Goliath and the Dragon

Hercules descends into the Underworld to retrieve the blood diamond of the goddess of vengeance. He defeats Cerberus and other guardians as part of this dangerous quest. The mission is framed by Eurystheus as a trap meant to end Hercules for good.

Back on the surface, Eurystheus engineers a scheme to use Hercules' death to win powerful allies who will join an attack on Thebes. He sends Hercules on the deadly task with the blood diamond as the prize and casts the mission as a doomed trap. The whole plan hinges on Hercules' presumed demise.

Upon returning home, Hercules confronts the tension with his wife Deianira as he learns his son Hyllus loves Thea, daughter of a king. He resents the match, fearing trouble for his family. The fragile peace is soon tested by politics and jealousies.

Eurystheus convinces Hyllus that Thea loves Hercules rather than him and orchestrates a plot where Hyllus would murder his own brother. The scheme seeds jealousy and risk, twisting family bonds into a threat. Hyllus struggles with the deceit while the danger grows.

A slave girl Alcinoe gives Hyllus a poison, claiming it will make Hercules fall out of love with Thea. Eurystheus intends to weaponize the rift between brothers to cement his own ambition. The plan pushes the family toward catastrophe.

A sympathetic goddess of the Wind relays Thea's warning, and the plot is aborted. The warning buys Thea time to escape and prevents the immediate murder.

Hyllus makes a desperate attempt to rescue Thea but is captured in the act. The thwarted plan raises the stakes and tightens Eurystheus' grip on the situation. The family teeters on the edge of tragedy.

Hercules rides to Hyllus' aid and, along the way, saves Alcinoe from a bear, underscoring the peril surrounding them. The rescue deepens the bonds between the characters and shifts the focus to protecting the vulnerable.

Ilus is chosen for a brutal public display and is to be crushed by an elephant in a crowded arena. Hercules mounts a dangerous rescue to save him from a premature death. The scene dramatizes the tyranny of spectacle and the hero's resolve.

On their return home, the family receives a prophecy: Hyllus will become a king but at the cost of the life of the woman who loves Hercules. The ominous omen unsettles everyone and foreshadows a tragic sacrifice.

Hercules destroys his home and leaves with his family to avert the prophecy, setting out on a dangerous journey to find safety. The family unit is fractured as they seek a new beginning. The decision marks a turning point in their fate.

Deianira offers her life to the gods at an altar to fulfil the prophecy for Hyllus. She sacrifices herself in hopes of granting her son a future. The act amplifies the personal costs of the royal ambition.

Deianira is carried off by Nessus, the centaur, who has lured her away. Hercules mortally wounds Nessus in a bid to save his wife. The centaur's treachery seeds the later tragedy tied to Deianira.

The centaur brings his captive Deianira to Eurystheus, who intends firstly to have her killed by a dragon (in the English-dubbed version) and then to use her as a hostage against Hercules. The king's plotting intensifies the looming threat to Hercules and his family.