18. One of many reproductions of ancient mythology in the Silver Age by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Hercules was designed as a counterpart and foil to the newly introduced Thor in the 1960s
Debuting during the Silver Age of Comic Books – a period of the genre generally defined as between the years 1956 and 1970 following the Golden Age – Stan Lee introduced his readership to several characters based on the Norse and Greek pagan deities. Releasing Thor in 1962, who, until the modern cinematic adaptations was a less known comic book character, Lee continued his successful collaboration with Jack Kirby with the introduction of Hercules in 1965. Based on Heracles from Greek mythology, using the Roman spelling of the name due to the unfamiliarity of American audiences with the original legend, Hercules quickly became a persistent heroic rival of the God of Thunder.
Frequently appearing alongside the Avengers on Earth in their battles with various figures from pagan mythologies, notably Surtur’s attack on New York City, Hercules became a prominent figure in the “Disassembled” storyline whereupon the Avengers Initiative is dissolved. Possessing the typical powers of the legendary character, namely superhuman strength and stamina, Hercules wields a mace forged by Hephaestus that can match the might of Mjolnir. Given the likely departure of Thor at the end of Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, his replacement with a similar figure would help ensure continuity and a like-for-like substitution of a fan favorite.