Meg (Hercules)

Meg first appears in Hercules (1997) as a young woman working for Hades, god of the underworld.{{Cite web |last=Chacona |first=Hollis |date=June 27, 1997 |title=Hercules |url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/events/film/1997-06-27/142332/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821030003/https://www.austinchronicle.com/events/film/1997-06-27/142332/ |archive-date=August 21, 2019 |access-date=August 20, 2019 |website=The Austin Chronicle}} She meets Hercules when he frees her from Nessus, a centaur Meg had been sent by Hades to recruit for his army. Resisting Hercules' help,{{Cite web |last=Shulgasser |first=Barbara |date=June 27, 1997 |title=Hercules - more power to him |url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Hercules-more-power-to-him-3112143.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821025959/https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Hercules-more-power-to-him-3112143.php |archive-date=August 21, 2019 |access-date=August 20, 2019 |website=San Francisco Chronicle}} Meg distrusts men, having once sold her soul to Hades in return for an ex-boyfriend's life only for him to pursue another woman, leaving Meg indebted to Hades for eternity. Hades enlists Meg to entice the seemingly infallible Hercules in hopes of distracting and ultimately defeating him,{{Cite web |last=Taylor |first=Charles |date=June 27, 1997 |title=Hercules |url=https://www.salon.com/1997/07/27/hercules/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821030005/https://www.salon.com/1997/07/27/hercules/ |archive-date=August 21, 2019 |access-date=August 20, 2019 |website=Salon}}{{Cite web |last=Deming |first=Mark |date=1997 |title=Hercules (1997) |url=https://www.riverfronttimes.com/stlouis/hercules-1997/Film?oid=2947805 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824161329/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riverfront_Times |archive-date=August 24, 2019 |access-date=August 18, 2019 |website=Riverfront Times}} offering her freedom for uncovering his weaknesses. Upon convincing Hercules to take a day off, they share a romantic evening during which Meg realizes she has unwittingly begun to fall in love with him,{{Cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |date=June 27, 1997 |title=Hercules |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hercules-1997 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408174902/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/hercules-1997 |archive-date=April 8, 2019 |access-date=August 20, 2019 |website=RogerEbert.com}} although she denies feeling this way.{{Cite web |date=18 June 2014 |title=Hercules is Secretly the Most Romantic Movie of all Time |url=https://ohmy.disney.com/movies/2014/06/18/hercules-is-secretly-the-most-romantic-movie-of-all-time/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190818070003/https://ohmy.disney.com/movies/2014/06/18/hercules-is-secretly-the-most-romantic-movie-of-all-time/ |archive-date=August 18, 2019 |access-date=August 18, 2019 |website=Oh My Disney}} Meg refuses to assist Hades any further, prompting him to kidnap her to lure Hercules upon discovering that Meg is Hercules' weakness.{{Cite web |last1=Fischer |first1=Paul |last2=Keller |first2=Louise |title=Hercules |url=http://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=450&s=Reviews |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171214113352/http://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=450&s=Reviews |archive-date=December 14, 2017 |access-date=August 20, 2019 |website=Urban Cinefile}} Hades tricks Hercules into giving up his strength in return for Meg's guaranteed safety, only to reveal that Meg was initially working for him. With Hercules incapacitated, Hades attacks Mount Olympus and Thebes, but Hercules remains determined to defend both regions. During the battle, Meg pushes Hercules out of the way of a falling column, by which she is fatally injured. Meg's injury restores Hercules' strength and deems his agreement with Hades null and void,{{Cite news |last=Silverio |first=Ben F. |date=February 27, 2023 |title=Disney's Hercules Musical Review: I Won't Say I'm In Love, But There's Potential |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/1209464/disneys-hercules-musical-review-i-wont-say-im-in-love-but-theres-potential/ |access-date=February 4, 2025 |work=/Film}}{{Cite news |last=Larasati |first=Dyah Ayu |date=October 26, 2024 |title=Disney’s Best Heroine Isn’t Even a Princess |url=https://collider.com/disney-best-heroine-meg/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250201171441/https://collider.com/disney-best-heroine-meg/ |archive-date=February 1, 2025 |access-date=February 1, 2025 |work=Collider}} which he uses to confront Hades and retrieve Meg's soul from the River Styx before it reaches the underworld, ultimately reviving her. Hercules' sacrifice for Meg proves himself a true hero, becoming a god in the process and finally allowing him to return to Mount Olympus. However, Hercules chooses to relinquish his immortality so that he can remain on Earth with Meg.

Meg appears as Hercules' wife in the film's direct-to-video sequel Hercules: Zero to Hero (1999),{{Cite web |title=Hercules: Zero to Hero |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/movies/Hercules-Zero-to-Hero/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831232652/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/movies/Hercules-Zero-to-Hero/ |archive-date=August 31, 2019 |access-date=August 31, 2019 |website=Behind The Voice Actors}} in which she learns about Hercules' past and childhood.{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Doug |date=1999 |title=Hercules: Zero to Hero [Import] |url=https://www.amazon.ca/Hercules-Zero-Hero-Tate-Donovan/dp/B00000J2KJ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831232653/https://www.amazon.ca/Hercules-Zero-Hero-Tate-Donovan/dp/B00000J2KJ |archive-date=August 31, 2019 |access-date=August 31, 2019 |website=Amazon.ca}}

Meg's role in Hercules is one of several creative liberties Disney took when adapting the Greek myth into an animated film.{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/it-s-all-greek-to-me-1.114945|title=It's all Greek to me|date=October 11, 1997|newspaper=The Irish Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815052854/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/it-s-all-greek-to-me-1.114945?mode=sample&auth-failed=1&pw-origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.irishtimes.com%2Fnews%2Fit-s-all-greek-to-me-1.114945|archive-date=August 15, 2019|access-date=August 15, 2019|url-access=subscription |url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/VIDEO-OF-THE-WEEK-Hercules-Hipper-Than-Its-3014078.php|title=Video of the Week -- 'Hercules' Hipper Than Its Hero|last=Stack|first=Peter|date=February 6, 1998|website=San Francisco Chronicle|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821020229/https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/VIDEO-OF-THE-WEEK-Hercules-Hipper-Than-Its-3014078.php|archive-date=August 21, 2019|access-date=August 20, 2019|url-status=live}} In Greek mythology, Megara is Hercules' first wife,{{Cite web |last=Nguyen |first=Stacey |date=May 22, 2020 |title=Why Hercules's Meg Is the Best Woman Disney Character, Even If She's Not a Role Model |url=https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/why-meg-from-hercules-is-best-female-disney-character-47463162 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240227000803/https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/why-meg-from-hercules-is-best-female-disney-character-47463162 |archive-date=February 27, 2024 |access-date=June 13, 2020 |website=PopSugar}} with whom the character has several children.{{Cite web|url=https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1997/vp970626/06260040.htm|title=Herc Goes Hip Disney Offers A New Take On Greek Mythology With 'Hercules'|last=Vincent|first=Mal|date=June 26, 1997|website=The Virginian-Pilot|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190816021515/https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1997/vp970626/06260040.htm|archive-date=August 16, 2019|access-date=August 15, 2019|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.techtimes.com/articles/107995/20151118/more-disney-heroes-are-coming-to-once-upon-a-time-%E2%80%93-jonathan-whitesell-and-kacey-rohl-casting-as-hercules-and-megara-confirmed.htm|title=More Disney Heroes Are Coming To 'Once Upon A Time' – Jonathan Whitesell And Kacey Rohl Casting As Hercules And Megara Confirmed|last=Johnson|first=Charity|date=November 18, 2015|website=Tech Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118123526/https://www.techtimes.com/articles/107995/20151118/more-disney-heroes-are-coming-to-once-upon-a-time-%E2%80%93-jonathan-whitesell-and-kacey-rohl-casting-as-hercules-and-megara-confirmed.htm|archive-date=January 18, 2017|access-date=August 30, 2019|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldhistory.org/hercules/|title=Hercules|last=Cartwright|first=Mark|date=July 9, 2012|website=World History Encyclopedia|id=Sources differ pertaining to the exact number of Hercules and Megara's children in Greek mythology; the Ancient History Encyclopedia states a total of five, while The Irish Times mentions three. Tech Times writes that the couple is "believed to have had between three to eight children."|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417032240/https://www.worldhistory.org/hercules/|archive-date=April 17, 2021|access-date=August 29, 2019}} The eldest daughter of King Creon, Megara is gifted to Hercules after he defeats the Minyans at Orchomenos.{{Cite web|url=https://geeks.media/15-characters-who-arent-on-the-official-disney-princess-list-but-should-be|title=15 Characters Who Aren't on the Official Disney Princess List, but Should Be|last=Thyra|first=Karina|date=2017|website=Geeks Media|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817203139/https://geeks.media/15-characters-who-arent-on-the-official-disney-princess-list-but-should-be|archive-date=August 17, 2019|access-date=May 17, 2019|url-status=live}} Megara and their children are eventually killed by Hercules himself,{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/review97/herculeshowe.htm|title=Disney's Myth Conception|last=Howe|first=Desson|date=June 27, 1997|newspaper=The Washington Post|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190818072309/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/review97/herculeshowe.htm|archive-date=August 18, 2019|access-date=August 18, 2019|url-status=live}} having been driven to insanity by Hera, the wife of his unfaithful father Zeus.{{Cite web|url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/jul/08/cleaned-up-disneys-movie-version-of-hercules/|title=Cleaned Up Disney's Movie Version Of Hercules Leaves Out Seamy Details Of The Original Story|last1=Dreher|first1=Rod|last2=Hurlburt|first2=Roger|date=July 8, 1997|website=The Spokesman-Review|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190818221957/https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/jul/08/cleaned-up-disneys-movie-version-of-hercules/|archive-date=August 18, 2019|access-date=August 18, 2019|url-status=live}} These elements were entirely omitted from the animated film while retaining a female character named "Meg", instead adapting her into a con artist with a troubled past, whose relationship with Hercules ultimately redeems her.{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldhistory.org/Megara_(Wife_of_Hercules)/|title=Megara (Wife of Hercules)|last=Mark|first=Joshua J.|date=July 24, 2014|website=World History Encyclopedia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190818010254/https://www.ancient.eu/Megara_(Wife_of_Hercules)/|archive-date=August 18, 2019|access-date=August 17, 2019|url-status=live}}

The writers adapted the way in which Hercules meets his second wife, Deianira, into the way he meets Meg.{{Cite web|url=https://www.throwbacks.com/15-facts-about-disneys-hercules/|title=15 Facts About Disney's 'Hercules' That'll Take You From Zero To Hero|last=Matt|date=December 28, 2017|website=Throwbacks|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190818004822/https://www.throwbacks.com/15-facts-about-disneys-hercules/|archive-date=August 18, 2019|access-date=August 17, 2019|url-status=live}} Herakles author Emma Stafford determined that Disney had assimilated the character with Deianira, in addition to making Meg older and more experienced.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PfB0k9hKURcC&q=gerald+scarfe+megara&pg=PT188|title=Herakles|last=Stafford|first=Emma|publisher=Routledge|year=2013|isbn=9781136519260|location=United Kingdom|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917181230/https://books.google.ca/books?id=PfB0k9hKURcC&pg=PT188&lpg=PT188&dq=gerald+scarfe+megara&source=bl&ots=Gd73DQW3ZL&sig=ACfU3U2SrxbpM6Vpp3sn2pHZlD3YI9Jycw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiVlZmf74vkAhWvUt8KHeU4BwI4ChDoATAGegQICBAB#v=onepage&q=gerald%20scarfe%20megara&f=false|archive-date=September 17, 2019|url-status=live|via=Google Books}} Directors and screenwriters Ron Clements and John Musker primarily drew inspiration for the film from screwball comedies during the 1930s and 1940s, particularly films directed by Preston Sturges and Frank Capra, with Musker describing Hercules as "a comedy about the battle between idealism and cynicism, in the same way as some of those Sturges and Capra movies". Thus, Meg was written as a cynical heroine who finds it difficult to trust men.

The writers based Meg on actress Barbara Stanwyck's character in the film The Lady Eve (1941). Clements said that Meg "was especially interesting for us [to create] because she was so different from the other Disney heroines" of the time period. In addition to her "sharp-tongued" nature, writing Meg as a heroine who plots with the film's villain against its hero was a stark departure from previous Disney heroines and virtually unprecedented at the time.{{Cite web |last=Longsdorf |first=Amy |date=June 22, 1997 |title='Hercules' Unchained By Disney Directors Flex Their Maverick Muscle for New Animated Feature |url=https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1997-06-22-3140647-story.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815064553/https://www.mcall.com/news/mc-xpm-1997-06-22-3140647-story.html |archive-date=August 15, 2019 |access-date=August 15, 2019 |website=The Morning Call}} Since Meg initially works for Hades, the writers also drew inspiration from Lola, a temptress contracted to work for the devil in the musical Damn Yankees (1956).{{Cite web|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19970622/2545749/disneys-hercules-plays-up-the-comic-side-of-an-epic-tale----missing-from-the-disney-treatment-of-the-hercules-story-will-be-some-darker-details-of-his-life-including-his-illegitimate-birth|title=Disney's 'Hercules' Plays Up The Comic Side Of An Epic Tale -- Missing From The Disney Treatment Of The Hercules Story Will Be Some Darker Details Of His Life, Including His Illegitimate Birth.|last=Hartl|first=John|date=June 22, 1997|website=The Seattle Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180820105552/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19970622&slug=2545749|archive-date=August 20, 2018|access-date=August 16, 2019|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.deseret.com/1997/6/27/19320528/hilariously-exhilarating-hercules-is-sure-to-be-a-herculean-hit-for-the-folks-at-disney|title=Hilariously exhilarating 'Hercules' is sure to be a Herculean hit for the folks at Disney|last=Hicks|first=Chris|date=June 27, 1997|website=Deseret News|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821030005/https://www.deseret.com/1997/6/27/19320528/hilariously-exhilarating-hercules-is-sure-to-be-a-herculean-hit-for-the-folks-at-disney|archive-date=August 21, 2019|access-date=August 20, 2019}} According to The Baltimore Sun, Meg was one of Disney's first heroines to have been written with a past and backstory.{{Cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1997-06-27-1997178072-story.html|title=A Mighty Good Time Review: In 'Hercules,' ancient Greek gods and modern media gods conspire to entertain grown-ups and delight the kids.|last=Ollove|first=Michael|date=June 27, 1997|website=The Baltimore Sun|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819172047/https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1997-06-27-1997178072-story.html|archive-date=August 19, 2019|access-date=August 19, 2019|url-status=live}}

Meg is voiced by American actress and singer Susan Egan who,{{Cite web|url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/egan-susan-1970|title=Egan, Susan 1970–|website=Encyclopedia.com|access-date=February 16, 2020}} prior to Hercules, had auditioned for every animated Disney film since 1991's Beauty and the Beast. Disney was interested in casting a Broadway performer as Meg,{{Cite web|url=http://www.themousecastle.com/2012/08/susan-egan-belle-meg-glamour-and-goop.html|title=Susan Egan: Belle, Meg, Glamour and Goop - Part 2|date=August 1, 2012|website=The Mouse Castle|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815031735/http://www.themousecastle.com/2012/08/susan-egan-belle-meg-glamour-and-goop.html|archive-date=August 15, 2019|access-date=August 14, 2019|url-status=live}} instead of casting different actors as the character's speaking and singing voices.{{Cite web|url=https://speechtostage.com/2017/08/13/coffee-in-a-cardboard-cup-words-of-experience-to-newly-minted-slps/|title=I Want Adventure in the Great Wide Somewhere: A Conversation with Susan Egan|date=August 13, 2017|website=Speech To Stage|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819150536/https://speechtostage.com/2017/08/13/coffee-in-a-cardboard-cup-words-of-experience-to-newly-minted-slps/|archive-date=August 19, 2019|access-date=August 19, 2019|url-status=live}} At the time, Egan was starring on Broadway as Belle in the stage adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, a role she originated, and had been four months into her tenure when she learned of auditions for Meg.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-theatrical-celebrates-25-years-broadway-original-stars-1175756|title=Disney Theatrical Celebrates 25 Years on Broadway With Original Stars|last=Evans|first=Suzy|date=January 15, 2019|website=The Hollywood Reporter|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815150329/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-theatrical-celebrates-25-years-broadway-original-stars-1175756|archive-date=August 15, 2019|access-date=August 15, 2019|url-status=live}} Despite strong interest in the role and assuming her professional relationship with the studio would improve her chances,{{Cite web |title=Susan Egan - OoCities |url=http://www.oocities.org/athens/olympus/6626/egan.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250126033543/http://www.oocities.org/athens/olympus/6626/egan.html |archive-date=January 26, 2025 |access-date=August 15, 2019 |website=OoCities}} Disney refused to let Egan audition, believing Meg's "bad girl" personality was far too different from the kind, sweet-natured Belle for Egan to play convincingly.{{Cite web|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/A-Conversation-with-Susan-Egan-20031016|title=A Conversation with Susan Egan|last=Brockman|first=Craig|date=October 16, 2003|website=BroadwayWorld|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815042148/https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/A-Conversation-with-Susan-Egan-20031016|archive-date=August 15, 2019|access-date=August 15, 2019|url-status=live}} Egan pursued the role constantly until Disney finally relented.File:Susan Egan 9-2007.jpg from auditioning for Meg because they felt the character was too different from Beauty and the Beast's Belle, who Egan was portraying on Broadway at the time.|alt=Smiling woman with medium-length brown hair, dressed in dark clothing.]]Several of Egan's Broadway contemporaries vied for the same role, including actresses Donna Murphy and Audra McDonald, both of whom attended the same audition.{{Cite web |last=North |first=Jesse |date=October 25, 2011 |title=Susan Egan on her dirt-catching days as a Disney Princess and humble motherhood |url=https://www.stage-rush.com/2011/10/susan-egan-disney-beauty-and-the-beast-secret-of-happiness-interview/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817222521/https://www.stage-rush.com/2011/10/susan-egan-disney-beauty-and-the-beast-secret-of-happiness-interview/ |archive-date=August 17, 2019 |access-date=August 17, 2019 |website=Stage Rush}}{{Cite web|url=http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2012/10/19/disney-favorite-susan-egan-to-perform-this-sunday-afternoon-at-lbcc-s-music-scholarship-gala-concert.aspx|title=Disney favorite Susan Egan to perform this Sunday afternoon at LBCC's Music Scholarship Gala Concert|last=Hill|first=Jim|date=October 19, 2012|website=Jim Hill Media|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190818072310/http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2012/10/19/disney-favorite-susan-egan-to-perform-this-sunday-afternoon-at-lbcc-s-music-scholarship-gala-concert.aspx|archive-date=August 18, 2019|access-date=August 18, 2019|url-status=live}} Composer Alan Menken and musical director Michael Kosarin, both of whom Egan had worked with on Beauty and the Beast, oversaw her audition. She described the audition process as unusual because the filmmakers did not look at her, preferring to either close their eyes or study a drawing of Meg to avoid being distracted by Egan's appearance. Egan read Meg's lines in her naturally deep voice which sounds different than the manufactured "Belle voice" Disney had grown accustomed to, surprising the casting directors and Menken.{{Cite web|url=https://www.orangecoast.com/arts-culture/beyond-belle-seal-beach-native-susan-egan-broadway-star-disney-princess-o-c-girl-scout-mom/|title=Seal Beach Native Susan Egan is a Broadway Star, Disney Princess, and O.C. Girl Scout Mom|last=Khatchatryan|first=Astgik|date=April 26, 2018|website=Orange Coast|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190816021516/https://www.orangecoast.com/arts-culture/beyond-belle-seal-beach-native-susan-egan-broadway-star-disney-princess-o-c-girl-scout-mom/|archive-date=August 16, 2019|access-date=August 15, 2019|url-status=live}} Egan explained to the filmmakers that "when I play Belle, I'm acting", describing herself as much more similar to Meg in both voice and personality. Aware that Meg was based on Stanwyck, Egan researched some of Stanwyck's films, as well as the performances of actresses Joan Crawford, Bette Davis and Lauren Bacall, drawing inspiration from their "cadence of acting" and mid-Atlantic accents. Egan then performed "Somewhere That's Green" from Menken's musical Little Shop of Horrors (1982) as her audition song. Apart from periodic updates from Kosarin, Egan would not hear from Disney until six months afterward when the studio chose her as one of three contenders to begin animating the character to, until she was finally cast following her last animation test. Egan had begun to grow anxious because Disney had opted to cast "big name[d]" actors in several prominent roles, considering herself fortunate to play both the speaking and singing parts of her character, which had grown more uncommon in animated films.

Egan continued to perform in Beauty and the Beast while working on Hercules, playing Belle throughout the day and Meg during evenings.{{Cite web|url=http://disunplugged.com/2011/11/15/susan-egan-the-belle-of-broadway-talks-about-her-new-cd/|title=Susan Egan, the Belle of Broadway, Talks About Her New CD|last=Skywalker|first=Mouse|date=November 15, 2011|website=DIS Unplugged|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817220331/http://disunplugged.com/2011/11/15/susan-egan-the-belle-of-broadway-talks-about-her-new-cd/|archive-date=August 17, 2019|access-date=May 17, 2019|url-status=live}} Egan's first recording session was postponed due to a foot injury she suffered on stage.{{Cite web|url=https://animatedviews.com/2017/2017-d23-expo-exclusive/?highlight=meg%20hercules|title=2017 D23 Expo Exclusive|last=Short|first=Dan|date=August 4, 2017|website=Animated Views|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917183530/https://animatedviews.com/2017/2017-d23-expo-exclusive/?highlight=meg%20hercules|archive-date=September 17, 2019|access-date=August 22, 2019|url-status=live}} At one point, Menken warned Egan that she had begun incorporating aspects of Meg's personality into Belle, saying, "You're onstage and your hip juts out ... it's like you're going to roll your eyes and tell the Beast to shave", which she corrected. Egan continued to draw inspiration from classic Hollywood performers, adapting "a hard-boiled frame of mind" when approaching Meg's putdowns, retorts and insults. She channeled actresses Jean Arthur and Ginger Rogers for the scene in which Meg first nicknames Hercules "Wonder Boy". Some of Egan's lines were lifted directly from her audition, particularly "So did they give you a name along with all those rippling pectorals?" and "My friends call me Meg. At least they would if I had any friends". This posed a challenge for the sound engineers, who were tasked with removing background noise such as New York City traffic from the footage. Egan described Meg as "the gorgeous, girl-with-a-track-record" female character that she had always wanted to play, possessing "the Liz Taylor look and the one-liners I wish I could come up with in real life." Egan felt it "fun to be funny" as Meg, believing that her sarcastic and witty personality is typically reserved for male characters.{{Cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1998-02-05-9802050383-story.html|title='Hercules' Makes a Strong Showing|last=Ellin|first=Harlene|date=February 5, 1998|website=Chicago Tribune|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817201711/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1998-02-05-9802050383-story.html|archive-date=August 17, 2019|access-date=August 17, 2019|url-status=live}}

File:Barbara Stanwyck-publicity.jpg is among several classic Hollywood actresses by whom Meg's personality and appearance were inspired; Egan also based her voice acting on Stanwyck's performances.|alt=]]

Meg was inspired by 1940s screwball comediennes,{{Cite web|last=Rosen|first=Christopher|date=April 17, 2020|title=Ariana Grande's Hercules Cover Is Proof of Concept for a Live-Action Remake|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/04/ariana-grande-disney-hercules-remake|access-date=June 13, 2020|website=Vanity Fair}} specifically actress Barbara Stanwyck's performances in the films The Lady Eve and Ball of Fire (both 1941).{{Cite web|url=https://www.deseret.com/1997/6/28/19320340/voice-behind-beauty-takes-on-tough-minded-megara-in-hercules|title=Voice behind 'Beauty' takes on tough-minded Megara in 'Hercules'|last=Hicks|first=Chris|date=June 28, 1997|website=Deseret News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815030425/https://www.deseret.com/1997/6/28/19320340/voice-behind-beauty-takes-on-tough-minded-megara-in-hercules|archive-date=August 15, 2019|access-date=August 14, 2019|url-status=bot: unknown}} Both Egan and supervising animator Ken Duncan drew inspiration from Stanwyck's "tough-minded" demeanor in her films, with Egan describing Meg as a "fast-talking, 1940s dame who has guys wrapped around her little finger".{{Cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/9706/27/hercules/|title=Disney hopes 'Hercules' will have strong appeal|last=Tush|first=Bill|date=June 27, 1997|website=CNN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815061942/http://edition.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/9706/27/hercules/|archive-date=August 15, 2019|access-date=August 15, 2019|url-status=dead}} Egan believes Meg is a character "somewhere in between" good and evil, unlike most Disney heroines who are typically either one or the other. Egan called Meg a "beautiful and brilliant" woman "who knows how to go after what she wants," describing her as "disillusioned with people" until she meets "Hercules, who is so pure of spirit and so honest that it re-establishes her faith in goodness." Egan said Meg and Belle are "not exactly the same type" of character;{{Cite web|last=Lee|first=Ashley|date=November 22, 2019|title=Inside the 'Broadway Princess Party,' a sweet soiree of Disney songs|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2019-11-22/broadway-princess-party-disney-songs-laura-osnes|access-date=May 5, 2021|website=Los Angeles Times}} comparing Meg to her other Disney heroine, Belle, Egan described the former as the Beast to Hercules' Belle: "[Meg is] the one who's had a traumatic event in her life which has forced her to lose faith in people. It takes a pure spirit to reestablish that faith. For the Beast, it was Belle. For Meg, it's Hercules." Furthermore, Egan believes "there's no other character like Meg", elaborating that she lacks the moral compass that Belle has "because that's Hercules’ job in the movie. She's not a princess, and she's not a villain." Egan believes that Meg undergoes "a much larger arch than the Disney princesses" as she experiences a change of heart, describing her as flawed and feeling that Disney not crowning her a princess makes her "more relatable".{{Cite web|url=https://www.iliveindallas.com/fxdprincessinterview/|title=Interview: Disney Royalty, Susan Egan And Linda Larkin, Grace FXD18|last=Smithey|first=James D|date=March 13, 2018|website=I Live In Dallas|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905032926/https://www.iliveindallas.com/fxdprincessinterview/|archive-date=September 5, 2019|access-date=September 4, 2019}}

Disney enlisted cartoonist and caricaturist Gerald Scarfe to help design the film's characters.{{Cite web |last=Korkis |first=Jim |date=August 5, 2016 |title=Animation Anecdotes #274 |url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/animation-anecdotes-274/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190818170958/https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/animation-anecdotes-274/ |archive-date=August 18, 2019 |access-date=August 18, 2019 |website=Cartoon Research}} Alongside Hercules, Meg is one of only two prominent human characters in the film; Scarfe determined that neither character "offer[ed] a lot for caricature" in comparison to the film's non-human characters, opting to draw them as "good looking, hunky, pretty" instead. Observing that Disney heroines "ha[ve] certainly evolved over the years", Scarfe identified Meg as very different from Snow White from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), describing her as "a feisty, in some ways cynical girl who has a lot of oomph." Duncan served as Meg's supervising animator, both designing and animating the character.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cartoonbrew.com/animators/ken-duncan-shares-never-before-seen-photos-from-90s-era-disney-productions-174890.html|title=Ken Duncan Shares Never-Before-Seen Photos From 90s-Era Disney Productions|last=Aguilar|first=Carlos|date=May 5, 2019|website=Cartoon Brew|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530024209/https://www.cartoonbrew.com/animators/ken-duncan-shares-never-before-seen-photos-from-90s-era-disney-productions-174890.html|archive-date=May 30, 2019|access-date=August 15, 2019|url-status=live}} Duncan Marjoribanks was originally intended to animate Meg, while Duncan had been slated to animate Nessus. Duncan asked to replace Marjoribanks when the latter left the production to work for DreamWorks Animation. Duncan originally attempted to draw Meg as a realistic-looking heroine.{{Cite web|url=https://archive.nerdist.com/13-things-we-learned-about-the-making-of-hercules-at-d23-expo/|title=13 Things We Learned About the Making of Hercules at D23 Expo|last=Ratcliffe|first=Amy|date=July 18, 2017|website=Nerdist|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815071701/https://archive.nerdist.com/13-things-we-learned-about-the-making-of-hercules-at-d23-expo/|archive-date=August 15, 2019|access-date=August 15, 2019|url-status=live}} Upon deciding to incorporate elements of Greek pottery into the character's hair, Duncan ultimately decided to base the character's entire body on pottery as well. Duncan hoped that his animation would change how Meg's personality was originally depicted in storyboards, from "tough and angry to street smart and playfully sarcastic." Clements and Musker described Meg's head as "sort of a vase shape", while "she's got a Greek curl in the back."{{Cite web|url=http://www.mouseinfo.com/new/2017/07/zero-to-hero-the-making-of-hercules-panel-at-d23expo/|title=In Depth: Zero to Hero: The Making of Hercules Panel at #D23Expo|last=Inigo|first=Becca Blumenfeld|date=July 18, 2017|website=MouseInfo.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190818221031/http://www.mouseinfo.com/new/2017/07/zero-to-hero-the-making-of-hercules-panel-at-d23expo/|archive-date=August 18, 2019|access-date=August 18, 2019|url-status=live}} Notably, Meg's hair is designed and animated in a way that is very difficult to replicate in real life.

Egan feels her character closer resembles Stanwyck than herself, although some of Egan's mannerisms, facial expressions and features, such as Egan's arched eyebrows, were incorporated into the character's appearance by animators watching video footage of the actress recording. While reviewing storyboards early during production, Egan recognized Meg performing a "slicing" gesture with her hand she had originated during her audition when her character says "Thanks for everything, Herc. It's been a real slice", which producer Alice Dewey confirmed had been borrowed directly from Egan's audition. Meg's eye colour had been changed from blue to purple by the time Phil's line warning Hercules not to be distracted by her eyes was written, prompting the writers to change it from "Don't let your guard down because of a pair of big, blue eyes" to "goo-goo eyes". In 2011, Egan enlisted Duncan to animate animal characters in the music video for her single "Nina Doesn't Care".

Meg is the film's female lead,{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YtJKDwAAQBAJ&q=gerald+scarfe+megara&pg=PA136|title=100 Greatest American and British Animated Films|last=Hischak|first=Thomas S.|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2018|isbn=9781538105696|location=United States|pages=136|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917191456/https://books.google.ca/books?id=YtJKDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA136&lpg=PA136&dq=gerald+scarfe+megara&source=bl&ots=PW-ab5UE-4&sig=ACfU3U2T5Yhrigrgi2Rw-3nLXEzKVcVIhA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiVlZmf74vkAhWvUt8KHeU4BwI4ChDoATACegQICRAB#v=onepage&q=gerald%20scarfe%20megara&f=false|archive-date=September 17, 2019|url-status=live|via=Google Books}} whose listless personality distinguishes her from Disney's history of earnest heroines. Stylist writer Kayleigh Dray described Meg as manipulative, sarcastic, fierce, and wise,{{Cite web|url=https://www.stylist.co.uk/life/best-disney-princess-feminist-badass-ranking-credentials-girl-power/164676|title=The definitive feminist ranking of every single Disney princess|last=Dray|first=Kayleigh|date=February 2019|website=Stylist|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190814062134/https://www.stylist.co.uk/life/best-disney-princess-feminist-badass-ranking-credentials-girl-power/164676|archive-date=August 14, 2019|access-date=August 17, 2019|url-status=live}} characteristics that Egan said are typically reserved for male characters in Disney films. IndieWire's Greg Ehrbar observed that Meg's sardonicism is "unusual for a Disney heroine", describing her as a "descendant of a Barbara Stanwyck film noir character" who is also hesitant "to get close to anyone lest they wreck her life further",{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2014/08/blu-ray-review-disneys-hercules-and-tarzan-124053/|title=Blu-ray Review: Disney's Hercules and Tarzan|last=Ehrbar|first=Greg|date=August 10, 2014|website=IndieWire|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815061409/https://www.indiewire.com/2014/08/blu-ray-review-disneys-hercules-and-tarzan-124053/|archive-date=August 15, 2019|access-date=August 15, 2019|url-status=live}} suffering from a complicated past that leaves her bitter and cynical.{{Cite web |last=Smithouser |first=Bob |title=Hercules |url=https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/hercules/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331191534/https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/hercules/ |archive-date=March 31, 2024 |access-date=August 24, 2019 |website=Plugged In}} The Los Angeles Times' Kenneth Turan remarked that Meg is "a different kind of Disney heroine, the kind of been-around, good-bad girl who could have been voiced by Barbara Stanwyck." Meg is also very sarcastic, a characteristic considered to be unusual among most Disney heroines,{{Cite web|url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/138412-11-reasons-megara-from-hercules-is-super-underrated|title=11 Reasons Megara From 'Hercules' Is Super Underrated|last=Garis|first=Mary Grace|date=February 4, 2016|website=Bustle|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190816234342/https://www.bustle.com/articles/138412-11-reasons-megara-from-hercules-is-super-underrated|archive-date=August 16, 2019|access-date=August 16, 2019}} often speaking in "misandrist quips."{{Cite web |last=Gutowitz |first=Jill |date=July 13, 2018 |title=I Was So Gay for Meg From 'Hercules' That It Terrified Me |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/meg-hercules-big-lesbian-crush/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240305041423/https://www.vice.com/en/article/pawdjz/meg-hercules-big-lesbian-crush |archive-date=March 5, 2024 |access-date=February 17, 2020 |url-status=live |website=Vice}} Olivia Martello of MovieWeb agreed that Meg has a more complex background than typically afforded to love interests.{{Cite news |last=Martello |first=Olivia |date=July 10, 2022 |title=Hercules: Looking Back at the Animated Classic - 25 Years Later |url=https://movieweb.com/hercules-disney-classic-25-years-later-retro/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230723160002/https://movieweb.com/hercules-disney-classic-25-years-later-retro/ |archive-date=July 23, 2023 |access-date=January 28, 2025 |work=MovieWeb}}

Vice writer Jill Gutowitz reviewed that Meg "was measurably more sexual than any female character" at the time of the film's release; "I had never seen a woman treat men the way she did, luring them with her catlike eyes; tugging them around by the shirt collar; dragging her spindly fingers across their pecs. Meg teased her friends and foes, taunting them with an air of mystery that implied she harbored secrets" Observing that "Female characters tend to be fully good or fully bad in Disney movies—a Maleficent or a Sleeping Beauty, if you will", Kate Knibbs of The Ringer wrote that "Meg is a little harder to neatly categorize, as she's a good person with an attitude problem who makes some bad choices.{{Cite web |last=Knibbs |first=Kate |date=July 17, 2019 |title=The 40 Best Disney Songs, Ranked |url=https://www.theringer.com/music/2019/7/17/20696940/forty-best-disney-songs-ranked-lion-king |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240909100638/https://www.theringer.com/music/2019/7/17/20696940/forty-best-disney-songs-ranked-lion-king |archive-date=September 9, 2024 |access-date=January 19, 2020 |website=The Ringer}} Disney, Pixar, and the Hidden Messages of Children's Films author M. Keith Booker called Meg Hercules' "version of Kryptonite", Superman's weakness.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jD9_0jxVmqUC&q=hercules+megara+disney&pg=PA64|title=Disney, Pixar, and the Hidden Messages of Children's Films|last=Booker|first=M. Keith|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2010|isbn=9780313376726|location=United States|pages=64|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917192010/https://books.google.ca/books?id=jD9_0jxVmqUC&pg=PA64&dq=hercules+megara+disney&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjNyoCU6MbkAhVH1lkKHSjdDvwQ6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=hercules%20megara%20disney&f=false|archive-date=September 17, 2019|url-status=live|via=Google Books}} Describing Meg as "cynical and articulate," The Independent's Judith Welikala stated that the character "shows a more devious side normally confined to villainous females," unlike her predecessors.{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/how-walt-disneys-women-have-grown-up-8420282.html|title=How Walt Disney's women have grown up|last1=Welikala|first1=Judith|last2=Dugan|first2=Emily|date=December 16, 2002|website=The Independent|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819050217/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/how-walt-disneys-women-have-grown-up-8420282.html|archive-date=August 19, 2019|access-date=August 19, 2019|url-status=live}} Sabina Ibarra of Moviefone identified Meg as "one of Disney's few lady anti-heroes", representing "a reluctant hero" until she encounters "someone who brings out the good in her".{{Cite web|url=https://www.moviefone.com/photos/disney-greatest-animated-heroines/|title=Disney's 17 Greatest Animated Heroines|last=Ibarra|first=Sabina|date=November 22, 2016|website=Moviefone|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190822030807/https://www.moviefone.com/photos/disney-greatest-animated-heroines/|archive-date=August 22, 2019|access-date=August 21, 2019|url-status=live}}

Meg resents being referred to as a damsel in distress,{{Cite news |last=Fowler |first=Matt |date=March 31, 2020 |title=The 25 Best Disney Animated Movies |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/03/26/the-25-best-disney-animated-movies |access-date=January 29, 2025 |work=IGN}} particularly by Hercules when they first meet. Uninterested in and opposed to the idea of love,{{Cite web|url=https://screencrush.com/forgotten-disney-princesses/|title=10 Forgotten Disney Princess|last=Franks-Allen|first=Sara|date=July 29, 2013|website=ScreenCrush|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190826081351/https://screencrush.com/forgotten-disney-princesses/|archive-date=August 26, 2019|access-date=August 27, 2019|url-status=live}} the character is cynical towards the idea of new romantic relationships due to suffering from a broken heart as a result of past failed relationships,{{Cite web|url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/96508-7-reasons-meg-from-hercules-is-the-most-underrated-disney-heroine-ever|title=7 Reasons Meg From 'Hercules' Is The Most Underrated Disney Heroine Ever|last=Dye|first=Tracy|date=July 10, 2015|website=Bustle|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190816234352/https://www.bustle.com/articles/96508-7-reasons-meg-from-hercules-is-the-most-underrated-disney-heroine-ever|archive-date=August 16, 2019|access-date=August 17, 2019|url-status=live}} being one of the few Disney heroines to have had their heart broken prior to meeting their true love.{{Cite news |last=Rowell |first=Dalin |date=October 13, 2024 |title=The 20 Most Under Appreciated Disney Animated Characters |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/805230/the-20-most-under-appreciated-disney-animated-characters/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240909171915/https://www.slashfilm.com/805230/the-20-most-under-appreciated-disney-animated-characters/ |archive-date=September 9, 2024 |access-date=January 28, 2025 |work=/Film |quote=with the beautiful vocal performance of Susan Egan breathing life into this memorable character}} At the same time, love complicates Meg's motivations, affecting choices she makes both about herself and others. The San Francisco Chronicle's Peter Stack wrote that Meg appears to be "as world-weary as a downtown barfly". Hercules must ultimately prove himself a hero by earning Meg's love.{{Cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/1997/06/27/hercules-2/|title=Hercules|last=Gleiberman|first=Owen|author-link=Owen Gleiberman|date=June 27, 1997|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821031213/https://ew.com/article/1997/06/27/hercules-2/|archive-date=August 21, 2019|access-date=August 20, 2019|url-status=live}} According to Bustle's Tracy Dye, Meg "only used her feminine wiles as a guise to pay her dues to evil Hades". PopSugar's Stacey Nguyen considers Meg one of the studio's most sexually confident characters. According to Shoshana Kessock of Tor.com, Meg is an example "of some creative editing ... where [she finds her] particular power in the films: through blatant uses of sexuality."{{Cite web|url=https://www.tor.com/2012/07/26/brave-and-the-legacy-of-the-anti-princess/|title=Brave and the Legacy of the Anti-Princess|last=Kessock|first=Shoshana|date=July 26, 2012|website=Tor.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821045141/https://www.tor.com/2012/07/26/brave-and-the-legacy-of-the-anti-princess/|archive-date=August 21, 2019|access-date=August 21, 2019|url-status=live}} Meg is depicted sexualizing herself to use her sexuality as a weapon unlike Jasmine, Pocahontas and Esmeralda, who instead are sexualized by the men around them.{{Cite web|url=https://www.geeksandgamers.com/review-hercules-1997/|title=Review: Hercules (1997)|last=Kublawi|first=Virginia|date=April 7, 2018|website=Geeks + Gamers|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917192800/https://www.geeksandgamers.com/review-hercules-1997/|archive-date=September 17, 2019|access-date=September 14, 2019}} Meanwhile, Meg also undergoes character development, slowly opening up to and sacrificing herself for Hercules.{{Cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/disney-princesses-heroines-officially-ranked/|title=30 Disney Princesses And Heroines, Officially Ranked|last=Tortorici|first=Colby|date=February 25, 2019|website=Screen Rant|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821051808/https://screenrant.com/disney-princesses-heroines-officially-ranked/|archive-date=August 21, 2019|access-date=August 21, 2019|url-status=live}} Identifying Meg as "a stronger and more complex female character ... than the typical Disney princess". Booker considers Hercules' decision to sacrifice immortality to be with Meg as a "progressive twist" in which the hero sacrifices something important to be with his love interest, as opposed to the woman sacrificing.

Critical reception towards Meg has been mostly positive. Critics such as the Chicago Tribune's Harlene Ellin and Michael Ollove of The Baltimore Sun welcomed her witty personality, complex morals, and backstory as refreshing departures from traditional Disney heroines.{{Cite news |last=Oller |first=Jacob |date=June 26, 2017 |title=‘Hercules’ Reinvented the Greek Hero 20 Years Ago |url=https://filmschoolrejects.com/hercules-reinvented-greek-hero-20-years-ago/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250128135430/https://filmschoolrejects.com/hercules-reinvented-greek-hero-20-years-ago/ |archive-date=January 28, 2025 |access-date=January 28, 2025 |work=Film School Rejects}}{{Cite news |last=Leishman |first=Rachel |date=September 3, 2019 |title=Bless My Soul, the Public Works Hercules Is on a Roll! |url=https://www.themarysue.com/disney-live-action-hercules/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=The Mary Sue}} Journalist Janet Maslin called Meg "hipper" than typical Disney heroines.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/13/movies/oh-heavens-what-a-hero.html|title=Oh, Heavens! What a Hero!|last=Maslin|first=Janet|author-link=Janet Maslin|date=June 13, 1997|website=The New York Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904032537/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/13/movies/oh-heavens-what-a-hero.html|archive-date=September 4, 2019|access-date=August 20, 2019|url-status=live}} Film critic Owen Gleiberman described the character as "refreshingly saucy". Amy Longsdorf of The Morning Call declared Meg "one of the most complicated heroines in the Disney canon" and "revolutionary" for her moral ambiguity. The Irish Times considered the character to be a creative breakthrough for Disney heroines "as the company's first (albeit implied) non-virginal female romantic lead". John Rundin of Animation World Network called Meg "A surprisingly liberated heroine" for Disney and the film's sole exception to the studio's intolerance "for moral complexity and ambiguity".{{Cite web|url=https://www.awn.com/animationworld/hercules-comes-suburban-octoplex|title=Hercules Comes to the Suburban Octoplex|last=Rundin|first=John|date=July 1, 1997|website=Animation World Network|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917180631/https://www.awn.com/animationworld/hercules-comes-suburban-octoplex|archive-date=September 17, 2019|access-date=September 13, 2019}} Several critics found the character reminiscent of classic Hollywood actresses such as Barbara Stanwyck, Mae West, and Veronica Lake.

Egan's performance was also widely praised.{{Cite magazine|url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,986581-1,00.html|title=A Hit from a Myth|last=Corliss|first=Richard|author-link=Richard Corliss|date=June 23, 1997|magazine=Time|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815061408/http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,986581-1,00.html|archive-date=August 15, 2019|access-date=August 15, 2019|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.reelviews.net/reelviews/hercules|title=Hercules (United States, 1997)|last=Berardinelli|first=James|author-link=James Berardinelli|date=1997|website=ReelViews|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821030001/http://www.reelviews.net/reelviews/hercules|archive-date=August 21, 2019|access-date=August 20, 2019|url-status=live}} Film critic Kenneth Turan believes Hercules owes at least some of its success to her work. Derek Armstrong of AllMovie said Egan's delivery "drip[s] with the kind of eyeball-rolling feminist wit that makes [Meg] one of Disney's strongest female characters".{{Cite web |last=Armstrong |first=Derek |date=1997 |title=Hercules (1997) |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/hercules-v156908/review |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190831225631/https://www.allmovie.com/movie/hercules-v156908/review |archive-date=August 31, 2019 |access-date=August 31, 2019 |website=AllMovie}} Josh Spiegel of /Film described Meg as "vastly more interesting" than Hercules due in part to Egan's performance, dismissing Hercules as an "overgrown child" in comparison.{{Cite web|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/hercules-revisited/2/|title=Time Has Been Kind to Disney's 'Hercules', a Flawed but Fascinating Attempt to Recapture the Magic of 'Aladdin'|last=Spiegel|first=Josh|date=September 10, 2019|website=/Film|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913011838/https://www.slashfilm.com/hercules-revisited/2/|archive-date=September 13, 2019|access-date=September 11, 2019}} Time ranked Egan's work among Disney's finest voice acting performances.{{Cite magazine |last=Mayer |first=Dominick |date=November 17, 2014 |title=Ranking: The Disney Renaissance From Worst to Best |url=https://time.com/3590521/disney-renaissance/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250122040646/https://time.com/3590521/disney-renaissance/ |archive-date=January 22, 2025 |access-date=January 19, 2019 |magazine=Time}} Geeks + Gamers contributor Virginia Kublawi crowned Egan one of Hercules' MVPs, calling her a sympathetic, unique character who uses her sexuality and appearance as weapons unlike previous Disney heroines. Kublawi further also praised the character's design, song, and called her a standout among the film's characters. Writing for CNN, Carol Buckland appreciated Egan's "smart, surprisingly sexy" interpretation, but warned that some parents might be disturbed by some of her actions.{{Cite web |last=Buckland |first=Carol |date=June 19, 1996 |title='Hercules': It's a hit and a myth |url=http://edition.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/9706/19/hercules.review/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411205214/http://edition.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/9706/19/hercules.review/index.html |archive-date=April 11, 2019 |access-date=August 15, 2019 |website=CNN}} Similarly, Bob Smithouser of Plugged In was wary of the character's sexuality and immodesty. In a more mixed review, Nell Minow of Common Sense Media said Meg is still mostly relegated to the sidelines despite being "tougher and braver than the traditional damsel in distress".{{Cite web |last=Minow |first=Nell |author-link=Nell Minow |date=1997 |title=Hercules |url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/hercules |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190819053629/https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/hercules |archive-date=August 19, 2019 |access-date=August 19, 2019 |website=Common Sense Media}}

Critics have discussed how Meg's personality and complexity makes her a stronger, more developed character. Author and film critic Mari Ness said Meg's cynicism, sarcasm, broken heart, and selflessness ultimately makes her more than merely a plot device. Karen Mazurkewich of Playback credited Duncan's design with subverting "the Disney stereotype by crafting a more sly and sexy female lead", prior to whom she often found Disney heroines "cloyingly naive".{{Cite web|url=http://playbackonline.ca/1999/01/11/24239-19990111/|title=Who's who: the CGI kingpins|last=Mazurkewich|first=Karen|date=January 11, 1999|website=Playback|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190822235445/http://playbackonline.ca/1999/01/11/24239-19990111/|archive-date=August 22, 2019|access-date=August 22, 2019|url-status=live}} Shoshana Kessock of Tor.com described the character as a complicated woman whose heart remains entirely her own, despite her internal conflict. Kessock said the character's sexuality "makes her a difficult character for the PG brand. Yet in the pantheon of Anti-Princesses ... she claims her place among the more in command, take-charge Disney women", concluding, "When she finally does give in to her feelings for Hercules, it is after a lot of soul-searching and character growth, something that could be a good story for young women to learn—if she was given the same air time as the other Disney heroines". Romper's Allison Piwowarski described Meg as "a very powerful character in the Disney universe" who "is just as much of a hero as Herc is".{{Cite web |last=Piwowarski |first=Allison |date=March 13, 2016 |title=Megara On 'Once Upon A Time' Wasn't A Strong Female Character, & Fans Noticed |url=https://www.romper.com/p/megara-on-once-upon-a-time-wasnt-a-strong-female-character-fans-noticed-7126 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190830153835/https://www.romper.com/p/megara-on-once-upon-a-time-wasnt-a-strong-female-character-fans-noticed-7126 |archive-date=August 30, 2019 |access-date=August 30, 2019 |website=Romper}} Screen Rant{{'}}s Matthew Wilkinson called Meg "one of Hercules' best characters" because she balances sassy confidence with emotion.{{Cite web|last=Wilkinson|first=Matthew|date=March 5, 2021|title=Disney+: Every Song In Hercules, Ranked Worst To Best|url=https://screenrant.com/disney-hercules-songs-ranked-worst-to-best/|access-date=May 10, 2020|website=Screen Rant}} Writing for Vice, Jill Gutowitz described Meg's "depth, her wit, her bullheaded resistance to being saved, and her willingness to rebuke masculinity" as "The most intriguing" aspects of her characterization, as opposed to her appearance.

Since the release of Hercules, Meg has continued to inspire discourse about the film’s reputation and her distinctive role as an unconventional heroine within Disney’s canon.{{Cite news |last=Ness |first=Mari |author-link=Mari Ness |date=March 17, 2016 |title=I Can Go the Merchandising Route: Disney’s Hercules |url=https://reactormag.com/i-can-go-the-merchandising-route-disneys-hercules/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250225143836/https://reactormag.com/i-can-go-the-merchandising-route-disneys-hercules/ |archive-date=February 25, 2025 |access-date=February 6, 2025 |work=Reactor}} A Plus contributor Jill O'Rourke reported that Disney fans often defend Hercules from its detractors due to their strong appreciation for Meg.{{Cite news |last=O'Rourke |first=Jill |date=August 21, 2017 |title=20 Movies 20 Years Later |access-date= |work=A Plus}} Dirk Libbey of CinemaBlend hailed Meg as "one of Disney's most interesting female characters", finding it frustrating that her film is less revered than some of its contemporaries.{{Cite web |last=Libbey |first=Dirk |date=2016 |title=How Disney Created Its Zero To Hero Musical Number For Hercules |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/news/1528020/how-disney-created-its-zero-to-hero-musical-number-for-hercules |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190816042827/https://www.cinemablend.com/news/1528020/how-disney-created-its-zero-to-hero-musical-number-for-hercules |archive-date=August 16, 2019 |access-date=August 16, 2019 |website=CinemaBlend}} Critics Mary Grace Garis of Bustle and Lindsey Weber of Vulture agreed that Meg is superior to Disney Princesses, with Weber describing her as one of Disney's few heroines to possess "an actual personality".{{Cite web |last=Weber |first=Lindsey |date=July 25, 2014 |title=Disney's Hercules Is an Underrated Masterpiece |url=https://www.vulture.com/2014/07/disneys-hercules-is-an-underrated-masterpiece.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817071249/https://www.vulture.com/2014/07/disneys-hercules-is-an-underrated-masterpiece.html |archive-date=August 17, 2019 |access-date=August 17, 2019 |website=Vulture}} Nerdist named Meg "The real star of Hercules",{{Cite web|url=https://nerdist.com/article/disney-hercules-megara-best-mvp/|title=7 Reasons Why Megara Is the MVP in Hercules|last=Ratcliffe|first=Amy|date=June 13, 2017|website=Nerdist|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817071959/https://nerdist.com/article/disney-hercules-megara-best-mvp/|archive-date=August 17, 2019|access-date=August 17, 2019}} while Clarisse Loughrey of The Independent described her as "a close runner-up for the title" of the film's hero, calling her "the go-to Disney princess for the cool kids".{{Cite news |last=Loughrey |first=Clarisse |date=September 2, 2021 |title=The 30 best Disney films, from Aladdin to The Emperor's New Groove |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/best-movie-films-disney-watch-b1913001.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/best-movie-films-disney-watch-b1913001.html |archive-date=May 12, 2022 |access-date=April 7, 2022 |work=The Independent}} Freeform deemed Meg a character everyone wishes they could be.{{Cite web |title=10 Reasons Why We All Love Hercules! |url=https://freeform.go.com/funday/news/10-reasons-why-we-all-love-hercules |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817202129/https://freeform.go.com/funday/news/10-reasons-why-we-all-love-hercules |archive-date=August 17, 2019 |access-date=August 17, 2019 |website=Freeform}} Thought Catalog ranked Meg Disney's 10th "Most Awesome Female Character".{{Cite web|url=https://thoughtcatalog.com/ella-ceron/2014/02/the-16-most-awesome-female-characters-from-disney-movies/|title=The 16 Most Awesome Female Characters From Disney Movies|last=Ceron|first=Ella|date=February 25, 2014|website=Thought Catalog|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815103743/https://thoughtcatalog.com/ella-ceron/2014/02/the-16-most-awesome-female-characters-from-disney-movies/|archive-date=August 15, 2019|access-date=August 21, 2019|url-status=live}} Screen Rant ranked her Disney's 23rd best heroine, with author Colby Tortorici describing her as more "fleshed out" than her predecessors. IndieWire called Meg "one of Disney’s best and most complex female characters".{{Cite news |last=Kiang |first=Jessica |last2=Lyttelton |first2=Oliver |date=August 12, 2016 |title=The 20 Best Disney Animated Features |url=https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/the-20-best-disney-animated-features-292637/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240507203133/https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/the-20-best-disney-animated-features-292637/ |archive-date=May 7, 2024 |access-date=May 1, 2024 |work=IndieWire}} The Mary Sue's Rachel Leishman said she is a " femme-fatale-with-a-heart-of-gold" who "remains iconic".{{Cite news |last=Leishman |first=Rachel |date=September 3, 2019 |title=Bless My Soul, the Public Works Hercules Is on a Roll! |url=https://www.themarysue.com/bless-my-soul-the-public-works-hercules-is-on-a-roll/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241208145824/https://www.themarysue.com/bless-my-soul-the-public-works-hercules-is-on-a-roll/ |archive-date=December 8, 2024 |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=The Mary Sue}}

Meg has acquired a dedicated fanbase, despite her relative obscurity compared to other Disney heroines.{{Cite news |last=Bruce |first=Amanda |last2=Bajgrowicz |first2=Brooke |date=April 20, 2024 |title=Disney’s Best Unofficial Princesses, Ranked |url=https://screenrant.com/disneys-unofficial-princesses-ranked/?utm_source=syndication |access-date=January 28, 2025 |work=Screen Rant |quote=Despite this, she’s never entered the Disney Princess franchise. That being said, plenty of Disney fans are still obsessed with her.}} In retrospect, several media publications have called Meg one of Disney's most underrated female characters.{{Cite web|url=https://culturess.com/2018/04/16/15-of-disneys-most-underrated-characters-incredibles-lion-king/5/|title=15 of Disney's most underrated characters|last=Ortiz|first=Andi|date=2018|website=Culturess|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917203725/https://culturess.com/2018/04/16/15-of-disneys-most-underrated-characters-incredibles-lion-king/5/|archive-date=September 17, 2019|access-date=September 14, 2019}}{{Cite news |last=Busch |first=Caitlin |date=May 22, 2019 |title=Every Disney Renaissance period song, ranked |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/every-disney-renaissance-period-song-ranked |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924120617/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/every-disney-renaissance-period-song-ranked |archive-date=September 24, 2021 |access-date=January 28, 2025 |work=Syfy}}{{Cite news |last=Albinder |first=Cole |date=June 13, 2021 |title=Hercules: 10 Actors Who Should Star In Disney's Live-Action Remake |url=https://www.cbr.com/hercules-live-action-remake-actors-disney/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816070643/https://www.cbr.com/hercules-live-action-remake-actors-disney/ |archive-date=August 16, 2022 |access-date=January 28, 2025 |work=Comic Book Resources}} Dalin Rowell of /Film said Meg seldom receives the attention or merchandising she deserves. Critics have offered different theories attempting to explain Meg's exclusion from the Disney Princess franchise.{{Cite news |last=Caballero |first=David |last2=Amber |first2=Ashley |date=September 3, 2023 |title=15 Disney Characters Who Aren't Officially Princesses (But Should Be) |url=https://collider.com/disney-characters-who-arent-princesses/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241130083119/https://collider.com/disney-characters-who-arent-princesses/ |archive-date=November 30, 2024 |access-date=September 3, 2023 |work=Collider}} According to Sara Franks-Allen of ScreenCrush, Meg was omitted due to Hercules' underperformance at the box office, while MovieWeb and Kessock suggested that Disney found the character too sexualized to market.{{Cite news |last=Pérez |first=Micaela |last2=Cormier |first2=Samuel |date=October 16, 2023 |title=The Official Disney Princess Rules, Explained |url=https://movieweb.com/official-disney-princess-rules/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250110123824/https://movieweb.com/official-disney-princess-rules/ |archive-date=January 10, 2025 |access-date=February 13, 2024 |work=MovieWeb}} The Ringer's Kate Knibbs believes Meg "would be the only Disney princess with a shitty ex-boyfriend" had she been a member, describing her exclusion as "for the best, because she's also the female Disney character who seems like she'd care the least about the distinction". Naming Meg one of the "10 Best Unofficial Disney Princesses", Collider's Kristin Kranz described her as one of Disney's "most complex, interesting, and authentic" female characters, calling her exclusion from the franchise a shame.{{Cite web |last=Kranz |first=Kristin |date=December 14, 2021 |title=The 10 Best Unofficial Disney Princesses and Why Each of Them Deserves Their Shot at a Crown |url=https://collider.com/best-unofficial-disney-princesses/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240923012948/https://collider.com/best-unofficial-disney-princesses/ |archive-date=September 23, 2024 |access-date=March 8, 2022 |website=Collider}} Writing for the same publication, Dyah Ayu Larasati crowned Meg Disney's best heroine despite not being a princess, saying she "taught us more about the harsh realities of life than any royal trapped in a tower".

Some commentators believe Meg's distinct personality and role have helped reshape the Disney heroine archetype, with numerous critics noting her influence on the progression of strong, independent female characters. Author Mari Ness believes Meg is the first Disney love interest to seduce her film's hero with intention of harming him. Bustle writer Tracy Dye credited her cynicism with upending the stereotype of fairy tale heroines being unrelenting in their quests for true love and happy endings, in turn offering "a realistic portrayal of a woman who had become guarded after having her heart broken". According to Cinema Blend's Alexandra Ramos, Meg "walked so that all these independent, strong Disney women could run", citing her as one of Disney's strongest leading ladies due to her willingness to defy Hades despite his power over her.{{Cite news |last=Ramos |first=Alexandra |date=November 14, 2021 |title=Hercules: 6 Reasons Why The Disney Animated Movie Is Still Underrated |url=https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/hercules-reasons-why-the-disney-animated-movie-is-still-underrated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240824004013/https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/hercules-reasons-why-the-disney-animated-movie-is-still-underrated |archive-date=August 24, 2024 |access-date=January 28, 2025 |work=Cinema Blend}} Collider said Hercules "finds the time to cement Megara as one of Disney's strongest non-Princess female characters". Some critics and fans revere Meg as a feminist icon,{{Cite web|url=https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a28890496/hercules-public-works-theater-nyc-review/|title=This Live-Action Hercules Should Be the Formula For All of Disney's Future Remakes|last=Westenfeld|first=Adrienne|date=September 4, 2019|website=Esquire|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917203846/https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a28890496/hercules-public-works-theater-nyc-review/|archive-date=September 17, 2019|access-date=September 11, 2019|quote=Meg has long loomed large in Disney fandom as a feminist hero}} with Mashable's Erin Strecker writing that she "was always one of the more feminist 'princesses' in the Disney animated canon".{{Cite news |last=Strecker |first=Erin |date=September 2, 2019 |title=New 'Hercules' theatrical production shows why it should be Disney's next live-action adaptation |url=https://mashable.com/article/hercules-public-theater-disney |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910005121/https://mashable.com/article/hercules-public-theater-disney |archive-date=September 10, 2024 |access-date=January 28, 2025 |work=Mashable}} Stylist ranked Meg Disney's ninth most feminist princess character, with author Kayleigh Dray crediting her villainous role with disproving that "non-bubbly women are deemed evil". Natalie Xenos of Metro called Meg "the badass heroine cinema needs", recognizing her as a feminist who "was inspiring girls long before Moana and Elsa",{{Cite web|url=https://metro.co.uk/2017/06/27/8-reasons-we-still-love-disneys-hercules-20-years-later-6703142/|title=8 reasons Hercules is still Disney's best movie, 20 years after its release|last=Xenos|first=Natalie|date=June 27, 2017|website=Metro|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190821020220/https://metro.co.uk/2017/06/27/8-reasons-we-still-love-disneys-hercules-20-years-later-6703142/|archive-date=August 21, 2019|access-date=August 20, 2019|url-status=live}} and Patrick Ryan of USA Today called her "one of Disney's most subversively feminist characters".{{Cite news |last=Ryan |first=Patrick |date=July 17, 2019 |title=Ranked: The 25 best classic Disney songs, from 'Mary Poppins' to 'The Lion King' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/07/16/ranked-25-best-classic-disney-songs-mary-poppins-lion-king-aladdin-toy-story-little-mermaid-mulan/1702103001/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231020223145/https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2019/07/16/ranked-25-best-classic-disney-songs-mary-poppins-lion-king-aladdin-toy-story-little-mermaid-mulan/1702103001/ |archive-date=October 20, 2023 |access-date=February 25, 2025 |work=USA Today}} Stacey Nguyen of PopSugar argued that Meg is neither a role model or feminist icon like some of her contemporaries but remains one of her favorite Disney heroines, describing her as "one of the richest, most developed characters in Disney's library" who she believes is deprived of the discussion she deserves. Nguyen crowned the character "the other hero in Hercules".

Meg guest appears on the television series Disney's Hercules: The Animated Series (1998),{{Cite web |title=Hercules – Guest Stars |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Hercules/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417192123/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Hercules/ |archive-date=April 17, 2019 |access-date=August 31, 2019 |website=Behind The Voice Actors}} in which she eventually marries Hercules. Like many other Disney animated characters, she has cameos throughout the television series House of Mouse (2001–2003).{{Cite web |title=Disney's House of Mouse (2001) Characters |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Disneys-House-of-Mouse/characters/ |access-date=January 27, 2025 |website=Behind The Voice Actors}} A live-action alternate version of Meg appears on the fantasy television series Once Upon a Time, portrayed by Kacey Rohl.{{Cite web |date=November 17, 2015 |title=Once Upon a Time Casts Hercules and Meg |url=https://www.capecodtimes.com/article/ZZ/20151117/ENTERTAINMENT/311179994?template=ampart |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190830011234/https://www.capecodtimes.com/article/ZZ/20151117/ENTERTAINMENT/311179994?template=ampart |archive-date=August 30, 2019 |access-date=August 29, 2019 |website=Cape Cod Times}} The character first appears in the 13th episode of the show's fifth season, "Labor of Love", alongside Hercules (Jonathan Whitesell).{{Cite web |last=Mitovich |first=Matt Webb |date=November 16, 2015 |title=Once Upon a Time Casts Hercules, Meg — Plus: Scoop on a Returning Heroine! |url=https://tvline.com/2015/11/16/once-upon-a-time-season-5-cast-hercules-megara/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190830010323/https://tvline.com/2015/11/16/once-upon-a-time-season-5-cast-hercules-megara/ |archive-date=August 30, 2019 |access-date=August 29, 2019 |website=TVLine}} The show's iteration of Meg is described as "a plucky young adventurer with a sly sense of humor and a tough, no-nonsense spirit".{{Cite web |last=Vick |first=Megan |date=November 16, 2015 |title=Once Upon a Time Casts Hercules and Meg |url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/once-upon-a-time-casts-hercules-and-meg/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190830011233/https://www.tvguide.com/news/once-upon-a-time-casts-hercules-and-meg/ |archive-date=August 30, 2019 |access-date=August 29, 2019 |website=TV Guide}}{{Cite web |last=Osborn |first=Alex |date=December 16, 2015 |title=Once Upon a Time Adds Hercules and Megara to Season 5 |url=https://ca.ign.com/articles/2015/11/18/once-upon-a-time-adds-hercules-and-megara-to-season-5 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190830165343/https://ca.ign.com/articles/2015/11/18/once-upon-a-time-adds-hercules-and-megara-to-season-5 |archive-date=August 30, 2019 |access-date=August 30, 2019 |website=IGN}} In the episode, Meg is imprisoned in the Underworld for several years after having been eaten by Cerberus. She has no affiliation with Hades and little is revealed about her backstory.{{Cite news |last=Lovely |first=Brittany |date=March 14, 2016 |title='Hercules' fans react to 'Once Upon a Time's' portrayal of Megara". |work=Hypable}} Critics and audiences were divided over Meg's portrayal in the series; fans expressed their disappointment in the character's weaker, more dependent characterization.

Meg appears in the Kingdom Hearts video game series, beginning with Kingdom Hearts II (2005).{{Cite web|url=https://www.khinsider.com/characters/megara|title=Megara|website=Kingdom Hearts Insider|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020025921/https://www.khinsider.com/characters/megara|archive-date=October 20, 2014|access-date=September 13, 2019}} She meets Sora during his second visit to the Olympus Coliseum while she was contemplating asking Hades to stop sending monsters for Hercules to fight, having grown fond of him. She accepts Sora's offer for him to go in her stead, under the condition that they keep the arrangement a secret from Hercules. Hades kidnaps Meg as bait to convince Sora to unlock the Underworld's Underdrome, holding her hostage when Hercules and Auron refuse to fight each other in the Underdrome. Sora and Hercules rescue her, promising to repay the heroes as best as she can. The character appears briefly in the game's sequel Kingdom Hearts III (2019).{{Cite web|url=https://us.blastingnews.com/gaming/2018/10/kingdom-hearts-3-update-square-enix-reveal-twilight-town-mt-olympus-levels-002752535.html|title=Kingdom Hearts 3 Update: Square Enix reveal Twilight Town, Mt Olympus levels|last=Thogz|date=October 22, 2018|website=Blasting News|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917201557/https://us.blastingnews.com/gaming/2018/10/kingdom-hearts-3-update-square-enix-reveal-twilight-town-mt-olympus-levels-002752535.html|archive-date=September 17, 2019|access-date=September 13, 2019}} Meg is a playable character to unlock for a limited time in the video game Disney Magic Kingdoms.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iO-JtJKnpw&ab_channel=DisneyMagicKingdoms |title=Update 41: Hercules {{!}} Livestream|publisher=YouTube|date=May 26, 2020}} She is also a playable character in the racing game Disney Speedstorm, once again voiced by Egan.{{cite web|last=Bigg|first=Martin|title=Disney Speedstorm voice actors: Are there any original voice actors?|url=https://racinggames.gg/misc/disney-speedstorm-voice-actors-are-there-any-original-voice-actors/|website=RacingGames.gg|access-date=2023-05-15|date=2023-04-20|df=mdy-all}}

Actress Krysta Rodriguez originated the role of Meg in the stage adaptation of Hercules, which premiered Off-Broadway in 2019. They ultimately decided to have Rodriguez perform wearing her natural hair, despite fitting her for a wig while rehearsing for the part.{{Cite news |last=Moynihan |first=Caitlin |date=September 9, 2019 |title=Krysta Rodriguez on Hercules, Her 54 Below Solo Show Debut & Going Back to Smash |url=https://www.broadway.com/buzz/196832/krysta-rodriguez-on-hercules-her-54-below-solo-show-debut-going-back-to-smash/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240619092823/https://www.broadway.com/buzz/196832/krysta-rodriguez-on-hercules-her-54-below-solo-show-debut-going-back-to-smash/ |archive-date=June 19, 2024 |access-date=January 28, 2025 |work=Broadway.com}} Michael Plunkett of Slant complimented Rodriguez's performance but complained that Meg is still rescued in the show's climax, wishing her "dreams of independence" were treated more seriously.{{Cite news |last=Plunkett |first=Michael |date=September 4, 2019 |title=Review: Hercules Wrestles More with Heroism Than with Female Liberation |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/theater/review-public-works-hercules-wrestles-more-with-heroism-than-with-female-liberation/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230517201424/https://www.slantmagazine.com/theater/review-public-works-hercules-wrestles-more-with-heroism-than-with-female-liberation/ |archive-date=May 17, 2023 |access-date=January 28, 2025 |work=Slant Magazine}} Meanwhile, Sara Holdren of Vulture found herself bored by Meg's "sharp-tongued, demonstratively self-sufficient“ role.{{Cite news |last=Holdren |first=Sara |date=September 3, 2019 |title=Theater Review: The Strengths and Weaknesses of a Free Public Hercules |url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/09/theater-review-the-strengths-of-a-free-public-hercules.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231210012747/https://www.vulture.com/2019/09/theater-review-the-strengths-of-a-free-public-hercules.html |archive-date=December 10, 2023 |access-date=January 28, 2025 |work=Vulture}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Disney's Hercules}}

{{Disney animated characters}}

Category:Hercules (franchise)

Category:Animated characters introduced in 1997

Category:Animated human characters

Category:Female characters in animated films

Category:Female characters in film

Category:Fictional characters who have made pacts with devils

Category:Fictional con artists

Category:Fictional Greek and Roman slaves

Category:Film characters introduced in 1997

Category:Walt Disney Animation Studios characters