The Disney Problem
If you grew up watching Disney's Hercules (1997), you "know" that Hades is the villain — a fast-talking, blue-flamed schemer trying to overthrow Zeus. This portrayal has done more damage to Hades' reputation than two thousand years of mythology.
In the actual Greek myths, Hades is not evil. He's not even particularly antagonistic. He's simply the god who drew the short straw and got the Underworld instead of the sky or sea.
What the Ancient Greeks Actually Thought
The Greeks didn't view the Underworld the way Christians view Hell. It wasn't a place of punishment for sinners — it was simply where everyone went after death. Tartarus was reserved for the truly wicked, but most souls went to the Asphodel Meadows, a neutral afterlife.
Hades ruled this realm fairly. He didn't torture souls for fun. He didn't tempt mortals into sin. He maintained order in the world of the dead, which was considered a necessary and important role.
Hades vs. His Brothers
Compare Hades to Zeus, who constantly cheated on his wife, abducted mortals, and punished anyone who annoyed him. Or Poseidon, who destroyed ships, flooded cities, and assaulted women in temples. Hades was arguably the most well-behaved of the three brothers.
His biggest "crime" in mythology was abducting Persephone — which, while certainly wrong by modern standards, was actually arranged by Zeus (Persephone's father) and was how marriages often worked in ancient Greek culture.
Why We Made Him a Villain
Death is scary. Darkness is scary. The Underworld is scary. Humans naturally associate these things with evil, so Hades got lumped in as a villain despite the myths not supporting this reading.
Christianity's influence also played a role — when European culture adopted a heaven/hell framework, the Greek Underworld got retrofitted into "hell" and its ruler became a devil figure.
The Hades Game Got It Right
Supergiant Games' Hades presents a Hades who is stern, demanding, and difficult — but ultimately a father who loves his son. This is much closer to how the ancient Greeks viewed him: serious, just, and a little frightening, but not evil.
So next time someone calls Hades a villain, you can tell them the real story. He's not the bad guy. He's the responsible brother who got stuck with the worst job in the cosmos — and did it without complaint for eternity.