I’ve always wondered how Thor and Hercules wound up on the Marvel lot. Both are legends and Gods to some degree. Hercules being a demigod. Both are just about indestructible and so strong that Hercules once was left hoisting the entire planet for Atlas. Though they have interesting warrior costumes I never really bought either being in the same gay-garbed group as Supes, Bats, Wolverine (yellow and blue costume) and Spidey. The new superheroes seem absolutely swish compared to these old relics of a bygone time. Comparing them is like comparing a 1932 Ford truck (solid, no-nonsense, strong, rough)–to a BMW Roadster (sleek, curvaceous, colorful, smooth).
And wonder of wonders Hercules actually is frequently depicted with not just a beard but body hair. Just about no other Marvel character who isn’t part animal (Beast, Wolverine, Sabertooth) has hair on his chest. (What? Do they all use depilatories or shave? Boy, that’s manly.) Thor is sometimes envisioned as a bearded, wild and woolly warrior, but a lot of the time he is just a huge pretty boy with shining golden locks as if he does Clairol or Breck commercials. I can easily imagine him brushing it out in the evening before he retires. 100 Strokes (Stroke,Thor, stroke!) Something Hercules would never need to do.
Hercules, the character portrayed by Steve Reeves and Kevin Sorbo (among many others), has always been one of my favorite heroic characters. Unfortunately, most of the movies made about him have sucked big time, as witness Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Hercules In New York and Lou Ferrigno’s Hercules. The Reeves movies only have Steve going for them. Reeves was, IMHO, the best actor who ever portrayed Herc. He looked the part and was super handsome to boot.
I like the design of Marvel’s Hercules. He’s a real man’s man and there is a lot of him like in the famous Farnese Hercules statue; Big, bold, brawny, and bearded. He’s the main supporting tent pole in the circus of heroes. That he has a set of standards that predates all the other Marvel heroes (except Thor) is a very good conceit for making him a more dimensional and interesting character. His moral compass is very finely honed as you would expect it to be for a hero who has been around for a couple of millenniums. He knows the difference between good and bad by now. So he doesn’t get easily sucked into situations that would make him appear foolish–as long as he isn’t inebriated.
Hercules is the perfect hero. He has all the attributes that define “heroic” and 20th Century superheroes have been, to some degree, based upon the standard set by his legend. The super strength and all-around good guy characteristics of Superman come directly through the Hercules heroic lineage. His super powers are no longer limited to just strength and immortality, but it is what he does with the strength of his forceful character that makes him every bit as powerful as the more powers-blessed superheroes.
“Incredible” is a good word to use to describe the legend. He is more incredible to me than Hulk could ever hope to be. Plus, he’s way more grounded and doesn’t act out of anger alone. That gives him many positive points that Hulk lacks. His strength empowers him. It doesn’t make him testosterone poisoned and stupid.
So here’s a big toast to the eternal Incredible Hercules, a hero for the ages. The finest of the ancient legends superheroes.
\
SUPERVERSITY 
You must be logged in to post a comment.