Incredible Hercules #141
Assault on New Olympus, Finale: Everybody Dies
Hera had planned to use Continuum to destroy the universe and replace it with one with herself as its ruler. However, just as Zeus talked her out of it, she was betrayed by Typhon who always intended to kill the Olympian gods.[1] With his victory at hand, Typhon recounts the last time he was so victorious.
This was back during the days of ancient Greece when Typhon attacked Olympus in his true form. The gods had disguised themselves as animals and fled into Egypt until Zeus was shamed into fighting back by Athena. The conflict had come to an end when Zeus dropped Mount Etna on top of Typhon before banishing him to Tartarus along with his vanquished brothers.
Zeus is furious that Typhon just murdered Hera and tries to attack. Moments later, Zeus’ power is transferred to Athena, who is trapped in stone in Hephaestus’ workshop. This frees her from her prison. The force of the lightning knocks Hercules and Hephaestus off their feet. As Hercules begins to make sense of what just happened, Thanatos appears before them to confirm what he suspects: That Zeus and Hera are dead and he is now taking their souls to the underworld. Hercules tries to stop Thanatos, but he and the spirits of Zeus and Hera phase through the floor.
With Continuum still slowly erasing everything, Hercules snatches the key to its control from Hephaestus so he can stop it. He then tells Amadeus Cho to wipe the smirk off his face because things are as dire as they can get. Amadeus apologizes, saying that he couldn’t help himself. He explains that he thought Thanatos had appeared to claim Herc’s soul and his departure from the battle tells him that Hercules isn’t fated to die in the final battle after all. Hercules tells the boy to stop focusing on death as it comes to everyone eventually and to be a real hero one must focus on living. Athena tells Hercules to stop Continuum while she and Amadeus help the Avengers in the battle in the lobby of the Olympus Group building. Amadeus protests this but is told that his tactical skills are needed in that fight.
As Herc and Amadeus leave for their appointed tasks, Athena hangs back to deal with Delphyne Gorgon. For her failed assassination attempt, Athena decides to punish her. Not only will she no longer be leader of the Amazons, but she will be trapped in the caverns beneath the Olympus Group for all time in her serpentine form so all will know her shame.[2]
Meanwhile, Hercules gets up to the Continuum control room where he confirms that his father and step-mother are dead. He also finds Typhon and the two begin to fight. Their struggle sends them through the portal to the new world being created by Continuum. There, Hercules is shown this new world which is 98% complete. It will be one without gods, or heroes, or people, and thus a pure world. He tries to drag Hercules back through the portal so they can both die together. However, Hercules has no intention of dying and pokes Typhon in the eyes. This gets him free, but when he tries striking Typhon with his mace, Hercules is flung across the room violently. This is because Typhon is wearing the enchanted Aegis breast plate, making him neigh invulnerable. He then picks up Hercules’ mace and breaks the demigod’s arms.
Reveling in his victory, Typhon gives Hercules the chance to say some final words before he is killed. Herc, tells him to come closer so his whispers can be heard. This, of course, is a trick and when Typhon leans in Hercules shoves the bottle full of water from the River Lethe in his mouth. Swallowing the waters wipes out Typhon’s memories, confusing him long enough for Hercules to regain his mace and beat the Titan to death.[3] With the immediate threat over, Hercules struggles to get to the Continuum computer to shut it down. That’s when he sees Athena watching him from the other side of the portal and asks for her help. She tells him that he can’t do that.
As Amadeus helps the Avengers win the battle below, Athena explains that in order to face the coming threat she needs a new champion and that there is only room for one Prince of Power. She has chosen a champion of the mind as opposed to the body by selecting Amadeus Cho to succeed Hercules.[4] In order for the world to live through the coming threat she must do the hardest thing she will ever have to do: Sacrifice Hercules, a brave warrior she has come to view as her own son. With that, Hercules tells her to get it over with and Athena blasts the machine with a bolt of lightning while Hercules is still on the other side of the portal.
This causes a massive explosion that is heard by the heroes downstairs. With the battle over, they go up to see what happened. There, they find Athena crying by Hercules’ mace. She tells them that Hercules sacrificed his life to save them all and that he’s dead.[5]
… This story continues in Hercules: Fall of an Avenger #1.
Recurring Characters
Hercules, Amadeus Cho, Athena, Zeus, Hebe, Olympus Group (Hera, Typhon, Argus, Hephaestus, Delphyne Gorgon, Thanatos), Mighty Avengers (Wasp, Quicksilver, US Agent), New Avengers (Spider-Man, Wolverine, Spider-Woman)
Continuity Notes
Zeus appears here as a child following his death (Ares #5) and resurrection (Incredible Hercules #131). Although Hera and Zeus are killed in this story, they will be resurrected in Chaos War #2-3.
As explained in Incredible Hercules #128, Delphyne was among the women of Gorgon cursed by Athena after Medusa broke her vow of chastity. She gained rule of the Amazons after slaying Artume in Incredible Hercules #125. In issue #139 she turned Athena into stone, freeing her from this curse as seen last issue.
As of this writing (September, 2024), Typhon is still considered among the deceased.
This is the threat posed by the Japanese chaos god known as Amatsu-Mikaboshi as we’ll see in Chaos War #1-5.
As we’ll learn in Heroic Age: Prince of Power #1-4, Hercules didn’t actually die here but was cast into another reality. He will return to fight Mikaboshi in the Chaos War event.
Godmarked, Part 5: To Battle a God!
The Agents of Atlas — Jimmy Woo, Gorilla Man (Ken Hale), M-11, Namora, the Uranian (Bob Grayson), and Venus — have ventured to the Olympus Group to settle accounts with Aphrodite once and for all.[1] With her friends immobilized, Venus tells Aphordite to take out her vengeance on her and her alone.
The two women then engage in a battle of song to prove who is the superior love goddess. The two songs ring out and are heard by everyone. However, it is Venus’ song that touches everyone both mortal and Olympian alike. This includes Aphrodite who stops singing and kisses Venus. As it turns out, Venus’ song of love was the most profound and sincere thing Aphrodite has felt in a very long time. She admits that since the Trojan War she has acted more like the goddess of petty vanity than one of love. She realizes that the gods have nobody but themselves for losing their flock to others.
She now decides that Venus is to succeed her as the goddess of love and to show this she gives Venus her cestus to signify her position among the gods. With that, those of Olympus in the tunnel bow to Venus and worship her. With that, Aphrodite departs, saying that she is going to leave her ivory tower and find a new path to follow.[2]
Eventually, this story would be told in concert with the death of Hercules, which happened at the same time. Although it was a time of great loss, the Olympians also saw it as a great joy the newly appointed Venus would go on to spread love and peace wherever she and he agents traveled.
Recurring Characters
Agents of Atlas (Jimmy Woo, Gorilla Man, M-11, Namora, the Uranian, Venus), Aphrodite, Amadeus Cho, Athena, Spider-Man, Wolverine
Continuity Notes
Aphrodite has had an axe to grind with Venus ever since the siren has been mistaken for her. See Agents of Atlas #5 and X-Men vs. Agents of Atlas #1-2.
As of this writing (September, 2024), what Aphrodite choses to do with herself has yet to be revealed.
