Years later, Hercules grows up to be a misfit, having difficulty being accepted by others, due to not being able to control his own strength and his clumsiness which leads to him accidentally destroying a marketplace. He sends his minions, Pain and Panic, to kidnap Hercules and feed him a potion that will strip him of his immortality however, they are interrupted by Amphitryon and Alcmene and, while Hercules becomes mortal, he retains his superhuman strength (for the potion to fully work, Hercules had to drink every last drop, but missed one when they were interrupted). This leads to the day Hercules is born to Zeus and Hera, much to the pleasure of the other gods except Hades, who receives word from the Fates that Hercules will one day rise to power and prevent him from taking control of the world.
The film begins with the five muses, 'Goddesses of the arts and pro-claimers of heroes', telling the story of how Zeus came to power and prevented the monstrous Titans from ruling the world.
