Characters / Hades - Titular Character

aka: Hades Hades

Hades Main Character Index
Chthonic Gods (Zagreus | Hades) | Olympian Gods | Other Characters

Hades

Appearances: Hades
Voiced by: Logan Cunningham

God of the Dead

"...What else is there to say about the Master? Master not just of the House in which I work, but of the entirety of the domain beneath the earth, the place we all end up after we die. He is a god of character, I have to give him that."

—Codex Entry

Hades is the god of the Underworld and of the mineral riches of the earth, the lord and master of the House of Hades, and the father of Zagreus. He is in charge of maintaining order within the Underworld, determining the placements and punishments of the dead, and hearing the petitions of shades that come before him.

---

A-H

• Abusive Parents:
  • Constantly berates his son and laughs at his attempts to escape the Underworld, besides making sure that a number of entities on the underworld are after his hide. And if Zagreus actually succeeds, Hades hunts him down to return him in person. A flashback of Zagreus's life before he began trying to escape, added alongside the Archive, shows that Hades constantly berated and put down his actual attempts at helping around the House. Eventually, after being defeated enough times and progressing through the story, Hades apologizes to his son and admits he has been a poor father. He still isn't particularly warm to him afterwards, but their relationship does improve considerably as Hades is more willing to acknowledge Zagreus' positives and no longer belittles him constantly.
  • He was also on the receiving end of this trope in his own youth. On the rare occasions he, Zeus, or Poseidon ever touch upon the rather sore subject of their own father, Chronos, it is made clear that he was much, much worse.
• Actually Pretty Funny: A sourpuss he might be, but Hades does have a sense of humor, even if it is as dry as sun-bleached bones.
  • When Hades grumbles about how the current mortality rate amongst humans means that he has to allow Charon to work with Hermes to keep up with the demand, even though he really hates having to resort to ask the Olympians for any kind of help, Zagreus offers to pitch in... if only he could be given permission to visit the surface. This display of audacity elicits a genuinely amused snort of laughter from his father.
  • Zagreus' comment about Dionysus inspiring a healthy attitude actually makes Hades momentarily break into open laughter.
• Adaptational Heroism: Despite being the main antagonist of the game, one aspect of Hades' character that gets cleaned up for the game compared to original myth is the start of his relationship with Persephone. In the original myths, both Hades and Zeus conspired together to kidnap Persephone, with the one who actually committed the deed changing depending on the story. Once their scheme was discovered, Hades was pressured into releasing Persephone only to trick her into eating food from the underworld, forcing her to spend at least a third of every year living there. While they eventually had an amiable relationship, it was a far cry from the game, which had Zeus take it into his own hands to kidnap Persephone and left her and Hades to work out the baggage on their own.
• Adaptational Jerkass: There's no indication in the original myths that Hades particularly resented his brothers for taking the skies and the seas while Hades got the underworld, as he is generally portrayed as not caring one way or the other about the overworld except when events there interfere with his job. Here he is very quick to badmouth Zeus and Poseidon - and most of the other gods besides - to Zagreus. Although his anger isn't with the job itself but just general grumpiness on Hades' part combined with misplaced aggression about his absent wife and rebellious son.
• The Almighty Dollar: Hades holds domain over everything beneath the earth, which includes all gemstones and precious metals. As such, he's not only the God of the Dead, but also the God of Riches (which he uses to bribe Shades into preventing his son from escaping).
• Almost Dead Guy: If defeated, he will return to the House of Hades as he's about to tell Zagreus why Persephone left the Underworld.
  Zagreus: What? Wait, I don't think I owe you any favors here. Though, answer me one question and I'll give it some thought, how's that?
  Hades: I know your question, boy, but ask it anyway.
  Zagreus: Persephone. My mother. Why did she leave?
  Hades: I... URGH!... blood and darkness...
• Aloof Big Brother: Older than Zeus and Poseidon, and the least extroverted out of the three of them. It doesn't help that he currently has a very strained relationship with both of them.
• Anger Born of Worry: The main reason he's so abrasive towards Zagreus and everyone in the House is because he's absolutely terrified that he'll reveal Persephone's location and the fact that she is Zagreus' mother to the Olympians, especially to Demeter. Due to his family's infamous reputation for Disproportionate Retribution, both in the game and in the original Greek mythology, his reasons are pretty understandable.
• Antagonist Title: He's the title character, and the Big Bad.
• Anti-Villain: Everything he does is for the purpose of keeping Persephone safe, and the Olympians in the dark about their relationship. In searching for his mom, Zagreus is unknowingly putting the entire House of Hades at serious risk, and Hades is trying to stop this so a Divine Conflict between the chthonic and Olympic gods doesn't occur. The reason that Hades doesn't just tell that to Zagreus is because Hades wants to keep everything under lock and key as much as possible.
  Zagreus: ...I know you love her at least, from all the terrible choices that you've made.
  Hades: ...All the terrible choices I've made. By the time you have existed for as long as I have, pray that you will have made fewer. Although I fear you will surpass me in at least this one regard.
• Archnemesis Dad: He's Zagreus' father, and it's clear they do not see each other eye to eye. While Zagreus sees Hades as prohibitive and authoritarian, Hades sees Zagreus as spoiled and ungrateful, and refuses to even talk about the subject of his heritage and family. As Zagreus tries to escape, Hades keeps creating obstacles for him. He reconciles with his son when Zagreus returns to the Underworld with Persephone.
• At Least I Admit It: Look, it's Greek Mythology. All of the gods borne of Chronos are assholes of different varieties. Hades stands out in that he does not hide it like the Olympic gods, instead letting his innate contempt for his son and the world spill forth. This also bleeds into his worldview — his description of the titan war is notably succinct and lacking any kind of embellishment, no I Did What I Had to Do justifications here. When discussing Hades' personality with Zagreus, Persephone confesses that it is one of the things she really likes about him; Hades might quite brusque and blunt in his manners, even to her, but he is always upfront and candid about the things that bothers him and doesn't try to put on airs and pretend otherwise which she found a very refreshing contrast to the quite passive-aggressive Olympian gods, who prefer to hide their uglier and more malignant sides behind pleasant facades.
• Bad Boss: Hades has the rare distinction of qualifying as both a Bad Boss and a Benevolent Boss. Perhaps his biggest issue is that while he wants people to work to their jobs and stick to what they agreed to in deals with him, he also doesn't necessarily care about their general happiness. At least at first.
  • He has Orpheus locked up in solitary confinement, and once his sentence is commuted, he makes him come to the house as a Court Musician. Orpheus is unwilling to play due to losing inspiration from his muse and his failure to bring her back to life. If pointed out by Zagreus, Hades basically says he doesn't care, that Orpheus made his deal a long time ago, and he has a century to start working before he gets sent back down to solitary confinement.
  • Similarly with Achilles and Patroclus, he keeps them separated within the Underworld. Mainly because Achilles qualifies for Elysium while Patroclus doesn't, but Achilles made a deal with Hades so Patroclus could have a spot in Elysium. Needless to say, both of them are miserable. He also berates Achilles for teaching Zagreus too well, and Achilles trying to point out he only did as Hades asked him to leads to Hades denoting he could send him back up to Elysium anytime he likes, or any realms lower than that. This also comes with the implication Patroclus would also be sent to wherever he was supposed to go.
  • Depending on what you buy, Hades seems to be against the idea of granting basic comforts to his employees. He balks that Cerberus doesn't need a bed and toys, nor do Achilles or Thanatos need niceties or furnishings around them. And of course, being Employee of the Month doesn't save anyone from tongue lashings if they've failed to contain Zagreus or are aiding him (like Megara and Thanatos).
• Badass in Distress: Hades, God of the Underworld and the Final Boss of the first game, is taken captive by Chronos in the second game. His daughter Melinoë now is out to rescue him. Dialogue with Poseidon implies the same is true for Zagreus and Persephone.
• Baritone of Strength: He has a deep, booming voice, which cements his authority as the Lord of the Underworld and that he's a formidable fighter in his own right.
• Beam Spam: One of his attacks during the second part of his boss fight is to fire continuous laser beams at Zagreus, either in a three beam spread if above 50% health or in all directions if beneath it. Defending against it requires either Athena's Call, the Aegis shield to block, or taking cover behind non-destructible scenery.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: One of the flashbacks has him say that he's assigning Achilles to teach Zagreus to assert himself. Oh boy did that not work out the way he planned.
• Because I Said So: A lot of his reasons for trying to prevent Zagreus from leaving or learning about his mother boil down to this. Hades knows why Persephone left the Underworld, but refuses to talk about it. And when that doesn't work, should Zagreus manage to escape from the Underworld anyway and learn why, Hades just pretends it didn't happen.
• Beleaguered Boss:
  • His bookkeeper is a layabout, his guard dog's gone soft, his son is wrecking the place trying to escape, his partner in running the Underworld, his General and his top field agent are all helping his aforementioned son behind his back, and his contractors constantly refuse his requests to install a sundial. When Hades isn't berating Zagreus, much of his dialogue consists of lamenting how tedious his job has become.
  • Many of the upgrades that Zagreus can purchase through the Contractor are solutions to minor irritations or problems that Hades acknowledges need to be dealt with, but that he doesn't have the time to dig through the paperwork to authorize or transfer necessary funds. Zagreus has to personally acquire the funding to pay for these himself.
• Beleaguered Bureaucrat: And with all that said even in the best of circumstances he's still buried up to his eyeballs in parchmentwork, and when at his desk almost always has a line of shades out the door to deal with.
• Benevolent Boss: To Thanatos, and to a lesser extent Megaera. He is shown to respect and think highly of both, though he is disappointed a few times with the Furies' inability to stop Zagreus. He also advises Thanatos to take time off when he seems tired, and generally considers him one of his best employees. This attitude extends to pretty much everyone else, too; Hades values good work, and if it is provided he will commend his employees for it, whoever they are. Even Hypnos or Zagreus.
• Berserk Button:
  • Do not bring up Zeus, Poseidon, Demeter, Heracles or Persephone around him. The latter has become a borderline Un-person, with Hades forbidding anyone in his household from naming them in his presence.
  • If Zagreus gets on good enough terms with Zeus, Zeus will ask Zag to relay a message to Hades telling him that he forgives him for the Noodle Incident that caused them to drift apart. Hades's response to being told the message is to be immensely outraged, blow up, going on a long rant about Zeus before forbidding Zagreus to ever bring up his brothers in front of him ever again. In the full release's postgame, Hades is eventually convinced to reveal that the "incident" was Zeus kidnapping Persephone and giving her to Hades as a consolation prize for having to stay in the Underworld, justifying this reaction.
    Zagreus: Father... look, Lord Uncle Zeus, I've been in contact with him, and he wishes to make peace. He asked for me to tell you. To tell you he forgives you for... whatever happened.
    Hades: My brother Zeus... forgives me? Zeus forgives ME?! How dare that blasted little brat! His beard may be luxurious but he's as much of a child as are you. Forgives me, bah!
    Zagreus: What did you do...? What happened between you?
    Hades: None of your business! Go on now and frolic with that Lord Uncle of yours, the both of them! And don't you ever speak of him to me again, you hear me?
• Big Bad: He's the major antagonist of the game, and every single being trying to stop Zagreus from leaving is following his orders.
• Big Ol' Eyebrows: His eyebrows are noticeably large and have forked ends. They're so big that they actually grow past his face.
• Black Eyes of Evil: His schlerae are completely black and he's the main antagonist of the game.
• Black Sheep: He gets on pretty poorly with his Olympian family (who find him to be a stuffy, humorless Jerkass) and has distanced himself so thoroughly that they didn't even know his son existed until Nyx sought their aid in his escape. Hades, for his part, considers himself the White Sheep and the only stable and responsible member of a decadent, chaotic family.
• Bling of War: He's not just the god of the dead, but the god of all the minerals in the earth, so of course he has fancy jewelry including rings and a blinged-out belt buckle with a gold skull socketed with gemstones. It's not as ostentatious as Extreme Measures Theseus, but it's there.
• Brutal Honesty: With the exception of lying about Zagreus' mother, Hades is known for being very blunt, especially when he's in a bad mood. Persephone admits that this was what drew her to him when they met.
• But for Me, It Was Tuesday: When Zagreus asks who the skull on Hades' shoulder belonged to, Hades himself cannot recall. He just knows that it was some enemy casualty of the Titan War.
• Catchphrase: Blood and Darkness! Uttered whenever he's annoyed, which is most of the time.
• Character Development: If you manage to beat him ten times, Hades finally gives up in trying to keep his son in the Underworld, and manages to make things better with Persephone. From there on he becomes much more humble and appreciative of his son, and apologizes for his cruel behavior. This also changes the context of the game severely- with Hades now in on the entire details of how Zagreus escaped from Tartarus, he chooses to continue the charade with his Olympic relatives and turns Zagreus' escape attempts into a full time job for his son under the pretense that Zagreus is looking for holes in Tartarus's security. He also turns it into a bonding exercise between the two of them, with Zagreus' escape attempts coming across like a game.
• The Coats Are Off: He'll dramatically burn off his cloak at the start of his Boss Battle. Zagreus at one point snarks about the sheer number of cloaks he's wasting just to do that. Later on, when Zagreus enters his father's room, he sees his wardrobe is full of identical red capes.
  Zagreus: I knew it. It's just capes!
• The Comically Serious: His stuffy, humorless nature tends to make him this. Best exemplified late in the game, when you can find him staring intensely into a body of water - not because he's suddenly meditative or waiting for Zagreus, but because he thinks Poseidon has sent a fish to mock him and he needs to meet the challenge.
  Hades: It's been taunting me, I think, for quite some time.
• Consummate Professional: Much of his Jerkassery comes from his inability to tolerate others being any less dutiful and professional than he is.
• Control Freak: He's very particular about how the Underworld should be run, and does not react well to defiance. More unfair rules or contracts tend to be justified with little more than Because I Said So.
• Cool Helmet: He possesses one called the Helm of Darkness, which is said to amplify his already earth-shattering power, as well as give him the ability to turn invisible. He dons it when he decides to personally put an end to Zagreus's quest.
• Critical Hit Class: If hit by a cast from Hades, Zagreus is afflicted with Boiling Blood, which causes all attacks made against Zagreus to be critical hits. Since Hades already hits like a truck with his normal attacks, this is a bad thing.
• Cynicism Catalyst: It is frequently implied that back in his youth, Hades was really not all that different from Zagreus in therms of personality and outlook, and was on fairly good terms with both of his brothers and the other Olympian gods. But then, he underwent several of these, eventually turning him into the acerbic grump he is by the story's start.
  • The Titan War and its aftermath is a major one. Whenever Hades speaks of it, he describes as a major bit of Dirty Business that in many ways fundamentally changed his relationship with his brothers and the rest of the Olympian gods and was the beginning of the rift between them.
  • If his relationship with Zeus was fraught after the Titan War, then the whole business with Zeus abducting Persephone and "gifting" her to him was what really turned him sour on him, and the other Olympian gods by extension. Zeus, with his reckless action, managed to both thoroughly betray Hades' trust and created a situation that could escalate into another war between the gods.
  • And of course, losing Persephone, the only person he ever really opened emotionally up to, is the most recent one. To make matters worse, he has every opportunity to talk to Persephone again, but he believes the only way to protect her and prevent another war is by staying far away from her and trying to prevent Zagreus from meeting her.
• Dark Is Not Evil: Like his son, despite his snarky behavior, he's not a malevolent force and takes his job seriously. He's still surly and abusive on a good day, but someone has to be the judge of the dead.
• Deadpan Snarker: Much like his son, Hades is prone to seething bouts of sarcasm, although most of it is aimed at the aforementioned son.
• Defector from Decadence: While some of his disdain for his extended family is due to sour grapes, Hades is genuinely repulsed by the Olympian's catastrophic irresponsibility, and his worst tendencies are over-corrections for what he sees to be familial vices.
  Hades: Why am I never proud of you? Don't take it personally, boy. I'm never proud of anything. Pride is perhaps our family's worst trait. See how many mortals are with us because of it?
• Declaration of Protection: Repeated interactions with Persephone, which eventually leads to conversing about her heritage, imply that Hades has kept her true location a secret not so Zagreus can't find her, but so the vindictive Olympian Gods can't.
• Departure Means Death: He is bound to the underworld and will die once he strays too far from it, after which he will respawn at the same pool of blood as Zagreus.
• Dirty Business: It's hidden very well, but on occasion, if you make it to his boss fight, or bring the Hades-transformed Varatha to it, he reflects on the titan war and considers it to be this.
  Hades: I could never stand to look at it once my brothers and sisters and myself...Once our foul work was done.
  
  Hades: We had no specific recourse at the time, save to collaborate. Developed a specific plan, and saw it through.
• Divine Right of Kings: You would think a God-Emperor would not need other gods' backing to legitimize his authority; but since Hades is not even a native resident of the Underworld, and thus holds the authority he does only because the Fates designated him as king (against his will, no less) and Nyx allows it.
• Dry Crusader: He's banned both Nectar and Ambrosia from much of the Underworld, seeing it as a pointless indulgence. Most of the Underworld's denizens just ignore the ban, even those in charge of enforcing it like Megaera. Zigzagged once you convince Persephone to return home; he'll accept Nectar and Ambrosia gifts just like everyone else... only to give it all back to you in the end because he simply has no interest in the stuff personally.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: After noting that Poseidon was never that good at fighting with his Stygian Blade, Hades trained him in spear combat. Unfortunately, Poseidon became so proficient and associated with his trident that people now think Hades got his spear skills from him rather than the other way around.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
  • He might be very abrasive towards everyone in the House, but he cares a lot about Cerberus, although he does use him to try to guilt-trip Zagreus.
  • He also still loves Persephone deeply, and will do anything, including beating their son into paste, to protect her from the Olympians. Reuniting them is key to reopening his hardened heart.
  • Evidence from conversations and flashbacks show that he does love his son, but Persephone leaving him left him so bitter that he is unable to express it in any meaningful way. This gradually changes once she comes back, and it's clear that Hades is making an effort to repair his relationship with his son.
• Even Evil Has Standards:
  • He may dislike Demeter, but he admits she had a rougher lot than he did, as Hyperion was an even worse father than Cronos, who ate his own children.
    Hades: Do not invoke her name inside my House, you hear me, boy? You do not know at all what she is like. Though I can see why you two hit it off. She hated her father. Though understandably, as he was worse even than mine. Even than yours.
  • It's eventually revealed this is why he doesn't like Zeus. As it turns out, Zeus was the one who kidnapped Persephone, and forced her into an arranged marriage as an Apology Gift for Hades being forced into a job he didn't enjoy. While this worked out fine, to say he found this disrespectful of Persephone is a bit of an understatement, not to mention how it possibly could cause The End of the World as We Know It due to a pissed-off Demeter.
  • Zagreus at one point can confront him on why he has Theseus serving as his champion in Elysium instead of Heracles. Hades completely scoffs at this notion, stating that if not for Zeus' Parental Favoritism towards Heracles, then no one would actually hold him in high regard due to how terrible of a person he actually is.
• Everybody Hates Hades: Subverted. Hades is Zagreus's main opposition, is depicted as a formidable foe and a Jerkass, and treats almost everyone with cold disdain at best. However, it's simply the result of him being dedicated to his job of maintaining the Underworld. It's also heavily justified because he's trapped in the underworld with endless streams of work, his wife has left him, his son is estranged from him, and many of his underlings are incompetent to the point where there is no progress on renovations until Zagreus starts putting resources into them.
• Evil Counterpart: Not so much as evil, but, should you fight him he shares Zagreus' moveset, wielding Gigaros like his son does with Varatha as well as his own version of Zagreus' Casts.
• Fantasy-Forbidding Father: Specificity to Zagreus, and his desire to travel to the surface to find Persephone.
• Fatal Flaw: Stubbornness, by his own admission. Even when Persephone returns, and Hades apologizes to Zagreus for being a poor father to him, their relationship does improve noticeably, but he still finds it very difficult to open up and be a warmer father to his son. Also, Hades is unwilling to compromise or bend the rules even when doing so would be beneficial to all parties involved. For instance, Hades is angry that Orpheus, his court musician, is not performing any music. When Zagreus points out that forcibly separating Orpheus from Eurydice, who is not only his lover but also his muse, has essentially destroyed Orpheus' motivation to sing, Hades still refuses to change the terms of the contract since Orpheus agreed to it in the first place. As a result, Zagreus has to get help from Nyx and use his own authority as the son of Hades in order to let Orpheus see Eurydice.
• Final Boss: He's the last obstacle that stands between Zagreus and Persephone, at the very entrance of the Temple of Styx, and so he must be beaten before he can meet her.
• Flaming Skulls: Hades's cast takes this form. If they hit Zagreus, they inflict their own stronger version of Boiling Blood, which allows Hades to deal twice as much damage with his attacks. If the skulls fail to hit Zagreus, they will hover in place for ten seconds and then explode, causing a shockwave that covers half the boss arena.
• Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: In a conversation with Persephone, Zagreus states that he doesn't hate his father and never did, but his resentment of him may never be totally gone even after their relationship has been patched up. For his part, Hades is fully aware that his son may never forgive him for everything that happened and accepts the blame, admitting that he deserves it for being a bad parent.
• Gameplay and Story Integration: While most other characters' affection meters go up to ten hearts, Hades only gets five hearts. On top of that, it's only very late into the story that this affection rating can go any higher than one heart and he's the only character can't be gifted with an Ambrosia. This is to symbolize the still-strained relationship between him and Zagreus, even though it does improve.
• Glass Cannon: Hades's second phase hits harder than his first one. However, he doesn't summon any minions nor turn invisible, and only gets one instance of invulnerability opposed to the first phase's two instances. His third phase on Extreme Measures hits even harder than that, but he doesn't recover to full health and doesn't become invulnerable.
• God of the Dead: As the God of the Dead, he's in charge of the postmortem Celestial Bureaucracy. His title of "God of the Dead" differentiates him from "Death Incarnate" Thanatos, who functions more like The Grim Reaper and goes to the surface to collect mortal souls.
• Graceful Loser: Defeating his Extreme Measures version will make Hades act surprised at the notion of being beaten when he pulled all the stops, then finally congratulate Zagreus, in his characteristically cold and aloof way.
  Hades: Urgh... <Gasp> How... I... I went all out... And still...? You... Win... Boy...
• Grass is Greener: At one point, Zagreus wonders if his father would've been happier as Ruler of Olympus or the Seas. While admitting his distaste over not being able to choose, Hades dismisses this idea.
  Zagreus: Say, father... back when you drew lots with your brothers and wound up in the Underworld, rather than the heavens or seas... which would you have claimed if the choice was yours?
  Hades: I do not deal in hypotheticals, boy. Each realm has its host of unenviable problems. You have never experienced the cold and sopping sea, or the blinding heights of Olympus. I have. And I assure you, you're not missing much.
  Zagreus: Didn't you try to leave the Underworld yourself at one point? You once gave me that impression. I always thought it was because you hated it here.
  Hades: I hate not having any choice. Enjoy the freedoms that you have. As you grow long in years, you gain more burdens and responsibilities until they bind you.
• Heel–Face Turn: Reuniting with Persephone reopens his heart, making his relationship with his son far warmer than it used to be. From then on, Hades makes an effort to refer to Zagreus by his name, rather than merely as "boy"; though he does occasionally slip up here and there, he always corrects himself. He can also be given Nectar once more after he thanks Zagreus, which shows he also has a Keepsake: the Sigil of the Dead, which allows Zagreus to replace his Call with the ability to turn invisible.
• Henpecked Husband: The post-game reveals that Persephone is quite good at keeping her husband from being an unreasonable Jerkass. For instance, when Hades protests the idea of the Olympians coming over for dinner, he timidly retracts his remark and allows her to proceed with her plan.
• Heartfelt Apology: Upon being reunited with Persephone, he admits to Zagreus that he was right this whole time — even if he thought he was just protecting Persephone, keeping Zagreus and himself away from her this whole time ultimately solved nothing and only made the problem worse — and gives him one of these.
  "Zagreus. I know there have been... times when I've let my mood reflect on you. I've showed very little patience. Questioned your judgement, often, when my own was flawed. Thus, I apologize to you, my son. I have no excuses. And I ask no forgiveness."
• Hey, You!: He refers to Zagreus almost exclusively as "boy". The few times he does call Zagreus by name, Zag lampshades how rare it is. After Persephone returns, while he does refer to Zagreus by name consistently, he almost always does so after reflexively calling him "boy" again.
• Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: He stands at least three heads taller than his wife and both are Happily Married.

I-Z

• I Am Not Left-Handed: After his health bar is depleted, he gets back up and keeps fighting, even stronger than the first time. Once Extreme Measures 4 is unlocked, you find out that despite the sheer strength and might he unleashed upon Zagreus, Hades was still holding back. Once he goes all out in his third phase, he explicitly says no living being since the Titans had faced him at his full strength.
  Hades: I was reviewing the terms of the Pact of Punishment to which you are bound. Even when My servants resort to Extreme Measures, they were still unable to surpass you, then. So now, it is My turn.
  Zagreus: Caught you unprepared, did I? After Theseus and his Macedonian, I half-expected to see you thundering around on some golden chariot of your own drawn by sable steeds. That sort of thing. But it's just you.
  Hades: It is just Me, indeed. However, that should be more than necessary here. No holding back this time, Zagreus. Are you ready?
  Zagreus: Let's go.
  Hades: [upon entering his third phase] Urgh!... No... I'm... Not... Finished... With you... Yet! I can still fight!
  • When rematched:
    Hades: Extreme Measures permitted, even still? You must have forgotten to change the conditions of your Pact of Punishment.
    Zagreus: Wasn't an oversight. You're strong, Father. I want to be as strong, and more. Not that I'm taking after you or anything.
    Hades: You wish to test yourself against the full extent of my wrath, then very well. You have earned that right. Besides yourself, only the Titans have. Now then... Attack!
• If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her...: The one and only time that Hades just lets Zagreus walk out the door to see Persephone without a fight, Hades admits he was just delaying the inevitable. But Hades also sadly tells Zagreus that "should harm befall her... I shall bring my worst wrath upon whomever is to blame... including you", giving out an Implied Death Threat before Zagreus leaves.
• I Have No Son!: Ironically, Hades is actually quite pleased with the Hymn of Zagreus—because it's complete nonsense that claims Zagreus is Zeus's bastard rather than Hades's own son—and gleefully hopes it'll become widespread "so that everyone might know that I have nothing to do with you."
• Interface Screw: In Extreme Measures 4, the third phase of his boss fight has him darken the entire arena, making him almost impossible to see unless he's close to you.
• Invisibility: Possesses the Helm of Darkness forged for him by the Cyclopes during the Titan War. This is the same "Helm of Invisibility" that Perseus was lent during his own mythic quests. He uses it during the first phase of his boss fight to periodically go invisible, and during the third phase if Extreme Measures 4 is active. His Keepsake allows you to replace your Call with this power.
• Invocation: He says "Darkness!" whenever he turns invisible. Using his keepsake where Zagreus turns invisible also has his son likewise say "Darkness!" when it happens.
• It Only Works Once: During the second phase of Hades's boss fight, he sends out pillars of flame that engulfs the entirety of the stage, only leaving Zagreus a small window to avoid it. One strategy to work around it is if you camp out exactly where Hades is as he begins his attack, you will completely avoid and and be free to attack him during the duration of his attack. Face him again on Extreme Measures 4 and he has an added pulsing attack that will push you out of the safe range if you attempt to camp near him.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Hades is a jerk, but as long as his Jerkass tendencies aren't focused on Zagreus, he tends to have a solid point. The absolute biggest point he has, however, is that Zagreus should be incredibly damned careful about revealing his mother's location to the rest of Olympus. Even Zagreus comes to admit that he can see why Hades was being so careful and so protective. Though that doesn't mean Zagreus likes it.
• Large and in Charge: His is the biggest sprite in the game, barring perhaps Cerberus and the Bone Hydra, and the head of the Underworld.
• Law of Inverse Fertility: The Fates decreed that Hades would never have a living heir. He took this to mean he was sterile. He was not.
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Will snark at Zagreus in a way that targets the player if you give him Nectar. The "Big Bad" update also added a lot more of these moments to him, due to serving as the last-added boss but the game still being unfinished. If you fight him multiple times he'll ask Zagreus why he keeps challenging him, knowing you can't proceed past him anyway because the "renovations" aren't done yet, and snarks that maybe "if we had more support" the renovations would be done sooner.
• Lightning Bruiser: If you can somehow empty the lifebar of his Extreme Measures version twice, Hades will get back up for a third round, moving lightning fast and hitting with the force of a truck. He can also turn invisible again, unlike his second form.
• Manly Facial Hair: He has an exceptionally long 'stache, to the point it can be mistaken for a beard at first. Upon closer inspection, one can see that it's actually shaped like his own symbol. Hades himself proves himself to be the toughest obstacle Zagreus has to overcome during his escape.
• Mirror Boss: His spearwork during his first stage is similar to Zagreus using Varatha, including his normal attack and spin attack. The skulls he launches also inflict Boiling Blood upon you, the same as Zagreus's own bloodstone attack. If you upgrade him with Extreme Measures 4, he gains a Raging Rush, like the Aspect of Achilles, teleporting to Gigaros after throwing it. He can also summon Cerberus as a companion.
• Morality Pet: Cerberus, rather-literally. The three-headed hound is just about the only thing other than Persephone who can coax any level of tenderness out of Hades. He's not above using Cerberus as emotional blackmail against Zagreus, though.
• No Cure for Evil: His Extreme Measures battle averts this. The green jars that Hades summons will heal him for every one that Zagreus doesn't destroy.
• Noodle Incident:
  • Something has happened between him and the Olympians that estranged them to each other, which is why none of the Olympians are initially aware of Zagreus's existence or Persephone's for that matter. Both Zeus and Poseidon will mention how he never calls. It's later revealed that Zeus was responsible for abducting Persephone from her mother and sending her to the Underworld to be Hades' "consolation prize", which deepened the rift with Hades if not outright caused it.
  • He also had another with Heracles, whom Hades repeatedly derides as getting preferable treatment from Zeus.
• Not Good with Rejection: Played with. At first glance, it seems that Hades is still so bitter about Persephone leaving him that he's completely banned it as a topic of discussion within his house. His behavior suggests that he's taking a lot of that bitterness out on the biggest reminder of her that she left behind—their son, Zagreus. This is eventually subverted; Persephone's departure wasn't Hades' fault, and the real reason behind all the secrecy is that Hades is rightfully terrified of what would happen if Demeter ever found out what really happened.
• Not So Stoic: He usually doesn't emote much beyond making snide remarks towards Zagreus, but the few spots where he breaks this register are at the peak of emotional distress. He often answers with anger and annoyance.
• Offing the Offspring: Should Zagreus make it up to the surface, Hades will be there to meet him and personally send him back down by force. Notably despite his otherwise abusive behavior Hades takes zero pleasure in fighting Zagreus, and can even remark that the fates are mocking him for forcing him to once again take up arms against his own family. He lightens up about it significantly once Persephone returns and Zagreus' escape attempts become part of his official job, even bonding somewhat with his son over their "sparring matches".
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Hades doesn't back down or show weakness in front of anyone, even Nyx herself. However, the only person that can make him look meek and can't make eye contact with is his wife Persephone. Once Persephone returns it's the first time Hades is outright gentle and cautious around anyone and their conversations afterwards is nothing but Hades promising he'll do whatever he can to make sure Persephone feels at home. Due to Persephone's influence Hades also starts showing a more fatherly and kind side to Zagreus, even calling him by his name and makes a genuine attempt at an apology for the years of abuse and an offering to start over. Even Zagreus is initially surprised at this change, but does welcome it.
  • One of the things that made Zagreus angriest was knowing that Hades had lied to both himself and his mother, as he always saw his father as honest, if nothing else. Hades admits that the deception tore at his existence, implying it caused him either physical or spiritual pain to go against his nature so strongly. Avoiding a massive family war and safeguarding the lives of his wife and son took priority over the truth.
• Orcus on His Throne: Hades will send any manner of infernal beasts, tortured souls, and his own staff to stop Zagreus from leaving the Underworld... while he's plenty busy at his desk in Tartarus. This definitely changes once Zagreus makes it to the surface and Hades puts down the quill to battle him himself. Played with in that you start each run looking at him on his terrible throne, and all he does is grumble at what a terrible son you are.
• Perilous Old Fool: Downplayed of course due to him being a God, but sitting at that desk doing paperwork all day (or what passes for day, in the Underworld) for a while now has clearly taken its toll on the old man. Yet he's still no pushover by any means, as no matter how many times you beat him, and no matter how fast you go through The Underworld, he will always be waiting for you.
  Hades: Augh... I'm not as limber as I used to be, while you...?
• Pen-Pushing President: Hades's work boils down to this. Despite being ruler of the Underworld, his Titan-slaying days are over and he now mainly deals with massive amounts of paperwork to fill out. There's so much of it, in fact, that the area around his desk and even the house's lounge is buried in scrolls of parchment. He's usually seen working and hardly ever leaves his desk unless he's faced as the Final Boss after Zagreus successfully makes it to the surface.
• Pet the Dog: He's a jerk to be sure, but he's not completely heartless.
  • He has a strong bond with Cerberus, and tells Zagreus to respect the time of Cerberus (albeit by telling Zag not to buy Cerberus dog toys). Love of Cerberus seems to be the only thing they have in common and they even use the dog as emotional blackmail against each other. "Anything you say to me you can say in front of the dog!" Hades has a Chthonic Companion of him, and is able to summon him to help him but only during Extreme Measures 4 and even then Cerberus merely runs playfully across the arena, implying Hades either doesn't want or is unable to use Cerberus against Zagreus.
  • He'll grant the desires of some of the shades that stand before him: before Persephone returns to the House, it happens rarely, but after she's back and his mood improves as a result, he seems to do so noticeably more often.
  • He'll approve of a few of the House Contractor's wares, like the Ominous Bonework, the Bloodless bust, the Golden Pedestals and the Sundial (although he would've chosen a different type of marble). He also likes the portrait of him that gets commissioned.
  • He thanks Zagreus (in his own way) when he kills several Satyrs and vermin at the Temple of Styx, since it was a huge pest problem.
  • When Hypnos and Thanatos both end up exceeding his expectations, Hades genuinely praises their efforts and tells them to keep up the good work. He also enjoys how Hypnos decorates the margins of his reports, and praises him for his artistic capabilities.
  • Some interactions between him and his employees reveal that when he's in a good mood, he'll treat his workers fairly. One such example is when Thanatos reports back to Hades in regards to his attendance record. As he just got back from dealing with a war on the surface, Hades tells him that he's one of his best servants and that Thanatos shouldn't over-exert himself.
  • He's also the one who has the final say on who gets to be in the Featured Houseservant Wall, so whenever Cerberus, the Chef, Meg, Achilles, Than and even Zagreus himself appear on it, it's due to him.
  • It's heavily implied that he allowed Orpheus to attempt to save Eurydice out of pity. Considering that Hades is separated from Persephone, it makes sense.
  • While he dislikes Zagreus messing with his pacts or the sentences of souls (mainly due to Slave to PR), he ultimately lets it pass uninhibited because Zagreus changed said pacts by Hades' rules.
• Phlebotinum Overload: Invoked. After their family is reunited, Hades refuses to let Zagreus touch his spear, Gigaros, as it's too powerful for him to handle and would tear him to pieces smaller than the Titans' if he tried.
  Hades: Never lay hands upon Gigaros, boy, ever again. The power in that spear could tear you to pieces finer than the ones to which some of your fellow ancestors were once reduced.
• Punch-Clock Villain: Due to him running a Celestial Bureaucracy. He can be pretty harsh with some of the requests from the shades and others of his house, but it's just his job as the god of the dead. It's implied a few times that he would probably leave the Underworld if he could, but just like Zagreus, he's bound to it now.
• Rank Scales with Asskicking: As the elder brother of Zeus and the lord of the Underworld, it's hardly a surprise that Hades is an extremely powerful foe in his hindrance of Zagreus' quest as well as in battle when he stops Zagreus at the exit from the Temple of Styx which leads to Earth as of the Big Bad Update. He's very difficult to fight against.
• Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Just like Nyx and his son.
• Reformed, but Not Tamed: Even after he's reunited with Persephone and comes to better terms with his son, Hades still has his moments of gruffness and will not go soft in his fight either.
  Hades: You think your mother shall make me go soft, do you?
  Zagreus:Is that your deepest fear of late, Father?
• Reluctant Ruler: Hades did not want to assume lordship over the Underworld, but the Fates didn't give him much of a choice to the point that he can't leave for the surface any more than Zagreus can.
• The Resenter: He initially comes off as this towards his brothers, with everyone believing that his estrangement from them is due to him being saddled with the thankless job of having to rule the Underworld while they got comparatively plum jobs ruling Olympus and the Seas. He later reveals that his problem is less with the duty he's been given and more with how he was never given his own choice in the matter. It also turns out he has a perfectly justifiable reason for being estranged from Zeus.
• Resentful Guardian: Hades never wanted children and finds it baffling that anyone else would either. Actually having a child did little to change his opinion, unfortunately for Zagreus.
• Resurrective Immortality: Like son, like father... and it even has the same animation of being pulled down into the blood-red river of the Styx.
• Sarcasm-Blind: Despite being just as snarky and sarcastic as his son, he seems to seriously believe he wants his old job in the administrator's office once Zagreus dreams of his horrid time there. He even sarcastically begs to be put back in there, which still doesn't tip off his father.
• Secret Other Family: Hades made a point of hiding his son and, it appears, his failed relationship with Persephone from his Olympian relatives, who only learned of Zagreus's existence when Nyx reached out to them.
• See the Invisible: His helm renders him invisible, but he still leaves footprints in the snow.
• Sequential Boss: When Hades's first life bar goes down, he kneels... Only for there to be a second phase to the boss fight. His Extreme Measures 4 version has a third phase on top of that.
• Single-Target Sexuality: While it's been established that deities taking on multiple lovers was normal, Hades stands out because he only ever loved Persephone, his queen. Even before he met her, he never courted anyone and remains single after she left the Underworld.
• Skeletons in the Coat Closet: Similarly to Zagreus, skulls feature prominently on his clothing. According to him, they belonged to Typhon's many children, of which Cerberus is one of the few survivors.
• Skippable Boss: Only once, and it's Played for Drama. When Zagreus reaches Hades after defeating him nine times before, Hades has admitted to himself that he's just delaying the inevitable. By this point, Zagreus knows why Hades was trying to prevent Zagreus from seeing Persephone, that Olympus may bring their full wrath down on the Underworld if they ever found out she was still alive, and that Hades (in a twisted way) was trying to protect her. But now that it's clear Zagreus is insistent on trying to patch things up, Hades just lets Zagreus go see Persephone in spite of all of the warnings, albeit with an Implied Death Threat that should any harm befall Persephone, Hades will show Zagreus no mercy. When this happens, Hades will keep his back turned and let Zagreus walk out the door, without a boss fight. It's right after this that Zagreus finds Persephone ready to come back to the House of Hades, so it all works out in the end.
• Slave to PR: Of a sort. While Hades seems like a stoic, unforgiving Jerkass who wants to keep people bound by the pacts they've made and a figure for the dead to fear, it's partially out of his sense of duty and the other part is because he has a reputation to uphold as the Lord of the Dead as a fearsome ruler. If people didn't fear him or what the afterlife has in store for them, then they would treat him as a joke.
• Slouch of Villainy: As of the Nighty Night update, Hades will slouch in his chair while listening to the petitions of the Underworld's shades in the House of Hades.
• SNK Boss: Should you make it to the end of the Temple of Styx, he steps up to try and stop Zagreus. He hits hard, has a Casting mechanic like Zagreus, can summon Elite Mooks during the boss fight, as well as having a second phase where he summons multiple beams and hands from the Underworld to stagger Zagreus. And that's his normal form — his Extreme Measures battle has a third form that's even harder than that.
• Sore Loser: If you talk to him in the House of Hades after you defeat him in battle for the first time, he'll pretend like it didn't happen, even if Zagreus calls him out on it.
• The Stoic: He has practically no emotional affect at all, beyond snidely mocking his son.
• Stop Worshipping Me: Unlike the Olympians, he considers worship and offerings to be a pain in the ass, since they mostly just result in more paperwork for him.
• Surrounded by Idiots: When Zagreus does well on clearing an Infernal Trove, Hades will generally make comments along these lines about his guards.
• Suspiciously Specific Denial: After meeting her mother multiple times, Zagreus comes to the conclusion that she ended up in hell with his father because one of his brothers "gave" her to him. When he asks Hades if his brothers were responsible for it, Hades quickly denies it by saying Poseidon had nothing to do with it. That denial conveniently leaves out Zeus...
• This Cannot Be!: Downplayed. Hades's first reaction to defeat is to quietly ask how, but he accepts the reality of it very quickly afterwards. He'll even do this if he's defeated with zero boons.
• Took a Level in Kindness: When Persephone comes back, she chides him to be more honest and respectful with his son. Which he does. In normal interactions the two can still be sarcastic with each other, but much less overtly hostile and their fights to the death seem fairly casual given that there's no actual stakes involved. They almost seem like they're having fun with it.
• Took a Shortcut:
  • No matter how fast you go, Hades will always beat you to Styx. When Zagreus calls attention to it, Hades points out that he can travel the river while Zagreus has to navigate the chambers on foot. There's a passageway in the administrative chamber that points to this conclusion as well.
  • Accessing the Archives allows Zagreus to find the Eldest Sign of the Underworld, which allows Hades to move freely through his realm. Zagreus comments he's never been able to get it to work.
• Trap Master: His flaming skulls will explode in a few seconds, unleashing a damaging shockwave. In his second stage, Hades gains an attack where he causes green amphoras to erupt all over the arena. If Zagreus steps on or attacks one, it causes hands to erupt from the ground around the amphora, causing damage and a short stun. The flaming skulls' shockwaves can also destroy them.
• Troubled Abuser: Hades himself is in a pretty miserable situation he can't escape—not to mention he had the terrible dad to end all terrible dads—and he deals with it by dumping all his frustrations on his son. Postgame, when he's under much less stress, his behavior is still on the dismissive side but comes across as much less truly hostile.
• Turns Red: He's the only boss in the game to have more than one form. Comparatively speaking, his second form hits harder and has harder-to-avoid attacks, but doesn't defend nearly as often. And if you have Extreme Measures up to rank 4, Hades has a third form, which reveals that his second form was Hades still holding back; the third form is Hades holding back absolutely nothing.
• Ungrateful Bastard: Is the only one to not give Zagreus a gift in return if you give him Nectar, mocking Zagreus -- and by extension the player -- for expecting anything for it. After that the option to offer him gifts is permanently disabled, even if you are carrying some. It's reenabled quite a way into the postgame, after Persephone's return and more of their history with the Olympians comes to light. Hades is so grateful towards Zagreus for reuniting them that he reopens his heart to him.
• What's Up, King Dude?: Hades has his hands full with an endless procession of random shades coming to him with every grievance, and he doesn't seem to mind allowing random shades gather in the House of Hades's halls and lounge.
• Worthy Opponent: In the postgame, he grows to see Zagreus as this, being the only one that can match him and even outstrip him in sheer power.
  Hades: Argh... you bested me. I'll grant you, Zagreus... You're... quite... strong...