Carbon Costume

Xena (played by Lucy Lawless on Xena: Warrior Princess) is a reformed villain originally introduced in the TV show Hercules who fights for the greater good in pursuit of redemption.  Xena is a formidable warrior who takes the villager Gabrielle under her wing, eventually training her falling in love.  Replica armor for Xena can be prohibitively expensive, so the easiest way to recreate her look is to find studded leather pieces that evoke the same warrior feel as many of Xena’s outfits from the show.

Hades (voiced by James Woods) is the villain of Disney’s classic take on Hercules. While he doesn’t have that much in common with the actual Hades from mythology he is one of the most entertaining villains in Disney’s gallery.

Hades’ costume is pretty simple but does require some DIY. Most costume tunics don’t come in black or dark grey so you’ll have to dye a white one. The tunic linked above has a belt that you should remove before dying the tunic. Once it’s done, however, you can use the belt to keep the garment snug under the sash you fashion out of a sheet large enough to wrap around your waist and then go up over your shoulder. Although it might seem silly to use a sheet, togas in Ancient Greece were largely made of fabric squares that were belted, pinned, and folded into various designs. In this case you can use safety pins in spots nobody will see and a skull-shaped pin at the shoulder, just like hades.

A little hair gel will spike up a blue wig to look like flames while a purple-grey body paint should give your skin the same pallor Hades’ has. Finally, some sandals keep your feet safe while you put your plans in motion to rule the world!

Hera (portrayed by Meg Foster) is one of the primary antagonists in both Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. Despite being the goddess of marriage she is unfortunately wed to the chronically unfaithful Zeus. Her anger with him leads her to attack his children by other women while exerting her influence over other areas of mortal life.

Dressing as Hera is fairly straightforward. She wears a lot of black while adopting iridescent tones in blues and greens because peacocks are sacred to Hera in both the shows and the original Greek myths. A full and shimmering black skirt, black heels, black cloak, and black corset make up the basis for her look. You will need to add the iridescent crystals by hand, unfortunately, since they are so placed in such a unique pattern. But once they’re on you can add in a feathered collar and shrug in either black or peacock colors and top with either of the tiaras that resemble the crowns she wears as Queen of Olympus.

Megara/Meg (Susan Egan) is the feisty, street-smart, sarcastic love interest in Disney’s “Hercules.” In exchange for her soul, Hades (James Woods) saves the life of the man she loves. But when he leaves her, her trust in love and men is shattered. Up until she hesitantly falls for Hercules (Tate Donovan), she’s on a mission Hades to take him down.