Hercules (Marvel Comics)

Hercules Panhellenios is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in the Silver Age of Comic Books, the character is based on Heracles of Greek mythology (despite using the name of his Roman equivalent, Hercules). Since his first appearance, he has been a perennial member of the superhero team the Avengers.

The character has appeared in various forms of media, including television series and video games. Brett Goldstein portrays the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Thor: Love and Thunder (2022).

While several characters named Hercules appeared in Golden Age Marvel Comics, the mythological figure first appeared in U.S.A. Comics #7 (March 1943), in which he appeared in shadow behind a window to give a suit of power to Martin Burns, who became Marvel Boy. Two issues prior, in U.S.A. Comics #5, Menalaos had similarly given powers to Lon Craig as Roko the Amazing. In Young Allies #16 (May 1945), Tommy Tyme traveled to Hercules's time and witnessed his battle with Antaeus.

Marvel's modern version of Hercules was adapted from the Greek god Heracles by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. The character debuted in The Avengers #10 (November 1964) as a minion of Immortus, although that appearance was revealed to be an impostor in the limited series Avengers Forever (December 1998–November 1999). The character's first formal appearance in the Marvel Universe became Journey into Mystery Annual #1 (October 1965), which established Hercules as being a rival of the Norse god of thunder, Thor.

Hercules became a regular guest star in the title The Mighty Thor, appearing in issue #126 (March 1966). The character guest-starred in Tales to Astonish #79 (May 1966), and his deadlocked battle with the Hulk, as told by Lee, Kirby, and Bill Everett, has come to be regarded as a classic. The tale parallels Hercules and the Hulk's titanic strength, short temper, and simple-mindedness, while contrasting their lot in life: Hercules being a beloved hero and pampered celebrity, while the Hulk is a hated and feared fugitive. The character teamed up with the Avengers in issue #38 (March 1967), but was not yet an official member; he was merely a guest of the Avengers during his banishment from Olympus. In issue #45 of The Avengers, Hercules became a "full-fledged Avenger" by way of Goliath's announcement to the press during the first annual "Avengers Day". Hercules also guest starred in Marvel Team-Up #28 (December 1974) and Marvel Premiere #26 (November 1975) before starring along with four other heroes in The Champions which ran for 17 issues (October 1975–January 1978). After this, Hercules made a guest appearance in Marvel Two-In-One #44 (October 1978).

Hercules starred in two limited series by writer-artist Bob Layton, with both set in an alternate universe. A 24th century version of Hercules starred in Hercules, Prince of Power #1–4 (September–December 1982), which was popular enough to spawn a sequel, Hercules, Prince of Power #1–4 (March–June 1984). The storylines dealt with Hercules's exile from Olympus, completion of a series of quests and opportunity to leave his past behind and create a new identity.

Hercules remained a constant guest star in both Thor and The Avengers, playing a significant role in the "Avengers Under Siege" storyline in The Avengers #270–277 (August 1986–March 1987), involving supervillain team the Masters of Evil. The story lead directly into the "Assault on Olympus" storyline in The Avengers #281–285 (July 1987–November 1987), in which Hercules left the team.

The character starred in the self-titled limited series Hercules vol. 3, #1–5 (June–Sep. 2005), and guest starred in the limited series Thor: Blood Oath #1–6 (Nov. 2005-Feb. 2006), a retrospective story that depicts the second meeting between the Hercules and Thor.