intentions against him, temporarily driving Nebula insane, slaughtering the Druids and nonchalantly killing anyone in his way.
• Fire-Forged Friends : Iolaus and Autolycus in "Porkules" and "One Fowl Day."
• Fire Is Masculine : The Enforcers are two women dispatched by Hera to destroy Hercules. While both are muscular, superpowered women who are laser-focused on their goal, the Water Enforcer has longer hair and a number of Pet the Dog moments that make her seem gentler and more feminine. The Fire Enforcer has close-cropped hair and is far more violent and willing to harm bystanders. The Fire Enforcer also kills the Water Enforcer for saving Alcmene, Hercules's mother .
• Flanderization : For "Yes, Virginia, There Is a Hercules", real-life quirks of the production team (such as Rob Tapert enjoying to fish) were incorporated into their fictional counter-parts and purposefully taken to extremes for laughs.
• Forced Transformation : Discord turns Hercules into a pig in "Porkules", and Hera turns a woman favored by Zeus into a dog in a flashback in "The Road to Calydon".
• Forgotten Phlebotinum : In "Rebel With a Cause", Antigone and Hercules sneak Oedipus out of Thebes in some underground tunnels that Antigone used to escape through as a child. Later, when Antigone attempts to sneak back into Thebes undetected, she tries to do so through the front gate. Naturally, King Creon catches her.
• A Form You Are Comfortable With : Subverted in "Be Deviled", where a Devil-like being takes the form of Serena. She claims it's because Hercules would find it pleasing, but Herc finds it insulting instead. Later, as we learn more about her character, it's clear "Serena" did this solely to mock him.
• Formula-Breaking Episode : Several episodes, including "For Those Of You Just Joining Us" which takes place in modern times, and "Les Contemptibles" which takes place in revolution-era France.
• Fourth-Date Marriage : Hercules's second wife Serena. He meets her in one episode and they share a kiss at the end of the episode, he's ready to marry her by the very next episode (mere days at best in universe) and they do at the end of the episode. She dies next episode
• Friend to All Children : Hercules and Iolaus.
• Freudian Excuse : In Other World, the Sovereign was abandoned by his mother, Zeus went insane when he was a child and Cheiron instructed him to be a tyrant. It's also implied that losing his family prompted a Despair Event Horizon .
• "Doomsday" features none other than Daedalus.
• Genius Bruiser : While not the smartest people to walk the Earth, Herc and Iolaus tend to win not just by hitting people, but by outwitting them.
• Ghost Town : In "The Road to Calydon", a group of refugees find an abandoned town whose inhabitants suffered the wrath of Hera.
• Giant Spider : Arachne in "Web of Desire." Her upperbody remains human (if slightly monstrous), but her lower half...
• Girl of the Week : Almost every woman Iolaus meets falls for him in one way or another.
• Girls with Moustaches : Hispides, who appears in "All That Glitters", has a beard even thicker than Salmoneus', whom she finds herself immediately attracted to.
• Gladiator Revolt
• The Gods Must Be Lazy : Zeus specifically. Whenever he is needed he cannot be found by mortals or gods. He only shows up AFTER he is needed and tries to at some damage control. Instead, he is on dalliances with mortals. When he tries to hide behind the claim of "responsibilities" Hercules specifically calls him out on it. It frustrates the other gods as well. It is so bad his neglect of his responsibilities is the indirect cause for many of both Hercules and Xena's problems.
• Grievous Harm with a Body : One of Hercules favourite battle tactics. Most often he grabs a bad guy, or occasionally a person he is rescuing, and holds them in his arms bridal style, across his shoulders in a fireman's carry, or sideways behind his back and swings them so their feet knock out the bad guys. If the person being used is a bad guy themselves, he will often put them down after this and punch them for good measure, if they are still feeling feisty after being used as a weapon.
• God of Evil : Dahak. More like "personification of all destructive and evil forces."
• Good Feels Good : Xena mentions this to Hercules in "Unchained Heart"; when previously all she felt when going into battle was hate and rage, fighting to help people gave her a different and altogether happier feeling.
• Aphrodite's jealousy over Psyche's beauty in the episode of the same name.
• And Cupid's jealousy when Psyche falls in love with Hercules. It turns out that Hera had a curse put on Cupid that would turn him into a literal green-eyed monster if he gave into his jealousy.
• Grand Finale : "Full Circle"
• In Zeus's case, he had always been selfish. Hera finally allowed the mother aspect of her divine role to gain supremacy, and like the best of mothers, she will defy her husband, who considers his own survival to be of primary importance, and die for the sake of her children .
• Zeus's Face–Heel Turn happened in the Twilight Of the Gods arc, though, where every single god turned evil, for no explainable reason other than that the writers wanted to get rid of the entire Olympian mythology in order to push a Judeo-Christian one. Hence Zeus' actions and motivations should be taken with this in consideration, considering how all prior characterizations of the Olympian Gods in both Hercules and Xena were ignored in the Canon Discontinuity of this arc.
• Hell Hound : Graegus, who devours the dead in "The Vanishing Dead", preventing their souls from passing on. He is one of Ares' pets, though, instead of Hades'. Cerberus himself also makes an appearance.
• Hero of Another Story : In some of Iolaus' focus episodes, Hercules is either shown or implied to be busy performing heroic deeds elsewhere.
• This at least makes some sense with Hercules, who abhors killing if he can avoid it, and possesses the strength and resilience to effectively use his fists against armed and armored opponents.
• Hercules suffers this several times following the deaths of his family, Serena and Iolaus. Iolaus' death in Season 5 proves to be the gravest, as it takes Hercules a couple episodes to recover from the loss.
• Iolaus, meanwhile, goes through this in "Hero's Heart" after failing to save a woman from falling to her death.
• Salmoneus experiences this in "Unchained Heart", when he freezes up during a crisis.
• Heroic Self-Deprecation : poor Haephastus. Your typical angsty ridiculously talented artist who sees both himself and his creations as worthless. He's been so broken down and convinced that he's horrifically ugly (he has a burn on one side of his face) and untalented by not only the other gods (his small deformity was mocked mercilessly and he was thrown out of Olympus for it by Hera), but also his generations of human advisors who manipulated him to their own ends. He's a really very sweet, nice guy who wouldn't hurt anyone but in an early season 3 episode it's obvious that his advisor lies to him to get him to do what he wants noe  and his father was in the same position much earlier when Haephestus banished a small town for 50 years, and considering that when Iago lies to Haephestus and says that all the villagers hate him, called him names and committed sacrilege against him, Haephestus agrees that he's worthy of mockery and basically just feels terrible and does nothing, being very reluctant to do anything forceful, the amount of manipulation required to get him to take an entire town out of time for 50 years must have been insane! . He dismisses all compliments from Aphrodite, and she has to give a very prolonged You Are Better Than You Think You Are speech in order to get him to think better of himself.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners : Hercules and Iolaus. How much of the "heterosexual" actually applies will depend on the individual's interpretation of their close, loving relationship where each means more to the other than any family or romantic relationship ever. Xena and Gabrielle could probably relate.
• Hercules views Autolycus as an egotistical thief when they first meet, but then he learns about his past. Turns out his older brother was cheated out of his land and then murdered. When the authorities did nothing, Autolycus robbed the murderer blind and gave every spoil to the poor.
• Contrary to her valley girl-like persona, Aphrodite is rather smart, falls for a god that considers himself ugly and cares more for mortals even more than Herc thinks.
• Historical In-Joke
• Hilarious Outtakes : There is a famous one where Kevin runs onto the set of Xena and says "Woops, wrong show" before running off.
• Hobbes Was Right : Callisto claims in "Surprise" that all mortals are wicked and should be punished. Though Hercules doesn't outright invoke Rousseau Was Right , he says he's seen too much good in the world for that to be true.
• Hoist by His Own Petard : Aphrodite gave a golden apple to Iolaus in a complicated plan to make a princess fall in love with him, so her father would go to war against his rival. When the two sides, who worship Athena and Artemis, were wiped out, she planned to take their shrines as her own. Pity she didn't foresee that her love apple would also bring the two rival rulers together.
• Hollywood Exorcism : In "Redemption", the plan is to perform an exorcism to drive Dahak out of Iolaus. However, before it can truly begin, Dahak kills Zarathrustra (the only one who knew how to perform the ritual). Hercules resorts to simply trying to reach Iolaus .
• Honest John's Dealership : Salmoneus. Falafel is the food oriented version.
• I Am Spartacus : In one episode, Herc was put to trial for being essentially a vigilante, inspiring other people to try and repeat his feats to disastrous results and some other bullshit like that. In the end, first Iolaus claims to be Hercules and then explains that he means that figuratively. Then others join him; they share Herc's views and are ready to share his responsibility by saying, "I'm Hercules as well". Ultimately, even the judge himself says it. note  Ares had nothing to do with it, though he did enjoy Hercules being Arrested for Heroism .
• I Have Boobs, You Must Obey! : Aphrodite manages to stop a huge brawl dead in its tracks simply by taking her top off. Herc thinks she's losing her touch if she has to get naked to do it.
• I Just Want to Be Normal : In "Two Men and a Baby", Hercules alludes to feeling this way during his childhood.
• Iolaus tries it against Hercules in 'Be Deviled' but it doesn't quite work.
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy : After his second wife Serena is murdered, Herc eventually goes back in time and manages to save her life but at the cost that she no longer remembers him and their time together technically never happened.
• I Want You to Meet an Old Friend of Mine : Bruce Campbell , again working with old colleagues Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert. When it came time to cast Autolycus, Tapert immediately thought of Campbell and personally called to offer him the role.
• Improvised Weapon : Iolaus — he was especially good with frying pans
• Instrumental Theme Tune
• Insult Backfire : After clobbering Ares for the umpteenth time, Hercules calls him a masochist. Ares doesn't know what the word means, but he does "like the sound of that."
• Interspecies Romance : Hercules with Serena, the Golden Hind. He actually falls in love with her human form, and she gives up her Golden Hind side while he gives up his strength so that they can be together, but still.
• It's a Wonderful Plot : Subverted with the "Armageddon Now" two-parter. Hercules isn't in distress about his life, but thanks to a time traveling Callisto, he and Iolaus witness what the world would be like without him — Xena never experiencing a Heel–Face Turn and ruling all of Greece with an iron fist.
• Hera's vendetta against Hercules.
• James Bondage : Iolaus, the male damsel in distress.
• Jerkass Gods : The show got that part of the mythology right, anyway. Any time somebody's acting out of character, it's a safe bet "the Gods are at work."
• Kansas City Shuffle : In the Season Two premiere episode, The King of Thieves , Hercules is chasing a thief who uses a oddly advanced grappling hook holdout . While the two are in a castle, the thief dangles the grappling hook out of a window and hides in the rafters. Hercules isn't fooled.
• Kick Chick : Whenever Atalanta gets in a fight, she seems to favor the use of her legs.
• Kicked Out of Heaven : Archangel Michael sends Iolaus back to Earth at the end of the "Revelations" episode after he snuck out and helped Hercules stop The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse from destroying the world. Even though it is called a punishment, the subtext is that being sent back is actually a reward for restoring The Light's faith in mankind since he can be with his friends and loved ones.
• Kill It with Fire : The Water Enforcer's only weakness is fire. Both of the times she was defeated was when her body was boiled away.
• Kill It with Water : A subversion happens when Hercules is fighting Pyro: the camera moves to a large barrel of water, making it look like Hercules is planning to trap Pyro in it. But instead Herc dunks himself in the water to temporarily protect himself, then lures Pyro into an empty well and smothers his fire.
• Lady Luck : Appears in her Greco-Roman form of Tyche. She gave bad luck to a greedy merchant as punishment for not using his money to help the less fortunate.
• Lampshade Hanging : In "Not Fade Away", Hades tells Hercules he has until sunset to save Iolaus because those are the rules. Hercules: Who makes these rules?
• Compared to the original myth, Hercules is a Boy Scout and more in line with our traditional views of a hero as opposed to the he-man who wasn't above rape and murder and had a short temper, Hera kills his family directly instead of driving Hercules insane and having him do it.
• While far from dark and edgy in the first place, all the five TV movies had a more serious tone while the TV series had a comparatively lighter tone, and each subsequent season gets goofier over time. The lighter tone eventually peaks out in Season 4 with ridiculous episodes involving Hercules and Discord turning into a pig and chicken respectively , while a petty Ares make Iolaus and Autolycus his personal Butt-Monkey instead of killing them like he would have done in earlier seasons. However, some episodes still have their own share of high tension/stakes and/or tragedies.
• Loophole Abuse : Zeus' protection only specifies that the Olympians themselves aren't allowed to kill Hercules. Hera and the like typically send everything from mooks to monsters after him instead. Ares Lampshades this in "Two Men And A Baby."
• Lovable Coward : Salmoneus. He openly admits he's a coward, but has stood up from time to time.
• Loveable Rogue : Autolycus.
• Love Goddess : Aphrodite.
• Make Wrong What Once Went Right : An interesting case occurs in the two-part episode "Armageddon Now" when villain Callisto is sent back in time by Hope to kill Hercules's mother to prevent his being born. While this is clearly an example of Make Wrong What Once Went Right , Callisto agrees to commit the heinous act in exchange for the chance to prevent her parents from being killed by Xena's army .
• Malicious Misnaming : Salmoneus is in hiding in the episode "Let the Games Begin", under the pseudonym Psoriasis. Naturally, Atalanta keeps referring to him like other diseases, like Gingivitis.
• Manly Tears : To be shed whenever someone dies, isn't dead anymore, or when your best friend tells you you're his family.
• Meaningful Name : The series is loosely based on Greek Mythology, so of course characters like Jason, Alcmene, Autolycus, and Atalanta have roles based on the myths, but there are also characters like a fast food vendor named Falafel after the sandwich (though he claims it's the other way round) and a woman named Cassandra who has prophetic visions that nobody believes. Hercules has to hang a lampshade when he hears that a mercenary is named Thanatos. Hercules : He has a name that means "death"?
• Subverted in "Redemption", when Zarathrustra's immortality is removed following an attack by Dahak during the exorcism. Hercules thinks it's proof Iolaus' true self is emerging. Dahak then reminds him that only Zarathrustra knew how to perform the exorcism.
• Meta Casting : Atalanta (one of the few Action Girls in Greek Mythology) was played by well-known female body-builder Cory Everson, who probably could beat Kevin Sorbo in arm wrestling.
• Mirror Universe : The Alternate Universe ruled by the Sovereign, Herc's Evil Counterpart (complete with beard ).
• This happens to Hercules in the fourth season. Meanwhile, the Sovereign said his mother abandoned him, which explains a lot.
• Iolaus is an inverse of this trope. His mother is very much alive, but he left her and stayed away out of shame for the way he behaved while living with her.
• Mistaken Identity : With surprising frequency, when Hercules and Iolaus appear in a village ravaged by a warlord, a lone survivor will mistake them for a member of the ravaging army and attack them out of vengeance.
• Murderous Thighs : Hercules does this to one mook. Atalanta does a slightly less deadly version to Salmoneus.
• My Beloved Smother : Demeter towards Persephone.
• Naked People Trapped Outside : Happens to Iolaus and Autolycus in "One Fowl Day" while chained together (both the chaining and nudity being courtesy of Ares), forcing them to resort to covering themelves with leaves, followed by sacks.
• In season 4, Hercules becomes a god to better help mankind while ignoring the political situation on Olympus. His focus on saving humans is used to distract him while Hera overthrows Zeus and seizes control of Olympus.
• Hercules tries to prove the Norse God Balder is not invincible by trying to wound him with a dart without considering where said dart came from. It poisons Balder starting off Ragnarok and the death of the Norse Gods. Hercules tries to brush it off until he learns the Norsemen are more dependent on their gods than other humans.
• Perhaps the biggest one, Hercules does not hesitated agreeing to help the Sumarian king/demigod Gilgamesh in stealing a magical chalice that sustains the Sumarian gods since he assumes the Sumarian gods are no different than the Olympians and pointlessly tormenting humanity. In truth, the "torments" were fall out from their struggle to keep the evil Dahak out of the world. The destruction of the chalice, made only possible thanks to the help of Hercules results in the death of Iolaus, destruction of the Sumarian pantheon, and allowing Dahak to enter the world.
• No Guy Wants an Amazon : If I Had A Hammer centers around legendary femme athlete Atalanta hiding her strength so as not to intimidate men; it ends with An Aesop about being true to yourself. Subverted in the same episode, though, as Salmoneus has always demonstrated a fondness for Atalanta.
• Noodle Incident : Several of the Twelve Labors (e.g. slaying the Nemean Lion or capturing the Erymanthian Boar) are specifically referred to, but never shown on-screen.
• Nostalgia Heaven : This happens a time or two when Hercules goes to the Elysian Fields and sees his wife and kids.
• "Not So Different" Remark : Ares tries this in "Hercules On Trial", with a little We Can Rule Together thrown in: "We've had our differences, but it's because you refuse to look past what you think you see in me. We want the same thing for this world. ... Order. Perfect order. It can be a place without crime, without vice. Think how happy that'd make your beloved mortals. And wouldn't it set Zeus back a step? You and me? Think about it."
• Iolaus, who despite not having Hercules' strength or god-like legacy, still faces the same threats as Hercules knowing that he is the one who will probably end up being killed (and still being okay with dying for Hercules), and who is barely known or applauded as the hero he is. Lampshaded constantly.
• Hades. Poor guy is constantly overworked, and is really pissed off that Ares gets a larger staff than him while making the wars that cause back-ups across the River Styx. Charon isn't really pleased when he gets overlooked either, but at least he doesn't have to deal with the statistical nightmare of co-ordinating and judging the dead while the Olympian Gods and Hercules run around screwing things over whenever it suits them.
• Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping : Actor Michael Hurst (Iolaus) was supposed to sound ambiguous (read: American), but his native Kiwi accent slipped in every now and then, especially in the beginning.
• Obfuscating Stupidity : Hercules jokingly accuses Iolaus of doing this so he won't have to do anything.
• Odd Friendship : Iolaus and Aphrodite. Unsurprisingly, Iolaus 2 develops one with her as well.
• Oh, Crap! : In "Darkness Rising", Hercules listens to Nebula's story, where she thinks she's been hallucinating Iolaus and is going crazy. Hercules thinks he knows what's going on and starts to look distressed. When he checks out Iolaus' coffin, he finds it empty and then finds someone standing right behind him. "Hercules. Boo!"
• Older Than He Looks : Iolaus is actually two years older than Hercules.
• Old-Fashioned Rowboat Date : An episode that is a Whole-Plot Reference to Some Like It Hot , a guy sees Salmoneous in drag, and pictures doing this date with him.
• One Bad Mother : Echidna, the Mother of All Monsters. Her children are just as bad, but all of them apparently are much better when around Typhon.
• One Head Taller : Hercules is taller than pretty much everybody, but specifically he is this to Iolaus.
• One-Winged Angel : In "Ares", the god of war does this in his fight with Hercules — taking the form of a massive, well-armed monster.
• Our Hydras Are Different : Hydras appear as threats to the heroes at various points through this series and its spinoffs. They're all descended from the original three-headed Lernaean Hydra, which was killed by Hercules and Iolaus.
• Our Vampires Are Different : In "Darkness Visible", Hercules and Iolaus face vampires led by Vlad. Typically, the vampires have no reflections and drink blood (being able to turn a mortal or just feed). They also possess healing abilities. Note that these are explicitly referred to as vampires (or Strigoi) — not Bacchae, who appeared on Xena: Warrior Princess and Young Hercules .
• Iphicles might have it even worse, where he has to live in the shadow of his little brother. It's a major plotpoint in "What's In A Name?"
• Parental Neglect : Hercules at times complains how Zeus was never around when he was child. Athena comments Zeus was never around for any of his children, mortals or gods. The daddy issues that resulted from this is implied to be why some of the gods are so messed up.
• Percussive Pickpocket : In "Monster Child in the Promised Land", Klepto bumps into Iolaus and surreptitiously grabs Echidna's invitation from him.
• Planet of Steves : Traicus was apparently a very popular name for warlords, as several were mentioned or shown.
• Please Spare Him, My Liege! : Works only partly with the Sovereign.
• Plot Armour : Hercules (obviously), and Iolaus until his encounters with various Hero Killers .
• Pirate Girl : Nebula ( Gina Torres )
• Powered Armor : The Megoliths in "Doomsday" are the ancient mythical version.
• The Power of Friendship : used liberally, although particularly with Iolaus. Although the relationship with Hercules and Iolaus really pushes the boundaries of The Power of Friendship and ends up looking like The Power of Love when Hercules goes to lengths for Iolaus that outstrip what he'd do for a significant Temporary Love Interest (or his own family). It doesn't help that in the source material, this is canon.
• Precrime Arrest : One episode had Iolus given a chance to kill a man who had raped and killed a family. The catch was that Iolus had been transported in time before that man had committed any crimes. Meaning Iolus had killed an innocent.
• Psycho for Hire : Most of the gods' executioners are basically monsters who just want to kill humans for fun. A noteworthy example is Pyro the fire demon, who was tasked by Hera with killing Hercules' family. We later see him in action when he's tasked with killing Salmoneus for unwittingly looting Hera's treasure hoard . Despite being on an important mission he's clearly more interested in just burning things, particularly Hercules. He even burns one of his own comrades to death just for being there.
• Pyrrhic Victory : In the flashbacks to "Twilight", young Hercules manages to end a bloody war, but not before watching an old friend die. Alcmene: For every boy that's not coming home, one hundred more will and that's because of you. Hercules: Then why do I feel like I failed?
• Reading the Stage Directions Out Loud : At one point, Kevin Sorbo read "Wait a minute, this isn't my world. [disappointed]" as "Wait a minute... This isn't my world... DISAPPOINTED! " According to Sorbo, the line made its way into the episode as an in-joke on the part of the creators.
• Back-and-forth in "Faith", as Hercules condemns Gilgamesh for turning to Dahak and Gilgamesh mocking Herc for his Chronic Hero Syndrome .
• Dahak to Zarathrustra in "Redemption", when Hercules defends the latter for not sacrificing his family to the demon. "The truth is, he didn't deserve them. Not much of a family man, were you, Zarathrustra? Otherwise, you wouldn't have accepted me into your heart so greedily. But don't worry. Your failure is my success. And if it's any consolation, when I killed your family, I didn't give them a chance to scream. "
• Remember the New Guy? : Happens quite often throughout the show, at least once per episode or every other episode. Usually, Hercules will show up at a place and there will always be a character there that the audience is seeing for the first time but Hercules already knows this person as his old friend, former classmate, girlfriend, relative, mentor, or war buddy. Generally, a lot of characters introduced in an episode already have a pre-existing history with Hercules and Herc treats them like he's always known them.
• Reset Button : Herc gets his father Zeus to do this towards the end of the first Made For TV Movie, "Hercules and the Amazon Women", undoing the deaths of the Amazon queen (who he had fallen in love with but post-reset he never meets), a villager Herc likes, and Iolaus. Herc remembers what happened pre-reset, but no other non-god does. Zeus refuses to do it at first, saying that the other gods get ticked off.
• Ribcage Stomach : The sea serpent that swallows Hercules and Deianeira in Hercules and the Lost Kingdom has one.
• Hercules as mentioned above in Reset Button .
• Following "The End of the Beginning", only Hercules and Autolycus remember what really happened to Serena. "My Best Girl's Wedding" would later suggest that not even the gods really remember the original history. (Aphrodite sees Serena and finds her familiar, but needs Herc to explain why.) Serena only remembers following spending a prolonged amount of time with the big guy.
• The Rival : Ares.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge : In the first episode, after Hera kills his family, Hercules proceeds to destroy all of her temples in the area. It takes Iolaus falling victim to the She-Demon to cause him to shake the vengeful streak.
• Running Gag : During "Prince Hercules", Iolaus is dunked into a grape wine vat, turning purple for the remainder of the episode, prompting everybody who runs across him to ask 'Why are you purple?' The villains of the week even start calling him 'Purple Man.'
• Sadistic Choice : In "Stranger In A Strange World", after switching places with his double, Iolaus finds himself as the assassin in a resistance plot to kill the Sovereign. Killing the Sovereign would mean stopping a brutal tyrant with a Omnicidal Maniac -type plan, but it would also mean Hercules' death, too. Iolaus actually does try to go through with the assassination, but the Sovereign knew about the plot all along and effortlessly stopped him.
• Which is rather funny considering that it still reflects classical Greek Mythology much more closely than most American media at the time .
• Sand Worm : Of the manta ray variety in "War Wounds."
• Save the Day, Turn Away : During a time travel adventure, Hercules is forced to change things around so that Serena ceases to be the Golden Hind and thus, never gets together with him and loses her life in the process.
• Self-Deprecation : Oh, so much of it in "Yes, Virginia, There Is A Hercules" and "For Those Of You Just Joining Us."
• Set Right What Once Went Wrong : An interesting case occurs in the two-part episode "Armageddon Now" when villain Callisto is sent back in time by Hope to kill Hercules's mother to prevent his being born. While this is clearly an example of Make Wrong What Once Went Right , Callisto agrees to commit the heinous act in exchange for the chance to prevent her parents from being killed by Xena's army .
• When Hercules wants to infiltrate a kingdom that engages in gladiatorial games to the death in "Gladiator", he allows himself to be captured and sentenced to slavery. The queen of this kingdom is intent on making Hercules one of these, after having her servants rip his shirt off to inspect his muscles.
• "The March to Freedom" involves a slaver who betrays a band of settlers, and intends to sell off their leader (played by Lucy Liu) as one. The episode also has a Dirty Old Woman who comes on to Hercules, and is sold said slaver as her own personal "Love Slave".
• She Is All Grown Up : Hercules is more than surprised at how gorgeous Psyche turned out, since the last time she saw her she was just a tomboyish little girl.
• Shirtless Scene : Kevin Sorbo said in interviews and on the DVD commentary that the producers wanted the shirt off in every episode, but he did not. He said there were more shirtless scenes in the first season than in the rest. See particularly, "Gladiator", the TV movies "Hercules and the Amazon Women", and "Hercules and the Lost Kingdom."
• Shock and Awe : Much like dear old dad, Ares can also throw lightning bolts.
• Unsurprisingly, Evil Dead got quite a few: 1) the Mr. Goody Two-Shoes routine in "The End of the Beginning"; 2) "Gimme some sugar, baby" in "Men in Pink"; 3) Klaatu Verada Nikto being a passage in the Egyptian Necronomicon in "City of the Dead". Parts of Joe LoDuca's score for '' Army of Darkness ' were also re-used in a few episodes.
• The two enforcers made by Hera are clearly shoutouts to the Terminator franchise, complete with soundalike music.
• They fought the Ghidra, which was designed to resemble King Ghidorah .
• At the end of "Cast a Giant Shadow", Typhon quotes Jackie Gleason's famous line "Baby, you're the greatest" from The Honeymooners — Typhon was played by actor Glenn Shadix, who bears a decent resemblance to Gleason.
• A good portion of the season 3 premiere episode "Mercenary" is a pretty heavy homage to the Tremors film series.
• In "Stranger in a Strange World", when Iolaus is arrested and assigned a number, he screams " I am not a numeral, I am a free man! "
• Shown Their Work : For all the griping about the series not following established myths, the writers clearly knew what they were considering the many references to people, locations and events in various episodes. At the very least, this is one of the very few works based on Greco-Roman mythology to avert Everybody Hates Hades .
• Shrouded in Myth : In "Doomsday", a scribe tracks Hercules down and asks him about past heroics, thinking the myth outweighs the man. Hercules believes that's always a possibility, but it doesn't play out that way with the provided examples. Hercules: People do tend to exaggerate. Katrina: Yeah, like the tale of you killing a giant sea monster with your bare hands? That’s a little hard to swallow. Hercules: Well, actually, that one’s true, and it was pretty easy for him to swallow me. Katrina: Okay, but that yarn about the two-headed Hydra? I mean, come on. Hercules: That one they got wrong. Katrina: There you go. Hercules: It had three heads.
• Sidekick : Iolaus.
• Sins of Our Fathers : Being Zeus' son, Hercules usually has to deal with anyone with an ax to grind — almost always Hera. Comes up also in "Web of Desire": Arachne: You'll pay for your father's crime. Hercules: What else is new?
• Sky Surfing : Apollo gets around this way.
• Smug Super : Hercules can come off as that on his bad days.
• Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome : Evander was born early into Season 4, but was already about grammar school age two years later in Season 6. Possibly jusitified by his father being the god of war and his mother being a former goddess.
• Spinoff : Xena: Warrior Princess , then later...
• Spinoff Babies : ... Young Hercules .
• Star-Crossed Lovers : Hades and Persephone in "The Other Side", although they are eventually allowed to be together (for half of each year, yes, but still).
• Stepping-Stone Sword : Hercules is helped scaling a fort by arrows launched into its side.
• Story Arc : The series was largely episodic, but there were Callbacks and follow-up episodes to build on previous events. ("The End of the Beginning", for example, to the Golden Hind trilogy.) However, Season 5 was a highly serialized one — the first half featuring the Dahak storyline, the second half depicting Iolaus 2's teaming-up with Hercules and some stand-alone episodes for good measure.
• Stripperiffic : Anything worn by Aphrodite. Anything worn by most female characters. Low cut top, short skirt, and (usually) bare midriff were standards for them.
• Superman Stays Out of Gotham : In Iolaus' focus episodes or the Autolycus/Salmoneus episodes, Hercules either has very little screentime or outright doesn't appear.

• Iolaus 2 is an inversion, being a different character but played by the same actor.
• Happens again in "The Wedding of Alcmene":
• Take That! : The tagline for the Battle for Mount Olympus Animated Adaptation brags that it includes "the REAL Hercules", a likely dig at Disney's own cartoon version that was released less than a year prior.
• Temporary Blindness : Hercules in "As Darkness Falls" via a drug in his drink. Rather than wait to see if it will wear off, he chooses to (with some help) go after the Centaurs responsible and rescue their captives.
• Temporary Substitute : Iolaus 2 in Season 5.
• Terminator Twosome : A complicated case in the two-part episode "Armageddon Now" — Callisto is sent back in time by Hope to kill Hercules's mother to prevent his being born. Iolaus is sent back in time by Ares to prevent this. While killing Hercules's mother is clearly an example of Make Wrong What Once Went Right , Callisto agrees to commit the heinous act in exchange for the chance to prevent her parents from being killed by Xena's army .
• Think Nothing of It : Hercules' stock response.
• The Time of Myths : Parodied in season 1 episode 2. This was so long ago that togas were new at the time.
• Took a Level in Badass : Iolaus 2.
• The Unfavorite : Ares sees himself as this to Zeus — especially when compared to Hercules.
• Unwanted Harem : Hercules most definitely did not want to father children with all fifty of King Thespius' daughters, and they actually chased him around for most of the episode. Salmoneus was more than happy to step up to the challenge.
• Viva Las Vegas! : Midasius in "All That Glitters" is essentially an ancient version of Las Vegas , complete with gambling, cheap all-you-can-eat buffets, exotic dancers (and not just female ones; there's a man in the background whose job is to pose and flex), and boxing matches.
• Villain Decay : Ares gets hit with this hard , season after season. He was a faceless and completely serious threat all until season 3, where an actor (Kevin Smith) began portraying him onscreen with semi-seriousness but still remained a principal threat to the protagonists. By season 4 finale he was reduced into Hera's lackey , and in season 5 he was further reduced into what's arguably the show's biggest Butt-Monkey . By season 6 finale, Hercules and Iolaus treated him as if he's the weakest Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain they ever met, even waving him off dismissively when he vocally threatened them.
• Villainesses Want Heroes : Callisto with Hercules in her first appearance.
• Walking Shirtless Scene : A good number of male characters, effectively.
• Walking the Earth
• Walk This Way : The Widow Twanky managed to get in on this gag in "Greece is Burning" asking a group of young women to "walk this way" and having her exaggerated "palms up, hands moving up and down" walk copied in response.
• Wallpaper Camouflage
• War God : Ares.
• Watch Where You're Going! : Used in the animated adaptation, and may have been employed in the regular series as well. Tricking two Mooks into knocking each other out was a good time saver.
• Water Is Womanly : Played with. The Water Enforcer takes the form of a beautiful woman... who is muscular, superhumanly strong, and laser-focused on destroying Hercules, slaughtering anyone who stands in the way. However, unlike the Fire Enforcer (who purely wants to destroy), the Water Enforcer has a few Pet the Dog moments with her human guide Gnatius, and eventually redeems herself enough to be sent to the Elysian Fields after her second death.
• We Will Meet Again : Ares does this often—either saying essentially that or making a comment about his list. He does it so often that Herc and Iolaus mock him for it in the last episode.
• Wedding Smashers : In The Wedding of Alcmene , a giant sea serpent interrupts Alcemene and Jason's wedding and it swallows Jason and Hercules whole.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy : This is more true in Young Hercules , but the flashback episodes show a young hero who wants nothing more than to meet his father and be acknowledged.
• Wham Episode : "Faith." Greece is left behind (and will be for about half a season), Iolaus dies (again... for a while), a devastated Hercules has to work through his grief, Nebula becomes a queen and the Dahak storyline officially begins on this series.
• Wham Line : One for both the character and the audience as, at their old academy, Jason runs into former flame Lillith who introduces her daughter, Seksa (played by Jodie Rimmer, who played Lillith on Young Hercules ). Lillith : I want you to meet Jason...your father.
• Salmoneus was a fairly prominent recurring character early in the series' run, but made fewer appearances later on — stopping with an early Season 5 episode. This was Lampshaded in a Season 6 episode:
• Jason also stops making appearances by the end of Season 5. His last episode ("The Academy") arguably gives him something of a send-off (a rekindled romance with Lilith, a daughter in Seska and taking over as headmaster of Cheiron's academy). However, "A Wicked Good Time" features Seska going through a rough time and absolutely no mention is made of Jason.
• Who Wants to Live Forever? : When Zarathrustra turned against Dahak, his family was murdered and he was cursed with immortality to keep him separated from them.
• Whole Episode Flashback : The four Young Hercules episodes ("Regrets... I've Had A Few", "Medea Culpa", "Twilight" and "Top God") and "Just Passing Through".
• Whole-Plot Reference : "King for a Day" ( The Prisoner of Zenda ), "...And Fancy Free" ( Strictly Ballroom ), "Men in Pink" ( Some Like It Hot ), "The Enforcer" ( The Terminator ).
• William Telling : In "Reign of Terror" King Augeus gains Zeus' powers and forces a man to stand with an apple on his head while he takes shots at the apple with lightning bolts. He misses wildly. Aphrodite saves the man by distracting Augeus, just as the last bolt passes between the man's legs.
• Worf Had the Flu : In one episode Hercules is injured in a shipwreck and had to face against a dangerous escaped prisoner. If he was completely healthy there would be no difficulty fending him off, and the prisoner compliments Hercules on his skill even with a busted arm.
• World of Badass
• World of Ham
• World's Most Beautiful Woman : Psyche.
• World's Strongest Man
• Would Hurt a Child : Callisto says as much in "Surprise", picking up on what was established over on Xena . Who she threatens, however, is what really boils Herc's blood. "If I go back to the Underworld, I won't be suffering alone. I'll find your children. Aeson, Klonus and little Ilia, is it? And I'll dedicate eternity to making them suffer. After all, I got here, didn't I? I can get to them."
• Wounded Gazelle Gambit : Xena does this in "The Warrior Princess" to make it looked like Hercules ambushed her and tried to kill her in order to further her plot in turning Iolus against him.
• Dahak pulls it again in the same arc by trying to get Hercules to kill him and send him back into his realm. Doing so would condemn an innocent soul (Iolaus) to the same fate, thus shattering the balance between good and evil — plunging the world into chaos and darkness. Of course, if Hercules does nothing, then Dahak "will take the world soul by soul" and win regardless.
• Year Outside, Hour Inside : In "Love Takes A Holiday", Iolaus stumbles upon a village that Hephaestus cursed. The villagers think only a morning has passed, but it's actually been 50 years. It's later revealed that Iolaus' grandmother lives there and his father escaped the curse because he was playing by a nearby river.

Video Example(s):

Arm wrestling hercules.

Well, that's one way to win.

Example of: Distracted by the Sexy

• Franchise/Herc-Xenaverse
• Xena: Warrior Princess
• Herc-Xenaverse
• Creator/Renaissance Pictures
• Creator/Ted Raimi
• Action Pack
• First-Run Syndication
• Deity Fiction
• Action/Adventure Series
• Father Dowling Mysteries
• Creator/Gerry Conway
• Batman: Huntress
• Henry Hugglemonster
• Creator/American Forces Network
• House of Cards (US)
• House of the Dragon
• The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
• Hell's Kitchen
• AmericanSeries/G to M
• Here Comes Honey Boo Boo
• Series of the 1990s
• Here's Humphrey
• Creator/Universal
• Gremlins 2: The New Batch
• Creator/Visual Concept Engineering
• The Howling (1981)
• Sword and Sandal
• Fantasy Series

Important Links

• Action Adventure
• Commercials
• Crime & Punishment
• Professional Wrestling
• Speculative Fiction
• Sports Story
• Animation (Western)
• Music And Sound Effects
• Print Media
• Sequential Art
• Tabletop Games
• Applied Phlebotinum
• Characterization
• Characters As Device
• Narrative Devices
• British Telly
• The Contributors
• Creator Speak
• Derivative Works
• Laws And Formulas
• Show Business
• Split Personality
• Truth And Lies
• Truth In Television
• Fate And Prophecy
• Edit Reasons
• Isolated Pages
• Images List
• Recent Videos
• Crowner Activity
• Un-typed Pages
• Recent Page Type Changes
• Trope Entry
• Character Sheet
• Playing With
• Creating New Redirects
• Cross Wicking
• Tips for Editing
• Text Formatting Rules
• Handling Spoilers
• Administrivia
• Trope Repair Shop
• Image Pickin'

Advertisement:

How well does it match the trope?

Example of:

Media sources:

11,241--> Report

• Children of Zeus
• View history
• 1.1 Conception, birth and early life
• 1.2 At the Academy
• 1.3 Early adventures and family life
• 1.4 Revenge upon Hera
• 1.5 Marriage to Serena and aftermath
• 1.6 The banishment of Hera
• 1.7 After the death of Iolaus
• 1.8 Return of Iolaus and later adventures
• 1.9 Hercules in The Twilight of the Gods
• 1.10 Hercules in the modern era
• 2.1.1 Iolaus
• 2.1.2 Deianeira
• 2.1.3 Serena
• 2.1.4 Jason
• 2.1.5 Other romantic relationships
• 3.2 Abilities
• 3.3 Godhood
• 3.4 Mortality
• 5.1 As Portrayed by Kevin Sorbo
• 5.2 As Portrayed by Ian Bohen
• 5.3 As Portrayed by Ryan Gosling
• 5.4 Other portrayals
• 5.5 Costume Designs
• 6 Background Information
• 7.1 Appearances
• 7.2.1 Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
• 7.3 References
• 8 External links

History [ ]

By his early twenties, Hercules was considered a legendary hero, of which mythology and rumor about him spread throughout the Grecian landscape. Some, such as Iole , believed him to be a hulking figure, several feet taller than he actually was. He was about 6 feet 5 inches tall and very muscular with golden and brown hair. [11]

Conception, birth and early life [ ]

Hercules was the result of a union between the widowed Alcmene and Zeus, King of the Olympians . Zeus took the form of Amphitryon when he appeared to Alcmene that night [42] , although they maintained close feelings for years afterwards. [1]

While pregnant with Hercules, Alcmene was nearly killed by a time-travelling Callisto , but saved by the time-travelling Iolaus. [43]

Shortly after Hercules' birth, Hera became aware of his status as Zeus' son and attempted to destroy him with a two-headed snake . The infant Hercules strangled the snake, thwarting Hera's first attempt on his life. [44]

Zeus visited Hercules as an infant [1] Hercules and the Amazon Women , but stopped sometime in his early childhood. [7] He would not visit him again until late in his teenage years, however, he did mention to Hercules as being proud of him and saying he had put alot of thought and love into his creation and birth. [9] Zeus did place a protection order on Hercules, banning any other Gods from harming the young Hercules. [7]

From a young age, Hercules was raised on his mother's farm near Thebes. The centaur Ceridian was Hercules' mentor as a youth, teaching him philosophy , medicine , literacy, and talents he would use as a warrior. [45]

Hercules and Iolaus both trained under Echetus in their preteen years, in a male-dominant atmosphere. [1] They would later go their separate ways, Iolaus becoming a thief and member of a gang and Hercules back to his mother's farm. At the age of eighteen, Alcmene enrolled Hercules in Cheiron 's Academy. [7]

At the Academy [ ]

At the Academy, Hercules met Prince Jason and became friends with his grudging acquaintance, the former thief Iolaus. After several weeks of training, Hercules participated in his first adventure. He accompanied Prince Jason and Iolaus as an Argonaut on the quest for the Golden Fleece . [7]

During his years at the Academy, Hercules went on many adventures with Jason and Iolaus, and other cadets, such as Lilith or Theseus . He ran afoul of the Gods Ares , Bacchus , Discord , Strife , and Apollo , multiple times. [46]

Early adventures and family life [ ]

After the Academy, Hercules went back to life with his mother. He was soon recruited by Iolaus and Jason into fighting in a war against Parthus . He was able to negotiate a cease fire, ending much of the bloodshed, and gaining fame throughout Corinth. [47]

He gained his first brush with life on Mount Olympus when he ate some ambrosia given to him by Apollo. It was then that he determined most Gods to be cruel and the need to live without them. [9]

Around this time, Hercules performed some of his first labors, including slaying the Erymanthian Boar [48] and the Nemean Lion . [11] These labors helped immortalize Hercules in the minds of the populace. [4]

He saved the town of Gargarencia from attack by Amazons [1] and discovered the lost kingdom of Troy [4] before meeting his future wife Deianeira during a time when the Earth was without fire. [49]

With his wife Deianeira, Hercules stopped adventuring, settling down to family life. Years later, he was pulled back into action when a hole to the Underworld was inadvertently opened in a small village . [11] He continued life with his family while also occasionally answering requests for assistance for some time after that. [38]

It was during this peaceful time in Hercules' life that Hera once again attacked. She destroyed his family in a fireball that sent him into a downward spiral for a short time. [50]

Revenge upon Hera [ ]

After the death of his family, Hercules briefly took it upon himself to destroy Hera's temples until his friend Iolaus visited and convinced him to honor his family by helping, rather than harming, others. Hercules didn't return home, but instead began wandering the countryside performing good deeds. [50]

He spent much of that first year wandering the countryside alone. Some of his early adventures included:

• Fighting and defending the Cyclops of Traycus [51]
• Destroying the Stymphalian Bird [52]
• Stopping the schemes of Ares on multiple occasions [53] [34] [54]
• Stopping the centaur Nemis [55]
• Fighting against slavery [56] [57]

Another notable incident during this period was Hercules's defeat of the warlord Xena [58] , whom he would soon on a road to redemption. [59] This actions dramatically altered the course of history – quite likely for the better – as without Hercules's influence Xena would have brutally conquered and ruled the known world. [43] Instead however, she became as great a champion for good as Hercules himself.

His journeys expanded after he began teaming up with Iolaus again:

• He was responsible for briefly catching the King of Thieves [60]
• He restored King Midas to the throne of Midasius.
• He helped the people of Flagra overthrow the warlord Gorgas .
• He captured the Barbarian warlord Goth .
• He destroyed the children of "mother of monsters" Echidna , and one of Hera's Enforcers . [61] [62]
• He continued his occasional journeys to the Underworld, solving a dispute between Hades and Demeter [63] and ending the threat posed by the escaped Sisyphus . [64]
• He freed the giant Typhon and reunited him with his wife Echidna.
• He restored King Jason to the throne of Argos and Corinth. [65]
• He helped stop a group of Titans from taking over Mount Olympus . [44]
• He founded the Olympic Games. [66]
• He rescued Typhon and Echidna's newborn son Obstetrius from Bluth and Hera's Archers .
• He trapped the immortal Callisto . [67]

Marriage to Serena and aftermath [ ]

Hercules met his second love, Serena when he went to Ceryneia to rescue the last of the Golden Hinds . At the time he didn't realize that Serena was, in fact, the Golden Hind in human form, although he suspected and found out soon afterwards. Regardless, Hercules fell in love with her, ending his adventures to settle down in Ceryneia. [68]

After settling down and marrying the now-human Serena, she was viciously murdered by the god Strife, framing Hercules in the process. Despite his name being cleared, Hercules still blamed himself for the entire affair and left Ceryneia, travelling by himself once more. [69] During this time, he helped free the mad King Augeus from the influence of Hera . [70]

With the help of Autolycus and the Kronos Stone , Hercules was able to restore Serena to life by changing the past. He restored her mortality and she would later meet and fall in love with another man. Feeling closure, Hercules left to journey once more with Iolaus. [48] [71]

Hercules performed many feats during this time, including:

• Witnessing the destruction of Atlantis [72]
• Destroying the monster Arachne [73]
• Discovering the Strange Reality [74]

He was wrongfully put on trial for involuntary manslaughter and sedition ("encouraging rebellion, denying the authority of the government and undermining the authority of the Olympian Gods") in Athens and found not guilty. [75] He was also briefly turned into a pig by Discord [10] and negotiated an agreement between his brother King Iphicles and Trojan War veterans. [76]

The banishment of Hera [ ]

Following his mother's death, Hercules was approached by Zeus to live on Mount Olympus. He accepted it, before finding out that it was all part of a ploy in picking sides in a war against Hera. Although deceived at first, he later used his powers to defeat Hera and send her down into the Abyss of Tartarus .

Following her banishment, he asked Zeus to lift the order of protection on him, making him fully vulnerable to any direct attacks by other Gods. [77]

Although remaining in Greece for a short time, Hercules and Iolaus soon left for Sumeria when he was approached by an emissary of King Gilgamesh . He journeyed to Sumeria on the pretense that he would help them fight back against their "petty Gods," but soon discovered he was being used as a tool by Dahak, who killed his friend Iolaus in search of a "warrior heart." [78]

After the death of Iolaus [ ]

After Iolaus' death, Hercules immediately ventured into the Sumerian Land of the Dead in an attempt to restore him. This turned out to be impossible and Hercules was resolved to a universe without his friend. [79]

Using the ship of now-Queen Nebula , Hercules sailed to the end of the known world, in the land of Eire where he came across the Druids and the Celts who believed him to be their "Chosen One." He was able to stop the menace of the demigoddess Morrigan by making her the Druid of Justice. [31] He then helped the Celts fight off an attempted invasion by Julius Caesar . [80]

Hercules sailed west from Eire and landed in the Norseland. Although he was at first merely a pawn in Loki (and Dahak)'s scheme, he was able to prevent, or at least postpone, Ragnarok from destroying the Earth. [81] [82]

After a brief return to Eire, Hercules and Morrigan traveled back to Sumeria when there was word that Iolaus was not dead. There, he discovered that Dahak had possessed Iolaus' body and they were unable to free the malevolent entity from him before he fled to Greece. [83] Once in Greece, Hercules had to fight off an entire civilization of Dahak followers (including his stepfather Jason) in order to capture Dahak, secure him, and exorcise him with the help of immortal priest Zarathustra . [84] He was able to accomplish this all and Iolaus' spirit ascended into Heaven . [85]

With Iolaus redeemed and ascended, Morrigan leaving [19] and Nebula returning to Sumeria, Hercules was once again alone in his adventures. He helped stop an active volcano with the Amazon Ephiny [86] before he was responsible for restoring the Olympians to the Earth after they had hid from Dahak in the Strange Universe's Earth. [87]

It was in the Reality Nexus Point that Hercules met once more with Iolaus' counterpart, Iolaus II . This Iolaus left with Hercules back into his reality. Hercules talked Iolaus II into remaining partners with stories of his universe's Iolaus. [12]

Along with Iolaus II, Hercules briefly served as headmaster at the Academy before turning over the reigns permanently to Jason. [27] He restored Nautica to her rightful place "warming the sea," [88] and even ventured all the way to Brittania to help pry it from the harsh rule of a time-lost King Arthur . [89]

Although Iolaus II left the land to live as a merman with Nautica, Hercules wouldn't be alone for long. [90] The regular universe's Iolaus returned from Heaven, temporarily, to warn Hercules that the time of the Apocalypse was occurring. Iolaus and Hercules, with unlikely help from Ares, were able to stop the archangel Michael from unleashing the Four Horsemen and destroying the Earth. [91]

Return of Iolaus and later adventures [ ]

For disrupting the apocalypse, Iolaus was stripped of being a Guardian of the Light and consequently restored as a full human being alongside Hercules, who was more than happy at the situation. [91]

Together, Hercules and the restored Iolaus continued doing what they did best. They:

• Stopped a tactic by the Devil to corrupt them with the release of Xerxos . [92]
• Foiled Deimos ' plan to restore the Kronos Stone. [93]
• Deposed Creon from his rule on Thebes and placed Antigone as its rightful Queen. [94]
• Destroyed the Strygoia Vlad and their rule over Dacia . [95]
• Foiled Ramses plan to use the Necronomicon and take over Egypt. [96]

One of Hercules' major feats in this era, was his destroying of the Titans ( Atlas , Helios and Oceanus ) that were inadvertently unleashed by the young God, Evander . During this crisis, Hera was restored to Olympus, but gave up her anger at Hercules, ending their long feud and promising a more harmonious Olympus from now on. He and Iolaus briefly retired following the incident, but changed their minds a couple minutes later. [97]

Hercules in The Twilight of the Gods [ ]

Zeus is warned by fates that the baby Xena will have will bring about the destruction of the Greek gods, causing the king of the Gods to try to kill the baby. Hercules who was looking for Xena and Gabrielle, to congratulate him on the pregnancy, ends up having to fight the Proxidicae , soldiers in Zeus' secret guard, who reveal they are out to kill Xena and her unborn child. Willing to prevent Zeus from killing Xena's baby, Hercules initially tries to convince his father to give up, but Zeus is adamant, wanting to ensure his survival.

Hercules then with no alternative, decides to go after the only remaining object capable of killing a God, Rib of Kronos , being surprisingly helped by Hera, who prevents Ares from killing Hercules and reveals that he also wants to protect Xena's baby, claiming that his war with Hercules was long over. Although suspicious and still holding a grudge, for Hera having killed his family, Hercules accepts his help.

After finding the Rib of Kronos, Hercules and Hera are attacked by Zeus, who Hera decides to fight so that Hercules returns to Xena, to help her and Gabrielle to fight the Proxidicae.

Without knowing that Zeus disintegrated Hera, Hercules fights his own father, while Gabrielle helps Xena to give birth, however the hero ends up being no match for the King of the Gods, who manages to subdue him and proceed to eliminate Xena and her child. When Zeus is about to strike Xena, Hercules appears and grabbing Rib of Kronos, impaling Zeus with it, killing his own father.

Visibly shaken by that, Hercules tells Zeus that he didn't need to end up like that, with Zeus claiming Hercules that he never disappointed him, especially at that moment, waiting for him to take his place, so finally looking, for Hercules' pain. After Zeus' death, and the birth of Xena's baby, Hercules, still sad, is comforted by Xena and Gabrielle, while enjoying with both of them, Xena's baby, whose name is Eva.

Hercules, though he no longer appears, probably continued to help people with problems in Greece and did not take Zeus' place on Olympus, as Olympian tradition demanded, with Athena taking command of Olympus. It is not known for certain whether of their own accord or on account of the other Gods being against it, since they still wanted to end Xena's baby, most likely it was a little of both, although Gods like Ares and Discord, probably not they tried to retaliate against Hercules, now that Zeus was no longer alive, perhaps because dealing with Xena and his daughter was the priority.

Hercules was present when Iolaus died at the age of 100. [5]

Hercules in the modern era [ ]

Hercules lived on through the centuries not aging or dying: it is not known if this was a natural side-effect of being a son of Zeus and a powerful Half-God or if he had immortality all along.

He was still around in the late 20th century , when he adopted the identity of actor " Kevin Sorbo ." As Sorbo, he held behind-the-scenes control over the production of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys , making it reflect the reality of the Age of Heroes. [32] [5]

Even as Sorbo, Hercules continued his heroic activities, saving a multitude of Los Angelinos during a devastating earthquake [32] and saving much of the Renaissance Pictures staff during an attack at Camp WannaChucka . [5]

Throughout the centuries, Hercules's rivalry with Ares endured.

Relationships [ ]

Friendship and romance [ ].

Hercules' personality was seen as congenial and he maintained many close friendships, and a few romantic relationships, over his journeys throughout the ancient Earth.

His closest sister was Aphrodite [13] [70] [88] His closest God friend was Hephaestus , who also had made his magical gauntlets [88] [98] [93]

His closest friendship was with Iolaus; who he considered a part of his own family. [33]

As a fellow Corinthian, Iolaus was acquainted with Hercules from their youth. As adolescents, Hercules and Iolaus trained together, vowing to both die as "battlefield heroes." [1]

Shortly after, they grew apart and Iolaus became a member of a gang of thieves. It was while he was a thief that Iolaus decided to join Hercules in attending Cheiron's Academy. Many of Hercules' adventures while attending the Academy were at Iolaus and Jason's side. [7]

Sometime shortly after their Academy days, Iolaus perished in a fight with the Amazons of Gargarencia. This was the first major loss in Hercules' life and it affected him tremendously. Combined with the death of Amazon Queen Hippolyta, Hercules was able to convince Zeus that the entire affair was the result of Hera and the events were wiped from history (using the Amazon's special blue candle to actually go back in time), restoring Iolaus. [1]

When Hercules grew distraught over family life, it only took a visit from Iolaus to lift his spirits, something which eased Deianeira. Despite them both having families, they would still occasionally have adventures, such as investigating the minotaur , Gryphus. [38]

Iolaus attempted to put Hercules on the right path after his family was killed. Although he managed to get Hercules to help people once more, most of their early adventuring were apart. [50] [20]

The first major hurdle of their friendship came when the Warrior Princess, Xena, was able to coerce Iolaus into fighting Hercules in a ploy to kill him. She nearly succeeded, but they vowed never to let it happen again. [58]

After the Xena incident, they paired up together more, both serving as gladiators [57] and fighting against a plot of Ares [54] , before focusing their attention on stopping Xena's army . [59]

When Iolaus was arrested on a false charge of thievery and sentenced to death , Hercules did all he could to get him found innocent, even going so far as to catch the elusive King of Thieves, the actual culprit. [60] Hercules even went so far as to return Iolaus from the dead after he was killed by a second Enforcer of Hera. [6]

Iolaus would return the favor, preventing a time-travelling Callisto from murdering an unborn Hercules. [43]

After Iolaus's ritualistic death in Sumeria, Hercules was unable to restore Iolaus' soul and set out on a journey to the ends of the Earth. [79] When Dahak possessed Iolaus' body and soul, it heavily affected Hercules, who didn't want to see any harm done to his friend. [83] With the help of the priest Zarathustra, and Iolaus' warrior spirit, Hercules was able to exorcise Dahak from his friend and watched painfully as Iolaus ascended to Heaven as a Guardian of the Light. [85]

Iolaus's ascension was still tough on Hercules, although he was helped by the presence of Iolaus II. [12]

Iolaus would return to Hercules to warn him about the upcoming Apocalypse and was consequently returned to mortal form, (when he 'violated' the rules for being a Guardian of Light, his 'punishment' was that he would return to earth and carry on as a mortal) once again journeying alongside his best friend. [91]

Deianeira [ ]

Hercules' first wife, Deianeira, helped him restore fire to the Earth. [49]

Together, they married and started a family. They raised three children, Aeson, Klonus, and Ilea. They worked with their stablemaster, Nessus , who was madly in love with Deianeira. When Iole asked for Hercules' help, Nessus used the opportunity to convince Deianeira that he would leave her and persuaded her to give him a cursed cloak, that threw Hercules into the Underworld (she was told it would make him stay in love with her). Because of the despair she felt for having supposedly killed her husband, Deianeira threw herself off of a cliff. She was restored to mortal life when Hercules convinced Hades that her death was unnatural. [11]

They continued their familial bliss until Deianeira and their children were killed by Hera in her ongoing vengeance against Hercules. [50] Hercules was deeply affected by Deianeira's death. He would "talk" to her while walking near his old home [56] , his love for her, years later, broke the jealousy spell given to him by Cupid [13] and her name brought back his memories after he suffered from temporary memory loss. [17]

Unlike mortal men, Hercules was able to visit Deianeira and his family in the Underworld, something he did on at least three occassions. [63] [6] The last occurrence was to announce his intention to re-marry, something which she did not take very well at first. But she attended his wedding to Serena in spirit; with the children. [8]

Hercules' second wife was Serena, the last of the Golden Hinds. When he first met her, in mortal form, she claimed to be a healer and follower of Ares. He persuaded her to heal Iolaus, who was sick after being hit with a hind's blood arrow. He fell in love with Serena, even after he discovered she was a Golden Hind. [68]

Together, they were able to free her from the influence of Ares, with both of them becoming full-fledged mortal beings. They married with Iolaus in attendance. [8]

Unfortunately, their wedded bliss did not last after she was killed by Strife. This second tragedy in Hercules' life also took its toll on him. He was mad at Zeus for not reversing the death himself [69] and both Dahak and Sin would use her image to torture Hercules in later situations. [79] [92]

With the help of the Kronos Stone, Hercules was able to reverse Serena's death, with the unfortunate side effect of her marrying another man . Getting some closure, Hercules left her alone with her new family along with her being unfamiliar with him. [48]

Awkwardly, Hercules would meet Serena once more, during the events surrounding the second Iolaus's marriage to Nautica. [90]

Hercules, Iolaus, and Jason

Perhaps Hercules most powerful friend, at least in their younger days, Jason was the Prince and later King of Corinth and Argos. He first met Hercules after he enrolled as a common cadet at Cheiron's Academy. It was on Jason's legendary trip to find the Golden Fleece that Hercules first gained a measure of fame. [7]

At the Academy, Jason was often accompanied by Hercules and Iolaus in their training and vacations. They both participated in the Corinthian Games. [37] Through Jason, Hercules met some of the most powerful Kings and rulers in ancient Greece, such as Leeseus of Athens. [15] Through Hercules, Jason met some of the mythical Gods and Goddesses of Olympus, such as Hephaestus, god of fire. [22]

Even after his coronation, Jason kept in touch with his Academy pals. [99] He would lose touch with Hercules over the years as both men settled down with families. Parallel to each other, they both lost their families due to the machinations of Hera, except Jason dove into alcoholism while Hercules became more of a hero. [65]

With Hercules and Iolaus' help, Jason was restored to royal stature. He would later give up his throne to marry Hercules' mother, Alcmene, making him family, and friend, to the mighty hero. [23] He testified for the defense in Hercules' Athenian trial. [75]

Due to their friendship, Jason was the only one in Greece able to break free from Dahak's spell and aide Hercules in exorcising Iolaus. [84]

Hercules' faith in Jason's ability to rule ultimately helped him to; make the decision to appoint Jason his successor as headmaster at Cheiron's Academy. [27]

Other romantic relationships [ ]

Hercules and Nemesis

Hercules received teasing from his friends for being a virgin well into his late teens. ( HTLJ : " Medea Culpa ")

While at the Academy, Hercules met a woman named Yvenna, whom he fell in love with. She accompanied him, Jason, and Iolas in their quest to find the Golden Fleece, but was killed in a fight with the giant guarding it, Talos . Hercules later journeyed to her home village to free her people from slavery as a tribute to her memory. [7] Later, he went on his first blind date, with a woman named Tara. A being named Galatea , created by Hephaestus as his date, fell in love with Hercules for a brief period, causing much dismay. [22] Other romances during his academy days included Cyane [100] and Eurydice. [16]

Shortly after his Academy days, he had a relationship with Medea, which nearly broke up his friendship with Jason. [18]

Hercules believed that the Amazon Queen Hippolyta might be his soul mate, but he never pursued her. [1] Princess Deianeira of Troy attempted to start a relationship with Hercules, but he shunned her, urging her to rule her people. [4] While married to his wife Deianeira, Iole attempted to seduce Hercules, despite being in a relationship with Lycastus . [11]

After his family's death, King Thespius sent his fifty daughters to Hercules in the hopes that he would impregnate them. He tried to ditch them at every turn. [51] Although he hoped Salmoneus would keep the daughters at bay, they later attempted to seduce Hercules again at his mother's wedding. [23]

Nemesis, a goddess who worked as Hera's enforcer, was another close relationship of Hercules', having met her in his youth. [20] Due to her feelings for Hercules, Hera made Nemesis a mortal. Although Hercules wanted to remain with the now-mortal Nemesis, she wished to remain alone and let Hercules continue his adventures. [62] She returned with a baby some time later and told Hercules it was his, although it turned out to be Ares'. [101]

Xena's friendship with Hercules bordered on the romantic side. She held strong feelings of love for Hercules after he helped redeem her, so much that she cried at having to go on her own journey. Hercules one time even considered that Xena was his soul mate. [59] Gabrielle believed that Hercules and Xena would've been a good relationship. [102]

Hercules fell madly in love with Psyche after being hit by one of Cupid's arrows, but was able to shrug it off with memories of his love for Deianeira. [13]

Atalanta had unrequited love for Hercules, so much so that she created a double with help of Hephaestus. [103]

Morrigan, like Hercules, was a Half-God. She was originally a nemesis of Hercules during his journey to Eire when he was shaken by the death of Iolaus and had lost faith in himself [79] , but he was able to redeem her, installing her as the Druid of Justice. [31] He freed her from Kernunnos ' influence before sailing off briefly to the Norselands. [80] She accompanied Hercules on his journey back to Sumeria and Greece, fighting against Dahak's influence. It was in Cyprus that she left him. She decided that if they remained in Greece, she would be unable to fulfill her duties as a Druid, and if they lived in Eire, he wouldn't be able to be the Greeks' hero. She would later return from Eire and explain her reasoning to a saddened Hercules. [19] Hercules again fought alongside Morrigan on a journey to Brittania, not as romantic partners, but as good friends. [89]

Powers and Abilities [ ]

As a demi-god and the son of Zeus, Hercules possessed great powers and his powers are much more potent than other demi-gods; due to him being a direct child of the king of the Olympians.

• Divine force: His primary power was his superhuman strength. Depending on the situation, he had the strength of ten, twenty, a hundred, even a thousand men. [20] [18] [101] [104] [9] He was known as the "Strongest Man in the World" and he lived up to this title many times.
• Rivaling with the Gods: Although a half-god or demigod, his strength was equal or superior to several Gods that allowed him to rival them in hand to hand combat. In a confrontation with Hades he was able to make the God of the Underworld bleed. He can easily manhandle gods or goddess who are physically smaller than him such as Strife , Deimos , and Discord , and fight gods or goddesses that are expert combatants such as Ares and Callisto with him winning.
• Superhuman Jump: Hercules could make leaps of tens of meters.
• Superhuman Stamina: Hercules could run and perform other activities without getting tired easily, Iolaus complained of getting tired when they ran, he wanted Hercules to be mortal to know what fatigue is. He kept his physical fitness even without eating for three days.
• Superhuman Resistance: Hercules was able to withstand damage that could easily kill humans; such as brute force impacts, blows from beings with superhuman strength, heavy objects and falls from great heights. He possessed a high immunity to disease, poison, viruses and magic, and was able to withstand almost any attack. [81] [82] [72] [17] [84] Hercules struggled with his mortal side throughout much of his life as a god-like strongman and attacks did seem to hurt him, thought not as severe as ordinary human beings.
• Superhuman Regeneration: Hercules was able to recover from severe damage in a short period of time, cuts and bruises in a matter of minutes, impalements and fractures in a matter of a few hours or days. With the arrest of Prometheus, humanity lost its ability to recover, but being Half-God Hercules wasn't affected. He was highly tolerant to alcoholic beverages, large amounts were needed to make him drunk.
• Divine Perception: Due to being half-god; when nearby Olympians were invisible, inaudible and intangible to mortals, Hercules was able to see, hear and touch them. Although some Gods were able to mask their presence from Hercules, it required extra effort on their part. There may be an element of practice required for this sense, as Hercules was unable to detect the presence of Gods when he was younger, and Xena , after enough exposure to them, was able to sense the presence of Ares and Aphrodite even though she had no divine ancestry.
• Spiritual Perception: Hades granted this power to Hercules so that he could interact with the ghost of Timuron in order to take King Sisyphus to the underworld, apparently this power was only available for that occasion.
• Superhuman Reflexes: In several episodes Hercules has been seen dodging arrows, and other objects or being able to catch them before hitting or hitting other people.
• Superhuman Agility: Hercules demonstrates the ability of perfect balance and/or body coordination to a point far superior to that of a normal human being in Earth's gravity. Wrong way climbed a mountain without accessories, to escape the fans who were chasing him, he even walked on top of a clothesline.
• Superhuman Aim: Armed with incredible precision, he could deliver extraordinary shots and throws that might be considered impossible for the average person, whether in combat or out of it. He could hit very small targets and/or incredibly large distances, calculate the trajectory of targets to hit them on the move, and use the environment to ricochet their shots and hit multiple targets.
• Precognitive Dreams: Hercules was able to predict possible futures through dreams.
• Intuitive Aptitude: Callisto said he would have to be as smart as he is strong to solve a temporal riddle, the requirement for passage through the Labyrinth of the Gods to the Tree of Life , which he accomplished. [67] Iolaus had noted he was always right, prompting Hercules to say it was a "Half-God thing," with Iolaus using the same reasoning regarding Hercules' obscure knowledge. [105] [73] [91] [96] Hercules even believed the Earth to be round and devised a heliocentric model as a self-proclaimed genius. [42] [78] [97] He was talented in smithing, forging a knife with the help of Iolaus, whom deemed it perfect. [58]
• Telepathy: When Hercules was trapped between the worlds he was able to communicate with Iolaus through thoughts.
• Superhuman Speed: Hercules learned, from the Druids, how to tap into the natural power of Eire to gain superhuman speed, however this power has a restriction, it is only available while he is in Irish territory. [31] [80]
• Astral Projection: Hercules demonstrated this ability quite unintentionally when he lent his body so that the young Timuron who died before their wedding night could consummate the marriage. It was also when he completed the last test set by Mabon as he lowered his heart rate and his spirit was able to project itself above the lake.
• Sonic Scream: When confronted the Sumerian Underworld God Dumuzi and he said that Iolaus' soul was lost forever, in despair at not being able to bring his friend back Hercules screamed Iolaus' name, and the sound waves broke the pool where the souls were trapped.
• Talk to Animals: When Discordia stole Artemis' bow and shot Hercules he turned into a pig and in this form he could talk to other animals.
• Immunity to the stoppage of time: On two occasions in the series, where time was frozen Hercules proved to be immune to time stoppage, the first was Autolicus using Kronos' Stone to stop time, but he kept active, the same happened when Ares stopped time to kill the cast of the series.
• Photographic Memory: Hercules under the pseudonym of actor Kevin Sorbo was able to describe to the production team with vividness of detail the ancient Germanic territories.
• Superhuman Longevity: Hercules was always uncertain as to whether he could be killed like a mortal man, as this was impossible to test. His own father, Zeus, told him that; he was mortal; but it is clear that; Zeus was not telling the truth or wasn't sure himself. [11] [63] [64] It seems; with his existence; into the 20th Century and not aging for over five thousand years he had immortality all along. [32] [5] It took the hind's blood dagger , used to kill some of the other Gods, to kill Hercules's strange reality evil counterpart, the Sovereign . [87]
• He possessed great superhuman dexterity and accuracy with anything he did whether it was shooting a bow and arrow, catching an arrow, fighting, fishing, playing a guitar or dancing [66] [106] [63] [103] [70] [12] [97] Blindness did not really deter these abilities either, as Hercules honed his senses by learning to fight blind-folded. [55] [7]
• His wisdom, charms and passion was known far and wide, which Hercules attributed to his mortal mother Alcmene rather than Zeus. [20] [90] [93] [9]

Abilities [ ]

• Training: Chiron and Ceridian Academy
• Combat Skill and Combat Strategy
• Tactical Analysis: Development of plans and plans, being trained in leadership
• Armed and Unarmed Combat Proficiency: Is proficient in armed and unarmed combat
• Hand-to-hand combat
• Master of ancient and modern martial arts, having been trained for millennia, she is a warrior with very diverse training.
• Melee fighting techniques;
• Archery fighting techniques;
• Fighting Techniques with Unarmed Attack;
• Fighting Techniques with War Tactics;
• Fighting Techniques with Mounted Combat;
• and is also trained in all the skills of armed and unarmed fighting of ancient Greece;
• Notions of First Aid, Medicinal Plants and Aesculapius' Divine Help;

Godhood [ ]

Hercules gained full Godhood on two occasions. The first was as a young man, shortly after his days at the Academy. He was given ambrosia by the God Apollo, but his Godhood was disapproved of by Zeus. He later had his Half-God status returned after he realized how cruel and uncaring some of the Gods could be. [9] As a full God, Hercules was indestructible and extremely powerful and strong as only someone like Zeus could overpower him. He also possessed healing, regeneration, conjuring, telekinesis, magical shielding, invisibility, teleportation, and fire throwing powers. [77]

It was likely during this time that Hercules and the other Gods mocked Proteus . [107]

Shortly after Hercules' mother's death, he was granted Godhood by Zeus, to have him on his side and in order to assist in a war against Hera. But he got rid of his full power after banishing Hera, in order to return to his Half-God self "how the Fates working for Zeus made (him)". [9] [77]

Mortality [ ]

Hercules gave up the powers granted to him by his divine blood on one occasion. [8] When he wished to marry Serena, who was under Ares protection, Hercules gave up his powers and had a tough time adjusting to mortal life. His supernatural strength and powers were returned by Zeus after he discovered Ares reneged on his bargain to make sure Hercules didn't have a happy marriage. [69]

Cyrus and Oi-Lan , two former slaves freed; by Hercules, promised to name their first son after him. [56]

Tales of Hercules were told even in his own time. They would be used to inspire heroes as late as the 18th century [108] and would even help inspire the television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys . [32]

Gallery [ ]

As portrayed by kevin sorbo [ ].

As Portrayed by Ian Bohen [ ]

As Portrayed by Ryan Gosling [ ]

Other portrayals [ ]

Costume Designs [ ]

Background Information [ ]

• As a young man he was portrayed by Ian Bohen in flashback appearances for Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and the Young Hercules film. Ryan Gosling took over the role for the Young Hercules series.
• Jacques Dupeyroux and Peter Malloch portrayed younger versions of Hercules in Hercules and the Amazon Women .
• An uncredited pig played Hercules in " Porkules "
• Unlike Xena , no actors portrayed Hercules in a body-swapping incident.
• Hercules is the only one of the main characters in HTLJ and XTWP (others being Iolaus , Xena , and Gabrielle ) that has never died once.
• He is the only demigod or half-god to ever gained godhood and becomes a full god, twice in the franchise. He is also the only mortal or half-mortal character to give up godhood.
• "Hercules" in fact the Roman version of the Greek Herakles . In modern times, the Roman version is more recognizable. Other characters following this convention are Bacchus , Cupid , Discord , Fortune , and Ulysses .
• In Greek mythology, Herakles was regarded as the greatest hero of all, and was outright worshipped as a God by some Greeks, to the scandal of others. His name means "Hera's glory", a desperate attempt to placate the goddess's wrath. One version holds that his powers weren't the inherent result of his divine parentage, but the result of Hera briefly nursing him from her own breast as a baby. The same incident led to the creation and naming of the Milky Way in the heavens, and gave us the word "galaxy" (from the Greek word for "milky").
• In Roman mythology, Hercules's story was much the same, but the Romans had no qualms about worshipping him. The later emperors of Rome strongly identified with him as a patron.
• Tales of Herakles date back to oral traditions from at least the 8th century BCE, purportedly relating events that occurred somewhere between the 12th and 10th centuries BCE. Most Xenaverse productions are eventually established as taking place in a fantastical version of the 1st century BCE.
• In the unrelated Greek myth-laden continuity of the videogame series God Of War, Kevin Sorbo voices the protagonist Kratos' half-brother, Hercules, perhaps as an in-joke. This version of the character is full of bluster, gigantic, armored with empowering artifacts and thoroughly under the thumb of the Gods Of Olympus, with even Hera being able to manipulate him against another hated step-son. When this Hercules faces Kratos, the vicious warrior offers to allow Hercules to depart unharmed, something nearly unheard of in the series, possibly owing to the havoc being Zeus's son inflicted on both their lives. When this is refused, Hercules meets the sort of brutal end most of Kratos' opponents do.
• Unsurprisingly for a late 20th-century production, Hercules is portrayed as being heterosexual, and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys as a whole contains little subtext . The mythological Herakles would be considered bisexual or pansexual today, as many mythographers relate that his male lovers were "beyond counting".
• In 2010, SyFy announced the project "Legendary" in which the actor Kevin Sorbo plays a fictional version of himself, approached by a fan to use the strength of his famous character in fighting mythological creatures that threaten Los Angeles. Unfortunately the project was dropped.
• Lead actor Kevin Sorbo himself said in an interview how his character's inconsistencies annoyed him, but he just followed the script, so I don't know if these discrepancies were due to low budget, Hercules' own restraint or more likely carelessness of writers, it is strange that Hercules can compete with beings with supernatural strength, such as Gods, giants, exterminators and even after successive blows to the head he maintains consciousness, not to mention that most of the time it comes out unscathed from rock collapses, and is rendered unconscious by a blow to the head caused by a mortal who technically would not have the strength to violate his semi-divine durability.

Notable kills [ ]

• Janus the Warlock
• Blue Priest

Appearances [ ]

Hercules has more appearances than any other character in the Xenaverse with 169 canonical appearances across three shows and six movies (not counting the animated one). He has appeared in a total of eight seasons across three shows. A full list of appearances can be found here .

Mentions and References [ ]

Hercules: the legendary journeys [ ].

• " Love Takes a Holiday " (mentioned)
• " The Lost City " (mentioned)

References [ ]

• ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 Hercules and the Amazon Women
• ↑ YH : " The Treasure of Zeus: Part 1 "
• ↑ HTLJ : " Regrets... I've Had a Few "
• ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Hercules and the Lost Kingdom
• ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 HTLJ : " For Those of You Just Joining Us "
• ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 HTLJ : " Not Fade Away "
• ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 Young Hercules
• ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 HTLJ : " When a Man Loves a Woman "
• ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 9.8 HTLJ : " Top God "
• ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 HTLJ : " Porkules "
• ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 Hercules in the Underworld
• ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 HTLJ : " Just Passing Through "
• ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 HTLJ : " The Green-Eyed Monster "
• ↑ XWP comic : " The Marriage of Hercules and Xena "
• ↑ 15.0 15.1 YH : " Amazon Grace "
• ↑ 16.0 16.1 YH : " Lure of the Lyre "
• ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 HTLJ : " Prince Hercules "
• ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 HTLJ : " Medea Culpa "
• ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 HTLJ : " We'll Always Have Cyprus "
• ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 HTLJ : " Pride Comes Before a Brawl "
• ↑ HTLJ : " Heedless Hearts "
• ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 YH : " Cyrano de Hercules "
• ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 HTLJ : " The Wedding of Alcmene "
• ↑ 24.0 24.1 RPG : Secrets of the Ancient World
• ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 25.4 HTLJ : " The Apple "
• ↑ XWP novel : Go Quest, Young Man
• ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 HTLJ : " The Academy "
• ↑ 28.0 28.1 XWP comic : " Revenge of the Gorgons "
• ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 XWP : " God Fearing Child "
• ↑ XWP comic : " The Way We Were "
• ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 HTLJ : " Resurrection "
• ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 32.4 32.5 HTLJ : " Yes, Virginia, There is a Hercules "
• ↑ 33.0 33.1 HTLJ : " What's in a Name? "
• ↑ 34.0 34.1 HTLJ : " Ares "
• ↑ YH : " Lure of the Lyre "
• ↑ 36.0 36.1 XWP : " Punch Lines "
• ↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 YH : " Winner Take All "
• ↑ 38.0 38.1 38.2 Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur
• ↑ YH : " Down and Out in Academy Hills "
• ↑ 40.0 40.1 YH : " Mommy Dearests "
• ↑ 41.0 41.1 XWP : " Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts "
• ↑ 42.0 42.1 HTLJ : " Armageddon Now "
• ↑ 43.0 43.1 43.2 HTLJ : " Armageddon Now Part 2 "
• ↑ 44.0 44.1 44.2 Hercules and Xena - The Animated Movie: The Battle for Mt. Olympus
• ↑ HTLJ : " Centaur Mentor Journey "
• ↑ Young Hercules
• ↑ HTLJ : " Twilight "
• ↑ 48.0 48.1 48.2 HTLJ : " The End of the Beginning "
• ↑ 49.0 49.1 Hercules and the Circle of Fire
• ↑ 50.0 50.1 50.2 50.3 HTLJ : " The Wrong Path "
• ↑ 51.0 51.1 HTLJ : " Eye of the Beholder "
• ↑ HTLJ : " The Road to Calydon "
• ↑ HTLJ : " The Festival of Dionysus "
• ↑ 54.0 54.1 HTLJ : " The Vanishing Dead "
• ↑ 55.0 55.1 HTLJ : " As Darkness Falls "
• ↑ 56.0 56.1 56.2 HTLJ : " The March to Freedom "
• ↑ 57.0 57.1 HTLJ : " Gladiator "
• ↑ 58.0 58.1 58.2 HTLJ : " The Warrior Princess "
• ↑ 59.0 59.1 59.2 HTLJ : " Unchained Heart "
• ↑ 60.0 60.1 HTLJ : " The King of Thieves "
• ↑ HTLJ : " The Mother of All Monsters "
• ↑ 62.0 62.1 HTLJ : " The Enforcer "
• ↑ 63.0 63.1 63.2 63.3 HTLJ : " The Other Side "
• ↑ 64.0 64.1 HTLJ : " Highway to Hades "
• ↑ 65.0 65.1 HTLJ : " Once a Hero "
• ↑ 66.0 66.1 HTLJ : " Let the Games Begin "
• ↑ 67.0 67.1 HTLJ : " Surprise "
• ↑ 68.0 68.1 HTLJ : " Encounter "
• ↑ 69.0 69.1 69.2 HTLJ : " Judgment Day "
• ↑ 70.0 70.1 70.2 HTLJ : " Reign of Terror "
• ↑ HTLJ : " War Bride "
• ↑ 72.0 72.1 72.2 HTLJ : " Atlantis "
• ↑ 73.0 73.1 HTLJ : " Web of Desire "
• ↑ HTLJ : " Stranger in a Strange World "
• ↑ 75.0 75.1 HTLJ : " Hercules on Trial "
• ↑ HTLJ : " War Wounds "
• ↑ 77.0 77.1 77.2 77.3 77.4 HTLJ : " Reunions "
• ↑ 78.0 78.1 HTLJ : " Faith "
• ↑ 79.0 79.1 79.2 79.3 HTLJ : " Descent "
• ↑ 80.0 80.1 80.2 HTLJ : " Render Unto Caesar "
• ↑ 81.0 81.1 HTLJ : " Norse By Norsevest "
• ↑ 82.0 82.1 HTLJ : " Somewhere Over the Rainbow Bridge "
• ↑ 83.0 83.1 HTLJ : " Darkness Rising "
• ↑ 84.0 84.1 84.2 HTLJ : " Let There Be Light "
• ↑ 85.0 85.1 HTLJ : " Redemption "
• ↑ HTLJ : " Sky High "
• ↑ 87.0 87.1 HTLJ : " Stranger and Stranger "
• ↑ 88.0 88.1 88.2 HTLJ : " Love on the Rocks "
• ↑ 89.0 89.1 HTLJ : " Once Upon a Future King "
• ↑ 90.0 90.1 90.2 HTLJ : " My Best Girl's Wedding "
• ↑ 91.0 91.1 91.2 91.3 HTLJ : " Revelations "
• ↑ 92.0 92.1 HTLJ : " Be Deviled "
• ↑ 93.0 93.1 93.2 HTLJ : " Love, Amazon Style "
• ↑ HTLJ : " Rebel With a Cause "
• ↑ HTLJ : " Darkness Visible "
• ↑ 96.0 96.1 HTLJ : " City of the Dead "
• ↑ 97.0 97.1 97.2 HTLJ : " Full Circle "
• ↑ HTLJ : " Love Takes a Holiday "
• ↑ YH : " The Head That Wears the Crown "
• ↑ YH : " Girl Trouble "
• ↑ 101.0 101.1 HTLJ : " Two Men and a Baby "
• ↑ 102.0 102.1 XWP : " Prometheus "
• ↑ 103.0 103.1 HTLJ : " If I Had a Hammer "
• ↑ HTLJ : " A Rock and a Hard Place "
• ↑ HTLJ : " The Sword of Veracity "
• ↑ 106.0 106.1 HTLJ : " ...And Fancy Free "
• ↑ HTLJ : " Protean Challenge "
• ↑ HTLJ : " Les Contemptibles "
• ↑ HTLJ : " All That Glitters "
• ↑ HTLJ : " The Fire Down Below "
• ↑ HTLJ : " Beanstalks and Bad Eggs "
• ↑ Promotional Image

External links [ ]

• Heracles at Wikipedia
• Hercules at Wikipedia
• Hercules from Disney Wikia
• Hercules from Disney's Hercules Wikia
• Hercules from Riordan Wikia
• Hercules from God of War Wikia
• Hercules from Immortalspedia Wikia
• Hercules from DC Wikia
• Hercules from Marvel Wikia
• Hercules' Song Go The Distance from Heroism Wikia
• Hercules from Disney Fan Fiction Wikia
• Hercules from Atlantis Wikia
• Hercules from Marvel: Avengers Allience Wikia
• Hercules from Mythic Warriors Wikia
• Hercules from Kingdom Hearts Unlimited Wikia
• Hercules from Greek Myth Wikia
• Hercules from Heroes Wikia
• Hercules from Villains Wikia
• Heracles from  Unnatural World Wikia
• 3 Aphrodite