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Hephaestus
Thumb Hephaestus
Epirus

God of ...

Technology, fire, volcanoes and blacksmithing

Lives in ...

Mount Olympus

Relatives

Powers

  • Immortality
  • Shapeshifting
  • Teleportation
  • Control Over Volcanoes

Alignment

Neutral later Good

Affiliations

The Olympian Gods

Status

Alive (Clash of the Titans, 1981) Deceased (Wrath of the Titans, 2012)

Portrayed by

(1981) Pat Roach
(2010) Paul Kynman
(2012) Bill Nighy


Hephaestus is the god of metal working, volcanoes, and sculptors. He is son of Zeus and Hera, he is also married to Aphrodite.

History[]

Clash of the Titans (1981 movie)[]

In the 1981 movie, Athena had Hephaestus create Bubo to aid Perseus in place of Athena's owl.

Clash of the Titans (2010 movie)[]

In the 2010 movie, he is merely a background character. Although it can be surmised that he most likely still forged the Lightning Sword.

Wrath of the Titans 2012[]

"Kronos will dismantle the Earth, you'll be scattered across the universe. Fantastic..." - Hephaestus

While it goes unmentioned, Hephaestus is also a son of Zeus. When Hades tried to usurp Olympus from Zeus and was banished to the Underworld, Hephaestus apparently spoke in defense of Hades, remembering his old friendship with the God.

Hephaestus reasons that he did so only because he felt that Zeus was wrong to banish Hades to the Underworld. Zeus however took insult from this and stripped Hephaestus of his divine power, after which he exiled him to the Island of Kail.

In this new life Hephaestus kept his friendship with the Cyclopes, but he slowly became eccentric and bitter over the years.

He is later visited by Perseus, Agenor and Andromeda, who need his assistance. Hephaestus recognises Perseus instantly as the slayer of the Kraken, but dismisses Agenor as another worthless demi-God.

Hephaestus is surprised to learn that Poseidon is dead and Zeus is captured. He initially deems the situation hopeless, as he knows that Kronos will easily dismantle the earth. Hephaestus puts the blame on Zeus, bemoaning how everyone has forgotten that Hades was a benevolent God while Zeus was drunk on power.

Andromeda then reasons with him that humans still find strength even in great hardship, sometimes prevailing against all odds. She asks him how he would free Zeus were it up to him. Hephaestus is touched, remarking that Andromeda reminds him of Aphrodite, his wife. Hephaestus then shows them the layout of Tartarus, revealing that he built the prison as well as the labyrinth, which is the only way a human can travel through the Underworld to Tartarus.

He later warms to Agenor, remembering how his father Poseidon taught him how to navigate. Hephaestus leads them to the Labyrinth atop a large tower. But at the entrance, Ares tracks them down and attacks the group. Hephaestus manages to open the door, but the mechanism glitches and the door begins to close. The God struggles to keep it open, but at length he uses the power stored within his staff to wedge the door open. Hephaestus then fends off Ares, who throttles him. But this allows Agenor to hit him with the Trident, allowing them to escape into the Labyrinth. Perseus tries to help Hephaestus, but he tells Perseus to go. Hephaestus is killed when Ares spears him with Zeus' Thunderbolt.

Powers and abilities[]

"Those cyclopes helped me forge the God weapons. Have respect!" - Hephaestus

Hephaestus was a master blacksmith, being credited with the creation of Tartarus, the Labyrinth and the God weapons.

  • Immortality - Like all the gods, he’s immortal as long as he’s worshipped by humans.
  • Fire - Hephaestus had considerable power over fire, using it in his great forges to create the God weapons. It is implied that he imparted fire into the trident, pitchfork and thunderbolt, seeing as the weapons glow with a combustive flame when used. Likewise Hephaestus also had a staff with the same properties, as it was strong enough to hold open the door to the labyrinth for a while
  • Craftsman - Hephaestus created the labyrinth, which could adjust and reshape itself.
  • Expert Navigator - Hephaestus was skilled at navigation, a skill he learned from Poseidon.
  • Strength - Hephaestus still had enough strength to hold the door open himself before using the staff.

Personality[]

"Poseidon dead, Zeus captured, the words don't even sit together!" - Hephaestus

Hephaestus is eccentric, sarcastic and sometimes bombastic. He has taken to talking to his inanimate owl, seeing as he has no company other than the Cyclopes. As a God he was known to be happily married to Aphrodite, whom he remembered fondly.

Otherwise he is still a benign individual who openly disapproves of wrong doing. For this reason Hephaestus was a fierce critic of Zeus, holding Zeus responsible for the corruption of Hades. He also hated Ares with equal measure, calling him a snivelling dog. On the other hand Hephaestus held Hades in much higher regard, suggesting that Hephaestus and Hades were on good terms. Likewise Hephaestus also had friendship with Poseidon, recalling how the latter taught him navigation as well as seducing a mermaid.

He also admired the bravery and honesty expressed by Andromeda, noting how she reminded him of Aphrodite, his wife.

Creations[]

Hephaestus created along with the aid of the Cyclopes, most if not all of the god's weapons and items. Among his creations, we have:

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • The Hephaestus appearing in Clash of the Titans is bulky, armored, tall and has a younger appearance than that appearing in Wrath of the Titans.
  • In Clash of the Titans Hephaestus is seen along with the other gods on Olympus, while in Wrath of the Titans, Hephaestus states he was cast away and depowered by Zeus many years ago when he sided with Hades, which contradicts his appearance in the 2010 remake. However it may not be a contradiction, as Hephaestus only states he sided with Hades in "...the little family argument". The argument in question may actually refer to the fallout when Hades tried to take his revenge on Zeus in Clash of the Titans.
  • In Wrath of the Titans, Hephaestus speaks with a Yorkshire accent.
  • In the myths Hephaestus was lame but he was never depowered. He was briefly cast from Olympus but he soon made his way back and earned his rightful place among the Gods. The film acknowledges that his wife was Aphrodite, but no mention is made of the myth where she had an affair with Ares. Hephaestus hated Ares for this very reason.
  • Hephaestus' name is of pre-Greek origin and its meaning is unknown.
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