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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 (451–600 of 697, oldest first)

Realm of Kings Inhumans (2010)
Spider-Man: The Gauntlet (2010)
#4
Secret Warriors (2009)
The Mighty Avengers (2007)
Incredible Hercules (2008)
The Incredible Hercules: Sacred Invasion (2010)
Black Widow: Deadly Origin (2010)
#3
Black Widow: Web of Intrigue (2010)
Incredible Hercules: The Mighty Thorcules (2010)
Hercules: Fall of an Avenger (2010)
Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers (2003)
The Amazing Spider-Man (1999)
Incredible Hercules: Assault on New Olympus (2010)
Avengers: West Coast Avengers Assemble (2010)
Black Widow (2010)
#1
Mighty Avengers: The Unspoken (2010)
Marvels: Eye of the Camera (2010)
Deadpool Team-Up (2010)
Heroic Age: Prince of Power (2010)
Hercules: Twilight of a God (2010)
Siege: Mighty Avengers (2010)
Avengers: Under Siege (2010)
Thor vs. Hercules (2010)
Amazing Spider-Man by JMS Ultimate Collection (2009)
#5
Chaos War (2010)
Incredible Hercules: The New Prince of Power (2010)
Avengers: Citizen Kang (2011)
Chaos War: Ares (2011)
#1
Chaos War: Avengers (2011)
Wolverine / Hercules: Myths, Monsters & Mutants (2011)
Thor: The Black Galaxy Saga (2011)
Spider-Man: Am I an Avenger? (2011)
Marvel Masterworks: The Sub-Mariner (2011)
#1
Mighty Avengers: Dark Reign (2011)
Evolutionary War Omnibus (2011)
Infinity Gauntlet (2011)
Spider-Island: Avengers (2011)
#1
Herc (2011)
#7
Avengers Forever (2011)
Spider-Man: Spider-Island Companion (2012)
Fear Itself: Herc (2012)
Avengers Assemble: An Oral History of Earth's Mightiest Heroes (2012)
Essential Avengers (1999)
#8
Marvel Firsts: The 1970s (2011)
#3
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z (2011)
#5
Avengers: The Private War of Dr. Doom (2012)
Avengers: The Contest (2012)
Herc: The Complete Series by Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente (2012)
Avengers: West Coast Avengers - Zodiac Attack (2012)
Red Hulk: Haunted (2012)
Spider-Man: Spider-Island (2012)
X-Treme X-Men (2012)
Avengers: The Once and Future Kang (2013)
Marvel Masterworks: The Mighty Thor (2010)
Essential Defenders (2005)
#7
Marvel Firsts: The 1980s (2013)
#1
Guardians of the Galaxy by Jim Valentino (2014)
#1
Avengers: Absolute Vision (2013)
#2
She-Hulk by Dan Slott: The Complete Collection (2014)
#2
Deadpool (2013)
#27
The Superior Foes of Spider-Man (2014)
#2
Avengers (2013)
Infinity Gauntlet Omnibus (2014)
S.H.I.E.L.D. (2015)
Captain America (2013)
#5
Incredible Hulk Epic Collection (2015)
Mighty Thor (2016)
Thor (2016)
#2
Civil War: Punisher War Journal [Second Edition] (2016)
Avengers / Iron Man: Force Works (2016)
Black Knight: The Fall of Dane Whitman (2016)
The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl & the Great Lakes Avengers (2016)
Drax: Guardian of the Galaxy (2016)
Civil War II: Gods of War (2016)
Legendary Star-Lord (2015)
#4
Die offizielle Marvel-Comic-Sammlung (2013)
Champions: No Time for Losers (2016)
Civil War II: Choosing Sides (2016)
Black Panther by Reginald Hudlin: The Complete Collection (2017)
Deadpool: Beginnings Omnibus (2017)
Monsters Unleashed (2017)
#2
Invincible Iron Man (2016)
#2
Guardians of the Galaxy (2015)
Deadpool vs. The Punisher (2017)
#1
Secret Empire Prelude (2017)
Doctor Strange: Sorcerer Supreme Omnibus (2017)
#1
Ultimates 2 (2017)
#8
Captain America: Secret Empire (2017)
Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis: The Complete Collection (2017)
#2
Secret Empire (2017)
All-New Wolverine (2016)
#28
Avengers Epic Collection (2013)
Marvel 2-in-One (2018)
#3
Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection (2013)
#3
Silver Surfer Epic Collection (2014)
#6
Marvel Masterworks: Ant-Man / Giant-Man (2006)
#3
Ant-Man / Giant-Man: Growing Pains (2018)
Black Widow Epic Collection (2019)
Avengers: No Road Home (2019)
Mighty Avengers by Dan Slott: The Complete Collection (2019)
Marvel Visionaries: John Buscema (2019)
Doctor Strange Epic Collection (2016)
#8
Marvel Comics (2019)
Avengers: Loki Unleashed! (2019)
#1
Venom by Donny Cates (2019)
#2
Avengers by Jonathan Hickman: The Complete Collection (2020)
Venom (2018)
X-Force (2020)
#4
Avengers: Live Kree or Die (2020)
Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders (2008)
#7
Maestro (2020)
#2