Interestingly, after Hercules had protected and preserved both mortal men and the Olympian Gods from all manner of monsters, creatures, beasts, titans and giants, it was the centaur Nessus who ultimately caused Hercules' mortal demise through deception and trickery. Nessus kidnapped Hercules' wife Deianeira, whereupon Hercules shot him with an arrow that had been dipped in the poisonous blood of the Hydra, fatally wounding him. Feigning a wish to make amends, the dying centaur told Deianeira how to make a love charm from his allegedly enchanted blood, aware that it was now tainted with the lethal poison of the Hydra. Some time after Nessus' death, Deianeira, distraught over her husband's latest infidelity, rubbed the supposed love charm into Hercules' shirt and put it on him while he slept. Hercules was instantly thrown into unbearable agony. Hercules built a funeral pyre, set it aflame and threw himself upon it in an attempt to burn the poison out of his body.

Zeus finally intervened; consuming the pyre with his thunderbolts, splitting the divine part of Hercules away from his mortal shade and bringing Hercules to Olympus to be made a true immortal. The first mortal ever to be made a God. Shortly after Hercules' ascension from being a demigod to full godhood Zeus tried to make peace between Hera and Hercules by wedding Hercules to Hera's favored daughter Hebe, Goddess of Youth. The marriage of Hercules and Hebe endures till this very day, despite the many infidelities of Hercules.

The Marvel version of Hercules was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1965 as a super-strong heroic character to serve as a rival/foil for Thor and also to establish the presence of the Olympian Gods in the Marvel Universe. A household name; Hercules is one of the most popular figures from Greco-Roman mythology and is universally known for his immense strength. In the late 1950's and early 1960's Hercules was a well known and very popular myth-based hero in many "sword and sandal" movies. He'd been played by several actors in these movies, but was most notably portrayed by champion bodybuilder and former Mr. Universe Steve Reeves, upon whom Jack Kirby based his design and depiction of Hercules. Lee and Kirby's decision to create a Marvel version of Hercules to combat Thor made sense considering his mythological roots, his strength, his built-in name recognition and the popularity of "Hercules" movies at the time. Marvel's Hercules first appeared during the Silver Age of Comics in the first and only "Journey into Mystery Annual" in the summer of 1965.

Hercules debuted during the "Silver Age of Comics" in "Journey into Mystery Annual" #1 in 1965 as the champion and mightiest of the Olympian Gods who battles Asgard's mightiest warrior; Thor. Hercules appears as a character very similar to Thor in strength, nobility, pride, divine origin, demeanor and his relationship with his father. In subsequent early appearances, during battles against both Thor and the Hulk, Hercules is shown to have a more carefree attitude and to be more reckless than Thor. These characteristics are the that first differentiated him Thor. Later, when he was exiled from Olympus, Hercules filled the role of strongman and deity as a member of the Avengers for a time. During this, his first, stint as an Avenger, Hercules is shown as a brooding type who longs to return to Olympus. It's also during this stint as an Avenger that Hercules' skills as a ladies' man are first hinted at when he dates the Scarlet Witch and the Enchantress becomes enamored with him. As one of the earliest Avengers, Hercules faced foes such as the Super-Adaptoid, Dragon Man, the Mad Thinker, Red Guardian, Namor and Skurge the Executioner before he battled and defeated the Olympian Gods' deadliest enemy: Typhon. Thereby rescuing his father Zeus and the rest of the Olympian gods from the extra-dimensional realm Typhon had banished them to. In light of Hercules defeating Typhon and saving him and his fellow gods, Zeus decreed Hercules' exile over. Glad that his exile was over and happy to be back in his father's good graces, Hercules bid farewell to his teammates and left the Avengers to stay in Olympus with his Olympian brethren.

Hercules characterization in the Bronze Age is still quite similar to that of Thor. He continues to be depicted as immensely prideful and confident. Hercules appears a recurring character in "Thor" during the early 1970's as he first battled against and then partnered with Thor for a lengthy period, facing a multitude of powerful adversaries together including; the Destroyer, Pluto, Ares, the Dweller in the Darkness, Firelord, Galactus and Ego the Living Planet. This added exposure gained Hercules popularity which lead to him becoming the lead character in a short-lived group/team comic called the "Champions" set in Los Angeles. This was the first time Hercules was the main focus of a comic and the major hero on a team. It's also hear that Hercules' nature as an impulsive hero is expounded upon. The Champions battled for justice for a relatively short period before disbanding due to a lack of cohesiveness amongst the various members. During his time with the Champions, Hercules faced foes such as the Stranger, the Sentinels, Magneto, Dr. Doom, Rampage, Titanium Man, Crimson Dynamo, the Griffin and Swarm. While serving with the Champions, Hercules started a romantic relationship with the Black Widow, a Champions teammate whom served as the team leader. Their relationship, and Hercules impulsiveness, continued after the Champions disbanded and carried on when they temporarily returned to the Avengers to help their former team fight Korvac. Hercules even served with the Defenders superhero group for a day.

Early in the 1980's Hercules' impulsive nature as a roustabout and brawler is first revisited in the Avengers before it's given center stage in two mini-series called "Hercules, Prince of Power." It's also here that his true prowess and proliferation as a ladies' man becomes apparent as he charms, romances and hooks-up with several women including Nova (Frankie Raye) a Herald of Galactus originally from Earth. These mini-series are both set in the future and focus on the prospect of Hercules learning true humility. It's here that Hercules is cast as a humorous character for the first time as he's shown as an affable and gregarious hero who's just as likely to goof up as save the day. The success of these mini's gave Hercules a boost in popularity that lead to him rejoining the Avengers in the present. During this stint as an Avenger, Hercules battled foes such as the Beyonder, Terminus, the Skrulls, Maelstrom, Kang, Kang's Growing Man and the Masters of Evil. It's also during this stint as an Avenger that Hercules' use of alcohol was shown and used as a weakness when he was ganged-up on and beaten down by a group of super-strong members of the Masters of Evil after he'd been drugged by Tanya Seely (Black Mamba) while drinking. After recovering from his injuries, Hercules aided the Avengers as a reservist against the High Evolutionary. To defeat the High Evolutionary, Hercules was evolved beyond godhood and temporarily went missing but was eventually found by Thor in the Black Galaxy where the Celestials had used him in an experiment. Thor brought Hercules back to Earth.

Hercules in the 1990's started out much the same as he was in the 1980's; he's the brawling and drinking irreverent roustabout. Upon returning from the Black Galaxy, Hercules partnered with Thor for a time and he once again served as an Avenger facing menaces including; the Collector, Thane Ector, Ares, Kang, Arkon, Terminatrix, Apocryphus and Proctor. Hercules also fought to stop the Kree-Shi'ar War during Operation: Galactic Storm. A new facet of Hercules' persona was shown when he mentored fellow Avenger Eric Masterson, who'd temporarily assumed the identity of Thor, on the use of his powers and the ways of heroism. By the mid-90's, Hercules came into conflict with his father Zeus who stripped him of his immortality as well as half of his power as punishment. This lead to Hercules having to face threats and foes as a mortal again which put him at greater risk of injury and/or death and tempered his blustery attitude for a time.

While stripped of his divinity Hercules continued to fight as an Avenger, but was absent when the team fell, seemingly slain, to Onslaught (he was accompanying fellow Avenger, Deathcry, on her journey back to her homeworld in the Shi'ar Empire). Hercules' loyalty and dedication to his missing teammates was evident when he decided to return to Olympus and, if necessary, force Zeus to reveal the true fate of the Avengers. To this end he tried to enlist the aid of the Hulk, but the Hulk refused. Hercules didn't accept his refusal and attempted to make the Hulk to help him by force of arms. With Hercules' power significantly diminished, the Hulk beat him nearly to death before Zeus intervened. After recovering from his injuries, Hercules was given the chance to regain his lost divinity and strength, but instead, to Zeus' profound surprise, wanted only to know the fate of the fallen Avengers. Even the power of Zeus proved unable to discern the fate of the Avengers, but Hercules' efforts showed in him a measure of character and selflessness rarely seen before.

Hercules even joined S.H.I.E.L.D. briefly serving as an agent to prevent the machinations of Ares and his Warhawks. Still unable to locate his fallen friends, the Avengers, Hercules over-indulged in alcohol attempting to escape his guilt for both not being present when they fell and for not being able to ascertain their fate. During this bout with alcoholism, Hercules joined the newly formed super team "Heroes for Hire" which had been founded, funded and lead by Iron Fist. Unfortunately, his drinking problem lead to reckless behavior which got him kicked off the team shortly after it was formed.

The Avengers did survive their battle against Onslaught and eventually returned. Shortly after their return, Hercules aided them as a reservist against Morgan Le Fay and, later, the Exemplars. But tragedy soon struck when long-time Avenger the Scarlet Witch went insane, causing the deaths of several Avengers and the group to disband for a period known as "Avengers Disassembled." While the Avengers were disassembled, Hercules' close friend and rival Thor faced the threat of Ragnarok and, along with the entire Asgardian people, was seemingly slain.

In the wake of Avengers Disassembled, Thor's death and his fellow Avengers seeming indifference to and irreverence about the fate of their fallen comrade; a distraught Hercules succumbed to alcoholism. Hercules' step-mother Hera took advantage of the situation by trying to thoroughly humiliate him and destroy his heroic reputation while he was in this vulnerable state. To accomplish this she enlisted the aid of Hercules' cousin and ancient rival Eurysteus, recalling him from the underworld to set up a modern twelve labors for Hercules to perform on a reality television show. These labors were designed to be as impossible as the original twelve Hercules performed in ancient times. They included capturing Ka-Zar's sabretooth tiger partner Zabu, the Inhuman watch-dog Lockjaw, snaring Dragon Man, defeating the Abomination, Acquiring Captain America's shield, retrieving a S.H.I.E.L.D helicarrier and facing his dead wife Megara in Hades to obtain her forgiveness. Hera was certain Hercules would fail, but he completed these new labors, thus restoring his public reputation and renewing his lust for life.

Also happening during this period of his life, despite being represented by the She-Hulk, who specialized in cases involving super humans, Hercules was successfully sued by the super-villain Constrictor for for damages due to injuries the villain incurred when Hercules stopped him during the active commission of a crime; beating him up in the process. Hercules lost all his money paying this fine and subsequently had to work as a laborer for Damage Control to make a living. Hercules' financial troubles were short-lived, however, as he won back nearly all of his fortune a short time later by beating the Constrictor in a poker tournament held by Benjamin J. Grimm, a.k.a. the Thing.

When the super team known as the New Warriors tried to apprehend some fugitive super villains, while filming their efforts for a potential reality television show, one of those villains, Nitro, exploded while battling New Warrior Namorita and caused a bus to explode killing hundreds of school children. In the wake of this tragedy the public outcry against super-powered people was immense leading to the United States government passing a law requiring all super-powered citizens to make their identities and powers known to the government. The law also required them to train and use their abilities in the service and at the direction of the U.S. federal government. The law was called the Super-Human Registration Act. Many heroes complied and registered, but many heroes did not. Most prominent amongst those who chose not to register was Captain America. The government could not abide people who were required to register not doing so and they soon ordered the newly registered super-humans to arrest the now-fugitive non-compliant super-humans, often pitting friends against friends. This lead to the the Superhero Civil War which pitted former friends and allies against each other and even put super villains who had registered on the right side of the law when they confronted and battled their respective heroic foes.

During the Civil War, Hercules became a part of Secret Avengers, joining Captain America and fighting in opposition of the Super-Human Registration Act. Captain America's forces were largely street-level heroes so the addition of Hercules brought a lot of much needed power to their side. Hercules proved invaluable to Cap's team at least twice. The first time was when Cap's team was lured into a rescue situation set up by Iron Man, who lead the registered super-human forces. The Secret Avengers responded to the emergency only to find themselves outnumbered by Iron Man and his team. Cap and Iron Man spoke briefly before a full-blown battle erupted. For a time Cap's side held their own, but things soon started to go bad. Captain America was on the verge of being beaten by Iron Man and Hercules was attempting to come to his aid when Ragnarok (a cybernetic clone of Thor) brutally attacked, striking Hercules down with massive amounts of lightning. The battle resumed and Ragnarok soon killed Goliath (Bill Foster). His brutal killing shocked everyone present, temporarily stopping the battle and even swaying heroes to change sides. With the battle on hold, Hercules used to opportunity to strike Iron Man with a fuel tanker-truck and rescue the badly beaten Captain America. The non-registered heroes then made their escape with the unexpected help of the Invisible Woman who was appalled by the actions and very existence of Ragnarok.

Hercules' second key moment of the Civil War came during the final battle when he finally got his chance to face Ragnarok, who was arguably the pro-registration side's most powerful and dangerous weapon, one on one without first being struck unexpectedly. Hercules and Ragnarok battled fiercely, but Hercules eventually got the upper hand and even used Ragnarok's own hammer to strike the final blow; breaking open the clone's head and incapacitating him. It was also during this final battle that Captain America once again fought Iron Man. This time Cap was on the verge of defeating Iron Man when several average citizens intervened on Iron Man's behalf. Having the common man take Iron Man's side and seeing the collateral damage the final battle had wrought caused Cap to have a change of heart. He surrendered and ended the Civil War. Hercules, however, still did not register and remained a fugitive.

In World War Hulk, Hercules was recruited by Amadeus Cho, the seventh smartest person in the world, to join his group of Renegades for the purpose of trying to help the Hulk.

After Hercules convinced Amadeus Cho that taking SHIELD down was wrong, they went to Hercules' sister Athena's house in Vermont to lay low for a while. Athena advised Hercules to look over Cho as he was at crossroads and could one day become an effective hero or an unstoppable villain. Athena, Cho and Hercules then went to San Francisco for a meeting of the Council of Godheads in the shadow of the Dreaming Celestial.

While driving across the country from Vermont to San Francisco, Athena used the time to get acquainted with Cho. She told him some of the Olympian Gods' history, gave him some background info about Hercules and insight into what he's capable of. Hercules saw the road-trip as an occasion to party, most notably in Cleveland where he battled the gigantic Celtic demigod; Bran, the Blessed and romanced the She-Hulk.

Hercules, Cho and Athena eventually arrived in San Francisco where they encountered the Ikaris and Thena, two Eternals who were working for the Dreaming Celestial. The two Eternals mistook Hercules for the Eternal known as Gilgamesh, the Forgotten One (Gilgamesh had actually performed one of Hercules' twelve labors; the cleaning of the Augean stables) and tried to convince Hercules he was Gilgamesh. It turned out that the Eternal Makkari had made an error in translating the Celestial's message, the Celestials were looking for other forgotten ones. Athena was not sure what they meant, to which Athena replied "Wouldn't you like to know".

Athena soon called a meeting of the Council of Godheads to discuss a grave threat to earth; the Skrull's secret invasion. She then advised the Council to send their own invasion force to attack and slay the Skrull pantheon of gods in their own realm, thus preventing them from commanding the Skrulls to conquer Earth. Athena suggested Hercules, accompanied by Amadeus Cho, lead the Council's invading force of divine representatives consisting of Snowbird, Tecumotzin (actually the Eternal Ajak), Amatsu-Mikaboshi, and Atum the God Eater. Hercules was reluctant to lead the newly formed and aptly named God Squad because he lacked confidence in his leadership abilities, but he finally accepted the role of leader when the African God Anasi inadvertently challenged his pride by stating Thor of Asgard (a longtime friend and rival of Hercules) would be a far more suitable leader. Hercules decision was sealed when he stated "If you follow, I will lead!" and the group responded by joining him in the " God Squad." The new group then boarded their ship and embarked on their journey to the realm of the Skrull gods.

Early in their journey through the dreamtime the God Squad battled Nightmare and acquired his map of the dreamtime. Now having the means to mount an assault on the Skrull gods, the team resumed their quest while Hercules connected with Snowbird romantically along the way. Cho's pup, discovered to be a Skrull spy, was consumed by Demogorge as the Squad arrived at the edge of the Skrull god's realm where they were immediately attacked by hoards of alien gods enthralled by the Skrull deities. During the ensuing battle they lost Snowbird.

Upon their arrival at the throne of Kly'bn and Sl'Gur't, Ajak openly rebelled against Hercules placing the blame for the loss of their companion firmly on his shoulders. Hercules allowed Ajak to assume command and battle Kly'bn. Ajak's power proved insufficient against Kly'bn and he was seemingly slain. Meanwhile, Atum, in his Demogorge form, battled and then swallowed Sl'Gur't whole but was quickly ripped apart from within when he was unable to absorb the power she contained. Parts of Atum's body exploded in all directions with one of his bones knocking Cho into the endless void of the dreamtime.

Enraged by the loss of Cho (which was the boy genius' plan), Hercules cut loose and battled the Skrull godhead to a stand still (impressive being as he is the god-head of the entire Skrull Pantheon, ruling over them and all their captured Pantheons). While they battled, Kly'bn tried and failed to convert Hercules to his cause. And although they were evenly matched, Hercules eventually gained the advantage and hurled Kly'bn onto Demogorge's spinal column (which was held by Snowbird, who'd returned and rescued Cho from the void), slaying him. A battle of shape-shifters simultaneously raged between Amatsu-Mikaboshi and Sl'Gur't. And although Atum met his end at her hands, Mikaboshi was able to defeat her. By defeating and slaying the Skrull's inspirational godhead and his mate, the Squad had broken the back-bone of their spirituality-motivated invasion. Only then did the surviving members of the God Squad (Hercules, Snowbird and Cho) return home.

In the aftermath of Secret Invasion, the activities of the Chthon created a series of freak events that Cho dubbed the "chaos cascade", and concluded it would be necessary for the Avengers to deal with the events. Hercules and Cho located Edwin Jarvis first, and then Hank Pym and Jocasta, to form the new Mighty Avengers. This team was lead by Hank Pym.

The Mighty Avengers invaded the Baxter Building to recover ' Dimensional Wave Inducer". Before breaching the Baxter Building, Hercules used a image inducer to disguise himself as the Red Hulk as a tactic to distract the Thing while Hank faced off with Reed Richards during the confrontation.

After helping defeat Chthon as members of the Mighty Avengers, Hercules and Amadeus met with Athena at Silly's Greek Diner where they are confronted by Hera and the monstrous Titan Typhon (whom she held in thrall). Hercules and Typhon nearly came to blows, but Silly's Greek Diner had been declared sanctuary for all Olympians, thus forbidding any violence between Gods while inside. Hera demanded that Athena recognize her as ruler of the Olympians and submit to her authority or, along with Hercules and Amadeus, be killed. When Athena refused, Hera told her the next time they met she'd kill her. She also hinted she'd already disposed of Athena's mortal champion; the New Warrior Aegis.

Hercules, Amadeus and Athena's search for Aegis lead them to a warehouse where they found Aegis' dead body. Hera and her allies Typhon, Pluto, the Huntsman of Zeus and Delphyne Gorgon were waiting in the warehouse intent on ambushing Hercules and company but, before they could launch their assault, Norman Osborn's Avengers (most of whom were actually villains) arrived and attacked both sides. Hercules engaged the Sentry and Spider-Man (Venom) simultaneously for an extended period, holding his own throughout the battle, while Amadeus and Delphyne aided each other against Ms. Marvel (Moonstone) and Hawkeye (Bullseye). After a time Amadeus convinced Hercules they would eventually lose and they should quit the fight. Hercules then provided a very public emergency requiring the Avengers response to maintain Osborn's heroic charade. The Avengers responded to the emergency while Hercules and his crew escaped.

Athena then prepared Hercules and Amadeus to enter Hades, while Pluto was absent, to rescue the only one powerful enough to stop Hera: Zeus. Hercules and Amadeus entered Hades through a casino in Atlantic City where they saw many fallen heroes including Aegis, who acted as their guide in the underworld. Amadeus used his genius to win enough money to pay for passage into Tartarus where Zeus was imprisoned.

Once in Tartarus, they found Zeus shackled and held by Pluto, Lord of Hades. Next, they are attacked by twelve deceased villains including the one responsible for Hercules' mortal demise; Nessus. Hercules fought the villains, eventually holding them off using the Hydra-poisoned blood of Nessus. As Hercules battled, Pluto stated Zeus would be tried for his crimes and offered to let Hercules leave the underworld with his step-father Amphitryon instead. Hercules was actually convinced to refuse this offer by Amphitryon and instead chose to attend the trial. Hercules in turn convinced Amadeus to take advantage of the opportunity to see his deceased family while in the underworld.

The trial began with Pluto blaming all manner of misfortune and atrocity on Zeus. Witnesses called during this trial included: Cronus (father of Zeus), Semele (former lover of Zeus), Typhon, Hercules and Zeus himself. The result of the trial was a guilty verdict for Zeus, whom was then sentenced to drink from the River Lethe and thus, lose his memory.

The mortal 'shade' of Hercules

Ignoring Zeus' wishes, Hercules refused to recognize the court and rejected both their verdict and Pluto's sentence. Pluto's response was to bring forth Hercules' own mortal shade which, upon his mortal demise, had been relegated to Hades while Hercules was raised up to full-godhood. Hercules battled his mortal shade as Zeus and Pluto watched. Meanwhile, Amadeus found his parents and learned his sister hadn't died.

While watching Hercules battle on his behalf, Zeus was so moved by Hercules' devotion to him that he willingly drank from the River Lethe and was instantly transformed into a mass of glowing energy. Hercules saw this, immediately dispatched his mortal shade and pursued the energy-mass until they both emerged from the casino in Atlantic City where Athena waited. The energy-mass then struck the ground and became Zeus, bereft of his memory in the form of a boy. Amadeus then emerged from the casino and, angry that Athena hadn't told him his sister yet lived, refused to accompany Hercules anymore, deciding to go his own way instead.

When the new trio (Hercules, Athena & Zeus) left Atlantic City Hercules explained to Zeus (now a child with no memory) who he was and how he came to be in his current condition. They are then attacked by harpies sent by Hera. Athena separated from the group to fight them while Hercules escaped with Zeus. Hercules and Zeus soon encountered Balder the Brave, then the Lord of Asgard, who was fleeing from some dark elves and a troll. Hercules and Zeus acted on Balder's behalf, swiftly dealing with his pursuers. Balder explained that Alflyse, Queen of the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim, was planning to take advantage of Thor's exile from Asgard by conquering it. With Asgard weakened by the loss of Thor and in need of an equally mighty champion, Balder sought out Hercules to enlist his aid against Alflyse and the Dark Elves.

Hercules was reluctant to help at first because he didn't want to put the boy Zeus, in danger but was quickly swayed when shown the comely Queen's image. Balder further explained the Dark Elves must believe that Thor still served Balder and defended Asgard. To this end, Norn magic was used to disguise Hercules as Thor and his Adamantine mace as Thor's hammer Mjolnir. They then traveled to Washington, D.C. to use the Axis Mundi to access a portal to Svartalfheim. Balder stayed behind while Hercules and Zeus found the portal and entered Svartalfheim. Once they were gone, Balder revealed his true identity; Malekith the Accursed, former leader of the Dark Elves.

Upon entering Svartalfheim, Hercules and Zeus were immediately surrounded by a troll war party with whom they made an uneasy alliance against their common foe, Queen Alflyse. The alliance was brief, however, as the trolls betrayed and attacked them as soon as Alflyse's castle came into view. Hercules had no sooner defeated the trolls when he and Zeus were met by a contingent of Dark Elves which included Queen Alflyse herself. Hercules introduced himself as "Thor" and Zeus as his son, "Moodi the Moody." Zeus asked Alflyse if she planned to conquer Midgard. She told him that under her rule the Dark Elves had renounced the aggressive foreign policy of her predecessor, Malekith.

Hercules complimented Alflyse on her words and her form, but expressed a need for proof that what she said was true. To this she replied that she had heard Thor was banished from Asgard and his hammer was broken. Turning on the charm, Hercules responded "I am Thor. And I assure you, my . . . hammer works just fine." Alflyse smiled and blushed, but still she required him to prove he was indeed Thor by performing a series of challenges.

The first challenge began immediately when a giant forge dropped on the unsuspecting Hercules momentarily pushing him to the ground. He sprung up instantly and smashed the forge to pieces, much to Alflyse's obvious pleasure. The next challenge was a trial of wits. Hercules had to solve the most legendary endgame in three-storied elvish chess. He pondered the board and it's levels for a time and then, concluding he couldn't solve it, he "accidentally" knocked the entire board over. He then claimed victory through changing the rules to win the unwinnable. Though her advisor was unconvinced, Alflyse eagerly accepted Hercules' reasoning and called for the next challenge. The third challenge was test of character in which Hercules was surrounded and engaged by several Elven warriors. After the battle began, Alflyse pulled her dress up high to reveal her upper leg and inner thigh. Despite being in the midst of battle, Hercules couldn't resist looking at her sensual display and was struck soundly upon the head while distracted. Hercules admitted failure in this challenge, but Alflyse (who'd obviously wanted him to succeed) declared, "Two out of three. Close enough."

So the challenges ended with Hercules successfully proving he was "Thor" and they celebrated into the night. Hercules and Alflyse celebrated together; getting better acquainted and spending the night together. Zeus, however, used the time to research and study the real Thor in the Elven library. The next morning Hercules woke up feeling quite proud of his "diplomacy" but was shocked to learn he was now married to Alflyse. It was then that she told him of her new plans to conquer first Midgard (Earth) and then Asgard to reclaim Thor's birthright for him: the Crown of Asgard as she presented her assembled forces ready to march.

The Elven invasion of Midgard was about to begin when they were confronted by the real Thor, disguised as Hercules to avoid accusations of deception, and the Warriors Three. Seeking to stop the invasion, Thor ordered Alflyse to disperse her forces. She questioned what right an Olympian had to intervene and the Warriors Three told her their old ally "Hercules" (actually Thor) was now defending Asgard and "Thor" (actually Hercules) could claim his birthright by defeating Asgard's new defender. They even offered a written compact to bind both sides to the deal. Queen Alflyse happily accepted the terms as she was quite certain her husband "Thor" would defeat "Hercules."

Before they battled, Hercules and Thor met and discussed the circumstances leading up to the predicament in which they found themselves. Hercules told Thor he was impersonating him at Balder's request. Thor had no knowledge of that, but reminded Hercules that in order to halt the invasion he, as "Thor" must lose their battle. Thor assured Hercules he wouldn't hurt him while telling him to make their "fight" convincing. Hercules, incited by Thor's words, struck first and the battle began. The two gods traded real blows, renewing their ancient rivalry for a time before Thor told Hercules to go down. Hercules told Thor that since the Dark Elves had seen what he could do, nothing Thor had yet done would convince them he'd honestly lost. He proceeded to bait Thor, telling him "You're Hercules now. Live up to the name." Sufficiently goaded by Hercules, Thor struck decisively, giving Hercules the opportunity to concede defeat, which he did, stating; "Mighty Thor has finally, definitively and completely been defeated by Hercules, the Lion of Olympus." Thor rolled his eyes and grunted. The battle was over.

The matter of the elven invasion now settled, Hercules and Thor relaxed and shared some mead while recovering from their battle. Suddenly, Malekith and his ally Grendell attacked, catching Hercules and Thor unprepared. Before anyone else could react, Zeus struck Grendell down with a mighty thunderbolt revealing his identity to all present including Alflyse. The truth now out, Alflyse chastised Hercules for deceiving her but admitted she was quite flattered by his desire for her and even more impressed by his ability to please her. The two of them joined hands and left together, returning to the castle for more private time, leaving the boy Zeus with Thor and the Warriors Three as a new celebration ensued, carrying on into the night.

While Hercules and the youthful Zeus were side-tracked to Svartalfheim, Athena began gathering allies with which to oust Hera from power. First she brought Amadeus Cho back to her side and then she tried, but failed, to recruit Aphrodite, the Olympian Goddess of Love, to her cause. Athena also informed Cho that she had similarly failed to recruit Apollo, Artemis and Dionysus as well. They decide to then contact Avengers Mansion where Hercules and Zeus have just arrived upon their return from Svartalfheim. Athena brought Hercules up to speed on what had occurred during his absence, informing him of Hera's plans and telling him his wife, Hebe - Olympian Goddess of Youth - had been cast out of New Olympus for betraying Hera. Hercules summoned all available Avengers and told them of the grave danger Hera's "Continuum" presented to Earth.

Before the Avengers, Athena and Zeus could decide or do anything to thwart Hera's machinations, Hercules decided to find his absent wife Hebe. Find her he did; kissing Peter Parker (Spider-Man). Consumed by jealousy from this sight; Hercules struck Parker and knocked him flying through the air and out of the building into an alley. Now out of public view, Parker used the opportunity to quickly change into Spider-Man. Hercules soon arrived in the alley where the two of them began to fight. Spider-Man did what he could but he was sorely out-classed. Their skirmish ended when Hercules buried Spider-Man beneath a multitude of cars weighing many tons and Hebe interceded before he could act further. Hercules and Hebe then made amends and she joined the forces aligned against Hera.

Now back at Avengers Mansion, Hercules and his allies used Hebe's inside knowledge of Hera's plans to devise a strategy to stop Hera before she could roll-out her master plan - Continuum. The group managed to sneak through Hera's defenses, infiltrating the Olympus Group's corporate/godly headquarters. The heroes were soon discovered, however, and the battle was joined when amazons, monsters, gods and goddesses attacked the heroes. Henry Pym fought Argus, the one-hundred eyed cyclops and Spider-Woman engaged the demon Lamia. USAgent battled Eris, Goddess of Discord, Wolverine battled against Cephalus, Huntsman of Olympus and Spider-Man fought the Olympian spider-goddess, Arachne. Cho found his love, Dephyne Gorgon, and tied to reason with her while Athena engaged Hera herself in battle. This left Hercules to contend with the mightiest and most dangerous of Hera's forces; the monstrous Typhon. The battle went badly for Hercules' side as Zeus was captured and all but Hercules and Cho were defeated.

Zeus was taken by Hera and Typhon into their innermost stronghold where Hera finally revealed "Continuum" to be an empty artificial universe made real by her godly power and nature. She explained that rolling out Continuum would destroy the universe while simultaneously replacing it, killing everything and everyone but Hera and her followers. Outside Hera's stronghold, Hercules and Cho tried to gain entry as they squabbled about who would save which of their fallen allies. Finally deciding to act together in breaching the stronghold, Hercules and Cho were captured by Hephaestus as they attempted to dig their way in from underground. They quickly escaped the Fire God's traps, however. Meanwhile, Continuum began it's roll-out and started to assert itself in this reality as Zeus used his new appearance and fresh start in life to try and sway Hera from her plans with promises of a fresh start for their love as well. Hera's cold, hard-heart was warmed and softened by Zeus' words. Hera then, having heard what she'd always wanted to hear and having been promised what she wanted most, a faithful Zeus, ordered Typhon to stop the roll-out of Continuum. Typhon refused, calmly explaining he'd been born to destroy the Gods and it was his intent to do exactly that. Hera attempted to assert her control over Typhon but couldn't. No longer able to control Typhon, Hera attacked him with Zeus joining her in the attack. The attack, though fearsome, was to no avail for Typhon wore the Aegis of Zeus and was thus immune to all physical harm. Typhon then quickly slew Hera while purposely leaving Zeus alive so he could explain his hatred for him and their ancient enmity towards each other to the memory deprived Zeus. Once he'd finished telling Zeus these things, he slew him as well.

Though they weren't present at the time of Zeus' demise, Hercules and Cho became aware of it instantly when Athena, who'd been turned to stone previously, was struck and re-animated by the Thunderbolt of Zeus as she inherited it upon his death. Immediately following Athena's re-animation and inheritance, she, Hercules and Cho witnessed Thanatos, the Olympian death-god, guiding the shades/souls of Zeus and Hera on their journey to the underworld. Enraged by the day's events, Hercules was desperate to get to and stop Typhon while Cho was happy because Hercules, who was apparently supposed to die, now seemed safe. Athena and Cho then went to the aid of the defeated Avengers while Hercules, now able to gain access to the stronghold, went to confront Typon and stop Continuum.

Upon entering the Olympus' Group's stronghold, Hercules was saddened when he found his father's corpse. He had little time for grief, though, as Typon quickly appeared and the battle was joined. Hercules and Typhon fought savagely, raining blow after blow and strike after strike of incalculable force upon each other. The battle-tide shifted back and forth between the two behemoths, but Hercules finally gained the upper-hand. Preparing to deliver the killing blow, Hercules mustered all of his godly-strength, raised his Adamantine mace and used it to strike the all-but-defeated Typhon. Shockingly, Typhon was unharmed. It was Hercules who was struck by the force of his blow, severely injuring him. It was then that Typhon revealed he was wearing the Aegis to Hercules. Then it was Typhon who positioned himself to finish-off Hercules.

Before killing Hercules, however, the sadistic Typhon amused himself by using Hercules' mace to beat, break and cripple him. Finally tiring of beating the helpless Hercules, Typhon asked Hercules for any last words before he died. The thoroughly beaten and broken Hercules, now mumbling and slurring, drew Typhon close to hear his last words. When Typhon was close enough, Hercules pulled out a vile of water Cho had obtained from the River Lethe and put it in the monster's mouth. The water instantly took Typhon's memory causing him to no longer recognize Hercules. Confused, Typhon asked Hercules who he was. Hercules merely requested that the Titan end his pain and suffering. Typhon didn't know why, but he found pleasure in the thought of killing Hercules and so he agreed. He moved in to kill Hercules but left himself vulnerable and was instead killed by Hercules who used his unbroken arm and Adamantine mace to beat Typhon to death.

With Typon now dead, all that remained was for Hercules to shut down the machine rolling-out Continuum. As beaten, broken and injured as he was Hercules found himself struggling mightily at any attempt to move. Effectively crippled, Hercules was still trying to get to the machine when Athena appeared. Hercules rejoiced at the appearance of his beloved sister but was dismayed when she told him her plan for the future included him dying so Cho could replace him as the new 'Prince of Power.' To save the universe; Athena then destroyed the Continuum machine, sealing the new Continuum-universe off from this one, but seemingly killed Hercules by doing so. When Cho and the Avengers made their way to her, Athena told them that Hercules had been vaporized while saving the world by smashing the Continuum machine.

The day after his apparent death, there was a funeral service for Hercules at the Parthenon in Greece. Many Greek citizens attended, paying their respects to their ancient hero. The most notable attendees, however, were many of the heroes Hercules had befriended. Counted among these heroes were Amadeus Cho, Thor, The Warriors Three of Asgard, Namor, Bruce Banner, the Black Widow, Namora, Snowbird, Wolverine and several others.

Many of these attending heroes eulogized Hercules by recounting stories times they had shared with Hercules. They described heroic adventures, personal insights and bedroom prowess. The last word went to Hercules' genius side-kick, young Amadeus Cho. Cho had barely spoken when Athena and the rest of the remaining major Olympian gods and goddesses suddenly appeared. Athena then informed Cho, and all present, that he was to be the new leader of the Olympus Group (under her guidance, of course). Cho started to speak, protesting Athena's edict, when Apollo, Olympian God of Light, objected as well. Surprised by Apollo's objection, Athena tried to bait him into battle but, after a brief display of his godly power, Apollo instead challenged Athena to a battle of proxies. Athena accepted and promptly selected Cho to be her champion. Apollo responded by choosing Phobos, God of Fear and son of the late Ares. The other attending gods then made their selections with Poseidon choosing Namor for Athena's side and Artemis picking Skaar, son of the Hulk for her twin brother Apollo's side. Next, Nyx, Olympian Goddess of the Night, selected Nightmare for Apollo while Hebe, Olympian Goddess of Youth and widow of Hercules, chose Bruce Banner to aid Cho. With the sides now chosen the battle commenced. Cho quickly gained the upper hand in his confrontation with Phobos and then, to the surprise of the Olympian gods, managed to unite both teams of proxies against them. The ensuing battle of mortal proxies against the gods who'd selected them lead to Cho gaining access to the Olympian underworld through Pluto, God of the Underworld. Cho went to the underworld seeking Hercules but was soon informed by Pluto's wife, Persephone (Queen of the Underworld) that Hercules was not there. Realizing that Hercules' underworld absence meant he still lived, Cho resolved to find him. He accepted the Olympus Group leadership position from Athena so he could use all of it's earthly wealth and godly power to find Hercules.

The first thing Cho did as leader of the Olympus Group was hire Bruce Banner to help him invent and build a device called the 'Hercollider Synchrotron.' This device was designed and built to search the entire multiverse for Hercules at hyper-speed. Unfortunately, Cho soon learned that even at it's inconceivable rate of speed, it could still take roughly a billion-and-half years for the device to search the multiverse and find Hercules.

Cho was pondering a new way to locate Hercules when he was approached by Vali Halfling (a.k.a. Agamemnon), son of Loki and former leader of the "Pantheon." Vali told Cho that he had figured out how to attain full, all-powerful, undeniable godhood. He explained this was possible by combining Olympian Ambrosia, the Asgardian Apples of Idunn, Spells from the Book of Thoth and the sacred Moon-cup of Dhanvantari. Vali also proposed that Cho join him to obtain these things and attain this higher level of being. Cho refused Vali's offer, deciding to get these objects by himself so he could use the power they would grant to find Hercules and bring him back. Cho's quest to obtain these mythological artifacts became a race when Vali sought to get them first.

While trying to secure the Apples of Idunn in Asgard, Cho found he'd arrived too late; Vali had already been there and had got them first. Before he could leave, however, Cho was confronted by and forced to battle Thor. Cho was soon defeated by Thor, but managed to convince the God of Thunder to let him go and even aid him in attempting to get the Spells from the Book of Thoth.

Unfortunately, Vali was got every ingredient except the Moon-cup of Dhanvantari first. While trying to get the Moon-cup first, Cho was defeated in battle with Vali. Seeking to get the Moon-cup while Cho was down, Vali left the objects he'd previously gathered unsecured in Cho's presence as he hastily tried to get the final ingredient. On his way to the Moon-cup, Vali was delayed by an attack from Delphyne Gorgon. This allowed Cho to get it first. He quickly combined the four ingredients and used them to attain the level of full, all-powerful and undeniable godhood.

Ironically, Cho's new found power included omniscience which quickly made clear to him that he was not the proper receptacle of this newly acquired, awesome power. Realizing this, Cho determined Hercules was the proper person to have and wield this inconceivable level of power. He then used the power to locate Hercules in the 'Continuum' universe and bring him forth. With Hercules now there, Cho transferred all of his newly acquired power to him making and calling Hercules the "God of Gods." Their reunion was short-lived, though, as Hercules instantly sensed the grave and imminent threat of the Chaos King and immediately left to begin gathering heroes to meet this danger.

Due to his omniscience, Hercules became aware of Amatsu-Mikaboshi's continued existence as the Chaos King, his acquisition of power and his plan to return the entirety of existence to the state of nothingness from which it originated. Realizing the grave danger he presented, Hercules used his new-found omnipotence to gather and further empower Earth's superheroes to fight the Chaos King/Mikaboshi and his army of enslaved alien deities. Unfortunately when Hercules and his heroic forces launched their assault, the Chaos King used the power he'd acquired from Nightmare, Lord of the Dream Dimension, to put humanity into a trance-like state leaving only Hercules, Thor and Amadeus Cho to oppose him. The Chaos King also attacked all of the various aspects of the underworld/Hell and forced Death herself to flee causing the mass release of all the souls of the deceased back into the realm of the living while also keeping those who were dying, or normally should/would die, alive. Her+cules then used his power to recruit to his cause several other very powerful non-mortal beings who'd also proven immune to the Chaos King's trance. These beings included the Eternal; Sersi, half-demon; Hellstorm, former sea nymph; Venus and even the Devourer of Worlds; Galactus (though, in this case, unwillingly) and his herald; the Silver Surfer. These beings joined Hercules, Thor and Cho in forming the second incarnation of the God Squad to stop the Chaos King and save the multiverse.

It was soon revealed that her sister, Athena, was the Chaos King's accomplice as she perceived the current reality is irreparably metaphysically corrupt and wished to start fresh with a new universe after the Chaos King had finished destroying the current one. Amadeus, by then, was losing hope of stopping the chaos but theorized that reality could be transported to the "Continuum" universe Hera had created. Hercules was against the idea and argued they should go down fighting. Hercules is confronted by Athena, but only after his power is increased by Gaea and Pele who destroy and recreate Hercules as a maintainer of the cycle of life, and Hercules annihilates his sibling. Hercules, now more powerful than ever, then used his awesome power to confront and fight the Chaos King in an Warhawks epic battle of universal proportions. Hercules is wounded but is able to hurt the Chaos King in kind. Eventually, with the help of the Hulk Squad, Dead Avengers and X-Men; Herc, Amadeus and Galactus tricked the Chaos King to enter the Continuum then sealing it off forever. He then expended his Godly powers to restore the damage the Chaos King had caused. The effort this feat required left him completely without superhuman powers making him, for the first time in his more than 3,000 years of life, a mortal human.

Despite being de-powered after defeating the Chaos King and winning the Chaos War, Hercules remained true to his character and was determined to be a what he had always been; a hero. Powerless but now armed with Ares' cache of mystical weapons, he came to Brooklyn and met a man who owns a Greek bar. Earning a job as a bouncer and a place to stay, he put the entire borough under his protection from two warring factions the Warhawks lead by Kyknos the son of Ares and the Kingpin, Wilson Fisk. Herc then confronted a group of inmates who escaped from the Raft after the events of Fear Itself only to discover the re-emergence of Hecate the Mistress of Terror and Witchcraft which only complicated things more as the populous was overwhelmed with rage and Herc was caught in the middle. Realizing that being mortal puts him in a disadvantage, Hercules hardened his resolve and pressed on but was surprised when he noticed the entire city had been engulfed by a thick forest.