Hera (Smite)

Hera is a playable character in the MOBA game Smite. She is a character from the Greek Pantheon, originated in mythology, being the proud queen of Olympus. Though she is portrayed on her own lore in a more heroic light, she is shown to be villanious in other characters' lore.

Lore in Smite
From the summit of Mount Olympus she has watched the gods and pantheons. Their triumphs, their follies. She watched as the legends of Zeus, of Hercules, and all the others were etched into history. The world has descended into calamity, and she can watch no longer. Now, the time has come for the legend of Hera to be written.

By her side stands Argus, her champion, the indomitable agent of her will...and vengeance. Through her charisma and skill Hera has rallied great heroes and whole armies to follow her, yet she is no distant general. Hera is Queen of the Gods, born of the Titans, and any who cross her shall know her justice first hand.

While the other gods are masters of lightning, or fire or death, Hera is master of divinity itself. She can reshape nature, including her foes, and she will hold nothing back as she steps forth upon the Battleground of the Gods.

For the Queen of the Gods has come at last, and she has come to rule.

Presence in Hercules' Lore (as Juno)
Brave Hercules, a demigod son of Jupiter, born with impossible strength and force of will; for whom no task is insurmountable, no heroic deed unachievable.

Yet, Like all of Jupiter's illegitimate children, Hercules once drew the ire of Juno.

Though he is now known as a hero, his greatest achievements might never have been done without Juno’s initial tragic involvement. She struck Hercules mad, and he slew his own children.

Presence in Vulcan's Lore (as Juno)
As an infant, so hideous was Vulcan that his disgusted mother named Juno cast him into the sea from the heights of Mount Olympus. So great was the fall, it smashed one of Vulcan’s legs, a wound from which he would never recover.

Beneath the waves, a sea nymph named Thetis rescued the child-god and raised him as her own. As Vulcan grew, he ventured to the surface and discovered fire and the art of smithing. His natural talents emerged and he forged wondrous jewels for his adopted mother.

Summoned to a gala on Mount Olympus, Thetis wore Vulcan's glittering gifts, but when Juno discovered Vulcan had made them, she jealously demanded he returns to Mount Olympus. Angrily, Vulcan refused. In his stead, he sent a magnificent throne of gold and gems that imprisoned Juno when she sat upon it.

For three days Juno was so entombed, and would have remained so had not Jupiter, Vulcan's father, interjected. To Vulcan, he offered an exchange, Juno’s freedom for the hand of Venus, the most beautiful Goddess of Love. Vulcan agreed.

Presence in Artemis' Lore (as Hera)
Daughter of Zeus and Leta, Artemis and her twin brother Apollo are products of Zeus’ infidelity to his wife Hera. Insulted, Hera cursed Leta while she was pregnant, forbidding her to give birth on land or sea. Fortunately, she found an island that did not touch the ocean floor, so it was neither land nor sea, and thus bore her children. Artemis was born first, then miraculously aided as a midwife in the birthing of her brother.

Presence in Apollo's Lore (as Hera)
Though Hera, Queen of Gods, challenged his very birth, sending the great serpent Pylos to slay Apollo, his twin sister Artemis, and their mother Leta, not even she could deny him victory. Merely 4 days old, Apollo, gifted with a legendary bow, slew the Gaia Serpent and defied Hera.

Argus
Argus, the multi-eyed giant, appears in Smite as an ally to Hera, she can summon portals for him to punch through, heavily damaging enemies, but most of the time, he is summoned directly into battle, where he can damage multiple enemies upon arrival and continue assalting them for a long time, under his queen's command. He had a brief appearence before in Mercury's lore, where he was showed as a dark shape with multiple eyes, but his appearence drastically changed when Hera was made playable.

Trivia

 * Hera mostly played the role of a background character in the game, before she was added in 2018 as a playable character.
 * She seems to play an evil role as Juno more than she does as Hera. She also appears in Aphrodite's, Ares' and Zeus' lores, but only being mentioned.
 * In Smite, the Greek and Roman gods interact with each other as if they were from the same Pantheon, meaning that, in the game, Juno and Hera are the same characters.