Hercules (DC Comics) - Other Versions

Other Versions

• A Golden Age superhero, Joe Hercules, had adventures in Quality Comics's Hit Comics from issue #1 (July, 1940) through #21 (April, 1942). Joe Hercules was an ordinary man from the "North Woods" imbued with superhuman strength who became a circus strongman and crimefighter, not a god. This character was purchased, along with Quality's other characters, by DC Comics. He makes a cameo appearance in the 1993 "Elseworlds" miniseries The Golden Age. Joe Hercules is first referred to in a canonical DC Universe story in Starman, Vol. 2, #35 (October, 1997). He is mentioned in a conversation between Ted Knight (formerly the Golden Age Starman) and Sentinel (Alan Scott, a.k.a. Green Lantern) and is said to be suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

• During the Marvel/DC crossover JLA/Avengers, Wonder Woman believed the Marvel Comics' Hercules to be a villain, assuming he had raped his dimension's Hippolyta; however, Marvel Comics' Hercules had simply had a consensual relationship with Marvel Comics' Hippolyta. Ironically, the Marvel Universe version of Hercules is a hero while Hippolyta is a villainess. However, this presents some continuity problems as Diana and her mother had already accepted his forgiveness, and Wonder Woman had not yet reverted to any previous incarnations. It is possible she was using the incident to fuel her rage, but she was still threatening approaching Asgardian gods that she would harm a subdued Hercules at the end of the fight. It may also be possible that Wonder Woman (who, like most of the JLA, didn't believe good was championed sufficiently in the Marvel Universe) was too disgusted at the idea that this Hercules had never been punished for what he did to the Amazons to think straight.