Hercules really came into his own under writers Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente, when the series The Incredible Hulkbecame The Incredible Hercules. More recently, Hercules has been an ally to the Hulk and a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
In 1975, Herc became a founding member of the D-list team The Champions, alongside Ghost Rider, Black Widow, and X-Men Ice Man and Angel. By 1967, Hercules had joined the Avengers, and has remained a regular fixture on the team ever since. The Incredibly Lovable Herculesīut eventually, Hercules morphed into a lovable lunkhead and, eventually, a complex character whose good-natured love of adventure made him a valuable ally to heroes across the Marvel Universe. Hercules continued in this manner for his first few appearances, a pampered brute with a fragile ego, quick to challenge anyone over any perceived slight.
“When Titans Clash!” by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby found the God of Thunder battling the Prince of Power when the former refused to let Thor cross an Olympian bridge before him. That attitude became Hercules’s most defining characteristic when he properly entered the Marvel Universe with 1963’s Journey Into Mystery Annual #1.
