BIOGRAPHY - Page 6
Thanks to the effort of Hercules, Athena and their allies the Avengers, Continuum/Typhon was stopped but the prophecy that Hera experienced also came true. Mikaboshi transformed into the Chaos King and attacked the Earth. Hera and Zeus, along with their son Ares (who had since died too), were temporarily released from the underworld and enslaved by the King and used as his servitors. Again, Hercules proved to be Hera's salvation as he defeated the Chaos King and, while temporarily infused with divine power, resurrected Hera, Zeus and Ares among others. [Chaos War #1-5, Chaos War: Ares #1]
After their resurrection, Zeus created a new Mount Olympus in Montauk and Hera joined him. Members of the Incredible Hulk's family had been damaged by the events of the Chaos War and he went to this new mountain to ask for help. Instead, he met terrible resistance before finally pushing through the Olympians forces, where he was met by Zeus and Hera. Zeus took great offense to Hulk's presence
on Olympus and unleashed on him. Hera tried to encourage the Hulk to walk away and save himself but he refused. The Hulk could not compete with Zeus and was overwhelmed. Hera went to the wounded monster and read his mind. She saw that he was fighting for his family, all monsters like him and requesting miracles from the gods to save them, even though he himself was an atheist. Momentarily, she appeared moved, though Zeus was less sympathetic and continued to beat the Hulk before imprisoning him. Hercules and the rest of the Hulk's family did eventually retrieve him while Hera and Zeus observed from afar. Hera had flip-flopped by this point and now encouraged Zeus to destroy the Hulk and his family. Never on the same page, Zeus had also changed his mind and allowed them to escape, feeling that the beating he had given the Hulk would discourage him from coming near them again. [Incredible Hulks #621-622]
Though Hercules had literally given Hera a second chance at life, she continued to hate him. After the Chaos War, he had lost his immortal gifts, so he pillaged Olympus to steal magical weapons so he could continue life as an effective hero. Hera considered this a desecration of her son Ares' legacy as many of the items were his, but Zeus was of no use to her again. Despite his earlier promises, he had since returned to his old ways and was bedding numerous women again in various guises. Hera would discover him post coitus with a young actress called Cherry Valentine. Hera was very angry but Zeus told her to stop grandstanding and just turn the woman into a constellation or a flower or whatever she would normally do and be done with it. Showing a sizable shift after thousands of years, Hera did not punish Cherry nor did she attempt to kill Hercules for his earlier theft. Zeus had dishonored her and so it was Zeus who she would punish. Hera returned to Olympus and cast a spell on Zeus to strip him of his godly status. Though he did eventually retrieve his abilities, it was an example that perhaps the experiences Hera had after Zeus' demise had resulted in personal growth. [Herc #6.1, 9-10]
Hera would later die again along with the other Olympians at the hands of an old rival of her husband, the goddess Nyx. [Avengers: No Road Home #4] As before, death was merely temporary for the goddess and she soon resurfaced again. [Guardians of the Galaxy (6th Series) #1-12] As with the other restored Olympians, the process surrounding her return corrupted her. This period for the Olympians was very dark and they murdered countless beings across the galaxy before being killed again by the Guardians of the Galaxy. The most interesting part of her return was that Hera was incredibly quiet and barely spoke. Clearly she was not herself.
It remains to be seen when Hera next returns, if any of the lessons of her past will make her a better person.