Hercules Remains Both Best Disney Remake & Greatest Superman Adaptation Ever (Photo Credit – Hotstar/Prime Video)
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James Gunn’s DCU flagship Superman has taken off, resonating profoundly with audiences and critics alike, reinvigorating hope for the Man of Steel’s cinematic future.
Meanwhile, rival studio Disney perpetuates hemorrhaging revenue through consecutive failures across their superhero productions, animation ventures, and incessant remakes.
However, buried within Disney’s catalog exists a beloved musical that paradoxically represents the quintessential Superman adaptation and true essence of classic Disney Renaissance simultaneously, despite never acknowledging its comic book origins.
Not Marvel, Hercules is Disney’s Real Response to Superman
The 1997 animated musical Hercules has been known to be functioning as an inadvertent Superman rendition — one so meticulously contrived that it leaves behind most official attempts at bringing the Man of Steel to screen, occupying the same pedestal as the 1978 Christopher Reeve-starrer.
The commonalities attributed to both characters’ mythologies are sufficiently comprehensive that dismissing them as coincidental becomes intellectually dishonest.
“I Won’t Say (I’m in Love)” from Hercules, performed by Susan Egan as Megara, is now certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA for 2 million units sold in the U.S. The 1997 track remains a standout Disney anthem of reluctant love. pic.twitter.com/UAvekyexLU
Two Tales of Mythical Infants Fostered by Earthlings to Counter Internal and External Threats
Hercules’ plot borrowed from Superman is conspicuous, to put it mildly. Both protagonists begin their journeys as infants born to distant, otherworldly beings (Jor-El and Zeus, respectively). When a ruthless villain (General Zod and Hades, respectively) attacks their home, the babies are reoriented to Earth and discovered by kind, childless farmers who provide nurturing upbringings.
From their earliest years, each character possesses extraordinary strength which eventuate profound feelings of alienation and desideratum for their place in the outside world. This internal conflict, along with their superhuman abilities, takes the role of their proponent and the emotional core of their hero’s journeys to save the world.
The eponymous heroes leave their adoptive homes to find answers and purpose. During their journeys, they encounter colossal representations of their birth fathers, whose mentorship illuminates their lineage and enlightens them in the art of flight.
— A Geek’s Viewpoint (@ViewpointGeek) June 5, 2025
Superman & Lois Lane and Hercules & Megara: An Uncanny Pairing of Ideal Couples
The first heroic acts of both Hercules and Superman comprise rescuing strong-willed brunette women, Lois Lane and Megara, respectively, who subsequently become their romantic partners. These characters also share similar personalities, be it their sharp-tongued wit, cynical perception, or initial resistance to consent to their heartthrobs’ advances.
Both women carry a subplot to gain information on the heroes and are similarly instrumentalized in the movies’ climactic battles, as the heroes resuscitate them through ultimate sacrifices and newfangled elevation of their powers.
Hercules and Superman Take on Hades’ and Lex Luthor’s Threats
The films’ antagonists furthers the parallels with their intellectual threats. Sporting artificial hair — Hades’ fiery locks and Lex Luthor’s various toupees — they devise schemes to detriment the heroes through their minions and machinations rather than brutality.
The thematic resonance of aliens learning to content their abilities while integrating into human society against a world under threat has long been a common feat in fiction. However, with isolation and acceptance, as well as perplexity and purpose as their components, Superman and Hercules represent almost identical character arcs, visible to the naked eye.
Similar to how Christopher Reeve brought so much to Superman & Margot Kidder to Lois Lane, Gene Hackman did to his whimsical portrayal of Lex Luthor.
All 3 are a defining piece essential to the charm & craft of the 1978 movie.
Disney’s Disturbing History of Remakes and Plagiarism
The aforementioned comprehensive appropriation also exemplifies Disney’s incessant practice pertaining to intellectual properties. The studio has consistently demonstrated its willingness to modify established properties in new packaging, be it fairy tales like Sleeping Beauty, historical tales like Pocahontas, or mythological deities like Greek Gods.
Hercules represents something more audacious, as it is but an unofficial and flamboyant reimagining of Christopher Reeve’s Superman. That said, amid Disney’s swarm of soulless remakes, Hercules is indubitably one of the better ones.
Where to Stream Hercules and Superman
Hercules (1997) is available for streaming on JioHotstar, while Superman (1978) can be watched on Amazon Prime Video. Watch their trailers here.
