Full Name: Hercules
Age: 16 or 17 ish in the series, about 19 or 20 in the movie
Occupation: high school student, hero in training
Voice: Tate Donovan

Heracles, son of Zeus and Alcmene, was a rash, egotistical jerk with muscles for brains. Hera made it her personal mission to make her husband’s illegitimate child’s life as hellish as possible. When the boy was born, she sent serpents to kill him, but Heracles strangled them. He grew up in the care of Alcmene and her husband, Amphitryon, but was sent to farm cattle until he became a man after killing one of his instructors.

He married Megaera, had three sons, went off to war every chance he got, slaughtered scores of people, and managed to attract Hera’s attention again. The Queen of the Gods drove the “hero” mad, and he slew his wife, children, and nephews, among other people. Long story slightly shorter, he was made to do penance in the form of 12 labours (Nemean lion, Hydra, Erymanthian boar, Stymphalian birds, Eone – the stag of Artemis, Augeian stables, Cretean bull, man-eating horses of Diomedes, girdle of Hippolyta, Geryon, golden apples, and Cerberus). After completing them, he tried to woo a new young lady, killed a few more people, made some more amends, was enslaved, battled the giants, took some revenge, wrestled Zeus, and married Deianeira. Deianeira was duped into thinking that a centaur’s blood was an aphrodisiac and doused her husband’s clothes in it. Of course, centaur blood is incredibly poisonous, and Heracles’ skin was basically corroded off. He spends his afterlife as a porter at the gate of Mount Olympus awaiting Artemis’ nightly return and is husband of Hebe, Goddess of Youth.

Hercules was merely the Roman version of Heracles.

Quite a namesake you’ve got there, Herc…

Disney’s Hercules, son of Zeus and Hera, foster son of Alcmene and Amphitryon, is a sweet, often exceptionally naïve young man who genuinely cares about people. He may have an ulterior motive, but he is highly dedicated to his work as a hero. And he is honestly willing to risk his life to save someone. He does stupid things, sure, and occasionally you can’t help but feel like slapping him upside the head, but when has that ever not been true of a young male? He’s fairly sensible, at least when contrasted with Icarus and Adonis, and he’s most certainly the biggest reason Cassandra hasn’t found herself a nice shack in the middle of the woods somewhere.

Tate Donovan does a fabulous job, both as the older, ripped version from the movie and the younger, clumsy version from the show. However, he somehow seems to be more at home as the more timid, self-conscious teenager. Perhaps it’s because he had the role longer, but he seems…unsettled in his role as adult Herc. Of course, this could very well be because the character was ever so slightly unsettled in his role as hero. If that’s the case, then Mr. Donovan is officially a member of the Best Actors Ever Club.

And indeed, I much prefer Hercules as a student at Prometheus Academy. Rather than worshipped as a celebrity, we see him in a far more believable role – and one that’s easier to relate to – as the academy’s resident loser-nice guy.

Icarus, get off the uvula.
Created December 28, 2003.