Iphicles

You may also be looking for King Iphicles of Meliad or Ipicles.

King Iphicles of Corinth was the King of Corinth and older maternal half-brother to Hercules. He was the son of Amphitryon and Alcmene. He was the grandson of Alcaeus.

Iphicles fell in love with Rena. Believing that a woman of her calibre would not be able to love a mere mortal, he lied and told her that he was Hercules. When the real Hercules heard that someone else was using his name, he tracked the impostor to Flagra and discovered that it was his maternal half-brother. Iphicles asked Hercules to leave, assuring him he would never do anything to sully his name. Hercules refused because Rena's step-father was Gorgas, a warlord, and he did not want to be associated with the man. Eventually, Gorgas pitted the two half-brothers against one another and Iphicles' secret was revealed. Rena still loved him. After Gorgas was defeated, the brothers reconciled and Iphicles brought Rena to meet his mother, Alcmene (HTLJ "What's in a Name?").

When Jason married Alcmene he had to give up his throne because she was a commoner. When Hercules declined to become Jason's successor, Iphicles was selected. His coronation took place just before the wedding ceremony (HTLJ "The Wedding of Alcmene"). Iphicles and Rena become the king and queen of Corinth.

Iolaus mentioned that Hercules had not accompanied him to Parthia because he was visiting Iphicles when Rena was having their baby ("Love Takes a Holiday").

Rena passed away suddenly when Iphicles was away, negotiating a dispute amongst soldiers returned from Troy. When Iphicles found his wife had died, he blamed the soldiers. Whenever former soldiers had trouble integrating back into Corinthian society and caused some kind of disturbance, Iphicles would give them a prison sentence in Golgoth. When Iphicles sentenced Ajax and his men to imprisonment, they kidnapped him, taking the king to Golgoth. Luckily, Hercules and Iolaus were able to diffuse the situation and show Iphicles the error of his ways. Iphicles then gave the former soldiers farmland in the North of Corinth (HTLJ "War Wounds").

Background[]

Kevin Smith played both Hercules' maternal half-brother, Iphicles, and his paternal half-brother, Ares.
- This was likely unintentional. Smith probably happened to win both parts, and both developed into recurring roles. Being beardless and probably wearing a wig for the role of Iphicles, the characters were visually distinct enough that there was no need to recast Iphicles.
In mythology, Iphicles wed Automedusa, a distant cousin of his. In some versions of the myth, they were the parents of Iolaus. Iphicles never became a king, being more of a freelance hero – it was left to Iolaus to found the dynasty of Corinthian kings.