With the latest adventure of Thor taking him across the cosmos to other gods, Thor: Love and Thunder tease a new threat to the god of thunder. In Marvel Studios' latest film, Thor has created an enemy in his godly allies. The gods of Olympus are none too pleased with Thor.
The film teases what’s next for the character, and shows Zeus telling his son, Hercules to find and kill Thor. Hercules is a famed character in the Marvel Comics, so many are excited to see his bout with Thor on the big screen. This character, played by Ted Lasso’s Brett Goldstein, is sure to bring a physical battle to challenge Thor’s character.
8 Godly Origins
In Greek mythology, Hercules is a demi-god. His mother, mortal, and his father, Zeus. In Marvel Comics, he has left behind the title of “demi” and just become a full-on god. This is due to his death, in which Zeus resurrected his fallen son to become a full god.
This granted Hercules intense strength and immortality. He had power before his godhood thanks to Hera, whose milk gave him vigor. Seeing him come toe-to-toe with Thor and other MCU characters could be a real treat.
7 The Champions
Superhero teams are a rather popular feat in comics. From DC’s Justice League to Marvel’s Avengers. Even sidekicks have their teams. Hercules is no different and was one of the original members of The Champions. This group consisted of heroes in need of a spotlight.
The Champions is still a comics team today but consists of younger heroes, like Miles Morales’ Spider-Man, or Kamala Khan’s Ms. Marvel. The hero team back then consisted of Ghost Rider, Iceman, and Black Widow. An odd combination of colorful characters.
6 Half-Sister Marriage
Despite having a rocky relationship with his other half-sister, Athena, a character he murdered, Hercules has an even stranger relationship with his other half-sister. Hebe is Hercules’ wife and is the goddess of youth and cupbearer of the gods.
Hebe is the third child of Zeus and Hera. They share a father, but not a mother. That doesn’t make it any less strange, and considering the child-friendly nature of Disney, it would be a surprise if they followed through on this marriage. This isn’t Hercules’ first marriage, as he likes a bit of infidelity, so it wouldn’t be shocking if this is not explored.
5 Morally Good Olympian
It’s no secret in Greek mythology that not all gods are entirely good. Hercules is a rare exception in the pantheon and has gone on to do incredible things in the name of heroism and goodness. Hercules has been a part of The God Squad, a group of deities of all cultural backgrounds that protect the innocent and other gods.
Hercules has even been an Avenger, which could potentially tease his future in the MCU. The team has already found other characters to take up the mantle of Captain America and Iron Man, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if Thor hangs up his red cape and hammer for a new face in Hercules.
4 Adoration For Murder
Despite the charm and charisma of the Disney depiction of Hercules, the character is no boy scout. Hercules has killed a great number of people. From gods to Amazons, to even his own family. Hercules had to undertake the twelve labors because of the rageful murder of his family. He saw neither friend nor foe, only those that he had to kill.
Hercules has also killed centaurs, and far too many of them. Hercules committed genocide against the noble and mystical creatures. He has also killed his half-sister, Athena. It seems that Hercules will fit right in with other heroes in the MCU since they all have a love for killing.
3 Mentor To Another Thor
There have been plenty of Thors in Marvel Comics. Thor: Love and Thunder saw the more recent release of Doctor Jane Foster as the Mighty Thor. Many still await the arrival of worthy characters, like Beta Ray Bill, or Throg. One such character who is worthy of the thunder god title is Erik Masterson.
Masterson became Thunderstrike but needed a lot of help along the way. Although Thunderstrike had the heart of a hero, he was less than experienced in the hardships that came with being a hero. Thanks to Hercules, Masterson was trained to be the hero an Asgardian should be, even if neither were Asgardian.
2 Thorcules
Hercules and Thor do not exactly have the greatest friendship. Thor: Love and Thunder make that quite clear with how Hercules will venture off to find and eradicate Thor. In the comics, they have battled a few too many times. Other things are as simple as a pig, or as crazed as a drunken night.
One such event saw the two switching roles, in which Hercules was now Thor, and Thor was now Hercules. Hercules, as Thor, got drunk and married Queen Alfyse. This breakup would lead to a Dark Elf invasion and cause quite the disaster for Asgard, and the real Thor who would not appreciate such a jest.
1 Defeated Ragnarok
When the MCU adapted Civil War into a Captain America film, many were surprised about the lack of inclusion from Thor. In the comics version, Thor was Iron Man’s trump card. The character was a cyborg clone created from the real and missing Thor. This character, known as Ragnarok, killed heroes during the battle between Captain America and Iron Man’s team.
Thanks to Hercules, who had battled Thor many times before, he was able to stop Ragnarok from causing any more harm to the world. Hercules defeated Ragnarok, and proclaimed that “thou art no Thor!” Hercules chose what was right, and picked Captain America’s team.