Hercules: A True Hero

in the movie, Hercules starts out as baby born amongst the gods atop Mt. Olympus. As part of an evil plot to overthrow Zeus (father of Hercules) and rule Mount Olympus, Hades, god of the underworld, sends out his minions to kidnap baby Hercules so that they would be able to turn him mortal and dispose of him, therefore allowing Hades to carry out his plan without interference from Hercules when he became older. They are successful in kidnapping the child and turning him mortal, but fail to take away his godly strength, the latter piece of information being unbeknownst to Hades. Now abandoned in the mortal world, Hercules is found and adopted by mortals who raise him into his adult years. When Hercules discovers that he is the son of Zeus, he …show more content…
He tells Hercules that in order to be considered a god and be welcomed into Mount Olympus again he must become a “true hero.” He then sets out on a quest to achieve this by completing a series of heroic acts, one of which is saving a damsel in distress. After he had successfully accomplished this task and left it is revealed that the woman whom he saved, Meg, was under the control of Hades. Hercules then traveled to the town of Thebes where he battled and defeated the Hydra, a trap set up by Hades after finding out Hercules still had his powers. Once he defeated the Hydra he felt that now he had become a true hero and could reclaim his godhood. Zeus on the other hand did not feel the same and told his son he was not yet a true hero. Disheartened by his father’s words, Hercules descended into sadness and turned to Meg for comfort, who was now falling in love with him and vice versa. Hades then reappears and offers Hercules a deal: give up his powers for 24 hours in exchange for Meg’s safety. He accepts, thereby losing his superhuman strength. Hades, now having no one to combat him, unleashes the Titans that Zeus had locked away in the underworld earlier in the