He is a greek mythology demigod, who is the son of Zeus. He is said to have extraordinary strength. He was driven mad by Hera, the wife of Zeus who was angry that Zeus had cheated on her (which happened a lot). He killed his family. When he realized what he did, he went away in shame. Eventually, he had to do 12 tasks for a king to repay his dept. He died when his wife mistakenly put centaur blood in his coat thinking that it would make him love her. Hercules died because the centaur blood acted like acid.
Hercules, son of Zeus and the mortal woman Alcmene, his true name was Heracles. Hera was angered of Hercules's birth because of adultery (from her husband Zeus) and pretty much hated him. She originally sent 2 poisonous snakes when Hercules was a child, and he crushed them both with his strength. She cursed him later on and he had killed his family. At some point Hercules was tasked with 10 labors. Yes, you may have heard 12, but the person who tasked him (King Eurystheus of Tiryns) didn't count 2 of them because of additional help he had and added an additional two labors. During a duration of 12 years, Hercules was to complete these tasks and only then would he be "free"
Hercules is seen as a iconic Greek figure because of his strength. People in Greece linked heroism with power.
Don't trust the Disney movie Hercules if you want real facts. Although a minimal part of it is true, it is mostly false. That doesn't mean the movie isn't good tho :)
