Summary

• Hermes, played by Lin-Manuel Miranda, will appear earlier in the Disney+ series than he does in the books, giving his character more room for interpretation and expansion.
• The inclusion of Hermes early in the series may move up important plot points and increase the show’s visibility due to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s star quality.
• Hermes’ character will become more significant later on in the series as his role in Luke’s story and betrayal of the gods is explored, making him a crucial part of the show’s narrative.

Disney’s Percy Jackson and The Olympians will have Lin-Manuel Miranda’s character Hermes appearing earlier in the series than he does in the books. As the father of one of the book’s antagonists, Luke, Hermes plays a role in the book, both directly and indirectly. With the series coming out in a few weeks, Hermes’ character is one of the most complex and has plenty of room to be expanded given that Hermes is not a major character in the books.

Hermes’ portrayer, Lin-Manuel Miranda, has been in countless movies, television shows, and musicals, either as a hero or as a supporting character. While it is not clear at this point if Hermes will be a hero, a supporting character, or a villain, as he is in the books, his character leaves plenty of room for interpretation. According to Percy Jackson author Rick Riordan, the revival of Percy Jackson season 1’s Hermes will get more fleshing out to expand on his backstory as well as Luke’s.

Related: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 10 Best Film and TV Roles, According To IMDb

Who Does Lin-Manuel Miranda Play In Percy Jackson? Hermes Explained

Hermes is a tricky god in mythology.

Hermes is known as the messenger of the gods and is something of a mischief-maker as the patron god of thieves. According to the British Museum’s website, Hermes also protects livestock and travelers as a pastoral god. He is even worshipped as the god of fertility, with statues being made to honor him in Greece. Hermes is also famous for wearing winged sandals and is one of the few gods who can go back and forth from the Underworld.

In Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Hermes is not seen until the second book but provides lots of indirect help to Percy in his quest early on. Luke, Hermes’ son, pretends to take Percy under his wing and even loans him items taken from Hermes’ house such as a magical pair of shoes that allow the wearer to fly. According to Rick Riordan’s website, Hermes also has a variety of jobs in the human world, all involving communications and travel of some sort. In the second book, Hermes continues to assist Percy in his quest in the hopes that Percy will help bring Luke back from Kronos.

Disney’s Percy Jackson And The Olympians Is Bringing Hermes In Early

The show is working him in in an interesting way.

Unlike the Percy Jackson books, Hermes will appear earlier in the Disney+ show, during Percy’s quest to retrieve the lightning bolt. He doesn’t show up until the second book, but the TV show could play up his importance much earlier and even add him as a shadow watching the action. Many of the gods look over their mortal children unseen, since they are not allowed to contact them directly. Unlike the 2010 or 2013 movies, Hermes may play an important role throughout the entire series, not just in one episode. As a result, this may move up important plot points.

Lin-Manuel Miranda is a very well-known celebrity and having him on the show would increase the show’s visibility on and before premiere day.

The show could also bring in Hermes earlier because of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s star quality. Both Hamilton and Mary Poppins Returns are on Disney Plus, where the show will be streaming. Lin-Manuel Miranda is a very well-known celebrity and having him on the show would increase the show’s visibility on and before premiere day. It could also bring attention to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s other work and get people interested in reading the Percy Jackson books before the series comes out.

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s appearance could also help draw attention to the earlier Percy Jackson movies, since both of those movies are also on Disney Plus. Because the new series is confirmed to be truer to the books, this will keep fans of the books happy and help with viewership numbers. Many viewers were probably confused by the previous Percy Jackson adaptation and the liberties the filmmakers took with the story.

Percy Jackson’s Trailer Shows Hermes In The Book’s Casino Scene

He’ll appear in the casino scene, another change from the books.

In another break from the 2010 film, the new Percy Jackson trailer shows Hermes in the book’s casino scene. Since Hermes is also the god of fertility and mischief, it makes sense that he makes an appearance in a casino. Casinos are also home to musical spectaculars and headline acts. Given Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical background, maybe there will be a scene where he performs a song or has a musical-inspired scene. In comparison, the 2010 movie had Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” playing throughout the casino scene, and it’s possible that Lin Manuel Miranda may have written a song for that scene.

While the Disney Plus series may not be 100 percent true to the books, author Rick Riordan is one of the co-creators and has been behind all the creative decisions. When authors are involved with television shows or movies based off their books, they try to make them as loyal to the spirit of the books as possible. This creative move makes sense because Riordan did not like the movie adaptions and has not even watched them.

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Character Will Be Important Later In Percy Jackson

His real story will begin with Luke.

Hermes’ character will play an important part later on in Percy Jackson and the Olympians. After all, he is Luke’s father and the reason Luke turns against Mount Olympus and the gods. Luke blames Hermes for not checking in on him and for abandoning him when he was young. Because Hermes is constantly on the move, working in the communications and travel fields, he does not have time to communicate with Luke. Zeus also forbids any of the gods from contacting their mortal children.

The lack of communication from his father leaves Luke feeling bitter and resentful and even going as far as allying with Kronos to destroy the gods. Adding Hermes early also suggests it will play up not only his storyline, but also Luke’s. This will make Luke’s betrayal, which should end the first season of the show, that much more interesting as the series prepares to move on to Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2 and give it more context. Hermes will play an important role in the show and if the show follows the book, Lin-Manuel Miranda will be an important part in the show.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians will premiere December 20 on Disney Plus.