Hercules: The Unlikely Disney Hero

Hercules definitely doesn't fit the mold of a typical Disney hero. Aside from committing several acts of violence during his life such as murdering and sacking, it's even worse knowing that he also did it to the people close to him, such as his wife and music teacher. This kind of behavior is expected of a character like Count Frollo from "Hunchback", but never from the main hero. The fits of rage he experienced are extremely different from the attitudes of typical Disney heroes, as well. Naturally, Disney had to make some changes to his character and story arc to make him more family-friendly. A modern character with a very similar story to that of Hercules is Kratos, the main protagonist from the "God of War" series. Also driven to kill his spouse by the gods, he has his own trials and tribulations to go through in order to achieve his goals, while also being a revenge story.