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Hercules

Hercules

697 appearances Β· Silver Age Β· 1965–2026 Β· 38 key issues
Who is Hercules?

The immortal son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmena, Heracles earned his place among Olympus's greatest heroes by completing his legendary Twelve Labors. Marvel's Prince of Power eventually left Olympus to adventure among Earth's modern heroes, bringing his godlike strength and boisterous spirit to teams like the Avengers.

Few characters in the Marvel cosmos carry the weight of myth quite like Hercules, the Lion of Olympus who crashed into the Silver Age in Journey into Mystery Annual #1 (1965), conjured by the legendary duo of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Over an extraordinary six-decade span β€” from 1965 all the way to 2026 β€” he has become one of Marvel's most enduring presences, racking up 676 catalog appearances and 38 key issues that collectors prize across generations. His stomping grounds read like a who's-who of Marvel's mightiest: the pages of Thor, The Avengers, and Incredible Hercules have all served as his arena, where he shares adventures with titans like Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man. Boisterous, larger-than-life, and genuinely irreplaceable in the Marvel tapestry, Hercules is the rare character whose appeal has only deepened with time β€” an immortal in every sense of the word.

Identity

Real name. Heracles / Hercules Panhellenios

Powers. Olympian god ("Prince of Power"): vast superhuman strength rivaling Thor/Hulk, stamina, durability, near-invulnerability, immortality, regenerative healing; skilled combatant, often wields a golden mace/adamantine club.

Teams & affiliations
AvengersAsgardian Gods
Journey into Mystery Annual
#1
β˜… First appearance
Journey into Mystery Annual #1
Aug 1965

Trivia

  • Collectors take note: Hercules' Marvel debut is a classic bait-and-switch β€” the so-called Hercules who showed up in Avengers #10 was later exposed as an impostor, meaning the genuine article didn't make his proper entrance until Journey into Mystery Annual #1.marvel.fandom.com
  • Bill Mantlo has written more of Hercules's comics than any other writer in our catalog β€” 33 issues.

Top series

Covers through the years β€” 1966–2024

Thor #129 β˜… 1966
Thor #129
Sub-Mariner #29 1970
Sub-Mariner #29
Thor #225 β˜… 1974
Thor #225
The Avengers #181 β˜… 1979
The Avengers #181
G.I. Joe, a Real American Hero #15 β˜… 1983
G.I. Joe, a Real American Hero #15
The Avengers #300 β˜… 1989
The Avengers #300
Best of Marvel #1995 β˜… 1995
Best of Marvel #1995
Avengers #1 β˜… 1998
Avengers #1
Avengers Forever #12 2000
Avengers Forever #12
Black Panther: The Bride #[nn] β˜… 2006
Black Panther: The Bride #[nn]
Captain America: Road to Reborn #[nn] β˜… 2009
Captain America: Road to Reborn #[nn]
X-Treme X-Men #8 2013
X-Treme X-Men #8
All-New Wolverine #28 2018
All-New Wolverine #28
Ultimate X-Men #5 β˜… 2024
Ultimate X-Men #5

Appearances (301–450 of 697, oldest first)

She-Hulk (2004)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Avengers 2004 (2004)
Avengers (1998)
Essential Super-Villain Team-Up (2004)
#1
Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk (2003)
#2
Essential Ghost Rider (2005)
#1
Avengers Finale (2005)
#1
G.L.A. (2005)
#2
Hercules (2005)
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Teams 2005 (2005)
Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor (2003)
#4
Ultimate Fantastic Four (2004)
#22
Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers (2003)
All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z (2006)
Essential Avengers (1999)
#5
Marvel Visionaries: Roy Thomas (2006)
Marvel Zombies (2006)
Free Comic Book Day 2006 [X-Men / Runaways] (2006)
The Thing (2006)
Giant-Size Hulk (2006)
#1
Civil War (2006)
Cable & Deadpool (2006)
The Amazing Spider-Man (1999)
Civil War: X-Men (2006)
#2
Thunderbolts (2006)
Black Panther: The Bride (2006)
Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes II (2007)
#1
Captain America (2005)
Civil War: War Crimes (2007)
#1
Spider-Man Visionaries: Roger Stern (2007)
#1
Civil War: X-Men Universe (2007)
Essential Silver Surfer (1998)
#2
Thunderbolts: Guardian Protocols (2007)
Marvel Zombies: Dead Days (2007)
Avengers Classic (2007)
#1
Incredible Hulk (2000)
World War Hulk (2007)
#2
Civil War Chronicles (2007)
World War Hulk: Gamma Files (2007)
Thunderbolts: Breaking Point (2008)
#1
What If? Annihilation (2008)
#1
World War Hulk: Aftersmash (2008)
#1
Marvel Adventures The Avengers (2006)
Ms. Marvel (2006)
#21
Nova Annual (2008)
#1
Hulk: Planet Hulk (2008)
Hulk: WWH - World War Hulk (2008)
Hulk: WWH - Incredible Herc [World War Hulk: The Incredible Hercules] (2008)
Hulk vs. Hercules: When Titans Collide (2008)
#1
The Mighty Avengers (2007)
Nova (2007)
#2
Punisher War Journal (2007)
#3
Custom: Triple A Baseball Heroes (2007)
#2
Incredible Hercules: Against the World (2008)
Essential Hulk (1999)
#5
Captain America: Road to Reborn (2010)
Mighty Avengers: Earth's Mightiest (2009)
Fantastic Four (1998)
Avengers: Nights of Wundagore (2009)
Essential Dazzler (2007)
#2
Incredible Hercules: Love and War (2009)
X-Men: First Class Finals (2009)
#3
Marvels: Eye of the Camera (2009)
#5
Incredible Hercules: Smash of the Titans (2009)
Amazing Spider-Man Family (2008)
#8
Hercules: Prince of Power (2009)
Incredible Hercules: Dark Reign (2009)
Avengers Forever (2009)
Avengers / X-Men: Utopia (2009)
#1
Marvel Zombies 3 (2009)
Hercules: Full Circle (2009)
Incredible Hercules: The Mighty Thorcules (2009)
Fantastic Four: The Master of Doom (2009)
Avengers Assemble (2010)
#1