Callisto

Callisto is a recurring foe of Xena, the Warrior Princess, though she also crossed over onto it's parent show, Hercules: the Legendary Journeys. She is consumed with a lust for battle, and though she fights on par with Xena, she lacks the Warrior Princess's cool head, and often loses control of herself in battle. Callisto is a dark mirror for Xena, and her primary focus is to destroy Xena's life. She wants to kill her, but only after she has successfully eradicated everything she holds dear, including her son, her best friend, and her reputation as hero. She blames all of her problems on Xena's destruction of her hometown. The character of Callisto presents an interesting ethical dilemma for the heroine: if Xena kills her, she will just be finishing the work she started all those years ago, but if she lets her live, Callisto will continue to destroy innocent lives and wreak havoc.

She is portrayed by actress Hudson Leick, and in two episodes by Lucy Lawless while in Xena's body.

The Birth of a Demon
Callisto was born in a town called Cirra, an unremarkable town in an unremarkable part of Greece. The young girl would have lived an equally unremarkable life if not for a raid conducted by a certain Warrior Princess, resulting in the death of her family (though in a Hercules episode, it is revealed that Callisto herself was responsible through time travel). This drove Callisto completely mad, and she began a path of violence and death, turning into a warlord.

Many years later, after Xena's redemption, Callisto begins raiding villages and killing innocents in Xena's name. The real Xena catches wind of this and moves to stop her. She fights Callisto in a duel atop precariously balanced ladders to save her friend Gabrielle and wins. Callisto is arrested by the authorities and sent to prison, though the condition is by no means permanent.

Callisto easily escapes later on through her great cunning. Since she cannot defeat Xena in battle, she instead decides to make her suffer by killing Gabrielle's new husband, Perdicas. Xena chases her down in a chariot race, and eventually trades blows with her. After the fight, Callisto is trapped in quicksand, and begs Xena to save her. Xena does not, and Callisto sinks into the earth and dies.

Revenge from Beyond the Grave
After her death, Callisto was sent to Tartarus to suffer for her lifetime of evil. However, she works with Ares to invade the dreams of Xena (in Xena, the living can hear the dead when they sleep), and uses Xena's own guilt to take over her body, sending Xena to Tartarus in her place. Even Xena's closest friends, Gabrielle, Joxer, and Argo, are fooled by the ruse, until Xena/Callisto shows Joxer that she is not evil. Callisto/Xena continues to fool Gabrielle before Xena/Callisto fights her in battle. Eventually, Xena/Callisto defeats her impostor, and Hades takes Callisto/Xena back to Tartarus where she belongs.

Callisto is sent back to Tartarus, albeit in Xena's body, where she continues to suffer. Xena, in Callisto's body, restores the powers of Ares, God of War, who restores the women to their original bodies.

Immortality and Godhood
Once again in her own body, and once again suffering in Tartarus, Callisto makes a deal with Hera: one day on Earth to kill Hercules, with immortality as her prize. She poisons Hercules' family, using it to trick Hercules into

Angels and Demons
After being killed by the Hind's Blood Dagger, Callisto is sent to Hell, which she claims Tartarus pales in comparison to. She is given the opportunity to return to life if she can corrupt her nemesis and install Caesar as Emperor of Rome without hurting Xena. However, her blind rage causes her to fail at both tasks, and she returns to Hell as Xena is raised to Heaven following her crucifixion. Callisto attacks Heaven in an attempt to drag Xena and Gabrielle down to Hell with her, and Xena sees firsthand the suffering of Callisto. In a heroic act of kindness, Xena gives up her Light to save Callisto from damnation.

Callisto meets Gabrielle again in Heaven when the demonic Xena attacks Heaven. Through the God of Love, Callisto helps the prophet Eli bring Xena and Gabrielle back to life. Soon after, Xena becomes impregnated immaculately. The fact is that Callisto reincarnated herself as Xena's child, restoring Callisto the family that Xena from her and the child Callisto took from Xena.