Hercules

In the beginning, before Creation, there was Darkness.

From the primordial explosion emerged...

the fire of Chaos.

Chaos merged with Darkness...

and from this union were born the elements:

Night...

Day...

Matter...

and Air.

Then, out of this misty radiance of the Cosmos...

there came forth a jar, golden and glittering.

Pandora's jar.

It was filled with all the essences, both good and evil...

of life itself.

From the fragments of the jar...

the planets and the solar system were formed.

Saturn or Cronos...

the world of mystic rings.

Other fragments became the flaming energies that gave shape to...

Mercury.

Yet another fragment gave birth to the colossus...

Jupiter, the titan of the skies.

And so the worlds of the universe were created...

along with the moons that accompany them.

And then, Earth.

And on Earth, there was life everywhere.

But the first beings that the mists of creation offered forth...

were not men.

They were of the supreme essence, and became gods.

They claimed the moon as their home.

There, to deliberate and to decide...

the ultimate fate of mankind...

and of all that lived.

Pandora's jar is broken...

and the forces of evil have been let loose.

The world of mortal men is facing its hour of decision.

It will go down to destruction...

or else, it will survive.

This is their moment of trial.

They've got to show themselves worthy of everything we gods have given them.

But evil is dark and strong.

And it may be that the scales of fate...

are not yet in full balance.

What can I do to equalize both sides of the struggle, Athena?

If you don't want to increase the powers of all men...

then why don't you increase those of one...

so that he may fight for all the others?

Now...

a man who is stronger and more intelligent...

than all other men.

A hero...

with a body forged in the furnace of 1,000 suns...

a body capable of undergoing every labor and every pain...

practically invincible.

Made from the purest of all energies: Light.

Descend to the earth now, Light. As a living being.

And incarnate your mighty energies...

in the body of a newborn man.

Thebes in the Bronze Age.

Four thousand years from this moment...

the royal palace.

Hercules, the newborn son of Amphitryon, King of Thebes...

and of his queen, Alcmene.

He will be Zeus' hero.

Even as the hero is born...

the forces of evil are at work in Thebes.

Commander.

The sacred sword has been stolen from the Temple of Hera.

- The guards have been killed. - Sacrilege.

I'll give the alarm at once, and I'll order all the doors closed.

Have you notified anyone else?

- You're the supreme commander, sir. - Good.

Thebes will repay you like this.

What a shame you didn't see that it was all planned.

Princess!

Now that my man has stolen the sword...

we can go ahead with our plan.

Let the soldiers think it was the king who violated the temple.

They will follow you, and you will be ruler of Thebes...

and of most of Greece.

Provided you kill the king and the queen tonight...

and their son, the newborn prince, the little Hercules.

For you and your father, King Minos of Thira...

the sword that stops the fire.

And for me...

the throne of Thebes.

The evil rebels attacked the loyal guards...

and soon, Thebes became a tragic battlefield.

The loyalists were killed, and the crown was overthrown.

There, Valcheus. Now Thebes is yours.

Excellent.

The son?

I've left that sublime pleasure for you.

Farewell, little king.

You'll never wear a crown.

- Sostratos. - Yes?

The baby!

Where is the king's son? Where's Hercules?

- I don't know. I thought... - Valcheus.

One of the maids fled with the child.

Someone saw her heading for the secret passageway.

Get her. Capture her!

- Mama. - Kill him!

Don't bother.

It's no use. The river will get rid of the child for us.

Back to Thebes, our job is done.

So the newborn baby, poor little Prince Hercules...

sailed on and on along the river, mile after mile...

adrift and alone.

Put that back in the river.

All right.

But Zeus, you put it past the rapids, where it's safe.

You didn't say where to put it. You just said, "in the river."

Zeus is clever. He intervenes for his divine son.

But it's up to me to right the balance.

Poor thing.

- Abandoned on the bank of a river. - Where do you suppose he comes from?

There are no cities nearby.

Perhaps the gods heard my prayers and sent us the baby we couldn't have.

Dear, he'll be like our own son.

In the cosmic chess game between the gods, this was yet another move...

toward the final encounter between good and evil.

And now, among men, where time hurries on...

your hero is growing, and his strength is increasing.

The strength that you gave him, Zeus.

- Your hands possess the power of Zeus. - I know, Father.

But I don't know why.

There must be some purpose for it.

When the time comes...

the gods will tell you what it's for.

Let's finish chopping the trees and carry the wood home.

It must be near lunchtime.

I can finish this forest before you get home.

All right, hurry up.

Hercules?

Is that you?

Father!

Father!

That's how all your heroes end up: as stars.

I wonder, how many constellations will there be before you can stop Hercules?

Don't let that worry you, my dear.

I've plenty of followers already preparing themselves...

to attack the champion of men.

Daedalus!

Embodiment of knowledge, reason, and curiosity...

the great genius of invention, master of science.

I, King Minos of Thira...

call on you...

to step into time and space. Materialize out of Chaos.

I need your help.

Minos, when you ask me to help, it means...

you want to serve the gods.

What does Hera want this time?

We have to eliminate Hercules.

One day, Minos, you will have to choose between the gods and science.

Daedalus

You know me. I am dedicated to science.

I do not believe in the gods.

But doing them a little favor can't hurt, can it?

Anyway, the problem is Hercules.

This favorite of the gods must be stopped.

And this is my solution to Hercules.

A small solution to such a big problem.

My dear, size, like time and space, is relative.

Relative also to atmospheric conditions, right?

And on hitting the earth's atmosphere, it will grow...

big, huge, immense...

terrifying.

He is programmed to destroy Hercules.

And whoever gets in his way.

Naturally.

Go, my little metallic friend...

fulfill your destiny.

Turn into the colossal exterminator you really are.

Go, kill, my deadly toy.

Hercules!

- Your mother is in danger! Come! - What?

Mother!

Tell me what happened, please.

Farewell, Mother.

What are you doing?

It's your own house.

I don't have a house anymore, or a family.

I'll have no peace until I find the reason for all this.

Why am I stronger than other men?

Why does my strength bring so many sorrows on my head?

Where will you go?

To Tyre, to seek my fortune.

The King there is holding games...

to find the best warrior for an important mission.

That man is different from the others. He has incredible strength.

Who is he?

I don't know, he just came and passed through all the tests.

Quite a surprise.

There's still the chariots, Your Majesty.

That's a very hard test, Dorcon. Maybe too hard...

isn't it?

But you've got to be absolutely sure, Your Majesty.

Very well. Let them begin!

He seems to be the final winner.