James Woods absolutely owns every scene Hades is in, he must’ve had so much fun playing the character, especially as Woods himself helped shape the character from his audition and input. A truly iconic performance.
He actually loves playing Hades so much he insists on playing him in everything his character shows up in. The old tv show, Kingdom Hearts, I think commercials? And he always gives the best performances!
@@madokami03 I believe he also voiced Hades in Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, which is/was a super fun, interactive card game at MK in Orlando. I haven't been in a decade, but he was the main antagonist, and it sounded like Woods.
@@madokami03 Yeah, it is just a shame they didn't let him play Hades in "Descendants 3". Maybe the director feared he would overshadow the main characters.
Hades really is one of the best villains Disney has made! He’s so goofy but still manages to be threatening when he needs to be. And James Woods’ voice performance really adds life and character into Hades. It’s cool seeing people talk about Hades as the great villain he is!🤩
Hades was an excellent villain because his own schemes lead to his defeat, showing the self-defeating qualities of being evil, similar to a fairytale or myth!
@@DJViviMIX "Better" is subjective, haha! But if that's your opinion, I shall respect it. All of the Olympians except for Hestia were troublesome in some respect (kidnapping assault, murder, torture, revenge, jealousy, etc.) If it wasn't for Persephone, I'd agree with you.
It may have been a HUGE change from mythology, but "Hercules" was a phenomenal movie, and it had amazing characters. It'd be fun to see Disney do more mythology-inspired stories (I say "inspired" to avoid cultural inaccuracies).
The movie was actually almost universally panned in Greece. The Greeks apparently felt it was an insult to their cultural heritage to depict their ancestors' religion into what is essentially a Superman movie. I understand the disappointment, but I think they were overreacting. I mean, Russians enjoyed Anastasia.
@@vetarlittorf1807 I can understand Greece's reaction, given that the Hellenistic religion is a major part of Greek culture (and western culture in general) even if it's not widely practiced now. I think Anastasia got better reception because it was focused on a person--a person who's contemporaries would be long gone when the film was released. Plus adding magic drives home that it's not meant to be a biography by any means. Mulan is a unique example; being a legend/folklore hero rather than a real person or a part of China's traditional belief system, there was a significantly lower chance of China being offended.
@@OpticalSorcerer True, but still. In the end, it's just a silly American movie. I'm Scandinavian, but I take no offence from Marvel's Thor movies, which gets pretty much everything wrong about Norse mythology. I mean, they made Thor blond, Loki dark-haired, Odin an old man, Heimdallr black and all the gods are apparently not gods.
@@vetarlittorf1807 I get it. Everyone has different opinions and I appreciate both sides. I loved Hercules, but I understand why Greece wasn't crazy about it, just like how Native Americans weren't crazy about Pocahontas. (Side note: despite our large fim industry, America has given little representation to Native Americans. The movie itself's main critiques were about history, but other than that I think it would've been more accepted.)
@@vetarlittorf1807I’m more offended by the Thor films than you as one with barely any Swedish heritage simply because they made Thor the butt of jokes too often later on 😂
Disney's version of Hades is definitely a great villain. He's powerful, intimidating, cunning, has great ambitions, can be cruel, and is ultimately entertaining. Not to mention that he is surprisingly honest since he honors his deals, which villains don't normally do. Hades is definitely one of the many things that makes me enjoy Disney's Hercules.
He’s also one of the villains who is similarly portrayed throughout plenty of Disney properties imo!! (Kingdom Hearts, Descendants, even Twisted Wonderland with Idia’s character)
Probably because James Woods loves playing the character so much he will always reach out to play him in pretty much anything. Literally any excuse to don the flaming hair. May be harder these days given his incredibly based takes on Twitter, though- but I'm pretty sure he personally keeps Hades consistent across appearances.
It's pretty obvious when Disney inevitably make their horrible live action remake of Hercules Hades would be the worst part in that horrible movie cause James wood won't be voicing him
James Woods has such an amazing voice when it comes to voicing villains, we already know how amazing he did voicing Hades, but how bout other characters like: Reggie from Surf's Up, he did excellent emphasizing his greediness and charisma And the falcon from Stuart Little 2, he made him menacing and threatening, and managed to give him a wicked sense of humor
Don't forget OWL MAN (evil version of Batman) ... and HIMSELF from Family Guy... OMG he was such a more entertaining rival for Peter than Ernie (the Chicken). The episode where James pretended to be Peter so Peter went and assumed James' identity... "Oh you're gonna love it...it's like two pies in the face...and one in a field in Pennsylvania" ...and then James' reaction to hearing "JAMES WOODS" on late night tv saying that... "HES RUINING MY CAREER!!!"
I love Hades! He is my absolute favorite simply because of how funny he is while still maintaining a commanding and threatening presence worthy of a Disney Villain!
Indeed. He's painted as the villain right from the beginning given the way he lurks in the shadows and how the tone shifts when the Muses sing about him. At the same time, though, one is more wary of his charisma than his powers as a god, in a "There's something about you I don't trust" sort of way. Moreover, the producers of "Hercules" wanted Hades to have a sinister, wrathful voice a la Maleficent, but were so taken in by James Woods' fast-talking-car-salesman schtick that they went with it. Hades does have a short temper, true enough, but it's used more for comedic effect than anything else.
As much as I hate Hades as a villain in most movies, I must admit that Hercules makes it work whereas most other media that include a villainous Hades doesn't.
@@burnscooper892 Hade was originally going to be a more serious character and was going to be played by Jack Nickel-son. However Disney found him unreasonable, so Woods was cast instead.
Another thing that make him really likable, is the fact that of you take his other apparitions into account (the animated series, descendant, the Hades comics...) he's more of an antagonist than a truly evil character. The other gods mosty see him as the annoying little brother but don't actively hate him, his shenanigans are just part of their routines. It's also implied that he deeply suffers from being alone and rejected, and that he doesn't always measure the consequences of his actions. Him causing havoc on Mount Olympus is more like a game to get the others' attention that to really hurt them (as seen in the comics). We can also see him act rather friendly when he's talking with people that don't represent an obstacle for him (He seems to be able to casually chat with Meg sometimes, and in the animated series he was friendly with Cassandra and Medusa). There are many sides to him, like when despite his charming and suave attitude, he's very bad at flirting and doesn't know how to behave in front of his crush. I think he's THE Disney villain that deserves a redemption arc (and it seems that Disney agrees when you see Descendant 3)
James even came back to be Hades in Disney Speedstorm, same with the voice actress of Meg. I absolutely grinded my butt to get him unlocked when he came out, and one of my favorite lines he says? "Uhh I'm a God? Who else would you choose?" is the most perfect line to come from him, and I love it. Same with "What can I say? Fabulaash~"
Hades in the scenario of this particular movie is what you would call a magnificent bastard. As you say @Aldone it's hard not to hate him because he is a sleazy scumbag but he is funny and is temper tantrums are hilarious. And as for the trope of the magnificent bastard he has his own rules that he plays by he may try and cheat a little bit but that's per his character and I'm always glad when James woods reprises his role as this comedic villain. It was in fact this character and performance and that of Robin Williams that I want to become an animator.
As a little girl, I remember thinking that Hades was like the Devil when it came to this movie. Of course, when I got older and looked into his mythology, I actually started to like him.
I want to see a video called “why Eugene and Rapunzel are the perfect couple” since they are both engaging characters and a lot their character developments happen through their time with each other
I would also like to mention when it comes to his deals its very much like how it is in mythology where Hades will always honor the deals he makes with people. Albeit this is the more sleezy care salesman way but he still is honest lmao.
My favorite thing about James woods and Hades is that he was willing to do the character for free when he found out the studio was running out of money. And he told them that no matter what media Hades is portrayed in, at least the Disney version, he will be ready to do the role whenever.
the character design is immaculate tho. imo, a character design can be judged on 3 main categories. 1. surface level visual appeal (the different visual elements blend together well and are interesting to look at) 2. how easy it is to identify the character/ how distinct it is (could you pick the character out from a crowd of other characters? would you be able to identify the character by silhouette? by colour pallet? with a different outfit? in a different art style? etc.) 3. whether the design fits the character (does it reflect their personality? is it expressive enough? does it make functional sense for the characters lifestyle?) of course, you can subvert and play with these things deliberately depending on what you're going for, but thats besides the point. the point is that hades passes every category with flying colours.
You should do "perfect villain" videos for: The Coachman from Pinocchio. Kaa from The Jungle Book. Shere Khan from The Jungle Book. Amos Slade from The Fox and the Hound. Ursula from The Little Mermaid. Yzma from The Emperor's New Groove. John Silver from Treasure Planet.
Hades also holds the distinction of being the sassiest Disney villain and that's no easy feat given that he's in the same league with the likes of Yzma and Iago. XD
Hades is my number one favorite character from Disney as a whole. Despite his role in Hercules, you can never get the urge to hate him. My friends tell me that I remind them of Hades which makes sense because I’m comedic & can angered really bad.
This Hercules is one of the very few Disney movies I find myself wanting to rewatch. Hades strikes a fantastic balance of true villainy and comic relief. I remember when my babysitter took my older sister and I to see this movie in theaters during our summer break! Just all around great memories.
@@vetarlittorf1807I don't know if anything that happens in the spinoff series counts as canon. But there's an episode where Hades refers to himself as Zeus' younger brother. In Greek mythology, Zeus was the youngest of the three brothers (Hades, Poseidon and then Zeus, in that order).
I just find it funny that blue flames are hotter than orange and red flames yet his calm demeanor shows blue flames but when he's angry he explodes in red flames.
Maybe the temperature is a symbol of his control over his power? That when he is in control, he is more powerful (blue), but when he loses his cool, his power drops (hence going red).
Ya know, as much as I absolutely hate most of the Disney live action remakes, I would absolutely love an opportunity to play Hades if I was presented it! He just looks like an absolute blast to play! Again, I have no faith that the Hercules remake will be good in the first place. But I’ll be even more upset if they ruin yet another villain (being my personal favorite in this place).
Quite a charismatic dude Especially with the performance pulled off by James Woods made him more lively and more character so in conclusion he’s a brilliant villain that makes us laugh and maybe root for him!
Honestly I would love to know what this version of hades wife,persephone, would have been like in the Disney version. That would be a interesting dynamic
His relying on his charm instead of his might makes a lot of sense. On Olympus their are 2 other gods just as powerful as him and several others that aren't exactly pushovers. If he started throwing his weight around the others would take notice and probably start something and he can't exactly win that fight.
"...that shows how he really isn't inherently evil or scary to other people he hangs around for a long time." Exactly! He's a badass, fun guy to hang around with!
The only reason why people fear him was because of the primordial fear of death.....and the fact that he would judge the sinful with cold hard impartiality.
Thing about Hades. As a kid I hated Hades. He is boring amd weird. The reason why I had that opinion is because I live in Holland, could not speak english and watched the Dutch version of the movie. In the Dutch version Hades sounds like a gremlin with ZERO charm. After learning English I watched the English version and now he is my fav disney villain.
I’ve always liked Hades as a character, easily one of my favorites in Disney if not *the.* But for all my reasons for liking him, it’s harder for me to evaluate where he stands as a villain.
You have a lot of videos about analyzing Disney villains. May I nominate Professor Ratigan from "The Great Mouse Detective"? At first glance, he seems like comedy relief in an obscure film that was by no means one of Disney's more popular movies, but although the film didn't gain the admiration that classics like "Lion King" or "Beauty and the Beast" did, the villain does have a few interesting traits, such as: 1. He was voiced by Vincent Price. That alone should be worth a couple points. 2. He's an actual criminal. He's not just being mean because he wants to get even with one person who slighted him. He's the rodent version of people we pray to avoid, but sometimes we can't. 3. Despite the fact that he's a rodent, he has obtained (presumably stolen) coins, gems, a crown, weapons, and some champagne that are all large enough that we humans could use them. Very few Disney animals are smart enough or cruel enough to rob humans, but he has succeeded at it, either in one massive heist or multiple attempts. 4. He forces his henchmen to sing his praises joyfully...mere seconds after watching one of their friends die. 5. Yes, he pauses his "I'm a Disney villain; hear my theme song!" moment to execute someone. 6. He's one of the few villains who gets two songs. (Gaston is another.) 7. The lyrics to "The World's Greatest Criminal Mind" include some pretty impressive internal rhyme and alliteration...as well as the line "Worse than the widows and orphans you drowned," which is casually glossed over, so he's such a wicked, violent person that murdering the innocent is a normal occurrence and not really a big deal to him. 8. He's very good at deception. He gives the appearance of a suave, mannerly gentleman...but he gets angry very easily, and he usually kills whoever upsets him. He gives the appearance of having all kinds of fun because life is a party, and he's enjoying himself as he plots all this stuff, but if you pay attention to the movie, he's actually terrified of his adversary. He knows perfectly good and well how possible, how likely, it is that one day, the detective will foil his plans once and for all, and then he's going to prison. (Although in Victorian England, I imagine it would also be likely that he faced the gallows.) 9. Despite being a rodent, he has a cat who obeys him. I'm a human, and I can't get my cat to listen to a word I say, so for a rodent to do it...yeah, that's impressive as everything. 10. The cat is basically a hired assassin...and judging from her weight, she's done it quite a few times, further proof that this criminal is violent and dangerous. He's not just the goofy comic relief he pretends to be. 11. He tries to maul his enemy to death with his bare hands (more specifically, his claws). Not through magic. Not even through use of a weapon. Just brute force. Like the hyperbole "I could tear him to pieces with my bare hands!" Basically the literal version of that. 12. He's a good Disney villain. Much like Scar, Jafar, and Ursula, his plan is to take over the kingdom, and he tries to kill the currently reigning monarch in the process of his takeover. Sadly, he doesn't continue the Disney villain tradition of dying of poetic justice. (Ursula is electrocuted by the trident she's wanted for the whole movie. After spending the movie trying to find a genie, Jafar becomes one. Scar tries to make the hyenas kill his nephew so he can become king, but Scar is killed by the hyenas on the night his nephew becomes king. Frollo attempts to burn Esmeralda at the stake, and he dies by falling into flames. Hades is trapped in the same river where he tried to trap Hercules and Meg. Ratigan just falls. Pity. It would have been more fitting if he'd been eaten by a cat or something.) 13. He takes a child hostage. Disney villains do some pretty dark stuff, but not all of them stoop so low as to threaten a child. He also tells everyone to stay where they are "or the girl dies!" Not "gets it." "Dies." He says it directly. He's pretty dark for a cartoon rodent.
What I find is so funny is that gods like Hades and Thanatos who you would think would be badass assholes are actually some of the nicest gods around, other gods like Ares are portrayed as somewhat sympathetic with him being an outcast over something he was made to do, meanwhile Hera and Aphrodite are some of the evilest gods around to the point where they rival the Reverse flash in pettiness which is quite an achievement
i absolutely love Hercules, regardless of the fact its one of the worst depictions of Greek Mythology ive ever seen, its definitely my favorite of that era of Disney, Hades is just hilarious in basically all of his scenes XD im really glad they didnt ruin Hercules with a sequel, even if it did get a tv show that nobody talks about, really hoping they dont do a live action remake ; - ;
Hades cannot break deals, like in Little Mermaid the moment the contract is breached with or without Hades it will be done. For example, Hades did not give Hercules his powers back.
It also didn't hurt that the other gods were not nice people in most portrayal s of greek mythology, especially Zeus and Hera. This made Hades attempt less like a villains take over and just a change power between two evil dictators.
I remember many stories after Hercules where hades and other incarnations of death were villains however, leader of the underworld is a tedious job and it doesn’t help when there is this guy that just makes your day worse, so a motivation to knock someone down a peg is a good idea, sure it can include taking over the world but it should serve as to bring an arrogant person down a peg
In my opinion Hades isnt really a villain. He is just a slave, outcasted from the other gods(they are always having a party) and working all the eternity watching the souls of mortals(something that he didnt wanted, it was zeus who made him live in the underworld). He just was tired, and that tiredness became hate.
When you think of it, this Hades is not even a bad adaptation of the god. It wouldn't be hard to imagine Greek Mythology Hades being fed up with his job rebel against Zeus. in greek myths, other gods (Hera, Apollo, Athena...) have tried to overthrown Zeus, so it's not even uncommon in the actual myths. The only thing is that Greek Mythology Hades and Disney Hades have very different personnalities, Disney Hades being more based on the Devil, with his charming personnality and his contracts.
Oh yeah I never noticed that, how the deal meg can’t get hurt then she gets hurt and he gets his powers huh… also I like how if hades didn’t do anything he might of won lol, I mean everything he did just helped my boiii herc out
They could certainly be a power team. Too bad they actually operated at cross purposed in mythology. He was trying to maintain order and stability by condemning the wicked to their punishments while Eris with her destabilizing presence, death, and destruction only added to his workload.
Hi yes I finally get to talk about one of my childhood Disney Hercules ok first I love Hedes in this movie he's one of the best Disney villain in my opinion and he's very funny I also love the other members of the cast to I have injoyd this movie so many times I really love the art work of the movie to such a cool and creative style I could go own about this movie forever but living it here for know
Hercules is a great movie, and probably deserves more attention than it gets. Disney did so many different types of films back in the 1990s and seem to be aimed at both boys and girls with adults able to enjoy the jokes too. Today Disney films only care about girls and not boys which is sad.
I know that for the good happy ending happening it had to occour how it did but since the first time i see the final as child until now I still find very not fair that Hercules broke the deal with Hades for megs soul and nothing happened while when hades broke the agreement of not hurting her hercules got the powers back. After all he promised she goes you stay. Even if he can't die and that was not something tha neither think on the make of the deal that doesn't make the agreement any different so yeah if is was to be fulfilled he should have stayed down there or meg should continue dead.
James Woods absolutely owns every scene Hades is in, he must’ve had so much fun playing the character, especially as Woods himself helped shape the character from his audition and input. A truly iconic performance.
Truly, his voice acting was magnificent, he pretty much made the character.
He actually loves playing Hades so much he insists on playing him in everything his character shows up in. The old tv show, Kingdom Hearts, I think commercials? And he always gives the best performances!
@@madokami03 I believe he also voiced Hades in Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, which is/was a super fun, interactive card game at MK in Orlando. I haven't been in a decade, but he was the main antagonist, and it sounded like Woods.
James ended up loving his role so much he makes sure to reprise it every chance he gets.
@@madokami03 Yeah, it is just a shame they didn't let him play Hades in "Descendants 3". Maybe the director feared he would overshadow the main characters.
Hades really is one of the best villains Disney has made! He’s so goofy but still manages to be threatening when he needs to be. And James Woods’ voice performance really adds life and character into Hades. It’s cool seeing people talk about Hades as the great villain he is!🤩
And I'm glad James Wood enjoys the role enough to return to voice Hades at every opportunity (including Kingdom Hearts appearances).
@@taqresu5865shows how much Woods loves the character
He’s one of my favourites
Hades was an excellent villain because his own schemes lead to his defeat, showing the self-defeating qualities of being evil, similar to a fairytale or myth!
Totally agree. One of my favorite villains.
Ironically that Hades is one of the better gods from the greek mythology.
That’s not a very high bar
Persephone may disagree with that one.
@@OpticalSorcerer Still a better god
@@DJViviMIX "Better" is subjective, haha! But if that's your opinion, I shall respect it. All of the Olympians except for Hestia were troublesome in some respect (kidnapping assault, murder, torture, revenge, jealousy, etc.) If it wasn't for Persephone, I'd agree with you.
@@OpticalSorcerer 😅 oops
It’s just, if I had to decide between him, Zeus and Poseidon. I would choose Hades.
It may have been a HUGE change from mythology, but "Hercules" was a phenomenal movie, and it had amazing characters. It'd be fun to see Disney do more mythology-inspired stories (I say "inspired" to avoid cultural inaccuracies).
The movie was actually almost universally panned in Greece. The Greeks apparently felt it was an insult to their cultural heritage to depict their ancestors' religion into what is essentially a Superman movie.
I understand the disappointment, but I think they were overreacting. I mean, Russians enjoyed Anastasia.
@@vetarlittorf1807 I can understand Greece's reaction, given that the Hellenistic religion is a major part of Greek culture (and western culture in general) even if it's not widely practiced now. I think Anastasia got better reception because it was focused on a person--a person who's contemporaries would be long gone when the film was released. Plus adding magic drives home that it's not meant to be a biography by any means. Mulan is a unique example; being a legend/folklore hero rather than a real person or a part of China's traditional belief system, there was a significantly lower chance of China being offended.
@@OpticalSorcerer True, but still. In the end, it's just a silly American movie. I'm Scandinavian, but I take no offence from Marvel's Thor movies, which gets pretty much everything wrong about Norse mythology. I mean, they made Thor blond, Loki dark-haired, Odin an old man, Heimdallr black and all the gods are apparently not gods.
@@vetarlittorf1807 I get it. Everyone has different opinions and I appreciate both sides. I loved Hercules, but I understand why Greece wasn't crazy about it, just like how Native Americans weren't crazy about Pocahontas. (Side note: despite our large fim industry, America has given little representation to Native Americans. The movie itself's main critiques were about history, but other than that I think it would've been more accepted.)
@@vetarlittorf1807I’m more offended by the Thor films than you as one with barely any Swedish heritage simply because they made Thor the butt of jokes too often later on 😂
Disney's version of Hades is definitely a great villain. He's powerful, intimidating, cunning, has great ambitions, can be cruel, and is ultimately entertaining. Not to mention that he is surprisingly honest since he honors his deals, which villains don't normally do. Hades is definitely one of the many things that makes me enjoy Disney's Hercules.
Do you think that the gods were complete jerks to Hades?
@@stitchfire15Probaly, they didn’t even try to act nice to him when he pulled up to see Hercules
He’s also one of the villains who is similarly portrayed throughout plenty of Disney properties imo!! (Kingdom Hearts, Descendants, even Twisted Wonderland with Idia’s character)
Probably because James Woods loves playing the character so much he will always reach out to play him in pretty much anything. Literally any excuse to don the flaming hair.
May be harder these days given his incredibly based takes on Twitter, though- but I'm pretty sure he personally keeps Hades consistent across appearances.
It's pretty obvious when Disney inevitably make their horrible live action remake of Hercules Hades would be the worst part in that horrible movie cause James wood won't be voicing him
James Woods has such an amazing voice when it comes to voicing villains, we already know how amazing he did voicing Hades, but how bout other characters like:
Reggie from Surf's Up, he did excellent emphasizing his greediness and charisma
And the falcon from Stuart Little 2, he made him menacing and threatening, and managed to give him a wicked sense of humor
Don't forget OWL MAN (evil version of Batman) ... and HIMSELF from Family Guy...
OMG he was such a more entertaining rival for Peter than Ernie (the Chicken). The episode where James pretended to be Peter so Peter went and assumed James' identity... "Oh you're gonna love it...it's like two pies in the face...and one in a field in Pennsylvania" ...and then James' reaction to hearing "JAMES WOODS" on late night tv saying that... "HES RUINING MY CAREER!!!"
I think Hercules is an under appreciated movie overall. It gets overshadowed by other movies Disney made.
I love Hades! He is my absolute favorite simply because of how funny he is while still maintaining a commanding and threatening presence worthy of a Disney Villain!
Indeed. He's painted as the villain right from the beginning given the way he lurks in the shadows and how the tone shifts when the Muses sing about him. At the same time, though, one is more wary of his charisma than his powers as a god, in a "There's something about you I don't trust" sort of way.
Moreover, the producers of "Hercules" wanted Hades to have a sinister, wrathful voice a la Maleficent, but were so taken in by James Woods' fast-talking-car-salesman schtick that they went with it. Hades does have a short temper, true enough, but it's used more for comedic effect than anything else.
I love when Hades is angry.😂
"What... are... those?"
they. Are my C R O C S
As much as I hate Hades as a villain in most movies, I must admit that Hercules makes it work whereas most other media that include a villainous Hades doesn't.
I still would have preferred Hera or Ares being the villain.
@@vetarlittorf1807 Agreed.
How about Kid Icarus Uprising?
@@burnscooper892 Hade was originally going to be a more serious character and was going to be played by Jack Nickel-son. However Disney found him unreasonable, so Woods was cast instead.
@@vetarlittorf1807 The problem is that Hera's motivation is not kid friendly😖😖😖😖.
Another thing that make him really likable, is the fact that of you take his other apparitions into account (the animated series, descendant, the Hades comics...) he's more of an antagonist than a truly evil character. The other gods mosty see him as the annoying little brother but don't actively hate him, his shenanigans are just part of their routines. It's also implied that he deeply suffers from being alone and rejected, and that he doesn't always measure the consequences of his actions. Him causing havoc on Mount Olympus is more like a game to get the others' attention that to really hurt them (as seen in the comics). We can also see him act rather friendly when he's talking with people that don't represent an obstacle for him (He seems to be able to casually chat with Meg sometimes, and in the animated series he was friendly with Cassandra and Medusa). There are many sides to him, like when despite his charming and suave attitude, he's very bad at flirting and doesn't know how to behave in front of his crush. I think he's THE Disney villain that deserves a redemption arc (and it seems that Disney agrees when you see Descendant 3)
James even came back to be Hades in Disney Speedstorm, same with the voice actress of Meg. I absolutely grinded my butt to get him unlocked when he came out, and one of my favorite lines he says?
"Uhh I'm a God? Who else would you choose?" is the most perfect line to come from him, and I love it.
Same with "What can I say? Fabulaash~"
Hades in the scenario of this particular movie is what you would call a magnificent bastard. As you say @Aldone it's hard not to hate him because he is a sleazy scumbag but he is funny and is temper tantrums are hilarious. And as for the trope of the magnificent bastard he has his own rules that he plays by he may try and cheat a little bit but that's per his character and I'm always glad when James woods reprises his role as this comedic villain. It was in fact this character and performance and that of Robin Williams that I want to become an animator.
As a little girl, I remember thinking that Hades was like the Devil when it came to this movie. Of course, when I got older and looked into his mythology, I actually started to like him.
He’s pretty chill in Greek mythology and funnily enough, he actually helps Heracles inn his story
@@RandomPerson14-v2i I remember reading that.
I want to see a video called “why Eugene and Rapunzel are the perfect couple” since they are both engaging characters and a lot their character developments happen through their time with each other
I would also like to mention when it comes to his deals its very much like how it is in mythology where Hades will always honor the deals he makes with people. Albeit this is the more sleezy care salesman way but he still is honest lmao.
My favorite thing about James woods and Hades is that he was willing to do the character for free when he found out the studio was running out of money. And he told them that no matter what media Hades is portrayed in, at least the Disney version, he will be ready to do the role whenever.
He doesn't have a villain song, but Hades is no doubt one of the best villains in Disney history.
the character design is immaculate tho. imo, a character design can be judged on 3 main categories.
1. surface level visual appeal (the different visual elements blend together well and are interesting to look at)
2. how easy it is to identify the character/ how distinct it is (could you pick the character out from a crowd of other characters? would you be able to identify the character by silhouette? by colour pallet? with a different outfit? in a different art style? etc.)
3. whether the design fits the character (does it reflect their personality? is it expressive enough? does it make functional sense for the characters lifestyle?)
of course, you can subvert and play with these things deliberately depending on what you're going for, but thats besides the point. the point is that hades passes every category with flying colours.
You should do "perfect villain" videos for:
The Coachman from Pinocchio.
Kaa from The Jungle Book.
Shere Khan from The Jungle Book.
Amos Slade from The Fox and the Hound.
Ursula from The Little Mermaid.
Yzma from The Emperor's New Groove.
John Silver from Treasure Planet.
From the looks, he gonna use his villain ranking he made a while back on his future villian videos.
Hades also holds the distinction of being the sassiest Disney villain and that's no easy feat given that he's in the same league with the likes of Yzma and Iago. XD
Gosh, that punch Hercules gives to Hades in the end is one of the most satisfying scenes in the history of cinema.
Hades is my number one favorite character from Disney as a whole. Despite his role in Hercules, you can never get the urge to hate him. My friends tell me that I remind them of Hades which makes sense because I’m comedic & can angered really bad.
This Hercules is one of the very few Disney movies I find myself wanting to rewatch. Hades strikes a fantastic balance of true villainy and comic relief. I remember when my babysitter took my older sister and I to see this movie in theaters during our summer break! Just all around great memories.
Hades: you do know i am not evil in mythology right?
Disney: you would be voiced by james wood
Hades: SAY NO MORE I'M SOLD
Hades was definitely my favorite Disney villain for his comedic moments and you brought up plenty good points
"I know... you know."
I use that quote a lot😅
He is the master of the souls of the damned and he has had them feast at his table down in Tartarus as part of eternal suffering
You explained Hades' character so accurately! He will always be my favourite disney villain
Hades had similarities to Scar. He wanted to kill his brother & the brother's son so he could rule the kingdom
To be fair, the movie never mentions Hades and Zeus being brothers.
@@vetarlittorf1807 Zeus & Hades are brothers.
@@joshualowe959 In the myths, yes. But not in this movie.
@@vetarlittorf1807I don't know if anything that happens in the spinoff series counts as canon. But there's an episode where Hades refers to himself as Zeus' younger brother. In Greek mythology, Zeus was the youngest of the three brothers (Hades, Poseidon and then Zeus, in that order).
I just find it funny that blue flames are hotter than orange and red flames yet his calm demeanor shows blue flames but when he's angry he explodes in red flames.
Maybe the temperature is a symbol of his control over his power? That when he is in control, he is more powerful (blue), but when he loses his cool, his power drops (hence going red).
Hades is one of the most fun villains Disney has ever made
The worst part was, in the myth, Hera is the villain. She's a relentless psychopath, while Hades was just a chill dude.
To be fair, she was driven to madness by Zeus. But yeah, she takes the vindictiveness up to eleven.
Ya know, as much as I absolutely hate most of the Disney live action remakes, I would absolutely love an opportunity to play Hades if I was presented it! He just looks like an absolute blast to play! Again, I have no faith that the Hercules remake will be good in the first place. But I’ll be even more upset if they ruin yet another villain (being my personal favorite in this place).
Quite a charismatic dude Especially with the performance pulled off by James Woods made him more lively and more character
so in conclusion he’s a brilliant villain that makes us laugh and maybe root for him!
Hades sounds like the exact opposite of the Horned King.
Whoa is my hair out
Honestly I would love to know what this version of hades wife,persephone, would have been like in the Disney version. That would be a interesting dynamic
His relying on his charm instead of his might makes a lot of sense. On Olympus their are 2 other gods just as powerful as him and several others that aren't exactly pushovers. If he started throwing his weight around the others would take notice and probably start something and he can't exactly win that fight.
"...that shows how he really isn't inherently evil or scary to other people he hangs around for a long time." Exactly! He's a badass, fun guy to hang around with!
The only reason why people fear him was because of the primordial fear of death.....and the fact that he would judge the sinful with cold hard impartiality.
Thing about Hades.
As a kid I hated Hades.
He is boring amd weird.
The reason why I had that opinion is because I live in Holland, could not speak english and watched the Dutch version of the movie.
In the Dutch version Hades sounds like a gremlin with ZERO charm.
After learning English I watched the English version and now he is my fav disney villain.
Guys guys. Relax its only halftime
James mthafcking Woods! did that!
he’s a legend.
Hades and Meg really make this movie.
I’ve always liked Hades as a character, easily one of my favorites in Disney if not *the.* But for all my reasons for liking him, it’s harder for me to evaluate where he stands as a villain.
Cause he's such a fast and fancy-witted talker. I so wish I could be like that.
Oh my God, Hercules is superman and Hades is lex Luther. James woods would make an amazing Lex Luther!
Fun fact: Hades has the same voice actor as the Genie in Swedish
Oh how cool! how neat!
Also Brazilian, Taiwanese, and Catalan
And Hades is going to come back in Kingdom Heart 4! Can't wait to see more of his excellent voice acting!
You have a lot of videos about analyzing Disney villains. May I nominate Professor Ratigan from "The Great Mouse Detective"? At first glance, he seems like comedy relief in an obscure film that was by no means one of Disney's more popular movies, but although the film didn't gain the admiration that classics like "Lion King" or "Beauty and the Beast" did, the villain does have a few interesting traits, such as:
1. He was voiced by Vincent Price. That alone should be worth a couple points.
2. He's an actual criminal. He's not just being mean because he wants to get even with one person who slighted him. He's the rodent version of people we pray to avoid, but sometimes we can't.
3. Despite the fact that he's a rodent, he has obtained (presumably stolen) coins, gems, a crown, weapons, and some champagne that are all large enough that we humans could use them. Very few Disney animals are smart enough or cruel enough to rob humans, but he has succeeded at it, either in one massive heist or multiple attempts.
4. He forces his henchmen to sing his praises joyfully...mere seconds after watching one of their friends die.
5. Yes, he pauses his "I'm a Disney villain; hear my theme song!" moment to execute someone.
6. He's one of the few villains who gets two songs. (Gaston is another.)
7. The lyrics to "The World's Greatest Criminal Mind" include some pretty impressive internal rhyme and alliteration...as well as the line "Worse than the widows and orphans you drowned," which is casually glossed over, so he's such a wicked, violent person that murdering the innocent is a normal occurrence and not really a big deal to him.
8. He's very good at deception. He gives the appearance of a suave, mannerly gentleman...but he gets angry very easily, and he usually kills whoever upsets him. He gives the appearance of having all kinds of fun because life is a party, and he's enjoying himself as he plots all this stuff, but if you pay attention to the movie, he's actually terrified of his adversary. He knows perfectly good and well how possible, how likely, it is that one day, the detective will foil his plans once and for all, and then he's going to prison. (Although in Victorian England, I imagine it would also be likely that he faced the gallows.)
9. Despite being a rodent, he has a cat who obeys him. I'm a human, and I can't get my cat to listen to a word I say, so for a rodent to do it...yeah, that's impressive as everything.
10. The cat is basically a hired assassin...and judging from her weight, she's done it quite a few times, further proof that this criminal is violent and dangerous. He's not just the goofy comic relief he pretends to be.
11. He tries to maul his enemy to death with his bare hands (more specifically, his claws). Not through magic. Not even through use of a weapon. Just brute force. Like the hyperbole "I could tear him to pieces with my bare hands!" Basically the literal version of that.
12. He's a good Disney villain. Much like Scar, Jafar, and Ursula, his plan is to take over the kingdom, and he tries to kill the currently reigning monarch in the process of his takeover. Sadly, he doesn't continue the Disney villain tradition of dying of poetic justice. (Ursula is electrocuted by the trident she's wanted for the whole movie. After spending the movie trying to find a genie, Jafar becomes one. Scar tries to make the hyenas kill his nephew so he can become king, but Scar is killed by the hyenas on the night his nephew becomes king. Frollo attempts to burn Esmeralda at the stake, and he dies by falling into flames. Hades is trapped in the same river where he tried to trap Hercules and Meg. Ratigan just falls. Pity. It would have been more fitting if he'd been eaten by a cat or something.)
13. He takes a child hostage. Disney villains do some pretty dark stuff, but not all of them stoop so low as to threaten a child. He also tells everyone to stay where they are "or the girl dies!" Not "gets it." "Dies." He says it directly. He's pretty dark for a cartoon rodent.
What I find is so funny is that gods like Hades and Thanatos who you would think would be badass assholes are actually some of the nicest gods around, other gods like Ares are portrayed as somewhat sympathetic with him being an outcast over something he was made to do, meanwhile Hera and Aphrodite are some of the evilest gods around to the point where they rival the Reverse flash in pettiness which is quite an achievement
We need more Disney villains like Hades please.
i absolutely love Hercules, regardless of the fact its one of the worst depictions of Greek Mythology ive ever seen, its definitely my favorite of that era of Disney, Hades is just hilarious in basically all of his scenes XD
im really glad they didnt ruin Hercules with a sequel, even if it did get a tv show that nobody talks about, really hoping they dont do a live action remake ; - ;
If James Woods isn’t brought back for the live action Hercules, Disney is guilty of blasphemy of the highest order. Who’s with me?
They didn't use him for Hades in "Descendants 3".
Hades cannot break deals, like in Little Mermaid the moment the contract is breached with or without Hades it will be done. For example, Hades did not give Hercules his powers back.
Warlock: pure charisma build
Canonically speaking, he is the most "human" of the Greek gods.
It also didn't hurt that the other gods were not nice people in most portrayal s of greek mythology, especially Zeus and Hera. This made Hades attempt less like a villains take over and just a change power between two evil dictators.
I remember many stories after Hercules where hades and other incarnations of death were villains however, leader of the underworld is a tedious job and it doesn’t help when there is this guy that just makes your day worse, so a motivation to knock someone down a peg is a good idea, sure it can include taking over the world but it should serve as to bring an arrogant person down a peg
Indeed. Judging the dead and having to death with some of the worst humanity has to offer is likely to make one become jaded and cynical really fast.
Next do Why Yzma Is The Funniest Villain.
I believe it is because of Kronk. Without Kronk's chemistry, there won't be such a funny reaction.
@@lazycat836 Yzma was originally going to have an sidekick voiced by Harvey Fierstein, but that got scraped when Kingdom of the Sun become New Grove.
This was an Absolutely Amazing Masterpiece Video for My Second Favorite Disney Villain.
Making Hades or Ares the villain in every greek mythology inspired piece of media is getting old.
These idiots never even heard of Gaia or the Titans.
Hades will always be my favorite Disney villain of all.
James Woods performance of Hades is Genius. he managed to make him sound like a car seller, a bit similar to Ed Crosswire from PBS Kids's Arthur.
hades is the most justice lover non corrupted god lol
Hes not a sleazy car salesman. Hes a sleazy Hollywood agent
In my opinion Hades isnt really a villain. He is just a slave, outcasted from the other gods(they are always having a party) and working all the eternity watching the souls of mortals(something that he didnt wanted, it was zeus who made him live in the underworld). He just was tired, and that tiredness became hate.
When you think of it, this Hades is not even a bad adaptation of the god. It wouldn't be hard to imagine Greek Mythology Hades being fed up with his job rebel against Zeus. in greek myths, other gods (Hera, Apollo, Athena...) have tried to overthrown Zeus, so it's not even uncommon in the actual myths. The only thing is that Greek Mythology Hades and Disney Hades have very different personnalities, Disney Hades being more based on the Devil, with his charming personnality and his contracts.
I just realized that I think James Wood’s approach to Hades that we love is similar to Richard Schiff’s Odin in God of War: Ragnarök
my favorite Disney villains are maleficent, Clayton and captain gamtu.
Oh yeah I never noticed that, how the deal meg can’t get hurt then she gets hurt and he gets his powers huh… also I like how if hades didn’t do anything he might of won lol, I mean everything he did just helped my boiii herc out
its funny how Hades basically saved the whole movie
I love how hades sounded like a car salesman
I love your channel so much I keep binge watching it
Hades é meu vilão favorito da Antiga Disney ( e tbm Frollo , cruella e scar )
I have never seen Hades' voice actor before... they look so similar to me omg
Hades is awesome! He's definitely one of my favorites.
2:56 let's face it: Zeus being monogamous is the most unrealistic aspect of this movie
Yeah, how many half-brothers did Heraklese have?
6:40, that poor mountain.
Disney God villain: Hades
DreamWorks Goddess villain: Eris
I like how people used to make crossovers between these two villains
They could certainly be a power team. Too bad they actually operated at cross purposed in mythology. He was trying to maintain order and stability by condemning the wicked to their punishments while Eris with her destabilizing presence, death, and destruction only added to his workload.
Am I the only one that thinks that Disney Hades would be the perfect husband for Ursula?
6:41 WTF was Herc doing? If it’s the Gordian knot: wrong Greek and actually true
My most favorite Disney villain.
I subscribed and I really think you deserve a lot more views and subscribers but it'll come.
James Woods really made that role.
I want Bob Odenkirk to voice him next time
i havent seen it in eng dub but the greek dub is GOLD, every va did an amazing job however hades' va? a true GOD!
I remember being a little kid and actually wanting Hades to win. I liked him so much more than Zeus
At first when I was younger I actually used to be so scared of hades I would close my eyes every time I saw him 😂
Hi yes I finally get to talk about one of my childhood Disney Hercules ok first I love Hedes in this movie he's one of the best Disney villain in my opinion and he's very funny
I also love the other members of the cast to I have injoyd this movie so many times
I really love the art work of the movie to such a cool and creative style I could go own about this movie forever but living it here for know
He was perfect!
Hades, god of car sales.
Hercules is a great movie, and probably deserves more attention than it gets. Disney did so many different types of films back in the 1990s and seem to be aimed at both boys and girls with adults able to enjoy the jokes too. Today Disney films only care about girls and not boys which is sad.
he is one of my favs lol
My fave villians were
1.Hades
2. Yzma
3.Scar
All iconic in their own ways
I love this goddamn movie.
I know that for the good happy ending happening it had to occour how it did but since the first time i see the final as child until now I still find very not fair that Hercules broke the deal with Hades for megs soul and nothing happened while when hades broke the agreement of not hurting her hercules got the powers back. After all he promised she goes you stay. Even if he can't die and that was not something tha neither think on the make of the deal that doesn't make the agreement any different so yeah if is was to be fulfilled he should have stayed down there or meg should continue dead.
My type a guy my type a villain 😈
What did you think of Descendants 3 Hades???