Callisto of Cirra was a badass villain who appeared in many episodes of Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.
Why did Callisto hate Xena?
Callisto witnessed the brutal deaths of her mother, father, and sister at the hands of Xena during a violent assault on her village, Cirra. Hellbent on exacting vengeance on Xena, she became one of the most ruthless warlords of the time. Over the years, she developed an adversarial relationship with Xena.
Callisto fought Xena many times, but despite training for years to be better than the warrior princess, Xena usually managed to get the upper hand. Callisto died by Xena’s twice. Callisto often resorted to attacking those closest to Xena to torment her.
When did Callisto kill Gabrielle’s husband?
In the episode, Return of Callisto, Gabrielle decides to marry her former betrothed, Perdicus, after meeting up with him in a battle at Troy. The marriage was cut short as Callisto killed Perdicus, knowing that seeing Gabrielle in pain would make Xena suffer. This act changed Gabrielle profoundly as she too became hellbent on revenge against Callisto.
When does Callisto swap bodies with Xena?
After she and Ares team up, Callisto swaps bodies with Xena in the episode Intimate Stranger. Using Xena’s guilt, they infiltrate her dreams allowing Callisto to switch bodies with her. In Xena’s body, Callisto sets out to destroy Xena’s hometown of Amphipolis.
When does Callisto become immortal?
In the Hercules episode Surprise, Callisto is trapped in Tartarus and has been going insane obsessing over Xena. She escapes from Tartarus by making a deal with Hera, Queen of the Olympians. Hera promises Callisto immortality if she kills Hercules. Callisto has plans of her own on how to become immortal. She poisons Hercules’ family and then tricks him into taking her to the Tree of Life, where one bite of a Golden Apple can cure anyone’s ills, and a whole apple can make a person immortal.
Hercules reluctantly agrees to the request, but Callisto traps him and uses him to reveal the tree’s location. Callisto traps Hercules and then eats a golden apple, becoming immortal and restoring her sanity. Hercules escapes and fights Callisto, inadvertently scarring her and trapping her in the labyrinth. As Callisto is frustrated, her rage is all she has left to console her for what seems like an eternity.
When does Callisto become a god?
Callisto becomes a god in the episode A Necessary Evil. Xena releases her from the labyrinth after an Amazon named Velasca eats Ambrosia and becomes a god. Valasca is determined to kill Gabrielle, so Xena has no choice but to entice Callisto into helping them defeat Valasca. Callisto gets her hands on some Ambrosia and becomes a god herself. Unfortunately for her, Xena never intended for her to be free and traps her and Valasca in Lava.
Callisto wants oblivion
Callisto goes through a lot of torment and frustration until she decides that there is no point in life. In the episode Sacrifice, she makes a deal with Gabrielle’s daughter Hope to protect her, providing she can give her complete oblivion at the end, no more Tartarus, lava pits or labyrinths, just oblivion.
Things don’t work out as planned, and Callisto finds herself teaming up with Xena to defeat Hope.
Callisto’s journey is a long and troubled one, but she is redeemed and reborn by season 5 of Xena.
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