Blood Of Zeus Season 2 Release Date, First-Look Preview, Possible Plotlines And More Details
It's hard not to draw a connection between society's modern obsession with superheroes and the Greek myths of old. After all, both deal with larger-than-life characters who have epic battles with those who wish to do humanity harm. As Netflix's "Blood of Zeus" has proven, there are still new, interesting stories to be told with the likes of Zeus, Hera, and the rest of the pantheon of gods, demigods, and giants. These characters definitely aren't how you remember them from Disney's "Hercules," and there's more than a fair share of surprises along the way, so even the most studied classicist will be in for quite a ride.
"Blood of Zeus" was an instant smash when it debuted on the streaming platform back in October of 2020, and the first season still holds a 100% critics' rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It shouldn't come as a surprise, then, that Netflix was quick to order a follow-up. "The Fates have news! Heron's adventures will continue in Season 2 of 'Blood of Zeus,'" the streamer said in a December 2020 tweet. If you watched the first season, then you'll know that the finale opened the doors for major developments moving forward. From possible plot details to the confirmed release date, here's everything we know about "Blood of Zeus" Season 2 so far.
When will Blood of Zeus Season 2 be released?
"Blood of Zeus," which was originally titled "Gods & Heroes," was first announced in March 2019. It was described as "an anime series based on legends of Greek mythology" by The Hollywood Reporter, which wasn't entirely accurate. The show is made outside of Japan and therefore is technically not an anime (American company Powerhouse Animation Studios combine with South Korean studios Mua Film and Hanho Heung-Up to bring the series to life), but the Hollywood trade was right about it being based on Greek mythology. The show was released under the name "Blood of Zeus" roughly a year and a half later.
Unfortunately, the gap between the first and second season is set to be longer than that, but at least we know when Season 2 will come out: Netflix confirmed during its Geeked Week 2023 event that "Blood of Zeus" Season 2 will hit the streaming service on May 15, 2024. Why has it taken so long to produce? Well, matters have been complicated by the fact that Powerhouse has been busy working on another faux-anime for Netflix, "Castlevania: Nocturne." A spin-off/sequel following vampire hunter Richter Belmont, this series has always been in front of "Blood of Zeus" Season 2 in the development queue. However, now that "Nocturne" is out of the way (it premiered on September 28, 2023), it's full steam ahead for "Blood of Zeus" Season 2.
What's the plot of Blood of Zeus Season 2?
What's important to note is that Heron, the show's protagonist, and his half-demon brother Seraphim, the antagonist, are both inventions for the show and are not figures from Greek mythology. However, most of the characters around them are taken straight from the myths, including Heron's father Zeus. The almighty Zeus is known as the ruler of the sky, while his brother Poseidon is the ruler of the ocean. But they have another brother: Hades, who shows up right at the end of Season 1.
According to Greek mythology, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades took down their father — the Titan known as Cronus — and shared the spoils between them. Hades took charge of the underworld, which is where Seraphim is heading as the first season comes to a close. He tells Seraphim that the underworld is "far worse than you can imagine," but that he can help him avoid it if he swears loyalty to him. Season 1 opened a lot of doors, and, according to the show's creators Charley and Vlas Parlapanides, Season 2 will take full advantage of what's come before.
"Fundamentally, Season 1 is about Heron and Seraphim, and their stories continue in Season 2," Charley Parlapanides told Inverse. "But we have a 20-page outline for Season 2, and it's very much a story of Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon." He goes on to say that some moments from the first season "are really set-ups for Season 2. We go back to the story of when the brothers divided the three realms of the world." The Parlapanides brothers have a general plan for a five-season arc, they confirmed. There's a lot of Greek mythology out there, and it's exciting to think where "Blood of Zeus" could go from here.
Who is starring in Blood of Zeus Season 2?
There hasn't been any word regarding which voice actors (if any) will be joining the show moving forward, but fans should expect all their favorites from last season to come back, including Derek Phillips (Billy Riggins in "Friday Night Lights") as Heron, Jessica Henwick (Nymeria Sand in "Game of Thrones") as Alexia, Elias Toufexis (Kenzo in "The Expanse") as Seraphim, Adam Croasdell (Lord Bothwell in "Reign"), and Matthew Mercer of "Critical Role" fame as Hermes.
During the Season 1 finale, Zeus (Jason O'Mara, who has voiced Batman on several occasions and is perhaps best known for his turn as Wyatt Price in "The Man in the High Castle") sacrificed his life to protect his wife Hera (Claudia Christian, famous among sci-fi fans for playing Susan Ivanova in "Babylon 5"). Hera was badly injured the last time we saw her, but she managed to escape and is likely hiding out somewhere plotting her next move. And, given his status as the King of Olympus and God of Thunder, a resurrection isn't out of the question for Zeus, so fans shouldn't say goodbye to him just yet, especially given the fact that the creators have teased further involvement.
Speaking of comments from the Parlapanides brothers, it's clear that Hades (Fred Tatasciore), who made a brief appearance toward the end of Season 1, will play a larger role in the upcoming sophomore season. It seems likely that the ruler of the underworld will be the primary antagonist in Season 2, which means a much larger role for Tatasciore, a veteran voice actor with over 900 credits to his name. He's recently plied his trade in the likes of "The Legend of Vox Machina," "Star Trek: Lower Decks," and "Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur."
Is there a first-look preview for Blood of Zeus Season 2?
A first-look preview for "Blood of Zeus" Season 2 dropped during Netflix's Geeked Week 2023, and it was met enthusiastically by fans of the show. The preview is all about Heron coming to terms with his destiny and his newfound powers. It opens with Seraphim asking Heron to wage war alongside him. "Join me, brother," the voice says. "We can have our vengeance and end the reign of the gods."
The focus then shifts to Heron, with Zeus stating, "He's not a mortal, he's my son." It's clear from the footage that Heron is struggling to tame the power he possesses, though he's definitely improved since we last saw him — he only managed to wield lightening once during Season 1 (doing so memorably in his big showdown with Seraphim), but here he's using it to obliterate rocks in what appears to be a training session of some sort. Of course, this is likely just one of the many plotlines that will be tackled in Season 2.
Netflix also released a Season 2 sneak peak during Geeked Week, which shed a little more light on the aforementioned conversation between Heron and Seraphim. Heron refuses to join his evil-doing brother, though, after dispatching him, he admits that he actually has a point. When a little glowing spider appears on Heron's hand, indicating that he's being summoned by the Fates, he crushes it and says: "Seraphim might have been a monster, but he was right about one thing. The gods are more flawed than we are. Why should we listen to them?"
What are some theories about Blood of Zeus Season 2?
We know Hades and Poseidon will play larger roles in Season 2 after being relegated to glorified cameos the first time around. Elsewhere, Mount Olympus is now without both Zeus and Hera. That means there's going to be a power vacuum with someone looking to gain control. Perhaps this is Hades' ultimate plan with Seraphim — maybe he will finally get out of his duties as ruler of the underworld and see some sunshine. Given Heron's bravery during the battle with the giants, he also comes across as a prime contender for the new leader of the Olympians, but no doubt some characters would take umbrage with a demigod instead of a full-fledged god assuming power.
This leads into what could become a crucial plot point — Hera's return. She may be weakened, but she's not completely out of the picture yet. One could imagine a scenario where the gods appoint someone as the new ruler only for Hera to come back and claim her rightful place on the throne. The Greek gods are all about drama, and there are plenty of ways for their conflicts to play out in the future.
Yes, the writers have taken plenty of liberties with the myths so far — Hesiod's "Theogony" this is not — but we still have some idea of what to expect from "Blood of Zeus" based on the ancient texts. For example, we're yet to explore the story of Zeus' father Cronus, the leader of the first generation of Titans. In Greek mythology, the Giants came into being when Cronus castrated his father Uranus — they were born from his blood. There's a lot of dark places the show can go in subsequent seasons.
Where to stream Blood of Zeus Season 1
"Blood of Zeus" is a Netflix original, which means it's only available to view on the platform. As with all other Netflix properties, the show is not available for purchase as a digital or hard copy. All eight episodes of "Blood of Zeus" Season 1 remain available to stream on Netflix at the time of this writing. The official synopsis listed on the website is as follows: "A commoner living in ancient Greece, Heron discovers his true heritage as a son of Zeus, and his purpose: to save the world from a demonic army."
How much does Netflix cost these days, you may be wondering? Well, the streaming giant now offers four different tiers of membership, starting at the ad-supported $6.99 a month at 780p resolution. The subsequent tiers are all based on video quality and contain no ads, set at $9.99 (720p), $15.49 (1080p), and $19.99 (4K). The company no longer offers free trials, "but you have the freedom to change your plan or cancel online at any time if you decide Netflix isn't for you," the website's help section states.