Like the first game, the Hades 2 gods will be extensive (and let’s be honest, hot) in number and, while the Hades 2 release date for Early Access is a ways off, we already know about a handful of the deities and themes the Supergiant Games sequel will tackle. From Melinoë to Kronos, Apollo, Hecate, and the titular Hades, you’ll be meeting many Greek mythological figures as you carve your way through the underworld in the roguelike game. So on that note, here’s every god we know about in Hades 2, and how they fit into Greek myth.
The below isn’t a complete list of all the Hades 2 gods, as Supergiant Games will more than likely reveal more over time ahead of the Early Access release. It’s also worth noting that none of what we write below is set in stone for Hades 2.
Greek myth, including the stories and characters, has always been incredibly fluid after being passed down orally for thousands of years, and Supergiant Games made it their mission in the first game to take the myths and expand the characters in modern and believable ways, so expect some twists on what we know.
Melinoë
Melinoë is Zagreus’ brother and Hades’ daughter in Hades 2, and the game’s protagonist, and while her history in the ancient world is a little murky, one orphic Hymn from around 2,000 years ago does tell us a little bit about her. With limbs black on one side and white on the other, she was in charge of appeasements offered to ghosts of the dead.
The goddess’ dual black and white limbs are seemingly intended to represent her split between the underworld and the heavenly world above. All we really know about Melinoë then is that she’s described as the daughter of Persephone and Hades (sometimes called a variation of Zeus), and she was heavily involved with the ghosts of the dead. It’s also believed by some that Melinoë was the orphic title for Hecate, which does make the next Hades 2 god seem a bit confusing – somewhat similarly to the links between Zagreus and Dionysus in Greek myth, actually.
Hecate
If we take Hecate as a separate entity from Melinoe, as Supergiant has in Hades 2 as the woman clad in all-black robes, she’s the goddess of magic, spells, the moon, and the night. In Hades 2 it looks like Hecate will assist Melinoë in her quest against Kronos (who we’ll get to), training her in the ways of witchcraft and combat.
Shrines to Hecate would be placed at entrances to homes to ward off witchcraft and evil, according to many contemporary plays from the likes of Euripides and Aristophanes. We may also see connections to other gods from the first Hades, as Hecate helped Demeter search for her daughter Persephone in myth after she was abducted by Hades.
The Homeric Hymn to Demeter also states that Hecate then acted as Persephone’s companion when she traveled to the underworld to spend a third of every yeast with Hades (Greek myth is a tad confusing, don’t worry about it), with Hecate’s guidance often represented by the iconography of a torch, and she has a bright green one in the trailer. I’d expect this link between Persephone and Hecate to be explored in Hades 2, as Hecate seems to have a close relationship with Melinoë in the trailer.
Kronos
Kronos appears to be the villain of the Hades 2 gods, imprisoned in chains at the end of the trailer (potentially) and acting as the driving force of the narrative, referred to as “time itself.”
The god of time and King of Titans, Kronos devoured his own children, except Zeus, in fear of a prophecy saying he would be overthrown by his own son. Zeus then later saved his siblings and imprisoned Kronos, releasing him even later and making him ruler of the Elysian Islands (which is an inspiration for the third floor of the original Hades, actually), where heroes were sent by the gods after death.
A father then to both Zeus and Hades, the god of time is probably just a little pissed that he was imprisoned. While the circumstances may be different for the Hades 2 gods, I’d hazard a guess that Hades’ own imprisonment is a form of revenge, with Kronos’ relationship with time potentially playing into the repeated roguelike element of Hades 2 runs – time travel, perhaps?
Moros
We also see the Greek god Moros in the trailer, described as “Doom Incarnate.” The god of Doom itself (who knew), Moros would lead fated mortals to their demise. Moros is also the son of Nyx, Zagreus’ sort-of adopted mother in the original Hades, so it isn’t too surprising that Moros looks to help Melinoë, as they’ll likely have a preexisting relationship. Ares helped you inflict the Doom effect in the first game, but it’s unclear if Moros will be tied to that as of yet.
Moros is inevitable in greek mythology: he can’t die and mortals attempt to outdo him and their fate in plenty of stories, but he’s likely a side Hades 2 god, so it’s unclear how he’ll fit into the story.
Apollo
Apollo also makes a brief appearance, described as the “God of Light”. He’s the god of a lot of things (as many gods were), with Hades 2 seemingly going with the sun and light interpretation.
A god that’s appeared many times in ancient greek culture, often depicted with a lyre, quiver and bow, and a raven. It looks like Supergiant is combining the bow and lyre for their interpretation, as Apollo is clearly holding a bow that has multiple strings on it, mimicking the look of a lyre somewhat. His power as a Hades 2 god will seemingly be linked to light, although it’s unclear exactly how.
Nemesis
Nemesis, who I’m sure is already giving Lady Dimitrescu fan artists a run for their money, is described as “Retribution Incarnate” in Hades 2. The goddess of revenge and retribution, Nemesis is basically good old-fashioned comeuppance.
While sometimes contested, it is widely believed she is also a child of Nyx, potentially further tying Nemesis together with the first Hades nicely. One of the most famous myths Nemesis is involved with is that of Narcissus, a handsome hunter that was terrible to any of his admirers, so Nemesis lured him to a pool where he fell in love with his own reflection, eventually dying as he couldn’t bear to look away (mood).
With multiple ties to Nyx from gods and goddesses in Hades 2, it’s likely like the old consort of gods from the first game will play some sort of role in the sequel, even if they don’t appear directly.
These are all the Hades 2 gods we know so far, but more will likely appear as Supergiant Games shares more footage and details of the highly-anticipated roguelike game.