Megaera

Lore & Background

Megaera is based on the mythological figure of the same name in Greek mythology. She is one of the three Fury Sisters; one of her other two sisters, either Tisiphone or Alecto, may take her place in battle. Tasked by Hades with preventing Zagreus from leaving the Underworld, she fights to the death, upon which either him or her is sent back to the House of Hades. In the House of Hades, the player may have Zagreus give her a Nectar, which improves the relationship between him and her. Eventually, Megaera may attempt to seduce Zagreus, which the player may choose to accept or turn down. If Zagreus is in a relationship with Thanatos, Megaera expresses a willingness to be involved in a polyamorous relationship.

Conceptual Origins and Design Philosophy

Megaera stands as a prime example of the artistic vision behind Hades, blending classical mythology with modern character design sensibilities. Created by creative director Greg Kasavin and brought to life visually by artist Jen Zee, her appearance draws heavily from traditional Greek aesthetics while justifying the gods' attractiveness through their divine nature. The development team utilized her 3D model as a foundational template for other characters, such as Nyx, highlighting her structural importance in the game's asset library.

Beyond visuals, her personality was crafted to evolve naturally; the possibility of a polyamorous dynamic with Zagreus and Thanatos emerged during production rather than being an initial blueprint. The developers reasoned that immortal beings would not face the same societal constraints as mortals, making such arrangements plausible within both the mythological setting and the narrative logic of gods who exist outside human norms.

Narrative Role and Gameplay Mechanics

As a Fury tasked by Hades to stop his son from escaping, Megaera serves as the primary obstacle in Tartarus, the first region of the Underworld. She functions as a recurring boss whom Zagreus must defeat repeatedly, with the outcome always resulting in one combatant returning to the House of Hades while the other continues their journey. Her role is not static; she can be substituted by her sisters, Tisiphone or Alecto, adding variability to encounters.

Interaction extends beyond combat through the gifting of Nectar, which fosters a deeper bond and eventually leads to romantic overtures. Players are given agency to accept or reject these advances, with the narrative branching further if Zagreus is already involved with Thanatos. In such cases, Megaera expresses openness to a triad relationship, showcasing a complex web of consent and negotiation that defines her interactions within the House.

Vocal Performance and Character Voice

The character's distinct auditory identity is the result of Avalon Penrose's meticulous vocal work, which became a defining element of Megaera's presence. To achieve the desired effect, Penrose stripped away her natural expressive tendencies and adopted a low, raspy register utilizing vocal fry, often speaking barely above a whisper. This approach required significant discipline; she occasionally struggled to maintain the specific tone, necessitating direction from audio director Darren Korb to recapture Megaera's unique cadence.

The performance was particularly rewarding for Penrose, who had not previously voiced a romantic interest and found empowerment in portraying such sharp, brutal beauty. Critics and fans alike responded enthusiastically to this gravelly delivery, with some noting it as the standout vocal achievement of the game, creating a striking contrast between her aggressive demeanor and the allure of her voice.

Critical Reception and Cultural Impact

Megaera garnered significant acclaim upon Hades' release, earning recognition as one of the best characters of 2020 for her competitive yet wry personality. While some critics found her boss fight mechanics lacking in diversity compared to other encounters, her narrative depth resonated strongly with audiences. Her relationships sparked extensive discussion regarding representation, particularly concerning the polyamorous dynamic shared with Zagreus and Thanatos, which was praised as a rare depiction of non-traditional love in media.

Analysts also explored the power dynamics at play, interpreting their interactions through a lens of dominance and submission that mirrored the gameplay loop of repeated battles. Furthermore, her design was noted for subverting classical traditions through an androgynous aesthetic, while her forward passion positioned her as a representation of eros within the game's exploration of different Greek conceptions of love.

Concept and creation

Megaera is a character in Hades, based on the mythological figure of the same name in Greek mythology. Her design was created by Jen Zee. When asked why the character designs in the game were so attractive, Hades creative director Greg Kasavin attributed this to Jen Zee, the game's character artist. He stated that the designs 'owe greatly to classical tradition,' which Zee cared about.

He added that they justified the gods being hot by virtue of them being gods. When making characters in 3D in the game, 3D artist Paige Carter used either Megaera or Thanatos, with characters like Nyx being based on Megaera's model. Kasavin touched upon the possible polyamorous relationship between Megaera, Zagreus, and Thanatos, noting that it was something that developed over time instead of being present from the beginning. He discussed that polyamory would make sense for gods, as they did not face the same challenges as mortals, though he noted that polyamory fit the Ancient Greece setting as well.

Megaera is voiced by Avalon Penrose. Penrose read for multiple characters in Hades, but ultimately booked Megaera. When doing her voice, she starts with her normal, raspy voice before removing the singsongy and expressive parts of it before dropping it as low as she can. She then adopts a vocal fry, not speaking above a whisper.

She had difficulties at times staying in Meg's voice, returning after being prompted by audio director Darren Korb to redo it with 'a little more Meg.' Before Megaera, she had not played a romantic interest, discussing how much she enjoyed certain qualities of Megaera, such as her 'sharp, brutal beauty and commanding athleticism,' commenting that fanart that depicts Megaera as powerful made her feel empowered.

Reception

Megaera was named one of the 10 best characters of 2020 by Game Informer writer Joe Juba, feeling that Zagreus' repeated battles with Megaera creates a lasting impact, particularly thanks to her 'wry and competitive personality' that improves the dialogue for Juba. Some fans of Hades have expressed their attraction for Megaera's voice, with voice actor Avalon Penrose noting that people being attracted to her voice created a cognitive dissonance, in part due to an insult about her not being fit for 'pretty girl' roles.

Destructoid writer Noelle Warner enjoyed her voice acting, noting that it made her swoon and calling it the standout performance of the game. She attributed her attraction to Megaera's 'low, gravelly voices,' adding that despite not enjoying negging, she particularly enjoyed when Megaera did it. The Gamer writer Stacey Henley was critical of the boss fight against Megaera. She described her as one of the more interesting characters, as well as one of the game's first challenges, which she felt helped lead to her boss fight being popular, but argued that it was the worst encounter in the game.

She felt that the fight feels too much like a tutorial, and that her skillset lacks the diversity of other bosses, including her sisters. Kotaku writers Nathan Grayson and Ari Notis discussed Megaera and Zagreus' relationship, with Grayson enjoying how she tries to keep Zagreus at arm's length to make it easier for her to view him as an opponent she has to stop instead of a 'weird sorta-friend.' The relationship between Megaera and Zagreus, as well as the potential polyamorous relationship they may have with Thanatos, was the subject of discussion by critics.

The Mary Sue writer Briana Lawrence was shocked to discover that polyamory between the three was possible, enjoying watching Zagreus work out the issues he has with them over him trying to leave. Lawrence also discussed the relationship between her and Dusa, feeling that Megaera has the same platonic love for Dusa that Zagreus has for Dusa. Wired writer Gabriel Aikins also discussed the polyamory between the three, as well as the matter of kink and consent in their relationship.

They argued that polyamorous relationships were a rarity in media, games or otherwise. On kink, Aikins discussed the interpretation of Megaera and Zagreus' relationship as a dominant-submissive one, with Megaera serving as the sadist and Zagreus the masochist, suggesting this correlated with the gameplay experience of Megaera and Zagreus' multiple battles with one another. Wired writer Autumn Wright discussed Megaera's androgynous appearance representing a 'subvers[ion] to classical tradition' in Ancient Greek culture, and that this androgyny would be considered demeaning to Zagreus.

Comic Book Resource writer Noelle Corbett felt that the trio represented three different Ancient Greek conceptions of love, with Megaera specifically representing eros due to her forwardness and sexual passion.