hercules (dwayne johnson), is the leader of a gang of mercenaries, comprised of the prophet amphariaus (ian mcshane), the thief autylocus (rufus sewell), the barbarian tydeus (aksel hennie), the huntress atalanta (ingrid bolsø berdal) and his nephew iolaus (reece ritchie). hercules is supposedly the lovechild of zeus and a mortal woman who engaged in 12 legendary labors, but was betrayed by hera, who induced him with madness, which caused him to kill his wife and children while he was visiting king eurystheus (joseph fiennes). despite hercules' origins not being clearly established in the movie, he displays powerful godlike strength and unmatched skill in combat. however, he is frequently plagued by the memory of murdering his family and visions of the three-headed hellhound cerberus.