ROBERT

Real Name: Robert (last name unrevealed)

Identity/Class: Normal human

Occupation: Assistant director, camera operator, professional film-maker

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Gordon Allsworth, Hercules, Jimmy, Tiberius Stone

Enemies: Charon, Achelous; (by association with Hercules) Eurystheus, Hera

Known Relatives: father (name unrevealed)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Hollywood, California, USA

First Appearance: Hercules III#1 (June, 2005)

Powers/Abilities: Robert possesses the normal human strength level of a man of his size, height and build who engages in regular exercise. He has no known superhuman powers. In the Hollywood film industry, he is known as a capable film maker and camera man for "The New Labors of Hercules."

History: 

(Hercules III#1 (fb) - BTS) - Not much is known about his early life, although he alludes to an evident bad relationship with his father.

(Hercules III#1) - Robert was a television film-maker and assistant director under Gordon Allsworth in Hollywood, California, before becoming the host and director for a TV series called "The New Labors Of Hercules," which documented the modern exploits of the actual Hercules playing himself. During the shooting of a scene from the infancy of Hercules, he was interrupted by Gordon who stepped in to complain about the quality of the special effects. Robert accused Gordon of using the series as a stepping stone for better television opportunities, later humoring Gordon when he claimed the series kept him from other and better projects.

(Hercules III#2) - Subsequently hearing that Hercules had been abducted, Robert joined Gordon and Jimmy their camera guy to discover Hercules at the modern-day penthouse of Eurystheus, Hercules' cousin, who had been restored to life by Hera. (Whether Hera had teleported Eurystheus through time or if he had been alive through the ages is unrevealed.) Briefly trying to enjoy the former Mycenaean king's hospitality, Robert was held privy to Eurystheus's plan to have Hercules create modern day versions of his Twelve Labors in order to regain his prestige in the public. The meeting was interrupted by Achelous, a former river-god who had tried abducting Hercules' second wife, Deianeira, but when Robert compared Achelous to being a stalker, he threatened Robert for mocking him. Hercules saved Robert's life just before accepting Eurystheus' offer.

(Hercules III#3) - Robert, Jimmy and Gordon accompanied Hercules to the Savage Land looking for Zabu, the saber-toothed cat and companion of Ka-Zar, to stand in for the Nemean Lion from his First Labor, but Hercules erroneously captured and subdued a Tyrannosaurus rex (or similar predator). Robert reminded Hercules that Zabu was a cat much like the Nemean Lion, but he also began having reservations over this obvious mistake and how much guidance Hercules was going to require. Although Hercules finally located and tied up Zabu, the circumstances greatly annoyed Ka-Zar and Shanna, who came to investigate.

    For the Second Labor involving the Hydra's legacy in the HYDRA terrorist group, Robert, Jimmy and Gordon were held at gun point by an annoyed HYDRA Agent upset they had brought Hercules to decimate their ranks. However, upon hearing they were film makers, the agent started pitching his own ideas for a series. Taking his card, Robert became interested in the HYDRA enrollment roster because of the benefits in the group.

    Robert followed Hercules to the Blue Area of the Moon to abduct Lockjaw from the Inhumans and back to Earth to capture Dragon Man, ridding Atlantis of Attuma and his army from Atlantis and stand up to the red dust of the Red Skull, respectively emulating the Erymanthian Boar, Cerynean Hind, the Stymphalian Birds and the Augean Stables. By this point, Allsworth recorded his pessimism whether that Hercules could finish his labors. At the same time, Hercules was having a crisis of faith in his abilities, upon which Jimmy advised him to be more creative in his exploits. Impressed with the value of the advice, Robert tried to share a moment about his father with Jimmy who just disinterestedly wandered away from him. However, following Hercules' complete victory over the Abomination, a substitute for the Cretan Bull of the Seventh Labor, they began to realize Hercules was becoming serious in his mission.

(Hercules III#4) - For the Eighth Labor involving the Man-Eating Mares of Diomedes, Robert traveled with Hercules to the island of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands in search of the rock giants of the Mole Man, but upon learning Hercules had been loaned the use of Gordon's credit card, both he and Jimmy tried to add several additional purchases to it.

    For the Ninth Labor, Robert headed with Hercules to the Avengers Building in New York City to claim the shield of Captain America, a substitute to the girdle of Hippolyta, but neither he nor Jimmy or Gordon were allowed inside as Hercules went in and had a short chat with Captain America. Moments later, Hercules came racing out after grabbing the shield in a brief tussle with the Avengers. Afterward, Robert accompanied Hercules to abduct one of Doctor Doom's Doombots and to take hostage of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, substitutes for the Red Cattle of Geryon and the Garden of the Hesperides in the Tenth and Eleventh Labors, respectively. However, summoned back to Eurystheus' penthouse, Robert was stunned to hear that Hercules had murdered his first wife and kids and that Hercules was required to face them once more in the underworld for his final labor.  

(Hercules III#5) - Having lost face with Robert and Jimmy, Hercules fled back to the Extra Points Bar where Robert and Jimmy finally found him after searching several bars, strip joints and massage parlors. Although shocked over the events of his past, Robert and Jimmy tried to rally him to finish the labors, but it was Gordon who finally got Hercules angry enough to want to finish the labors. Traveling to the underworld with the permission of Pluto, Robert encountered Charon, the ferryman of the Styx, and compared him to the Crypt Keeper from "Tales From The Crypt" and a Jim Henson animatronic, forcing Charon to break his silence and chew him out. Robert was protected from Cerberus by Hercules, but the fracas alerted the armies of the dead, forced to stand down by Megara and her children coming to meet Hercules. The solemn moment between them emotionally choked up Robert and Jimmy, but Hercules destroyed the footage they had caught to keep the event sacred.

    Robert afterward turned up at the wrap party for the series where Robert and Jimmy learned the female bartender of the Extra Points Bar had a going thing for Hercules. Hercules, however, was not in attendance, preferring to return to Greece to pay homage to the earthly remains of Megara and his children near Thebes.

Comments: Adapted by Frank Tieri and Mark Texiera 

At the onset of this series, Gordon and Ty Stone initially seem to resemble Sam Raimi and Kevin Sorbo of  "Hercules The Legendary Journeys," the 1995-2001 television series. For that matter, Robert resembles Richard Langley (Dean Haglund) of the short-lived "Lone Gunman" series, a spin-off of "The X-Files," and this might be stretching things, but Jimmy the camera-man sometimes resembles Ted Raimi, the brother of Sam Raimi, known for playing Joxer in the 1996-2002 "Hercules" spin-off. However, these likenesses don't stay constant.

As an odd coincidence (or not), "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys" also established that their Hercules was also the real Hercules pretending to be a mortal actor named Kevin Sorbo in the episode, "Yes, Virginia, There Is a Hercules." It is uncertain if this plot point was worked into the Marvel Universe or just independently developed.

It should be noted that in the Marvel Universe the general public doesn't believe Hercules (or Thor for that matter) are the actual gods from mythology, just modern individuals with incredible powers playing homage to the ancient myths. For that matter, it is likely they accept several of the locations (the Savage Land, the Blue Area of the Moon, Atlantis, the Underworld, et al.) as television-simulated scenarios.

In Greek and Roman mythology, Hercules killed only his children, not Megara. After the end of his original Labors, he returned to Thebes and overthrew Lycus, restoring his former father-in-law, Creon, to the throne. Reunited with Megara, he told her to find a new husband and offered her to Iolaus, his nephew.

Profile by: Thor2000

CLARIFICATIONS:
Robert is not to be confused with:

Images (without ads):
Hercules III#1, p6, middle panel (main image)
Hercules III#3, p6, bottom right (middle image)
Hercules III#3, p25, middle panel (bottom image) 

Appearances:
Hercules III#1 (June, 2005) - Frank Tieri (writer), Mark Texiera (pencils), Jimmy Palmiotti (inks), Axil Alonso (editor)
Hercules III#2 (July, 2005) - Frank Tieri (writer), Mark Texiera (pencils), Jimmy Palmiotti (inks), Axil Alonso (editor)
Hercules III#3 (August, 2005) - Frank Tieri (writer), Mark Texiera (pencils), Jimmy Palmiotti (inks), Axil Alonso (editor)
Hercules III#4 (September, 2005) - Frank Tieri (writer), Mark Texiera (pencils), Jimmy Palmiotti (inks), Axil Alonso (editor)
Hercules III#5 (October, 2005) - Frank Tieri (writer), Mark Texiera (pencils), Jimmy Palmiotti (inks), Axil Alonso (editor)

Last updated: 10/11/12

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