Hermes is a fictional character appearing in

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

s published by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

Hermes Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orato ...

is the Olympian God of transitions and boundaries in Greek religion and mythology. Hermes first appeared in ''Thor'' #129 and was adapted by

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Publications which ...

and

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gr ...

Fictional character biography

Hermes is the herald of

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

in the

Olympian pantheon Olympian or Olympians may refer to: Religion * Twelve Olympians, the principal gods and goddesses in ancient Greek religion * Olympian spirits, spirits mentioned in books of ceremonial magic Fiction * ''Percy Jackson & the Olympians'', fiction ...

, and is also the god of commerce, travel, and thieves. Zeus is Hermes's father. Hermes was born to the nymph Maia on Mount Cyllene, Arcadia, in ancient Greece. When Hermes first appeared, he was seen departing

Olympus Olympus or Olympos ( grc, Ὄλυμπος, link=no) may refer to: Mountains In antiquity Greece * Mount Olympus in Thessaly, northern Greece, the home of the twelve gods of Olympus in Greek mythology * Mount Olympus (Lesvos), located in Les ...

on an unknown mission. Alongside his fellow Olympians, he attacked the Eternals at the behest of Zeus and

Odin Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered Æsir, god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, v ...

. During this fight, Hermes battled Makkari. Hermes's role as the messenger of the goddesses involved in the creation of the

Young Gods The Young Gods are a Swiss industrial rock band from Fribourg, formed in 1985. The original lineup of the band featured singer Franz Treichler, sampler player Cesare Pizzi and drummer Frank Bagnoud. For most of their history, the band maintain ...

was later revealed. He was also present when Zeus granted power to Thor to help resurrect the Asgardian gods. Hermes next appointed Jules Keene the god of luck. When

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

was gravely wounded fighting the

Masters of Evil The Masters of Evil is a supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first version of the team appeared in '' The Avengers'' #6 (July 1964), with the lineup continually changing over the years. Publicatio ...

, Hermes abducted the injured Hercules from the New York hospital he was admitted to. Zeus blamed the Avengers for Hercules's condition, and ordered the Olympians to attack the Avengers. Hermes battled the Avengers at Zeus's behest, but was then forbidden to set foot on Earth by Zeus. Some time later, Hermes brought Cupid a message from

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...

. Later Hermes brought a message to Ares to try to convince him to return to Olympus during the attack by the Japanese God of Evil

Amatsu-Mikaboshi In Japanese mythology, (あまつみかぼし), also called (あめのかがせお), Hoshigami Kaseo (星神香香背男, ほしがみかがせお), Kaseo (香香背男, かがせお), Amenoseo (天背男, あめのせお), or Ame no Murakumo n ...

. Following the '' Fear Itself'' storyline, Hermes comes in on Zeus (who is in the form of Storm in his latest mating with mortal women) telling him that Hercules had broken into Ares' weapons stockade and taken some of the weapons there.

Powers and abilities

Hermes possesses the typical powers of an Olympian; superhuman strength, durability, stamina, agility, and reflexes. He is immortal as well as resistant to all terrestrial diseases. Hermes can run and fly at speeds exceeding those of any other Olympian god or goddess. Hermes is an extraordinary hand-to-hand combatant, especially at wrestling. He is also an expert thief, skilled musician, and is adept at any pursuit requiring swiftness and dexterity. Hermes is usually armed with a short sword, forged by

Hephaestus Hephaestus (; eight spellings; grc-gre, Ἥφαιστος, Hḗphaistos) is the Greek god of blacksmiths, metalworking, carpenters, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metallurgy, fire (compare, however, with Hestia), and volcanoes.Walter Burk ...

Reception

* In 2018, ''

CBR.com ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...

'' ranked Hermes 18th in their "25 Fastest Characters In The Marvel Universe" list. * In 2022, ''

Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...

'' included Hermes in their "10 Most Powerful Olympian Gods In Marvel Comics" list. * In 2022, ''

'' ranked Hermes 2nd in their "Marvel: The 20 Fastest Speedsters" list.

Other versions

In one alternate future, depicted in ''Hercules'' vol. 2 #1-4, Hermes and the other Olympians leave Olympus in the 23rd century, leaving Hercules there to father a new race of gods.

References

External links

* {{Stan Lee Characters created by Jack Kirby Characters created by Stan Lee Classical mythology in Marvel Comics Comics characters introduced in 1966 Fictional gods Fictional musicians Fictional sport wrestlers Greek and Roman deities in fiction Hermes Marvel Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds Marvel Comics characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength Marvel Comics martial artists