Marvel’s Hercules Rumored to Join the MCU, But Where Will He Land?

The MCU’s Thor may soon find out that Hulk is not the only Earthling who can give him a run for his money. According to a report published by The Cinema Spot, Hercules, Son of Zeus, and God of Strength will soon be making his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, although the movie in which he will appear remains unknown.

To general audiences, Marvel’s Hercules may seem like a discount Thor, considering they are both sons of mythical deities and are known for their immense strength and antiquated fashion choices. But Hercules in Marvel Comics has his own distinct personality that makes him an intriguing addition to the MCU, and the storylines he could potentially be a part of.

The Hercules from Marvel Comics has played a wide variety of roles, from villain to anti-hero, to comic relief. He started out as a challenger to Thor when a villain brought Hercules forward in time to take on the God of Thunder. Since then, Hercules has had a simmering rivalry with Thor, Hulk and pretty much any other superpowered being who could challenge his might.

Hercules’ sexual orientation also makes him an interesting proposition for the MCU, which has lately been involved in making a push for more diversity and representation. Hercules is shown to be bisexual, having had relationships with She-Hulk, a Wolverine from another dimension, and Northstar. In fact, when it was announced that the upcoming Eternalsmovie was going to feature the MCU’s first LGBTQ character, it was speculated the character might be Hercules. Although it seems that particular character might turn out to be Ikaris, played by Richard Madden.

The question now is, where can we expect Hercules to be popping up next? The Disney Loki series is going to involve time-traveling shenanigans, which would be the perfect opportunity to reflect the comics and have Loki accidentally bring Hercules into present times. Eternals is said to span a thousand years time frame, which is plenty of time for Hercules to pop up.

The upcoming She-Hulk series is also a good place to introduce Hercules, considering the long history the two characters have together in the comics. Finally, there is Thor himself, who was Hercules’ original rival in the comics. The standalone feature Thor: Love and Thunder, might see the two bring their rivalry to the big screen.

Interestingly, Disney owns the MCU, and Disney is also making a live-action adaptation of their classic animated film Hercules, produced by the Russo Brothers. If Hercules does end up making his MCU debut around the same time as the live-action Disney’s Hercules, that means we could have two different interpretations of the same character running around the Disneyverse.

The last time that happened was when Quicksilver debuted in the MCU around the same time as Fox’s X-Men movies. Comparisons were made, to the disadvantage of the MCU’s Quicksilver. Disney will have to find a way to ensure a similar popularity contest does not ensue over Hercules in the coming days. This news comes from The CInema Spot.

Topics: Hercules