Disney. “Hercules.” Google Image Result for Https://I.Ytimg.Com/vi/Sly0nbsaggq/Maxresdefault.Jpg, images.app.goo.gl/5baKrWsRy8uXeTqXA. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

Reid Sunderland

The 1997 Disney film Hercules offers a stylized interpretation of Greek mythology, particularly in its representation of the underworld and its ruler, Hades. While the film takes creative liberties, its portrayal of Hades and the underworld both reflects and diverges from traditional Greco-Roman myth. I explore how Hades is depicted in Hercules compared to his mythological roots, examining how the film transforms the god of the dead into a humorous villain and the implications of this reinterpretation.

Disney’s Hercules portrays Hades as a comically hot-tempered villain, resembling a fast-talking Hollywood agent more than a grave ruler of the dead. Voiced by James Woods, Hades is shown with blue flames for his hair, which turns red when he gets angry. His depiction as a power-hungry, deceitful character who loathes his dominion over the underworld sharply contrasts with traditional mythology. The film also takes creative liberties with its representation of the underworld. In Greek mythology, the underworld comprises various realms, such as the Elysian Fields for the virtuous and Tartarus for the wicked. Disney simplifies this idea, presenting the underworld as a dark, gloomy place where souls helplessly swirl in the River Styx, moving away from the nuanced afterlife described in classical texts. This way, Disney's normal audience can understand the story much easier. Hades’ role as a villain in Hercules reflects a broader trend in popular culture, where death gods are often depicted as antagonists. This shift aligns with Western storytelling traditions that link death with evil, even though many ancient myths view death as a neutral, unavoidable force. By turning Hades into a villain, Disney creates a familiar narrative structure with clear heroes and villains, making Greek mythology more accessible to younger audiences.  Despite these deviations from classical mythology, Disney’s take on Hades serves a specific narrative function. His witty and charismatic nature makes him a memorable and entertaining antagonist, adding to the film’s humor and quick storytelling. Moreover, by placing Hades in opposition to Zeus and Hercules, the film raises the stakes of Hercules’ hero’s journey, emphasizing the classic struggle between good and evil.  Additionally, the film’s depiction of Hades has shaped modern pop culture. Many viewers now see Hades as the funny, fast-talking villain rather than the somber and just ruler of the dead found in ancient myths. This transformation shows the evolving perception of mythological figures in contemporary storytelling.

Lydia Trinh

The Disney film Hercules directed by Ron Clements and John Musker in 1997, represents an adaptation of Greek mythology and alters the storylines of specific Greek figures of Hercules and Hades. Throughout the movie, I feel that Hades is portrayed as a comical and almost relatable God than in the original Greco-Roman myths. Even though Hades is occasionally seen on screen, he draws an attraction with his energy and personality and I believe that shows how he uses humor to make up for his misery ruling the Underworld. In our piece, Hades’s appearance looks as if he is arrogant, dead (pale blue color), schematic, and depressed. Unlike the Gods on Mount Olympus, he is the only one wearing a dark-colored Toga as the other Gods wear white ones. This shows how he is an outcast as he is separated by a different domain/realm, has to manage the souls in the River of Styx, is the only God to hate and envy his brother, Zeus, and carries himself differently than the other Gods as they live a glorious lifestyle that is more respected. I always thought that was interesting because even though Hades plays a comedic, power-obsessed, and manipulative villain in the movie, he is not seen as a villain in Greco-Roman mythology as he is depicted as a serious God who is not evil and also does not have any animosity towards Zeus.

Another thing displayed in our piece is Hades’s hair. His hair is made of flames and is always lit, and at times when he gets temperamental, flares up. There is only one scene that happens towards the end of the movie where his hair is blown out by Hercules’s sidekick, Pegasus (mythical winged horse). I liked how Hades can be personable when dealing with stress, and conflict, how he encounters interactions, and that his hair helps give him character when his mood changes. This also characterizes him as a supernatural God as the others do not have ‘special’ hair or have an appearance as unique as his of having piercing yellow eyes, sharp teeth, and slender limbs. I think I have always envisioned Hades having a dark color palette and having a charismatic persona, but not as extreme as Disney depicted him to be. He seems a little too eccentric and babbly while dealing with the souls of the dead and he also does not have other realms within the Underworld like the Elysians and Tarturus like in Greco-Roman mythology. And unlike the Homeric Underworld, there is no thought of an afterlife in the animated movie or its relation to Odessy whenever he was in the Underworld. Instead, whenever we see him on screen in the Underworld, we see the souls that are in the River of Styx are punished for eternity and this makes Hades seem more twisted than how he was remembered in textbooks. Our piece shows the souls of the dead with unhappy facial features and also look malnourished as they seem very fragile.

Lastly, the souls of the dead are brought by the skeleton on the boat, a ferryman named Charon. He sails across the River of Styx with Hades and in this scene of the movie, passes by Cerberus (3-headed dog), and towards his lair that looks in the shape of a skull. This scene gives an eerie vibe while also reminding me of cathedral church structures because of how dark, and architectural his realm looked. I think Hades’s realm looks this way because it could reference Catholicism of Heaven and Hell and one's path after death based on how humans have lived their lives. Maybe the tortured souls roaming in the River of Styx have all sinned and that is why they are punished for eternity. Even though this movie is an adaptation of Greco-Roman myths, I think it brings interest in areas of mythology, and with storylines being altered to be child-friendly, I think it makes a great family movie.

Works Cited

“Disney’s Hercules and the False Vilification of Hades.” The Bristorian, The Bristorian, 15 Feb. 2023, www.thebristorian.co.uk/the-forum/https/wwwthebristoriancouk/herculesdisneyhades.

Prieto, Abbi. “10 Ways Disney’s ‘Hercules’ Is Inaccurate to the Greek Myths.” The Horizon Sun, thehorizonsun.com/features/2020/12/11/10-ways-disneys-hercules-is-inaccurate-to-the-greek-myths/#:~:text=Hades%20was%20Not%20Evil,Zeus%2C%20but%20he%20respects%20him. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.

Wonderfulworldofmichaelford. “Psycho Analysis: Disney’s Hades.” Tumblr, 14 Feb. 2023, wonderfulworldofmichaelford.tumblr.com/post/709209444963287040/psycho-analysis-disneys-hades.  

Menken, Alan. Disney's Hercules. Wonderland Music Co. and Walt Disney Music Co., distributed by Hal Leonard, 1997.

Clements, Ron, and John Musker, directors. Hercules. Buena Vista Pictures, 1997.

Richardson, Adele. Hercules. Capstone Press, 2003.