| Hera | |
|---|---|
 Hera inIncredible Hercules #123. Art byClayton Henry. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | As Juno:Marvel Mystery Comics #91 (April 1949) As Hera:Thor #129 (Jun 1966) |
| Created by | Stan Lee Jack Kirby |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Hera Argeia |
| Species | Olympian |
| Team affiliations | Olympian Gods |
| Notable aliases | Juno |
| Abilities |
|
Hera is afictionaldeity appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. The character is based on theGreek Goddess of the same name. Hera first appeared in the pages ofThor #129, written byStan Lee and drawn byJack Kirby.
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Hera is the Queen of theOlympian pantheon and wife ofZeus.Neptune andPluto are her brothers, Demeter andVesta are her sisters, andAres,Hephaestus, andHebe are her children, all by Zeus. She was born on the island of Samos, and now resides with the rest of the pantheon inOlympus.
Hera was present at the time of a pact made a millennium ago to end war betweenAsgard and Olympus.[1] It was also revealed that she was present during the Trojan War.[2] WhenHercules was gravely wounded fighting theMasters of Evil, Zeus blamed the Avengers for his condition. Hera sought to aid the Avengers in Olympus against the wrath of Zeus.[3] Later, Hera challenged Ares to a contest to see who could cause Hercules more sorrow. She began a plot against Hercules concerning his growing love for the mortal Taylor Madison.[4]
She has appeared as the primary antagonist inThe Incredible Hercules. Following the death of Zeus, she inherits both histhunderbolt and the leadership of the Pantheon. In alliance withPluto, she forcibly acquires Poseidon's stake in the Olympus corporation, and expels from the Pantheon all of Zeus' children holding a meeting withApollo,Artemis, andHephaestus, vowing to dedicate all her efforts to killing Hercules andAthena.[5]
She is the CEO of the Olympus Group, a megacorporation whose subsidiaries include the Excello Soap Company, which sponsored the contest that located Cho. In the process of her war on Hercules and Athena, she gained herself the enmity ofNorman Osborn, who saw her as a business rival but later allied with her.[6] She ordersHuntsman to murder the superheroAegis and steal his magic breastplate. She then gives the breastplate toTyphon.[7]
Uncovering the treachery of her daughter Hebe, she attacked her, causing her to flee in search of Hercules.[8] It is later revealed that Hera was indirectly responsible for the death ofAmadeus Cho's parents, as she aided a mortal Pythagoras Dupree in killing any potential rivals, in order to spite Athena.[9] She now plans to unleash an unknown weapon called Continuum upon the world in order to exterminate mankind for a fourth time. She has also been revealed to be sexually involved with Typhon.[10]
Elsewhere, angry at her son Ares' neglect of his responsibilities as an Olympian, she arranged a trap for him and a squad of his human soldiers, promising Ares' deceased son Kyknos his father's place as God of War if Kyknos could slay him.[11]
Hera expands her Olympus Group by restoring her sonArgus Panoptes to life where he operated New Olympus' surveillance program called the Panopticon, restoringArachne to protect New Olympus, resurrected theChimera to assist aCyclops and someSkeleton Warriors into guarding the caverns beneath New Olympus, and even obtainingLamia's obedience to help her servants battle Hercules and the Mighty Avengers on her behalf.[12]
Hera's weapon Continuum is revealed to be a device to recreate the universe in an improved version, destroying the existing one in the process. Hercules and Athena assemble a group of Avengers to stop Hera, including the reborn Zeus. They are opposed by the inventions of Hephastaus, and Hera's forces, which include Argus, and Arachne. The knowledge of Zeus' return stuns Hera, and Zeus succeeds in convincing her to stop the Continuum machine. However, Typhon reveals that he is now free from the control of the bands used to control him, he resists the lightning used against him, and slays both Hera, by blasting her head off, and Zeus. The souls of the two gods are seen in the company ofThanatos, the God of Death, reunited and being taken to the underworld.[13]
During theChaos War storyline, Hera is among the dead released by Pluto to defend the Underworld from the forces ofAmatsu-Mikaboshi.[14] Hera is then seen among the gods that are enslaved by Amatsu-Mikaboshi.[15]
In the aftermath of the fight with Amatsu-Mikaboshi, Hera is back among the living.[16]
Hera possesses the typical powers of an Olympian, including immense strength, stamina, durability, speed, and healing, as well as virtual immortality. She has the ability to manipulate vast amounts of energy for numerous purposes, such asshapeshifting or inter-dimensional teleportation. Hera can read people's minds by physically observing their thoughts.[17] She is an excellent strategist and a formidable unarmed combatant.
Following Zeus' death, she inherits his position and wields athunderbolt.[18]
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