Clash of the Titans Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Hades
Thumb Hades
"You are specks of dust beneath our fingernails. Your very breath is a gift from Olympus. You have insulted powers beyond your comprehension."

God of ...

The Underworld

Lives in ...

Underworld

Relatives

Powers

  • Immortality
  • Shapeshifting
  • Teleportation
  • Invulnerability
  • Fire
  • Smoke
  • Telekinesis
  • Necromancy

Alignment

Evil later Good

Affiliations

The Olympian Gods

Status

Alive

Portrayed by

(1981) -
(2010) Ralph Fiennes
(2012) Ralph Fiennes

Appearances

(2010) Clash of the Titans
(2010) Clash of the Titans: The Videogame
(2010) Clash of the Titans: Prequel Comic
(2012) Wrath of the Titans


Hades is a Greek god and the Ruler of the Underworld. He is brother to Zeus and Poseidon. He also appears in Clash of the Titans 2010 remake as the main antagonist. In the 2012 sequel Wrath of the Titans, he later reforms and becomes an ally of Zeus.

History[]

A long time ago, before mortals existed, the Titans ruled the world. However, Kronos, King of the Titans, was warned of a prophecy where one of his six children would kill him and take control of the world from him. In response, Kronos began swallowing his children in hopes of preventing the prophecy from coming true. Hades was the first of his sibling to be devoured by his evil father and his brother Poseidon soon followed. However, Hades's mother, Rhea, saved the final child Zeus by tricking Kronos into swallowing a stone wrapped in a blanket while an eagle carried the real Zeus to safety. Poseidon and Hades grew up insde of their father's stomach while Zeus hid from Kronos. Years later, Hades was freed by Zeus when he gave Kronos a potion which made him vomit Hades and his siblings as well as the stone substituted for Zeus. After being freed, Hades went to the Underworld with Zeus and Poseidon and freed the cyclopes, who gave Hades the helmet of invisibility as a gift.

Later, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades declared a ten year war on the Titans called the Titanomachy.

War with the Titans[]

"We had power before we had weapons"

"When we were young Gods"

Zeus and Hades recall the past

Hades' backstory in the films closely follows his mythical counterpart, According to dialogue between Zeus and Hades, their father once tried to kill them at an early stage. This is a nod to the myths where Kronos devoured his children to stop them from overthrowing him.

Hades and his brothers escaped their father and formed an alliance with the Cyclopes. Both the Cylopes and the God Hephaestus collaborated on forging weapons for the Gods. One of these weapons was the Pitchfork, which Hades received as a gift.

Zeus and Hades took counsel over how to best the Titans, in which it is said that Zeus urged Hades to create a being strong enough to destroy them. Hades complied and used a piece of his divine flesh to create a giant monster called the Kraken. The Kraken defeated the other Titans, while Hades and his brothers personally defeated their father Kronos. Presumably Hades and his brothers used the Spear of Triam in a joint effort.

Ruler of the Underworld[]

After the war was over, Hades had Kronos imprisoned in the depths of Tartarus while the Kraken was sealed away in the Underworld, as the creature was too powerful to be left wandering the Earth. Zeus then created the mortals, knowing that human prayer would enhance the power of the Gods. The humans even worshiped Hades at one point, as his statue was placed alongside Zeus and Poseidon in the Mount of Idols.

However, it was by this point that Zeus became jealous and fearful of Hades' power. Therefore he asked Hades to rule the Underworld, but then Zeus compelled the humans to fear and shun Hades. Zeus then gathered the human prayers and gained mighty powers, by which he commanded Hades to stay in the Underworld. Hades realised the deception and was angered and dismayed.

Clash of the Titans (2010)[]

With the onset of the human rebellion, Hades decides to take action. While he truly seek to punish the humans for defying the Gods, he also sees an opportunity to take revenge on Zeus and usurp control of the world from him. Hades has discovered that he is able to gain strength through human fear and pain.

Conditions worsen when the soldiers of Argos destroy the Statue of Zeus. Immediately, Hades sends the Furies to maul them to death. The furies then combine and Hades emerges in an aura of fire and smoke. He then spots Perseus and his family in their nearby ship. The God arbitrarily throws a large fireball at them, which destroys their ship and kills everyone on board except for Perseus. Hades then travels to Mount Olympus.

Power through fear[]

"Let me loose upon them" - Hades offers a solution

At the Council of the Gods, they are stunned when Hades appears in their midst. Hades suggests that the humans need terrorising, which will compel them to submit and obey the Gods again. Apollo objects to this, as they need the love and reverence from human prayer. Poseidon on the other hand believes that Hades is right and endorses this action. Zeus agrees and tells Hades to do what he will.

In the city of Argos, Perseus is brought before King Kepheus and his wife Cassiopeia. The two of them blaspheme against Zeus, with the Queen arrogantly comparing her daughter Andromeda to the Gods. Hades interrupts the feast and summons a death cloud which sucks in the remaining soldiers of Argos, leaving only a pile of empty armour behind. Only Perseus is not sucked into the tornado. Hades observes this and deduces that Perseus is a son of Zeus. Perseus tries to attack, but Hades blasts him into a wall. Hades scorns the King and Queen as little more than dirt. When the Queen arrogantly demands his name, he answers "I am Hades". After this he forces the entire court to kneel before him. Hades tells the Queen she knows nothing of beauty before he rapidly ages her on the spot until she dies. Andromeda rushes to her aid but Hades repels her with a wave of his arm.

Hades then delivers his ultimatum. He will unleash the Kraken on the city, which will obliterate Argos, unless they sacrifice Andromeda to the beast. As Hades departs he remarks to Perseus "This is the will of Zeus. The will... of your father". Perseus is arrested, but Kepheus decides to release him as he believes that Perseus can save them. Meanwhile a group of priests begin a cult for Hades, believing that he will deliver them. This fear and worship of Hades swells the God's power even further.

Perseus, Io and the King's guard set out to find a way to destroy the Kraken. Hades is aware of this, so he visits Acrisius in the underground of the city. Acrisius now identifies as Calibos, having been turned into a monster as a punishment for defying Zeus. Hades tells him that when Zeus slept with the King's wife, her son survived and is now fully grown. The God tells Acrisius that he wishes to depose Zeus, so he offers him a chance to kill Perseus. Calibos accepts, and Hades grants him powers from the Underworld.

Calibos causes trouble for Perseus along the way, but in time he is killed and Perseus learns from the Stygian Witches that Medusa has the power to kill the Kraken. Perseus battles Medusa and takes her severed head as a weapon.

Destroying Argos[]

"I serve myself. I have since you cheated me!" - Hades admonishes Zeus

On the day of the eclipse, Hades arrives on Olympus. He waits on Zeus' order to unleash the Kraken. After some hesitation, Zeus finally orders "Release the Kraken!" Hades obliges and the Kraken wreaks havoc on the city of Argos. The sheer amount of fear and death in the city further fuels Hades' power, but Zeus weakens from the death of his worshipers. Hades states that the Kraken is his child and only he is feeding off the destruction.

Zeus tries to remind him who's in charge, but Hades uses his power to halt Zeus, which is enough to weaken the God King. Hades asserts that he serves no one, especially after Zeus wrongfully banished him to the Underworld. Hades declares that Zeus' reign will soon be over, but Zeus warns him that Perseus is still alive. Hades takes his leave and heads for Argos.

Hades summons the harpies to try and stop Perseus. The harpies succeed in stealing Medusa's head, leading to a long chase before Perseus manages to recover it and use it against the Kraken. The Kraken is turned to stone and falls into the sea. Hades then shows up and is unfazed, declaring that he is a God and will live forever. Perseus throws his lightning charged sword into Hades chest, which sends him back to the Underworld. Later on, Zeus reflects that Hades is simply biding his time and will inevitably return.

Wrath of the Titans (2012)[]

"After so many years, the sons of Kronos together once more" - Hades greets his brethren

In the sequel, it is implied that Hades has not been seen for 10 years, given that this is how much time has passed since Perseus slew the Kraken, Nonetheless, Hades soon finds difficulty in containing the monsters imprisoned in the Underworld as the walls of Tartarus are falling. Zeus arranges to meet with him in order to rebuild Tartarus and contain the evil within. Unknown to Zeus, Hades has already been approached by their father Kronos. The Titan himself is due to break free of the Underworld, but Kronos is willing to spare Hades if he can hasten his escape. Hades hearkens to the evil whisperings of his father and plots to hand Zeus over to Kronos.

Skirmish in the Underworld[]

"My beloved brother, who banished me here for eternity to look after our father, now seeks reconciliation?" - Hades

At some point Hades is also approached by Ares, who is consumed by hate against Zeus for favouring Perseus. Hades instructs him to bring his father to the Underworld under the pretence of a truce. Zeus, Poseidon and Ares descend into the Underworld. Hades arrives, now openly wielding the Pitchfork. He allows the Gods to enter but he is still bitter over Zeus' past crimes. Zeus tries to reason with him, but Hades rejects the offer and sets the Makhai on his brothers. A fight breaks out, in which Poseidon is wounded and Zeus is knocked out by Ares.

Poseidon escapes the Underworld, but Zeus is clapped in chains. Hades reveals that Zeus is to be stripped of his divine power so that Kronos can escape and roam the world again. Hades and Ares bring Zeus to the heart of Tartarus, where Kronos awaits. Things soon go awry when Ares gets into a fight with his father. At length Hades becomes somewhat irritated by Ares' temper tantrum. After warning Ares not to kill his father, Hades strikes Ares down and scorns the God of War for his excessive blood lust.

Hades sends Ares away to keep him and Zeus apart. Zeus' power is drained and siphoned off to Kronos. Zeus questions Hades further, where the latter confesses that he is acting out of self preservation, as the death of a God means no afterlife but total oblivion.

Battle in Tartarus[]

"Hades, I am so sorry..."

"For what?"

"For having banished you. Can you forgive me for that?"

Zeus and Hades

With Kronos beginning to awaken, Zeus finally apologises to Hades. The God is bewildered by this act of humility, with Zeus affirming that there is still good in his brother. Hades seems to hesitate, but Ares interprets this as weakness and knocks Hades aside. Ares tries to use Zeus' thunderbolt, but Zeus commands the weapon to remain inactive. Angered, Hades attacks Ares with the pitchfork, striking him in the head. Ares tries to fight back but Hades charges into Ares and pushes him off the cliff, where they fall from sight.

Perseus and the others arrive and free Zeus, but Ares attempts to stop them from escaping. Hades then reappears and throws Ares on his face with the pitchfork, allowing Zeus to escape. Ares puts up a struggle, prompting Hades to try and kill his nephew. Ares narrowly avoids being stabbed by the bident and seizes it. Hades holds Ares fast, but the God of war throws the pitchfork at Zeus, which spears him in the back.

With both Gods weakened and Tartarus crumbling, Ares abandons his fight with Hades and goes after Zeus, but Zeus still manages to teleport himself and the others out of the Underworld.

Reconciliation[]

"Brother, I do forgive you" - Hades restores his brother

The God reappears in the story when he infiltrates Andromeda's camp, which is under attack from the Makhai. When he finds Zeus on his deathbed, Hades finally forgives his brother and shares his immortality, restoring Zeus' powers. Having reconciled, Zeus encourages his brother to fight. Hades and Zeus obliterate the army of Makhai, winning the field for Andromeda. At last they are confronted by Kronos himself. Hades diverts fireballs so that Zeus can throw lightning at their father. Hades then combines a large cloud of earth with Zeus' lightning, which they propel against Kronos. The Titan is injured, allowing Perseus to strike the Titan with the Spear of Triam. In retaliation, Kronos strikes the ground and sends out a pyrochlastic cloud. Zeus puts up a magical barrier and halts the cloud, but a second wave overwhelms him. Hades somehow survives the blast with his remaining powers.

After Kronos is defeated, Hades tells Perseus that Zeus is dying and that he cannot save him a second time as his powers are spent. After Zeus passes away, Hades and Perseus make their peace. The God laments that his power is gone, but he feels that he is better off as a human. He then departs and presumably joins the Cyclopes on the Island of Kail.

Powers and abilities[]

"I'm a God, I will live forever" - Hades

Hades was once the most powerful God sired by Kronos, with his power surpassing that of Zeus himself. Of the three brothers, Hades inherited much of his father's power over fire and smoke. When becoming the Lord the Underworld, he gained powers over life and death itself. His vast powers likely stem from being the oldest of the three brothers. Ultimately his strength and resilience were enough for him to outlast his brethren and become the last surviving Olympian.

  • Immortality - Like all the gods, he’s immortal as long as he’s worshipped by humans.
  • Fire - one of Hades' most prominent powers, a trait he likely inherited from Kronos. Hades hurls an enormous fireball at Perseus's ship, which was powerful enough to pulverize the ship and sink it. Hades also channels fire through the pitchfork.
  • Smoke - Hades conjures black smoke to use offensively, with one blast great enough to kill a Makhai instantly.
  • Earth - the earth breaks open when Hades unleashes the Kraken. Hades also unleashes a large cloud of dust and smoke against Kronos, which is enough to injure the Titan King.
  • Life and Death manipulation - Hades conjures a black tornado which sucks in mortal soldiers, leaving behind empty armour. He also rapidly ages Cassiopeia until she dies on the spot.
  • Telekinesis - Hades uses this to toss away Makhai and divert incoming fireballs. He also uses this power to repel Zeus on Olympus.
  • Teleportation - Hades can teleport instantly from one area to another.
  • Flight - Hades hovers in an aura of fire and smoke.
  • Master Combatant - Hades proved highly adept in physical fighting. With the Pitchfork, Hades proved a match against Ares and came close to killing the God of War. Likewise he is proficient with the use of spears, as he brutally skewers a Makhai through the head before the creature can attack.
  • Shapeshifting - Hades can morph between fire and smoke, but he can also transform into a swarm of Harpies.
  • Strength - Hades has enough strength to knock Ares down with a lazy swing of his arm. Otherwise Hades is able to throw a Makhai over his head using a regular spear.
  • Speed - Hades easily dodges a blow from Ares' hammer.
  • Lightning - while it's not explicit, Hades' pitchfork glows with lightning when he first summons the weapon, implying that he can use it to cast lightning bolts.
  • Father of the Kraken - Hades birthed the Kraken from a piece of his own flesh. The Kraken was a gargantuan monster which singlehandedly defeated the Titans barring Kronos himself.

Weapons and equipment[]

  • Pitchfork - the pitchfork is Hades favoured weapon. Hades uses it to rule the Underworld, but he notably uses it to battle Ares once he decided to aid Zeus. A blow from the pitchfork is enough to stagger the God of war himself.
  • Kraken - the Kraken served Hades as his child and engine of destruction. The Kraken's power also increased the power of Hades while the beast roamed the world.
  • Armour - Hades wears at least two different cuirass in the films. One is a standard breastplate, while the second has interweaving plates. Both versions are accompanied by a long black robe.

Personality[]

"People forget, in the beginning, Hades was wise, and just and strong!" - Hephaestus

Originally Hades was said to be benevolent and mighty, as Hephaestus staunchly defends his name while bemoaning Zeus. He was certainly loyal to his brothers when they overthrew the Titans. Humans also seemed to hold Hades in some regard, given that a giant statue of him could be found in the Mount of Idols. This would suggest that humans did revere Hades in the beginning but slowly forgot him as Hephaestus noted.

Things soured however after Hades was sent to the to Underworld. Zeus then commanded the humans to worship himself and neglect his brother. Hades soon caught on and was evidently angered by the deception. Hades spent the next years festering in hatred and plotting revenge. He became haughty, commanding and highly cynical. He was also very scornful of humans, taking great delight in punishing them and even claiming that death was beautiful to him. He likely held them in contempt for believing Zeus' lies and wrongfully shunning Hades. The only human he displayed sympathy towards was Acrisius, given that both of them had been wronged by Zeus.

Hades hated betrayal. He spent years trying to avenge himself on Zeus, but once Ares betrayed him, Hades abandoned his vendetta and angrily tried to kill Ares instead.

In the years following the demise of the Kraken, Hades seems to have mellowed and displays less sadistic tendencies. Hades still had some sense of honor, as even he reprimanded Ares for being consumed by blind hatred. Hades was also taken aback by Zeus apologizing to him and seemed to willing to accept humility. When Hades reformed, he displayed courage and kindness, willingly fighting to defend Andromeda's troops from the Makhai. Once he is rendered mortal, Hades feels that he is better off to live as a human, implying he no longer holds them in contempt.

Other appearances[]

Comic books[]

Clash of the Titans: Prequel Comic[]

Gallery[]

Clash of the Titans[]

Wrath of the Titans[]

Trivia[]

  • In the myths Hades was never evil, but he was very strict in his rule over the Underworld. Likewise he was on good terms with Zeus, enough that Zeus happily allowed Hades to marry Persephone. This version of Hades is shown to be noble when he reforms in Wrath of the Titans, which is more in line with his mythical counterpart.
  • Much of the wrong doing against mortals was actually done by Zeus and Poseidon in the myths. In real life the Ancient Greeks did not hate Hades, but they were afraid of him and rarely used his name.
  • The God's name Hades means "the unseen one".
  • His wife Persephone is never mentioned. Hades also had a three headed dog called Cerberus, as well as the Helm of Darkness which granted him invisibility. Only his pitchfork is shown in the films.
  • Characters refer to the Underworld as "Hell", but in fact they should be calling it "Hades", as the Ancient Greeks named the Underworld after the God himself.
  • In the Myths the God actually assisted Perseus by lending him the Helm of Darkness.
  • Hades' powers mostly lean towards fire and smoke, but his true element was actually the earth.
Advertisement