Hippolyta (Marvel Comics)
Encyclopedia
Based on the Hippolyta
of Greek mythology, Hippolyta is a fictional
Amazon
character within the Marvel Comics
universe
.
god of war Ares
and Otrera
. She and her sister Amazons
would help create war, stealing the female children in the process in order to make their armies grow. The group protected the cow-goddess Io
as a favor to her grandfather Zeus.
After many years of ruling the Amazons, Hippolyta eventually met Hercules
when he, Jason
, and the Argonauts
landed near her city stronghold of Themiscyra
. There they attempted to steal Hippolyta's enchanted girdle
and any slaves they could along the way. Fearful for her sister's life, Hippolyta's sister Antiope willingly disguised herself as Hippolyta. Jason, thinking her to be the Amazon queen, kidnapped Antiope and made her his bride. She eventually bore a son to him, Hippolytus
, whom Antiope named after her much loved sister. Initially resenting Hercules for the initial invasion, Hippolyta eventually fell in love with him. Over the centuries, she tried various attempts to win his affection, but ultimately he never gave her his heart. Thus a love/hate relationship was formed between the two.
As shown in a Howard the Duck
story, Hippolyta has historically been one of the bearers of the Amulet of Pazuzu. As the Howard the Duck comic involves storylines that are both in and out of continuity, it is unclear if the Amulet of Pazuzu truly exists in the Marvel Universe
.
In her first modern-day appearance, Hippolyta helped Pluto, Greek god of the dead, in his plan to avenge himself on Hercules, by posing as a movie actress for Hippolyta and tricking the hero into signing a "movie contract" that in reality bound him to Pluto's realm, Hades
, while Pluto was disguised as the director. When Hercules was given the contract she told him that in the film he conquered the Netherworld by defeating Pluto and she remained by his side all the time, causing him to sign the contract. She then revealed who she really was to Hercules. But Thor
came to his aid, and the heroes caused so much damage to Hades that Pluto himself broke the contract just to be rid of them.
Hippolyta also formed a new generation of Amazons from female runaways in New York City
called the Bacchae
. The group has clashed with such heroes as the Fantastic Four
and the X-Men
.
Much later, Hippolyta reappeared in the pages of Incredible Hercules, visiting her father Ares in an attempt to rally him to one of Hera
's new schemes. Ares rebuffs her, however, and when Hippolyta returns, she is murdered by her daughter Artume, who is tired of her mother's obsession with Hercules.
During the Dark Reign
storyline, Hippolyta is among the dead people in Erebus when Hercules travels to the Underworld.
confronted Hercules, due to the Heracles of her reality having once raped and humiliated her mother, the Hippolyta of the DC Universe, while under a spell induced by Hera and co-opted by Ares. Her rage grew greater still when Hercules clumsily joked that his relations with the Marvel Universe Hippolyta had been much different.
Hippolyta
In Greek mythology, Hippolyta or Hippolyte is the Amazonian queen who possessed a magical girdle she was given by her father Ares, the god of war. The girdle was a waist belt that signified her authority as queen of the Amazons....
of Greek mythology, Hippolyta is a fictional
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
Amazon
Amazons
The Amazons are a nation of all-female warriors in Greek mythology and Classical antiquity. Herodotus placed them in a region bordering Scythia in Sarmatia...
character within the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
.
Fictional character biography
Hippolyta is the daughter of the GreekGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
god of war Ares
Ares (Marvel Comics)
Ares is a fictional character, a deity in the Marvel Comics Universe based on the Greek god of the same name. He first appears in Thor #129 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
and Otrera
Otrera
In Greek mythology, Otrera was a Queen of the Amazons, the consort of Ares, daughter of Eurus, and mother of Hippolyta, Antiope, Melanippe and Penthesilea....
. She and her sister Amazons
Amazons
The Amazons are a nation of all-female warriors in Greek mythology and Classical antiquity. Herodotus placed them in a region bordering Scythia in Sarmatia...
would help create war, stealing the female children in the process in order to make their armies grow. The group protected the cow-goddess Io
Io (mythology)
Io was, in Greek mythology, a priestess of Hera in Argos, a nymph who was seduced by Zeus, who changed her into a heifer to escape detection. His wife Hera set ever-watchful Argus Panoptes to guard her, but Hermes was sent to distract the guardian and slay him...
as a favor to her grandfather Zeus.
After many years of ruling the Amazons, Hippolyta eventually met Hercules
Hercules (Marvel Comics)
Hercules is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Journey into Mystery Annual #1 and was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby....
when he, Jason
Jason
Jason was a late ancient Greek mythological hero from the late 10th Century BC, famous as the leader of the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcus...
, and the Argonauts
Argonauts
The Argonauts ) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology who, in the years before the Trojan War, accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, the Argo, which was named after its builder, Argus. "Argonauts", therefore, literally means...
landed near her city stronghold of Themiscyra
Themiscyra
In Greek mythology, Themiscyra was the capital of the nation of all-female warriors called Amazons, on the river Thermodon.- See also :* Themiscyra in popular culture* Themiscyra - Terme, Turkey-External links:*...
. There they attempted to steal Hippolyta's enchanted girdle
Girdle
A girdle is a garment that encircles the lower torso, perhaps extending below the hips, and worn often for support. The word girdle originally meant a belt. In modern English, the term girdle is most commonly used for a form of women's foundation wear that replaced the corset in popularity...
and any slaves they could along the way. Fearful for her sister's life, Hippolyta's sister Antiope willingly disguised herself as Hippolyta. Jason, thinking her to be the Amazon queen, kidnapped Antiope and made her his bride. She eventually bore a son to him, Hippolytus
Hippolytus (mythology)
thumb|260px|The Death of Hippolytus, by [[Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema]] .In Greek mythology, Hippolytus was a son of Theseus and either Antiope or Hippolyte...
, whom Antiope named after her much loved sister. Initially resenting Hercules for the initial invasion, Hippolyta eventually fell in love with him. Over the centuries, she tried various attempts to win his affection, but ultimately he never gave her his heart. Thus a love/hate relationship was formed between the two.
As shown in a Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck is a comic book character in the Marvel Comics universe created by writer Steve Gerber and artist Val Mayerik. The character first appeared in Adventure into Fear #19 and several subsequent series have chronicled the misadventures of the ill-tempered, anthropomorphic, "funny...
story, Hippolyta has historically been one of the bearers of the Amulet of Pazuzu. As the Howard the Duck comic involves storylines that are both in and out of continuity, it is unclear if the Amulet of Pazuzu truly exists in the Marvel Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
.
In her first modern-day appearance, Hippolyta helped Pluto, Greek god of the dead, in his plan to avenge himself on Hercules, by posing as a movie actress for Hippolyta and tricking the hero into signing a "movie contract" that in reality bound him to Pluto's realm, Hades
Hades
Hades , Hadēs, originally , Haidēs or , Aidēs , meaning "the unseen") was the ancient Greek god of the underworld. The genitive , Haidou, was an elision to denote locality: "[the house/dominion] of Hades". Eventually, the nominative came to designate the abode of the dead.In Greek mythology, Hades...
, while Pluto was disguised as the director. When Hercules was given the contract she told him that in the film he conquered the Netherworld by defeating Pluto and she remained by his side all the time, causing him to sign the contract. She then revealed who she really was to Hercules. But Thor
Thor (Marvel Comics)
Thor is a fictional superhero who appears in publications published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 and was created by editor-plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber, and penciller Jack Kirby....
came to his aid, and the heroes caused so much damage to Hades that Pluto himself broke the contract just to be rid of them.
Hippolyta also formed a new generation of Amazons from female runaways in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
called the Bacchae
Bacchae (comics)
The Bacchae are a fictional group of woman warrior characters owned by Marvel Comics.-Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons:In ancient times Hippolyta and her sisters set about war mongering various lands. In each attack she would steal female children, raising them to be her faithful warriors. This gave...
. The group has clashed with such heroes as the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
and the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
.
Much later, Hippolyta reappeared in the pages of Incredible Hercules, visiting her father Ares in an attempt to rally him to one of Hera
Hera (Marvel Comics)
Hera is a fictional deity in the Marvel Comics Universe based on the Greek Goddess of the same name. Hera first appeared in the pages of Thor #129, written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
's new schemes. Ares rebuffs her, however, and when Hippolyta returns, she is murdered by her daughter Artume, who is tired of her mother's obsession with Hercules.
During the Dark Reign
Dark Reign (comics)
"Dark Reign" is a 2008–2009 crossover comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. It deals with the aftermath of the "Secret Invasion" storyline, which led to a shift of power in the Marvel Universe toward Norman Osborn. The title "Dark Reign" refers to Osborn's rise to national power and the...
storyline, Hippolyta is among the dead people in Erebus when Hercules travels to the Underworld.
JLA/Avengers crossover
Indirect reference was made to this version of Hippolyta in the JLA/Avengers crossover series. At one point, an angry Wonder WomanWonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
confronted Hercules, due to the Heracles of her reality having once raped and humiliated her mother, the Hippolyta of the DC Universe, while under a spell induced by Hera and co-opted by Ares. Her rage grew greater still when Hercules clumsily joked that his relations with the Marvel Universe Hippolyta had been much different.