- "We're not going anywhere! Now, you and I are the only thing standing between that ugly bastard and a city of ten million people. Now we have a choice here: we either sit and wait, or we take these flare guns and do something really stupid!"
- —Herc Hansen[1]
Hercules "Herc" Hansen is the father of Chuck Hansen and the brother of Scott Hansen. He was a PPDC Ranger and the pilot of Striker Eureka. In the aftermath of Stacker Pentecost's death, he is promoted to the rank of Marshal.
Biography
Early Life
Herc Hansen was born November 10, 1980 in Sydney, Australia. Prior to the events that trigger the Kaiju War, Herc was a Royal Australian Air Force pilot. At some point, he marries and his wife gives birth to their son, Chuck in 2003.[2]
Scissure attack
August 2013 marks the attack of Trespasser in San Francisco. A year later, on September 2, 2014, Sydney is attacked by Scissure. Herc's wife is killed during the effort to kill Scissure.
Pan Pacific Defense Corps.
Following Scissure's attack on Sydney, Herc and his brother Scott join the Jaeger Academy.[2][4] Herc, Scott, and Pentecost are among the first generation of Rangers trained to fight the Kaiju. During that time he raises his son, Chuck. The lifestyle of the Rangers instills a desire to become a Jaeger pilot in his son at a very young age.
Herc's first Jaeger assignment is Lucky Seven, with his brother. During a deployment with his brother, Herc glimpses something in his brother's mind during the Drift that's strong enough to rattle their connection and their Jaeger, Lucky Seven, is almost destroyed in combat.[4][6] Herc chooses to report his brother to the Defense Corps. higher ups and Scott is dismissed from the Jaeger Program as the Mark-5 Jaeger, Striker Eureka is deployed for active duty.[4] The brothers part ways, and Herc is left feeling guilty over the situation.
In 2019, Herc is deployed in Manila with the Beckets brothers (Yancy and Raleigh), and Horizon Brave to fight a Kaiju.[note 1] Herc fought alongside the likes of Stacker Pentecost, and piloted every Mark series Jaeger produced.[note 2]
Pacific Rim
The aftermath of the increase of Kaiju attacks left the structure of the Jaeger Program devastated; with only four Jaegers left, the United Nations began losing hope in the program and shut down over seven Shatterdomes, Sydney's chief among them. Striker Eureka is retired from active duty until Mutavore attacks the Anti-Kaiju Wall. Herc and his son use Striker to fight and kill Mutavore. The incident brings into the question the effectiveness of the wall and the wisdom of ending the Jaeger Program.
Herc and Chuck are relocated to Hong Kong, China's Shatterdome. There, Pentecost recruits them for the assault on the Breach at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Herc and Chuck would be responsible for carrying the thermonuclear bomb into the Breach while the Jaeger's Cherno Alpha and Crimson Typhoon would act as back up. He reunites with likes of Raleigh Becket, to whom he expresses his condolences in regards to his brother Yancy's death. Herc continues to extend his generosity to Raleigh, but Chuck is quick to dismiss him with derisive comments.
Herc deals with his disobedient son, Chuck.
Herc accompanied Pentecost to K-Science Lab, where Dr. Hermann Gottlieb voiced his theory over the increased frequency of Kaiju attacks. He believed that the increased traffic would force the Breach to stabilize so they could drop the bomb to destroy it. However, his colleague Dr. Newton Geiszler suggested that they try to Drift with a Kaiju brain to find exactly how to enter the Breach, but Herc believed that the neural surge would overwhelm his brain, a sentiment Pentecost shared.
Tensions between his son and Raleigh come to a head when Pentecost's daughter, Mako Mori, attempts to Drift with Raleigh during a test run in Gipsy Danger and latches onto the memory of Onibaba's attack in Tokyo in 2016. Herc and Pentecost break up the fight between Chuck and Raleigh after his son provokes Raleigh by insulting both him and Mako.
When the Double Event occurs in Hong Kong, Herc and Chuck are sent out in the Striker Eureka with Cherno Alpha and Crimson Typhoon. The two are given orders to protect the coastline while the Mark-1 and Mark-4 Jaeger teams fight Otachi and Leatherback. When Otachi kills Crimson Typhoon's pilots and Cherno Alpha is ambushed by Leatherback, the two disregard Pentecost's orders and engage the Kaiju. Herc and Chuck manage to do well against Otachi until Leatherback disables Striker Eureka with its EMP organ.
Herc and Check watch as Gipsy Danger prepares to fight Leatherback.
Herc's arm is broken during the attack after he disconnects from his Conn-Pod harness. They decide as a last-ditch effort to shoot flares at the Kaiju to keep it distracted and away from the city for as long as possible. As Leatherback prepares to smash the Striker Eureka, Gipsy Danger arrives on the scene to fight it and Otachi.
Given Herc's injuries, he is unable to pilot the Jaeger for the mission to destroy the Breach. His replacement is Pentecost, who is confident that he'll able to Drift with Chuck in spite of his ego because he is related to Herc. He manages to say a farewell to his son before they leave, doubtful he'll survive should the mission either succeed or fail.
He monitors the progress of the mission at LOCCENT. When Striker and Gipsy arrive at the Breach, Pentecost hesitates to jump while Scunner and Raiju hold their position near the Breach. Herc orders Striker Eureka to "take the leap" and deploy the bomb, however, Newton and Hermann arrive at the LOCCENT and reveal that only something with the DNA of a Kaiju can enter the Breach as the Category V Kaiju emerges.
Herc announces humanity's victory over the Kaiju.
Herc is able to pass a warning to a damaged Gipsy Danger that Raiju was bearing on them at full speed, prompting Gipsy Danger to cleave the Kaiju in half. As Striker Eureka was left incapable of delivering the nuclear payload, they decide to sacrifice themselves to destroy the two remaining Kaiju. Herc is able to hear his son's final words before he and Pentecost detonate the thermonuclear bomb.
Their efforts buy Gipsy Danger time to get the Jaeger into the Breach and detonate its nuclear reactor. He sends helicopters to retrieve Raleigh and Mako. After confirming that both Rangers were alive, Herc announces to the Shatterdome personnel the end of the Kaiju War and orders the War Clock to stopped as everyone celebrates. Despite losing his son, Herc takes over as the new Marshal of the Shatterdome.
Personality
Herc is described as fearless; a "born fighter" and "career soldier". Of the surviving pilots, Herc has the longest service record in the Defense Corps as its most experienced Jaeger pilot.
Partnered with his son, Herc and Chuck work together seamlessly when engaged in combat. Outside of the Conn-Podd, however, their relationship is tumultuous. Where Chuck thinks of pilots like Raleigh Becket as liabilities, Herc respects all his fellow Rangers, which causes him to butt heads with his son, whose competitive nature and short temper causes problems. Herc struggles to keep his son's temper reigned in at the same time he works to be a better father.
Skills
Like Stacker Pentecost, Herc's previous history as an Air Force pilot makes him both an experienced pilot and soldier among the many who've train to become Rangers. His status as one of the most experienced Jaeger pilots in the Defense Corps history marks him as one of the world's elite Jaeger pilots. Herc is willing to concede to the orders of his superiors, but break them when he feels it is necessary, regardless of the dangers it poses to a mission.
Herc's tenure as an experienced soldier trained in unarmed combat, allows Herc to utilize his learned skills in the Jaeger Academy as a student of "Jaeger Bushido" against the Kaiju. Striker's status as a "dirty boxer" suggests that he is trained in traditional boxing or kickboxing.
Trivia
- According to Robert Kazinsky, Herc was a retiring soldier prior to the events of the film.[7]
- According to the novelization, Herc broke his collarbone before playing football when he was younger.
- According to the novelization of Pacific Rim, Herc's first Jaeger assignment was the Lucky Seven.
- Herc's Japanese voice actor, Shuuichi Ikeda, provided the voice of Char Aznable in the original Mobile Suit Gundam series.[5]
- The crowned and winged seven on Herc's vest is believed to be the decal of Lucky Seven.[8]
- Ron Perlman was initially cast to play Herc Hansen, however, Guillermo del Toro eventually decided against it, feeling that scenes between Raleigh and Herc would invoke a feeling of "Sons of Anarchy 2.0".[9]
Gallery
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An image gallery is available for Herc Hansen
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Notes
- ↑ Herc Hansen: I know you, mate. We rode together before.
Raleigh Becket: We did, sir. Six years ago. My brother and I. It was a three Jaeger team drop.
Herc Hansen: That’s right, Manila. - ↑ Ticket Reader: “Herc Hansen has piloted every generation of Jaeger and remains one of the most successful pilots in record. In recent years he started piloting with his son, Ch—"
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Pacific Rim
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Pacific Rim: Man, Machines & Monsters, pages 32-33
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Pan Pacific Defense Corps: Shatterdome
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Jaegercon Interview: Travis Beacham
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Tomokazu Sugita, Megumi Hayashibara, Tohru Furuya Cast in Pacific Rim Film's Dub
- ↑ Travis Beacham: Lucky Seven
- ↑ When Bleeding Cool Met Pacific Rim’s Angriest Jaeger Pilot, Rob Kazinsky
- ↑ Lucky Seven Decal
- ↑ Talking to... Guillermo del Toro -TORO Magazine
