Incredible Hercules #131
The Harrowing
In the world of the living, Hebe — the wife of Hercules — goes to Avengers Mansion to get help for her husband. However, the mansion has long since been abandoned.[1] However, her presence is picked up by a security camera set up by the Wasp (Hank Pym) and her presence is detected at the in his lab located in “PymSpace”. Jocasta alerts Hank about this intruder. However, when they fact check her claim of being Hercules’ wife, Avengers records list the demigod as single and they dismiss her as a crank.[2] Eventually, Hebe gives up and prays that her husband is safe, wherever he is….
In Hades, Hercules and Amadeus Cho have ventured into Tartarus to free Zeus from Pluto’s underworld. While Amadeus has gone off to the Isle of Elysium to see his parents, Hercules has stayed behind to observe the trial of Zeus.[3] When his father is found guilty, Hercules tries to stop him from being forced to drink from the River Lithe — which would cause him to have amnesia forever. In response, Pluto has summoned Hercules’ long dead mortal half to maintain order.[4]
Jealous of his godly half, Heracles attacks Hercules to avenge the fact that he has spent centuries stranded in Hades. Hercules tries to talk sense to his mortal side, but it falls on deaf ears. Heracles’ first blow sends Hercules crashing into the boulder that Sisyphus has been forced to try and push up a hill for all eternity. For a brief moment, Sisyphus believes he is finally free until the massive stone magically reforms itself. As the battle rages on, Heracles does not understand why Hercules has come to rescue Zeus after his disowned him. Hercules explains that he is following the commands of his sister Athena, as he always has.[5] He also grows tired of hearing his mortal half speaking in Shakespearean prose, given that the ancient Greeks existed two thousand years before the Bard even existed.
Watching form the sidelines are Pluto and Zeus, the former of which gloats over the battle before them. Zeus cannot believe his brother still holds a grudge over being made lord of the underworld. He reminds Pluto that they and Poseidon drew lots to determine who ruled what after killing their father Cronos. Pluto rejects this, saying that he was led to believe that they were inheriting domains that were treated equal. However, he later discovered that the real of death and the underworld came to be feared by mortals, unlike the domains ruled over by his brothers. Pluto looks forward to Hercules losing the battle so he can finally wipe out Zeus’ mind. He is angry that Hercules would deny death for his father and he is jealous that his brother could inspire such unwavering devotion.
Meanwhile, on the Elysian Fields, Amadeus Cho is reunited with his parents — Philip and Helen Cho. He apologizes for causing their deaths.[6] His father sarcastically agrees that his son should have known they’d be killed after he won an intelligence test run by a soap company. He then tells his son to come in for a hug. That’s when Amadeus discovers that his sister Maddy isn’t with them and they all realize that she is still alive and Amadeus doesn’t know where she is. While Amadeus believes that this is good news, his father isn’t certain because there are some fates worse than death.
Back in Tartarus, Hercules stops pummeling his mortal half to catch his breath for a moment. When Heracles accuses him of being a drunken lout his entire mortal life, Hercules lashes back both physically and verbally. He tells his mortal half that this is a lie as he has spent most of his time trying to erase his past mistakes with acts of heroism. He joined the Avengers, and recently helped save the world from Skrull invaders so people will never forget the glory of Olympus.[7] Heracles refuses to believe this and overpowers Hercules and prepares to toss him down a pit known as the Endless Abyss.
At that same time, the revelation that his sister is still makes Amadeus realize that he needs to save her. As he races back to his raft, Aegis (Trey Rollins) — his guide — tries to get him to hold up. Cho punches him for keeping his sister’s fate a secret but this does little thanks to the forcefield that protects Trey. When Amadeus confronts Trey about this, he explains that he didn’t know that Amadeus didn’t know his sister was still alive. When Cho questions him about if Athena knew the truth all along, he won’t confirm or deny it. He warns Amadeus that he is about to cross a line. However, this secret on top of the recent revelation that the Olympus Group owned the Excello Soap Company — the one that held the contest that led to his parents’ death — has broken the trust Amadeus had for Athena.[8] As Amadeus pushes the raft away from the shore, Aegis remains behind and tells him to trust in Athena. That’s when Cho points out that doing so is what got Trey killed in the first place.[9]
Meanwhile, Zeus pleads with Heracles not to throw Hercules into the abyss. He has made up his mind about what to do. He recalls how the Olympians have a long history of betraying their fathers and slaying them until Hercules came along. Herc was the only one who attempted to break the cycle by loving his father unconditionally. This has convinced him to drink from the waters from the River Lithe, thinking that perhaps this is the only way the unwavering Zeus can finally change who he is. When Zeus drinks from the water, he suddenly vanishes in a flash of light. This distracts Heracles long enough for Hercules to break loose and kick him into the pit instead. As Heracles pleads for Pluto’s aid, the death god revels in the fact that with Zeus gone he is now in charge of both the heavens and the underworld as an undisputed king. That’s when Pluto is confronted by the souls of the damned who have come to see if he will make good on his promise to free them. Pluto, however, reneges on his promise prompting the souls of the damned to turn on him.
Hercules, then follows the energy that was once Zeus back up to the world of the living. They emerge from the Elysium Casino in Atlantic City where Athena has been waiting their return. He tells Athena what went down and that everything will be fine as the energy form of Zeus reassumes a humanoid form. However, they are both shocked to discover that Zeus is now a young boy with no memory of who they are.[10] They are soon joined by Amadeus Cho, who is oddly quiet. When Hercules asks Cho to help them find a safe place to stash Zeus away from Hera, Amadeus flatly refuses. He tells Hercules that with his father back he has no need for him and walks away. As Hercules calls at his friend to come back, Amadeus chokes back tears and tells himself not to look back.
Recurring Characters
Hercules, Amadeus Cho, Pluto, Zeus, the Dead (Aegis, Abomination, Armless Tiger Man, Commander Kraken, Jack O’Lanturn, Kyknos, Scourge of the Underworld, Sisyphus), Athena, Hebe, Wasp, Jocasta
Continuity Notes
Avengers Mansion was left in ruins after it was attacked by the Scarlet Witch in Avengers #500-503 and was left abandoned in Avengers Finale #1. It will remain in this state until New Avengers (vol. 2) #1.
Hebe was married to Hercules when he first ascended to godhood. However, over the centuries Hercules has abandoned her because he had no interest in being married for all eternity. See Incredible Hercules #129.
We see and hear about various heroes who were considered deceased at the time of this story. I’m going to get all the dead characters out of the way here. Unless otherwise stated, all characters are still currently deceased time of this writing in August, 2024:
Aegis died in Incredible Hercules #127 after he jumped out an apartment window to avoid capture by the Huntsman.
Artume, former leader of the Amazons, she died in battle with Delphyne Gorgon in Incredible Hercules #125.
Kyknos: Died in ancient Greece after making the poor decision of trying to kill Hercules, as we saw in Incredible Hercules #115. He will be resurrected in Herc #2.
Nessis: Was killed by Hercules in ancient Greece as well. This has been told in Marvel Super Heroes (vol. 2) #1, Incredible Hulk: Hercules Unleashed #1, and Incredible Hercules #113
Abomination: Emil Blonsky was killed by the Red Hulk in Hulk (vol. 2) #1. He will be resurrected during the Chaos War as seen in Incredible Hulks #618.
Armless Tiger Man: A Nazi war criminal, Armless Tiger Man was shot and killed by the Howling Commando Gabe Jones in 1941 as seen in Captain America/Black Panther: Flags of our Fathers #4. Somehow he is resurrected and appears in Ziggy Pig-Silly Seal Comics (vol. 2) #1.
Baron Zemo: Heinrich Zemo famously died in battle against Captain America back in Avengers #15.
Iron Monger, aka Obadiah Stane. He committed suicide in Iron Man #200.
Commander Kraken: This criminal pirate was shot dead by the Scourge of the Underworld in Captain America #319. He is somehow resurrected and seen again in Uncanny Avengers (vol. 3) #5
Jack O’ Lantern aka Steve Levins was murdered by the Punisher in Punisher: War Journal (vol. 2) #1. He was seemingly resurrected when the Jackal cloned his body in Prowler (vol. 2) #1. However, Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #67 has called into question if the Jackal’s “resurrections” were the real deal or just clones that thought they were the originals, at least at the time of this writing.
Orka: Was killed by a reprogrammed Doombot in Heroes for Hire (vol. 2) #6. Somehow he turned up alive again in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 4) #13.
Scourge of the Underworld: It is unclear which Scourge of the Underworld this is, as many have held this name with other taking on the mantle after their predecessor is killed. Given the costume he is wearing here, he could be the Scourge who died in Captain America #320, 362, or US Agent #4.
Veranke: Leader of the Skrull Invasion of Earth, she was shot and seemingly killed by Norman Osborn in Secret Invasion #8. However, it is later revealed in Spider-Woman (vol. 7) #18 that she is still alive, making this an impostor.
As detailed in Incredible Hercules #113, 126, and129, Hercules was the child of Zeus and a mortal woman named Alcema, and was born into a mortal form. Later, Herc’s wife Deianira was tricked into putting a bloody tunic on her husband to keep him faithful. It was tainted with Hydra poison that was agonizing to the touch. The pain was so great that Hercules immolated himself in a funeral pyre. It was here that Zeus took pity on Hercules and resurrected his godly essence as his mortal half was cast down to Hades.
Hercules mentions how Athena commanded him to kill the Nemean Lion (Incredible Hercules #126, again) and the Stymphauan Birds (Hercules (vol. 3) #1/Incredible Hercules #112).
Amadeus Cho’s parents were murdered by Pythagoras Dupree, a rival genius whom Amadeus outsmarted. See Incredible Hercules #133-137. This was after Amadeus won an intelligence contest, see Amazing Fantasy (vol. 2) #15. We only learned last issue that Amadeus has a sister. We won’t actually meet her until Totally Awesome Hulk #1.
Hercules has long been associated with the Avengers, dating back to Avengers #38, and was made an official member in issue #45 of that series. The Skrull invasion he is referring to here primarily took place in Secret Invasion #1-8. Hercules’ own part in that conflict was slaying the Skrull gods, as seen in Incredible Hercules #117-120.
Amadeus learned that the Olympus Group owned the Excello Soap Company in Incredible Hercules #127. He mentions how Hera recently took over the company, that happened in issue #123.
Trey was Athena’s chosen champion before she took interest in Amadeus Cho, as seen in New Warriors (vol. 2) #0.
Zeus will remain a child until Incredible Hercules #141.
