Iolaus thought he was helping a friend in need when he defended Autolycus from five attackers but Autolycus took off, leaving Iolaus with the box of stolen jewels from King Menelaus' treasury. When Hercules learned Iolaus had been arrested and sentenced to die, he worked with Dirce, the king's daughter and Iolaus' lawyer, to clear his friend's name. Eventually Hercules caught up with Autolycus, the "King of Thieves," in an abandoned castle, where they fought each other and faced many other dangers. Ultimately, Hercules saved Iolaus from execution.

The beautiful Voluptua persuaded the legendary King Midas to create the Touch of Gold gambling palace. Hercules and Salmoneus visited the palace, where they discovered corruption and avarice. Hercules was even tricked into fighting soldiers as part of a show. When Midas had an ethical change of heart, Voluptua's henchman Segallus roughed him up and incarcerated him. To free the king and his daughter, Flaxen, Hercules beat a succession of adversaries in the boxing arena and defeated Segallus as well. Inspired, the townspeople revolted against Voluptua and destroyed the palace.

Hercules' good name is sullied when his mortal half-brother, Iphicles, steals his identity. As Iphicles joins forces with the evil warlord Gorgus and prepares to marry Rena, Gorgus' stepdaughter, Hercules sets out to defend his name. But Gorgus and the warrior Pallaeus capture Iolaus and throw him into the perilous catacombs. Hercules then has to descend into the labyrinth to save his friend. Fending off booby traps, flying blades and the Mandrake monster, Hercules frees Iolaus. Iphicles' ruse is then discovered by Rena and which prompts him to fight side-by-side with Hercules to regain her love. Finally Gorgus and Pallaeus are defeated.

Hercules and Iolaus were on a peaceful fishing trip when trouble interrupted them. Goth and his marauding barbarians were plundering a country tavern, so Hercules and Iolaus stepped in. They captured Goth and headed for Athens, determined to make the man stand trial. But Goth's brother, Bledar, pursued them, and Hercules' group was forced to take cover in a fortress deserted by all except Charidon and his daughter, Elora - once Goth's lover. Hercules and Iolaus valiantly fought off Bledar's attacks until Elora led them all through an underground tunnel to safety. Elora renounced Goth, who was still Hercules' prisoner.

Bigotry thrived like an infection in the town where Lyla lived with her centaur husband, Deric, and their son Kefor. Residents like Cletis, Merkus and Jakar were openly opposed to Lyla's marriage to a centaur. Their group, the Cretans, torched Deric's house in the name of "Athenian purity", killing Lyla. Deric, in turn, killed Cletis and Merkus in self-defense. Jakar then kidnapped Kefor and incited the town locals to lynch Deric. Hercules eventually rescued Deric, who was being stoned by the mob. Deric regained his freedom, his son and his wife, whom Zeus brought back to life.

Beautiful Lucina was the main attraction at the unsavory pleasure palace in Enola. But she was also the wife of Atticus, the farmer who loved her. Wracked with guilt, Lucina had run off after a deadly fever took the lives of their two young sons. The dangerous Pilot was not inclined to let Lucina leave the palace, even when Hercules and Salmoneus got involved. But Hercules successfully defended himself against the attack by Pilot's thugs, and Lucina vanquished Pilot. Reunited, Atticus and Lucina departed to start a new life together.

Echidna was the mother of all monsters, and she was angry. Hercules had fought and killed several of her offspring in the course of his adventures. Now Echidna wanted revenge. She planned to force Hercules' mother, Alcmene, to witness the slaying of her own son before she, too, was put to death. The instrument of Echidna's plan was Demetrius, suitor to Alcmene, but Hercules pursued them to Echidna's underground lair. Weakened by an arrow wound, Hercules still managed to defeat the monster mother, sealing her in a tomb forever.

Hercules didn't think he'd see his wife and children again - not in this life, anyway. But he was reunited with his deceased family when he went into the netherworld to rescue young Persephone from Hades. If Hercules did not bring Persephone back, the girl's mother - the goddess Demeter - would devastate the land with sleet and snow. To Hercules' amazement, Persephone was in love with Hades. In the end, she did return to her mother, but Demeter had to compromise with Hades, allowing her daughter to spend six months of every year on the other side.

Hercules' friend Salmoneus hardly realized the trouble he was getting into when he made himself rich by selling off a magnificent treasure trove. The treasure was a gift from the goddess Hera to King Ores, and she was not pleased by Salmoneus' actions. Hercules rushed to defend Salmoneus against the lovely Nemesis, the goddess of divine retribution. Once she understood that the evil Zander was responsible, Nemesis freed Salmoneus from Zander's clutches. Hera sent the fiery monster Pyro after Hercules, but its flames killed Zander. Hercules killed the creature in the end.

When Hercules found Typhon held captive in a boulder, he freed the clumsy but kind giant. Together, they went to Plinth, where Typhon made friends with the villagers and their children. Then Hercules learned Typhon's wife was Echidna, the mother of all monsters, whom Hercules had sealed away in her lair forever. Hera freed Echidna and Typhon went to rejoin her. But Hercules could not allow Echidna to go free. Typhon interrupted Hercules' fierce battle with Echidna, and when the monster mother learned how Hera had kept her husband imprisoned for 100 years, she vowed to change her ways.

The innocent Timuron awaited punishment in the Underworld, and Hades wanted the real wrongdoer, King Sisyphus of Corinth, to take his place. Hades demanded that Hercules apprehend Sisyphus and bring him to the Underworld. It turned out that Queen Karis was unable to have children, and the King wanted Timuron's widow, Daphne, to bear him an heir. With help from Timuron, whose ghostly image scared away the palace guards, Hercules thwarted the king's plan and brought Sisyphus to the Underworld. In turn, Hades allowed Timuron and Daphne to enjoy one night together before saying goodbye.

The legendary Sword of Veracity renders one incapable of lying. Hercules and Iolaus set out to find the sword in the Thalian Caves, believing the sword was the key to exonerating their friend, Amphion. Trachis, the evil tyrant of the town of Pluribus, had framed the peaceful warrior for murder. With the help of Leah, who turned out to be Amphion's fiancée, Hercules and Iolaus found the Sword of Veracity and fought off several sword-wielding Minotaurs. Finally, they returned to Pluribus and made Trachis admit his treachery. Amphion was freed, and the town celebrated his marriage to Leah.

Nemesis allowed her love for Hercules to get in the way of her orders from Hera. As punishment, the evil goddess turned Nemesis into a mortal. Hera then created the Enforcer - a deadly, inhuman assassin bent on killing Hercules. Disguised as a beautiful woman, the Enforcer left Iolaus near death before finding Hercules. Nemesis tried to stop the Enforcer on her own, but her effort was in vain. Finally Hercules arrived and, after a wearying battle, he vanquished his foe by throwing the Enforcer into a forge, destroying her forever.

Hercules and Iolaus traveled to Corith to attend a reunion of Jason and the Argonauts. To their surprise, King Jason had lost his heroic spirit and become a drunk. He had left Medea for Glauce, and Medea took revenge by murdering Glauce and Jason's children. The worshipers of Hera called the Blood-Eyes, attacked and their leader, a masked demon, stole the Golden Fleece. Hercules accompanied Jason and the Argonauts as they pursued the Blood-Eyes to an isolated island and back, finally defeating the traitor Castor and nine skeleton warriors. They retrieved the Golden Fleece and were united in victory.

Hercules fell in love with Rheanna, a beautiful woman who needed his help. The ruthless King Melkos held the village of Colchis in his tyrannical grip, and he had killed Rheanna's husband. A freak lightning bolt gave Iolaus the ability to predict future events, and he warned his friend that Rheanna would betray him. But Hephates, Rheanna's sister-in-law, was the real traitor. Hercules, Iolaus and Rheanna managed to escape their guards and help the village rebels overthrow Melkos. Rheanna was stunned to find her husband alive, and Hercules bid her a sad farewell.

Hercules escorted a young Spartan named Damon back to the village of Propontus, where he discovered the residents were consumed with war. With help from his old friend Atalanta, Hercules organized a series of athletic contests for the warriors so they could prove who among them was strongest and fastest. Salmoneus named the event the Olympic Games. Tarkon the Elean was not keen on the idea, however. With help from Ares, his soldiers were transformed into Mesomorphs, who attacked the competitors. But the Spartan and the Elean athletes joined together to defeat Tarkon's men, allowing the Games to continue peacefully.

Iolaus was delighted to meet Aphrodite, who offered him a special golden apple. The apple would make any woman Iolaus wanted fall hopelessly in love with him. The spell worked perfectly on Thera, but there was one problem: She was already betrothed to Epius. Their union would bring peace to the cities of Syros and Delos. Aphrodite didn't want peace; she wanted to control both cities and turn their gold into shrines. Hercules managed to prevent a Syros-Delos war by thrusting the apple into the joint grasp of both royals, uniting them as soul mates for life.

In the town of Zebran, King Beraeus was about to marry Ramina when the warrior Tarlus abducted her. Hercules convinced the king to let him go after Tarlus, whom Hercules knew to be a good man. He and Iolaus rescued Ramina but she slipped away in the land of the Primords and returned to Tarlus, the man she really loved. Hercules rescued her again but lost her once more. Finally Hercules realized King Beraeus was forcing Ramina to marry him, so he switched sides and assisted Tarlus. After Hercules struck down Beraeus, Ramina married Tarlus.

Iolaus agrees to stand in for his royal look-alike Prince Orestes on the day of the prince's coronation and marriage to the beautiful Niobe in order to prevent Orestes' brother Minos from usurping the throne.

Hercules' sculptor friend Thanis was framed for robbery and faced cruel punishment: the loss of both hands. When Iolaus and Hercules set out to prove their friend's innocence, they learned that the deformed god Proteus, who could change his form at will, had committed the crime. He was taking revenge on the village because Thanis' daughter, Daniela, had fled from him after seeing his real reflection. Forced to battle "himself", Hercules made Proteus look upon his own reflection, and the ashamed god gave up the fight. All he ever wanted was Daniela's love.

In the town of Corinth, Hercules' mother, Alcmene, prepared to marry King Jason. The marriage of the king to commoner meant Jason had to give up his throne, so he chose Hercules to succeed him. However, Hercules declined, so Jason sent for his second choice, Hercules' brother Iphicles. This enraged chief regent Patronius, who had his own dreams of power. Hera's mysterious Blue Priest summoned Perfidia, a terrible sea serpent, to attack the wedding party. Jason's Argonauts fought valiantly, but Perfidia swallowed Hercules and Jason. The two men eventually destroyed the creature and the wedding festivities continued.

Deon was surprised to discover he had a magical gift: He could make others do whatever he wanted. First he made attacking bandits drop their weapons and depart. Then he made Salmoneus dance like a chicken. His mother, Aphrodite, who had spent one blissful night with his father, Jacobus, had given the power to Deon. Deon preferred his uncle Karis to his father and had a hard time believing Karis was the secret leader of the bandits. Finally Hercules and Jacobus convinced Deon of the truth. Karis was killed, and father and son were reconciled.

Hercules' old mentor, Ceridian the centaur, was dying. His last wish was for Hercules to find another of his protégés, the bold and brash centaur Cassius, and persuade him not to wage war against the humans. But Hercules discovered the bigoted town magistrate, Gredor, was determined not to treat the centaurs with equality. He even planned to kill Cassius' girlfriend's father, Perdidis, and blame Cassius. When Hercules stopped the assassination and exposed the plot, humans and centaurs refused to resort to more violence. Gredor was driven out of town, and the village fountain was opened to the centaurs.

No one ever came out of the Cave of Echoes. But Hercules and Iolaus were determined to rescue young Melina, who had disappeared inside the cave. Parentheses, a young writer whom they had recently befriended, joined them in the rescue effort. At first eager, Parentheses became more and more frightened by the bloodcurdling roars from deep within the cave. But he overcame his fear when Hercules sent him down into the pit to save the girl. Fortunately, there was no monster - only a tree root - but the adventure was enough to fortify Parentheses, who walked off arm-in-arm with Melina.