BIOGRAPHY - Page 4
After the Asgardian gods fell during one of their Ragnaroks, Zeus decided to embrace the modern age and formed the Olympus Group, essentially becoming a corporation. He believed that the Olympians had to reconnect with humanity for their survival. Hera, as a natural schemer, thrived in this new world of corporate espionage and any submission she made to her husband previously was now gone. At this point, Hera made use of her pawn King Eurytheus to commission new modern labors for Hercules for a reality TV show produced by their new company. These new labors were designed by her to be even more challenging. When Zeus discovered her plot, he attempted to smash her head in with a baseball bat but she used her powers to disintegrate the weapon. Hera asserted that this was their dynamic; he cheated, had illegitimate children and she tried to kill them. This was simply how it always was. She had, in fact, got lawyers to draft an agreement for the two to cement this in writing. Zeus was in shock at his wife's rise in power against him. This was Hera's domain now; she forced a vote from the board of her fellow Olympians. The board voted in her favor and Zeus was forbidden in interfering in the Labors. Hercules managed to complete Hera's new trials anyway but she didn't seem to care anymore. She had embraced this time period. Teleporting away, she bid Eurytheus, goodbye just before Hercules arrived and seemingly beat him to death. [Hercules (3rd series) #1-5]
Hera's time in the Olympus Group was temporarily interrupted. Zeus and his fellow Olympians were forced to retreat to Mount Olympus when threatened by Japanese god of evil, Mikaboshi. The assistance of Hera and Zeus' son Ares was requested, but he refused. He had since become a father again, to a boy named Alexander and was living with mortals. Given the threat level, Zeus was unable to allow Ares to decline and he had Alexander kidnapped and brought to Olympus. While Ares was being convinced to return to Olympus, Alexander was seized by the enemy. When Ares was brought to his father's throne room, Hera immediately ran to his side and apologized for the loss of Alexander, claiming that she and her husband had dishonored him. Ares attempted to take the sword to Hera but she was surprisingly rescued by Hercules. Zeus then interrupted the argument, only for Ares to also turn on him. After a scuffle, Ares agreed to help in the hopes of retrieving his son. While battling Mikaboshi, Zeus was seriously injured. Hercules believed that the situation had changed Hera and was willing to work with her but Ares had his doubts, considering his mother as evil as he was. 
Time passed and Mikaboshi warped Alexander, turning him into a new god of war, hoping that he would in turn kill his father Ares to replace him. Some time passed and the Olympians, including Hera, led a force against them. During this battle, as Hercules was about to be blindsided, Hera had an opportunity to warn him but again found herself unable to help Zeus' bastard, indicating that Ares had been right about his mother. Mikaboshi was defeated, thanks to Ares and Alexander, but Zeus died in the process, making Hera a widow. [Ares #1-5]
After her husband’s death, Hera returned to the life of a corporate predator. She had inherited her husband's shares in the Olympus group in addition to his thunderbolt. Thanks to her scheming, she had outmaneuvered her brother Poseidon, forcing him into signing over his shares to her and her favorite brother and loyalist, Hades. She had also started a new relationship but, keeping with the Olympian gods’ penchant for incest, he was a relative; her uncle, the mad titan Typhon. As CEO of the Olympus Group, Hera pledged that their main corporate mission was death to half breeds like Hercules and Athena (Hera now making good on her age old promise for revenge against Athena). [Incredible Hercules #121-123]
Hera and new beau Typhon met with Athena, Hercules and his sidekick Amadeus Cho in neutral ground in Silly's Greek Diner in midtown Manhattan. The premises were protected by the Kindly Ones and bloodshed was forbidden in its walls. Hera was furious with Athena for convening with the council of Godheads without her during the Skrull Invasion. Athena found her stepmother's position ridiculous given the stakes but Hera failed to see the nuance. She felt Athena had embarrassed her among the other pantheons and demanded that she submit fealty to her now in perpetuity. Cho interjected that, according to myth, Athena was destined to be greater than Zeus; why should she kowtow to Hera? Hera agreed that Athena was greater than Zeus, a greater embarrassment and a greater pain in her ass. Hera promised Athena that the next time they met she would kill her “and her little dog too.” This reference to the Wizard of Oz was a further example of how much Hera had really embraced this time period and her role in it, that of a villain.
[Note: Despite her claim that she had been embarrassed by Athena, Hera later presided over a council of various deities in Secret Warriors (1st series) #10, where her grandson Alexander was recognized as a new god of fear. Presumably she continued to retain high status.]
Others had noticed Hera's ascension too. Norman Osborn, leader of H.A.M.M.E.R. and the Dark Avengers, went to her headquarters for a meeting, though he 
was dubious she was in fact the real “Hera.” Hera's daughter Hebe was serving as her secretary. When Hebe was unaware of who Norman was, Hera introduced herself and referred to Hebe as a “withered branch,” showing that she was no kinder to her daughters than she was to her sons. Hera wanted to show off her new Continuum product to Osborn and offered to keep him in the loop when it was being rolled out. Osborn left furious and considered Hera quite insane. He threatened to wipe her out from space but Hera had no fear of Osborn. After all, she was immortal. Hera had more important things to worry about, as she was still planning to kill Hercules and Athena after all.