He was originally raised by his human parents under the name Alcaeus, before becoming aware of his divine heritage and taking the name Herakles. Hercules is the son of Zeus and a mortal woman named Alcmena. Arguably closer than Thor, who's kind of a jerk in most Norse tales. Marvel's version of Hercules sticks fairly closely to the popular Greek myths. Another version of Hercules appeared the previous year in The Avengers #10, but that character has since been revealed to be an impostor. His first official Marvel appearance came in 1965's Journey Into Mystery Annual #1. Hercules is among the many iconic Marvel heroes created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

1-2 Hercules' History in the Marvel Universe Recommended Reading: Hercules: Prince of Power, Incredible Hercules: The Complete Collection Vols. Hercules Cheat Sheetįirst Appearance: Journey Into Mystery Annual #1 (1965)Īliases: Hercules Panhellenios, Herakles, Alcaeus, The Prince of Power, The Lion of Olympus, Harry CleeseĬurrent Team: The Guardians of the Galaxy (Formerly The Avengers, The Champions, The God Squad, The Argonauts) His weapon of choice is a golden adamantine mace. He also has an arsenal of enchanted weapons forged by Hephaestus. However, even in his mortal form, Herc is among the most skilled fighters in the Marvel Universe, having spent literally thousands of years honing his craft on the battlefield. Herc's strength and immortality can and have been taken away from him in the past.

He's also blessed with other handy abilities like immortality, invulnerability and enhanced speed and healing. Thanks to his divine origins, Herc has incredible physical strength - enough to make him a match for Thor and even hold his own in battle against the Hulk. The Greek myths paint Hercules as far stronger and more skilled in battle than any mortal, and that's certainly true for the Marvel version.

Hercules son of zeus pinball