Herakles was the son of Zeus, king of the Olympian gods, and Alcmena of Thebes in Ancient Greece. Zeus seduced Alcmena in the guise of her husband, Amphitryon who was away at war battling the pirates of Taphos. Due to his Olympian lineage, Hercules was born with the potential for extraordinary superhuman strength. Zeus' wife Hera grew jealous of his adultery, Alcmena tried to appease the goddess by naming her child Heracles "Glory of Hera." The child was at first abandoned outside the city and when Athena and Hera found it, Hera decided to feed infant Hercules with her divine breast milk. While Hera breastfeeding the child, Hercules' godly strength harmed her when he bit down harder on Hera' breast and she flung him away. He was returned to the city and was accepted by Amphitryon and his wife. However, Hera then sent two serpents to kill the child, but even at one year old he had great strength and strangled them both with his bare hands.
In recent years, the Asgardian Enchantress hoped to gain revenge on her enemies, the Avengers. She mesmerized Hercules and set him to attack the team, but the Avenger Hawkeye managed to free him from his thrall and the Enchantress was routed. However, Hercules was exiled from Olympus by Zeus as punishment for his unauthorized excursion to Earth. The Avengers housed Hercules as their guest for months, and he often assisted them in their adventures. He was eventually made an official member of the team, but he returned to Olympus with the Avengers to rescue the other Olympians from the vengeful Typhon. Afterward, Hercules elected to remain on Olympus with Zeus' blessing.
