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    Hebe

    Character » Hebe appears in 45 issues.

    The cup-bearer of the gods and Goddess of Youth in the Olympian Pantheon. Daughter of Zeus and Hera. Wife of Hercules.

    Short summary describing this character.

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    Origin

    In some traditions Hebe is the third child of the King and Queen of the Olympians, Zeus and Hera.  In other traditions, she is just the daughter of Hera (without any father).  In any case, Hera is Hebe's mother and they have a very close relationship.  In ancient times, Hebe was regarded as the goddess of youth and the cup-bearer of the Greco-Roman Olympian gods.   As the cupbearer to the gods, the recipes for nectar and ambrosia are hers - the Formulae For Immortality.  She prepares the food and drink of the gods, and disperses it at all Pantheon feasts and celebrations.  Upon Heracles mortal death, when Zeus cast his mortal shade to the underworld and transformed his godly side into the god Hercules, Hera offered her daughter to Zeus' son as his wife as a sort of apology and expression of godly solidarity. Though Hera and Hercules' relationship would always remain strained, Hebe and Hercules for a time had a blissful marriage. They begot two sons, named Alexiares and Anicetus.

    Mayor Story Arcs

    Relationship With Hercules

    When Zeus took pity on Heracles and split the divine essence from his mortal shade and raised him up into Olympus as a god, Zeus officiated the marriage between Hebe (Hera's favorite daughter) and Hercules in order to finally make peace with Hera, whose jealous anger plagued Hercules all his life (and actually caused the deaths of Heracles' mortal family and many loved ones).  Despite the happy beginnings to their marriage (in Olympian terms that was several centuries), the tenuous nature of the Olympian Pantheon drove a wedge into their relationship.  This was also coupled with Hercule's lust and philandering nature.  Following an argument between Hercules and Zeus, Hebe tried to intervene. However, Hercules told her that until he put things right with Zeus, she was not to be seen with him. She related this to Zeus, and told him that Hercules had left Olympus. 

    For centuries Hebe and Hercules were estranged and never met physically, but Hebe kept an eye on Hercules' activities in the mortal realm.  Hebe observed as Olympus was assaulted by the Hulk, Cronus and creatures such as the Giants.  In one of their very few encounters, Hebe brought nectar to Hercules after he had been teleported to Olympus by Zeus to recover from injuries incurred battling the Hulk while shorn of his immortality and half of his strength.

    Incredible Hercules

    Hebe meeting and greeting Norman Osborn
    Hebe meeting and greeting Norman Osborn
     
    Hebe acting as
    Hebe acting as "Cup-Bearer"
    Following the death of Zeus and the fall of Olympus at the hands of Mikaboshi, all the Greco-Roman gods were forced to live among mortals (including Hebe).  Hera inherited not only Zeus' thunderbolt, but also his shares of the Olympian Gods' corporation in the mortal world, the Olympus Group.  Hera 'hired' Hebe to be the company's receptionist and her personal assistant.  In her new role, Hebe still functions as cup-bearer to the gods as she serves Hera Apollo, Artemis Hephaestus and Pluto, their coffee during an Olympus Group meeting.  After Hebe disseminates the business prospectus, Hera reveals her plans to them - the deaths of the half-breeds Athena and Hercules!  While Hebe served coffee at the Olympus Group meeting, she accidentally dropped the coffee and this is the first time it is shown that Hebe is not fully adapting to her new life on Earth.  Next, she is seen in her job as receptionist of the Olympus Group, answering phones, greeting guests, using the computer, and editing documents (all with a great deal of difficulty).  During her duty as receptionist, she greets Norman Osborn who heavily insults her, yet she appears unfazed (most likely because she does not know who Norman is nor the colloquialisms he uses to demean her).   Hercules reveals to Amadeus Cho that Hebe collects beanie babies.  Hebe does seem to enjoy the mortal world, but only certain aspects.

    After a disappointing meeting with Osborn, Hera orders Hebe to notify the Olympian Gods that the reckoning for Athena and her friends will be that night.  When Hebe asks "Even Hercules...?" Hera responds "No, Daughter... Especially Hercules."  Hebe then notifies the Olympus Group in addition to Norman Osborn.  She lies to Norman Osborn and said that the Olympus Group was rolling out the "Continuum" so his Dark Avengers would attack the Gods. When Hebe returns home she feeds a number a cats (she calls them "Fur Babies") and then displays a shine to her estranged husband, Hercules, stating "One Day Husband... We Will Be Together Again.  You'll See..."

    With The Olympus Group and Norman’s pet “heroes” attacking, Athena, Hercules and Amadeus barely escape by turning the two side against one another, and Hera realizes that she has a traitor in her company (secretly Hercules’ wife Hebe,  who has been stalking him for some time now.)  Back at the Olympus Group, Hera confrontes Hebe for her treachery.  Hebe confessed that she was protecting Hercules as part of her first duty in life - to protect her husband.  Hera tells Hebe that her first and only duty is to listen to her mother! Hera then throws HER OWN DAUGHTER OUT A FIFTIETH STORY WINDOW.  Hera explains that unquenchable hope is Hebe's curse, as she is the goddess of youth.  This is why she is cupbearer to the gods, and the recipes for nectar and ambrosia are hers: For Hope Springs Eternal.  Hebe then abandons the Olympus Group in search of Hercules, after fulling regenerating from her relatively minor injuries.  Hera then disowns Hebe by saying "Pathetic.  I no longer have a daughter."

    Powers & Abilities

    Hebe possesses the standard abilities of an Olympian goddess, plus unique abilities as she is the goddess of youth and cupbearer to the gods. She possesses superhuman strength (Class 25), stamina, durability, vitality, healing and functional immortality.  Since reaching early adulthood she has not aged; she is immune to harm from conventional means of injury and cannot suffer from any terrestrial disease. Should she indeed incur a wound her godly metabolism enables her to regenerate at a superhuman rate of speed.  She also possesses the innate ability to manipulate magic as all Olympians do, but she has yet to show an proficiency in this area.  Prior to the destruction of Olympus,  Hebe should have be able to teleport between Olympus and Earth. 
     
    In her role as the goddess of youth, she is able to restore the youth and vitality to mortals and animals if they have reached an advanced age.  She is also cupbearer to the gods, and the recipes for nectar and ambrosia are hers - the Formulae For Immortality itself.  


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