Every Mythical Inaccuracy in Disney's Hercules (300,000 subscriber special) 

Trying something new again. Let me know what you guys think. Sorry it was delayed due to copyright disputes. Trying to get the Sea of Monsters review out next. Thanks so much for all the love and support you guys send me every day!

Hades in Hollywood: *I’M EVIL, I WANT EVERYONE TO DIE!!!* Hades in actual mythology: please just leave me alone with the only people I love in the world…

Hades in Hercules: “I wanna kill everyone” hades in real mythology: *sits silently while being verbally abused by siblings*

“I know this is gonna shock people, but there were actually no elevators in Greek mythology.” Percy Jackson: *sweats nervously*

This movie has the greatest hits of mythological inaccuracies 1. Using Hercules instead of Heracles 2. Hades is evil 3. Zeus is a good person All we're missing is the gods not bleeding Ichor.

Just realized that when Hades says he has plans for August, he means his wife is coming home. That’s sweet and cool that they added that reference to Persephone and their relationship

The fact that Herc is still breathing after saying Meg is, "More beautiful than Aphrodite" is beyond me. Lol

“And then along came Zeus!” That singular sentence could be used in the start of almost every tale about a god/hero in Greek Mythology.

"More beautiful than Aphrodite?" Heracles's last words

Herc: "She's even more beautiful than Aphrodite" Also Herc: *continues to be alive Huge inaccuracy right there

I'm convinced that Zeus himself wrote that movie script

I think the main reason for Hera being his mother is because explaining an affair might be too complicated for kids (a result of making Zeus PG). So they had to replace her part in the story with someone... Still on of the best if not the best Greek myth based film...

From the stories that I read, Heracles was more like a kind hearted frat boy. Had some smarts (not an excessive amount), felt bad when he goofed something, but _loved_ a good party. If he mucked up, he owned up to it.

As one spanish comment once said: "If Disney had been 5% faithful to the original mythology, Hercules wouldn't have been a family friendly movie at all"

Always weird that Phil didn't believe that Zeus was Hercules father at first, considering Zeus is the father of roughly 10% of greece population.

It’s pretty funny how many aspects of Hera were grafted on Hades in this movie right down to the hostile takeover of Olympus.

That final yell of HERACLES always gets me when rewatching this 🤣

The genuine fear and panic in his voice after "More beautiful than Aphrodite" is funny.

This movie is exactly why some people assumed that Hades was an actual bad guy. If anyhing, Zeus is more of a bad guy than he is in actual mythology.

The Nemean lion skin was like Heracles' Iron Man armor because it was so tough to pierce with spears, swords or bows he had to snap its neck in the end. It made him decide, "Wearing this asap!" The movie is fun but it likes mashing things together. They could've made a toga or his armor's cape at the end of the movie out of it to represent this in the movie.

This was a superb video, and as an avid student of ancient Greece, disney's version always drove me nuts, despite knowing of course it was altered for a nice story, as many myths are. No 5 year old Bambi fan wants to really see Zeus uh "having his way" with a swan or Chronos swallowing his kids. Thank you for taking the time to put this video together!!

I like the way Hades is always described as a bad, mean villain. But actually he’s the only one who does what he’s supposed to do and doesn’t get every living being he comes across pregnant

*Zeus:* "Who are you? "I am your son." *Zeus:* "Do you have the slightest idea of how little that narrows it down?"

As someone who studies latin and greek 8 hour per week in high school I can say that Disney’s version always drives me crazy😭 Ps: guys this is my favorite film I’m just saying that knowing the innacuracy of it in some parts like making hades the bad guy is what upsets me😭

Persephone: 🎶who put comedy in comedian?🎶 All of the underworld: 🎶h a d e s🎶

you forgot to mention the thing disney violated the most: they tried to make zeus look like a loving and caring father.

Hercules: "She's even more beautiful than Aphrodite” Aphrodite: " I'll pretend I didn't hear that" Huge inaccuracy right there

So glad to know I'm not the only one who really enjoyed the movie despite the inaccuracies in it.

My introduction to Greek Mythology was actually the Percy Jackson book series, so when I finally saw this movie I was blown away by all the inaccuracies!

I am always fascinated by how Hades is described as bad while he's basically the only sane god out there ...

Something else strange about that zeus can't be your dad scene is that I'm pretty sure in a time in Greece it was more common to be zeus's son than being left handed

The funny thing about Lachesis (the tall blue one) saying how they're not supposed to predict the future is that at this moment between Atropos (the short red one) and Panic, she makes a little comment about indoor plumbing and how it's gonna be big, which is predicting the future. Like, Lachesis is like "nooooooo stop telling people about things that happen in the future nooo" and Atropos is like "hehe have you other guys heard about cars"

I love the Hades art used in this. The art in that game is just amazing and I love that you had it here.

i really like how this is less "this movie is dumb and wrong lmao" and more "hey, listen to these cool mythology facts!"

Hades in this movie: Evil God who is evil because underworld = hell. Hades in myths: Dour Strict Man who's stuck in a boring but important job who's trying to just live his life, and is probably annoyed at us humans because of how often we kill ourselves.

Just want to point out that the part you said Hercules is more than just his strength, he specifically beats that cyclops without his strength in the cartoon as well, using strategy and some quick thinking to make it fall off a cliff

The one of the most accurate things about this movie is when Phil points out how many Greek mythology characters had a lot of “Yeuseus” sounding names. There are so many…

Technically the “He was mean as he was ruthless” part isn’t wrong, he isn’t very much of either. It would be like calling Zeus as faithful as he was mortal

The short pause followed by "You didn't know about Iphicles, did you?" Is absolutely golden

That last HERACLES was filled with SO much emotion.

Loved this video. Ever since learning about the Greek gods in school, and doing my own research, it’s always bothered me when they use the Roman name Hercules when talking about the Greek version Heracles. It bothers me so damned much.

Hera is the archetype of evil stepmother, I’m surprised Disney didn’t capitalize on that.

Dude when you listed the names of the people Zeus was the father of, I LEGITIMATELY did not recognize most of them

One example of "or worse" could be Arachne who was turned into the first of the Lovecraftian horrors that are spiders.

the ultimate "um, actually" that i've ALWAYS needed to see about this movie. i'm a huge greek mythology nerd and hearing your thoughts was so refreshing. loved the video!

One thing you forgot to mention: at the start of the movie Hades mentions Zeus gave him the job as god of the Underworld, but in reality it was a simple draw between the three gods. Hades just happened to randomly draw the Underworld, like Zeus randomly got the Sky, and Poseidon the Ocean. Zeus didn't give Hades the Underworld. Hades gave himself the Underworld.

you're all missing the easy Disney trope that would've worked perfect for the story of Hera being a villian: Evil Stepmom Trope. It's literally right there and they just missed it

This whole time I thought that there was action figures with inflatable pectoral muscles in Ancient Greece. Thanks for clearing that up

In the Netherlands (North Brabant) we have the Efteling theme park. It focuses on the original stories of European writers. What Disney mainly does is make fairy tales "Disney-proof" or sugar-coating.

Most of the things you had to say about Hades could be summed up by saying: "Hades was NOT just Greek Satan"

"More beautiful than aphrodite?" Made me nearly have a heart attack and look around in fear. Woman is crazy evil and petty.

During the scene right after Hercules talked with Zeus saying he still needed to be a true hero, Phil does actually reference more of the 12 labours with the Augean Stables and the Girdle of Hippolyte- "At 1:00, you got a meeting with King Augeas. He's got a problem with his stables. I'd advise you not to wear your new sandals. At 3:00, you gotta get a girdle from some Amazons."

i never knew that Greece didn't have elevators! truly a in depth guide!

I love how they portrayed Hera as a loving mother to Heracles, even though actually she wasn't his mother, tried to kill him ruthlessly twice, made him kill his own family and interfered in one of his labors, which resulted in Hypolita's death.

"There were actually no elevators in greek mythology!" My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined.

I like how Zeus’s children had complex Greek names and one was just “Helen” like a Walmart employee.

Yeah, the fact that Hades not only let him take back the soul of his friend's wife and tame Cerberus proves he was less of a Scar and more just that really chill uncle that you don't visit often.

Honestly though Hera sounds like a much more interesting villain. I think they could rewrite the story into Hera being a villain in a way that would still be appropriate. They could make Hades an ally to Heracles as well given that he’d have to go to the underworld anyway due to his labors.

Fun fact: in Greek schools we get taught about Greek mythology as early as in third grade, which is a bit weird considering we are being taught the... less kid-friendly matters as well (i.e. Kronos swallowing his children, Zeus being ridiculously unfaithful, Herakles being manipulated into killing his family, etc.). Also, at least among Gen X-ers, Millenials and Gen Z-ers, we would read about Greek mythology from childrens' books. So from a young age even we all know at least the basics of the mythology. Because of this, when this movie was brought to Greece, its title was translated to "Herakles: Beyond the Myth" because the translators knew that even young children would see the movie and go like "That's not how the myth goes like!", and in fact, we did go like that. I even remember as a little kid talking with friends about it and us going like "Yeah normally it didn't happen like this but the movie shows another story". I have no idea how other cultures see this film, but most of us Greeks see it as a kind of a parody, one that we won't take too seriously but because of some great acting from the voice actors (the one for Hades, especially) we find it entertaining and it's kind of a classic, especially among mid- to late milennials. EDIT: It's so interesting to see people from so many countries across the world say they were also taught Greek mythology at school! Though I definitely don't think we're unique in that; the main reason I mentioned our education of it is that the Greek translators of the film felt the need to add a "Beyond the Myth" in the title, and I felt it was an interesting fact to share here 😄

There are many versions of the hydra story, where it does multiply the number of heads when cut off. It does usually start with around 9, though. Also, I love the comment about Phil being surprised by Zeus being the father of Heracles, given that nearly every Greek myth tends to start with 'Zeus sees someone he wants to nail'. Another fun thing to mention: the reason "only gods can live on Olympus", is largely that, if a mortal witnesses a god/goddess in their true form, they die. Just ask Dionysus about his mom. So... when Meg was up there on Olympus... (are we not even talking about how it's made to look like the pearly gates of Christianity?). Anyway, she should've burst into flames, or something.

Hades was basically the cool uncle of Greek mythology

Take note, Disney: “God of the sea” does not mean a literal fish with a fork for a weapon. Still, I absolutely love that design.

Hades is arguably the kindest and most reasonable of the big 3. It's so criminal that he gets the short end of the stick in tellings like these.

14:33: Fun fact: In Arthurian Legend, King Arthur claimed a Sword named "Marmyadose" from the giant King Rience. This sword is stated to have been forged by Vulcan (Hephaestus), who then gave it Hercules (Heracles). Though, again, it's from Arthurian Legend, so I guess it doesn't count.

Your voice is kind of comforting and your videos are very informative

I love how he listed names of Zeus’s children for a solid 13 seconds and still ends it with “and several others.” Time stamp: 9:38

"Then Along Came Zeus" was probably the only mythological accuracy in the movie

An animated series about more Disney-fied versions of Greek stories with other gods like Cronos would be interesting

I learned a shit ton of stuff about greek mythology from this surprisingly. New sub!

I believe that one of the reasons they chose to make Hades the bad guy instead of Hera was to drift away from the old Disney formula of having the stepmother as the villain

The way he's so triggered "THE TROJAN WAR HAS NOT HAPPENED YET" and "HERA CLES" is hilarious and relatable

First time I see your channel. I love it😂 Greek mythology is one of my favorites

ive o ly ever watched your shorts, but this popped up on my reccommendeds and i had an absolute chuckle fit.

"Along came Zeus" yeah that's how a lot of ancient myths and dramas started Disney is known for sugar coating the core stories. With this story, they buried it in 100kg of sugar

Terpsichore: "Heroes like Hercules." Thalia: "Honey you mean, HUNKULES." TMG: "Ladies, you both mean Heracles."

I already knew there was a lot wrong with Hercules, but didn't know there was THIS much. Also, as you'd mentioned with Atlas, Atlas was one of the titans, who was holding up the sky. Why didn't the titans try to free him to help them?

"And then along came Zeus" sumerizes most if not all of Greek myths

I actually like this. It has a hint of Cinema Sins inspiration... aside from the fact that the person in the video actually knows what the hell they're talking about. edit: wow, people really don't like cinema sins. no regrets.

Perseus is literally the greatest hero that Phil talks about, even has a damn constellation of his own AND a happy ending, WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT IN A HERO???

*Not even 15 seconds into the movie and TMG is already throwing facts* 😂

Great video really enjoyed your analysis.

It's kind of weird how a movie about Hercules and Greek mythology is basically twisted into a wafer thin analogy for Christianity, right down to the gospel church choirs.

The biggest issues I have with the movie is how they villainized the character who deserved it the LEAST, made Zeus a good husband (wtf), and made Hera Hercules' mother.

I greatly enjoyed this video considering my love for different cultures and mythology

Something your videos reminded me of. Haven't thought about this in years, but long ago, when I was a wee one, I remember reading a pretty unique version of the Persephone/Hades myth where Demeter storms into Zeus's throne room and demands he tell their brother to give her damned daughter back right now. Zeus hems and haws and ends up basically saying 'Well, Persephone needs a husband anyway, so...' Then Demeter notices that Zeus has a new, blinged-out thunderbolt, made of gold and platinum and crusted with precious jewels. The implication was that Hades bribed him, as well as referring to the fact that, as god of the underworld, he basically had unlimited access to the wealth buried under the earth's crust. Just another reason that Hades, in fact, LOVED his job. But I've never seen that little detail pop up in any other retellings of the myth since, and I don't remember the book it was in. Was wondering what your (or anyone else who'd like to comment) thoughts on that are. Adore your channel, keep up the good work!

Regarding Pain and Panic, its explained in the "losely canon" cartoon series that Pain and Panic are the physical manifestations of all the negative emotions that were released when Pandora opened the Box. They have several brothers each of whom is named after the many other bad things that came out. This probably has no ties to Greek Mythology as far as I'm aware. But I figured you might find that info interesting.

Fun fact, Hebe is the daughter of Zeus and Hera. So not only did Heracles marry his half-sister, but the daughter of the Goddess who drive him insane.

As a mythology nerd I greatly appreciate this video pointing out Disneys oversights 👍🏻

As someone from Greece I’m very thankful for you making this video

When I rewatched this film as an adult I realized how disgustingly inaccurate the story was and I was yelling at the screen about the Argonauts and Achilles as well as Hercules' parents situation, how they treat Hades, and many many others. However with all that being said, it's still a fantastic film that holds up on it's own very well as a separate story and the music is phenomenal

Fucking great vid. Love the screaming like "The trojan war HAS NOT HAPPENED YET!"

16:09 the real roman numerals for 911 is CMXI

Considering the things they "DID" get right, it's clear someone did their research. I can imagine that same someone in the writer's room just ripping their hair out when someone said, "let's put pegasus in there"

15:25 "Hera drove Heracles insane and tricked him into killing his whole family" Ares: "Write that down, WRITE THAT DOWN!"

If Greek mythology was portrayed accurately every story would get an R rating.

So you're telling me that the Greek gods DIDN'T watch Karate Kid in an elevator while playing with their action figures?

On the delivery of Cerberus, wasn't it a demand of Hades that Cerberus NOT be harmed during Heracles' attempt to tame him and that was the only way Hades would let him take him out of the underworld? How can you even think about depicting Hades as the bad guy when his one demand is to NOT hurt his doggo?!

Love how you used art from the game 'hades', I loved that game :). Great video!

Honestly this is a pretty good way to learn about Greek mythology

Hercules didn't hurt Cerberus, he's always depicted in Greek vases leaning down, putting his club aside and PETTING him. And then taking him on a leash to his mortal uncle who made him do those labors (and letting Cerberus terrify him). Also the reason he's called Heracles (which means 'glory of Hera') was to appease her wrath. He was first named Alcides or Alcaeus.