Hades was originally meant to be portrayed as a serious and somber villain in Disney’s Hercules, but that all changed when James Woods got the role. In the animated film, the motor-mouthed Lord of the Underworld plotted to overthrow his brother Zeus by unleashing the Titans. The Fates that illuminated this plan to Hades also foretold that only one being could stand in his way: Hercules. Demi-god Hercules (voiced by Tate Donovan) joined up with his winged steed Pegasus and Phil the satyr (Danny DeVito) to stop Hades’ plan and save Olympus. However, while the final movie mixed high-stakes mythological action with great humor, the tone could have ended up being radically different.
The original plan for Hercules and its titular villain, Hades, was very different at the beginning of production. The directors, John Musker and Ron Clement, initially wrote Hades’ lines for regular Tim Burton collaborator Jack Nicholson. This version of Hades was supposed to be serious and slow-spoken, making use of Nicholson’s signature "purr". Nicholson was interested in the role. He visited Disney’s development building with his family, where he was shown concept art for the character and test animation of Nicholson’s lines in A Few Good Men. Despite the interest, Nicholson’s contract proved a stumbling block. Nicholson asked for between $10-15 million, along with 50% of the merchandising money from Hades' goods. It was a similar deal to what he received for his role as The Joker in 1989’s Batman, however, Disney refused and Nicholson walked away from the role.
After a long auditioning process, in which David Bowie and Kevin Spacey were considered, the role eventually went to James Woods, who took Hades’ character in a more comedic direction, akin to a fast-talking car salesman. Woods was best known for 1984’s Once Upon A Time In America. Regardless, he was still not the first choice for the role after Nicholson. Clement and Musker continued to portray Hades seriously during auditions that saw actors such as Phil Hartman and John Lithgow read for the part. Finally, Woods came into the fold and gifted Hades with a wheeler-dealer whirlwind energy. His approach was a breath of fresh air and convinced the directors that the original Hades plan should change. Lines of Hades’ dialogue were rewritten and improvisation was welcomed, which caused Hercules to take on a more comic tone. Ultimately, Woods' involvement not only changed Hades' characterization, but also the direction of the movie as a whole.
Instead of the original idea for Hades to be grave and dramatic, similar to the sea witch Ursula from The Little Mermaid or Aladdin’s Jafar, the king of the dead was reimagined as a schmooze. For example, in an attempt to convince one of the Fates to reveal the future, he turns on the charm, “Did you cut your hair? You look fabulous. I mean, you look like a fate worse than death.” This nonstop barrage of humor helped lighten the darkness of the Greek mythology that served as the original source material and provided the sharp wit and satire that allowed adults to enjoy Hercules as much as children.
Even the legendary Roger Ebert sang Woods' praises in his review of Hercules, claiming Woods voiced Hades with “with diabolical glee and something of the same verbal inventiveness that Robin Williams brought to Aladdin”. The connection to Robin Williams' Genie was an apt one. Both injected their respected characters and films with a pervasive charm that has endeared audiences even twenty years later. Hades’ enduring popularity was evidenced when he became a member of the Disney villains – a sub-franchise that spanned television specials and video games.
After years of production troubles, Hercules was finally released to positive reviews in June 1997 and James Woods garnered universal acclaim for his performance as Hades. Despite this, the film slightly underperformed at the box office. It became the first Disney project since 1990’s The Rescuers Down Under to fail to make $100 million at the American box office. Perhaps, the star power that Jack Nicholson would have brought to Hercules could have bolstered those numbers. Nonetheless, the long-lasting affection for the film and Woods’ performance proved that he was the right man for the job.