Hera

"From the moment Zeus and I created mortals I've spent my time hating them for the infidelities he shared with them. But once I forgave him, I realized that humanity is the only creation I am truly proud of."

- Hera in "God Fearing Child"

Hera, the All-Powerful Queen of the Gods, was the wife and older sister of Zeus, making her queen of the Olympians. Aside from her duties as queen, Hera was known as the goddess of women and marriage. Both the peacock and the cow were sacred to her and she would often appear in the guise of a peacock.

Hera was the mother of Ares,  Discord and Hephaestus.

Birth of Hercules and early wars
Marriage being sacred to her, Hera was enraged at Zeus' many infidelities. The one which irked her the most was Zeus's affair with the mortal Alcmene; the product of which was the demi-god Hercules. At every opportunity, from the very moment Herculeswas born, Hera would send monsters of various kinds to attack him, the Hydra and the Enforcer being typical examples. She employed her son Ares, who also hated his half brother, in attempting to kill Hercules. Her moment of true "vengeance" against Zeus's mortal offspring who also became a thorn in the sides of the other spiteful and petty gods, Hera murdered Hercules's wife, Deianeira, and his three children Aeson, Klonus and Ilea, temporarily breaking Hercules' heroic spirit.

Defeat of Hera
Her final act came when, after Hercules' mother Alcemene died, she trapped her soul in Tartarus. Hercules who had been turned into a full god by Zeus, opposed Hera and Apollo, and eventually trapping Hera in the Titans' prison in Tartarus and saving his mother's soul.

Return and Redemption
A while later, Zeus used his grandson Evander, who used his powers to release Hera from the prison with amnesia. Hoping to regain his marriage back, Zeus reconnected with his wife, who unfortunately was given her memories back by Ares and attempted to get her revenge. With the help of Hercules, Hera decided to end her vendetta and give Zeus another chance.

Death and the Twilight of the Gods
Hera then did some heavy thinking and decided to atone for all the chaos she caused, especially to her stepson. Turning over a new leaf, Hera helped Hercules find the bones of Kronos, the only substance that can kill Zeus when he tries to kill Xena and her unborn child who will bring about the Twilight of the Gods. Because of her betrayal, Zeus kills Hera.

Background

 * Hera was played by Meg Foster in person and was voiced at various points by Joy Watson, Elizabeth Hawthorne and Narelle Swenson.
 * Hera is the only character apart from Hercules and Iolaus to appear in both the series premiere and the series finale of HTLJ. Beyond the series, she appears in both his first televised appearance and his last, an honor she shares with Zeus.
 * A theme of peacock feathers and iridescence was adopted for Hera and her minions in HTLJ. This extends to her costume, which features a collar of feathers, a series of crystals on the bustier and an iridescent cape (although the dark color makes this difficult to see).
 * Hera can be considered the "big bad" of Hercules: the Legendary Journeys. In spite of being the series' primary villain (even being addressed as such in the opening credits) she does not appear in her "true" form until the finale of season four. Until that point, she had appeared in disguise or much more memorably as a set of disembodied eyes with peacock feathers for irises and a menacing voice.
 * In For Those of You Just Joining Us, Hera's distinctive theme music is played whenever Norma Bates appears.
 * Ironically, in the original myth, Hera is the patron of Jason, and Hera set aside her vendetta with Heracles so that he could aid her champion in the quest for the Golden Fleece. In HTLJ, she is as antagonistic to Jason as she is to any ally of Hercules.
 * Hera is listed as the mother of a number of Olympians in the Xenaverse; of these only Ares and Hephaestus are her children in the original myth. Her daughters Hebe and Eileithyia do not appear and are never mentioned.
 * Zeus and Hera are said to have created humanity in the Xenaverse. Mythologically, there were conflicting accounts as to how humanity was created, with Prometheus usually being the one to actually create them on Zeus's orders.