in mythology and marvel comics Hercules is often stated to be the favorite son of Zeus. Hera told Zeus to his face that he allows Hercules to get away with actions he would never allow his other children to do. Do you think possible it is possible that Zeus wants to be Hercules or at least live viciously through him?

1. Hercules has accomplished most everything on his own compared to Zeus himself or his other children and is the most accomplished.

Zeus won the Titan War primarily by relying on ideas given to him by women of all people and his brothers. As king he passes the buck anytime a difficult decision comes up. Many of his other children relied on daddy to provide them with weapons, position or opportunity.

Hercules not only rejected the easy life and many of the magical weapons the gods offered him, but took about arduous tasks on his own. Even in modern day he relies more on his own strength and abilities without running to dad any time the going gets tough. Compare that to most other gods, like Ares, who still rely on Zeus to bail them out of trouble. Heck, Zeus himself might wish he was as accomplished as Hercules.

2. Hercules is one of the few Olympians worthy of true respect.

People and other gods may respect Zeus' raw power and position, but one hears little of people respecting the man himself. Certainly not the other Olympians and little enough the other gods in Marvel. Modern mortals have little respect for the major Olympians as well and the same seems to go with the other gods. No one has the same respect for them that has been confirmed that Asgard or its inhabitants command. I think on some level, deep, deep down Zeus realizes this and why he may overcompensate when it comes to respect.

The exception of course is Hercules. While he may be regarded as something of a joke for his oafish behavior, he has the true respect of Thor and his fellow heroes. And I think of mortal kind in general. This is one of the primary reasons Ares hates Hercules as he revealed in Incredible Hercules. For all of his flaws, Hercules is a lot better than many of his fellow gods.

3. Hercules has the life Zeus wants.

Zeus may like the authority and respect being king grants him, but I think he cares little for the responsibility. He is stuck having to set a moral example, settle the complaints of the other gods, and deal with everybody wanting something from him.

Hercules has the hedonistic lifestyle free from responsibility Zeus wants. He has the true respect and friendship of other beings. If he breaks something as long has he fixes the damage people will usually forgive him. They don't hold him to quite the same standards as Zeus. And best for him is he can go adventuring and womanizing as much as he wants yet his loyal wife Hebe will always be there for him without too much complaint. Zeus on the other hand is stuck with Hera.

By letting Hercules run around and slide on certain issues Zeus not only gets some glory thanks to Hercules being his son, but thanks to the similarities between the two Hercules lives the life Zeus on some level always wanted, but never got due to his own personal flaws.

thoughts?

I agree with your points about Hercules being different than the other Olympians. Hercules did accomplish his feats largely on his own and rarely asks for help. Does Zeus actually want to be Hercules? I don't know about that. Probably not. Though I think your third point is spot-on. Zeus is heavily weighed-down with the responsibilities his power and position brings while Hercules generally leads a very hedonistic life pursuing all that which he enjoys most: wine, women, battle and adventure. Even if Zeus doesn't actually wish he were Hercules, I'm sure he is envious of the life Hercules gets to lead.