Percy Jackson and the Olympians dropped its live-action series on Disney+ back in December 2023. Fans have been hounding for an adaptation, and this one is getting a ton of buzz, mainly because the original Rick Riordan books raised an entire generation of demigod fans.The show features many gods, monsters, quests, camp drama, and more. Walker Scobell has the lead as Percy, and he nails the 'reluctant hero who is also snarky' energy. Percy discovers he is a demigod, plunges right into peril, and has to discern who to rely on and how to avoid being devoured or zapped or whatever else the gods might want to do with him. The situation is chaotic, but somehow it works out.Season one sticks to The Lightning Thief, so you meet all the big-name characters and get a taste of the world. It’s like Greek mythology, but with a sense of humor.Disney renewed it for season two, so we are getting The Sea of Monsters next. The core cast is coming back. And Lin-Manuel Miranda is back as Hermes. If you are curious to know whether you have seen him, then there are good chances that you have. Lin-Manuel Miranda has been active for some time and has starred in many other hits.Why does Hermes (Lin-Manuel Miranda) look so familiar?The character of Hermes in Percy Jackson and the Olympians will likely be recognized by many people for a basic reason. Lin-Manuel Miranda is quite famous. He has been involved in Broadway productions. He has performed in films and TV series. He has contributed to Disney animated films. He is also a songwriter and producer. He had already become a worldwide pop-culture icon long before he played Hermes.Lin-Manuel Miranda became world-famous because of Hamilton. He created the show. He wrote the story. He wrote the music. He also starred as Alexander Hamilton. The musical changed modern theatre and became a global hit.In 2020, a filmed version of Hamilton was released on Disney+. This helped millions of new people discover Miranda. Many of them had never been to a live theatre. For many fans, Hamilton is still the main reason they know his face and voice.Since Hamilton streams on Disney+, many Percy Jackson and the Olympians viewers already knew Miranda. This makes Hermes feel instantly familiar when he appears on screen.Before Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda became well-known with his first big Broadway show, In the Heights. He played the lead role of Usnavi. The musical gained many Tony Awards.Also, back in 2021, Hollywood got around to making In the Heights into a movie. Lin-Manuel Miranda jumped in as a producer and even popped up on screen selling piragua. Yes, he is the shaved-ice guy. For a ton of people, that was probably the first time they actually saw his face, not just heard his name.But even if you don’t clock him right away, you have almost definitely heard Lin’s stuff. He is everywhere in Disney-land. He created the whole soundtrack for Moana in 2016. Remember How Far I’ll Go, and You’re Welcome? Those tunes, stuck in everyone’s head for months, were created by him.Then there’s Encanto. He wrote all the music for that, too. We Don’t Talk About Bruno practically broke the internet. He helped write the new songs for the live-action Little Mermaid that dropped in 2023. At this point, Miranda is tied to Disney. Since Percy Jackson and the Olympians is another Disney+ Original, the sense of jadedness is even more pronounced.Miranda also has a strong acting career in movies and TV. In Mary Poppins Returns, he starred as Jack the lamplighter with Emily Blunt. This is one of his most famous movie roles. It helped many regular movie fans recognize him.In His Dark Materials (HBO), he played Lee Scoresby. This character became a fan favorite. The role made him very popular with fantasy and sci-fi viewers.In Tick, Tick… Boom! he worked as the director. The film starred Andrew Garfield. It was released on Netflix. This showed his talent behind the camera, too.He also appeared as himself on Curb Your Enthusiasm. This helped him reach comedy audiences. One of his earliest TV roles was on House in Season 6. This was long before he became a Broadway star.When Hermes shows up on the screen in Season 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, a lot of the audience will effortlessly recall different memories of these portrayals, and that is what gives rise to this immediate recognition.More about Hermes in Percy Jackson and the OlympiansHermes in Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Image via Disney+)Lin-Manuel Miranda is cast as Hermes in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Hermes, the god of travel, trade, and communication, is a major figure in Greek mythology and literature. Along with other gods, Hermes serves as the one who delivers messages. He takes them to and from gods, demigods, and mortals and to and from Mount Olympus.His casting was announced in November 2022. He was listed as a guest star, not a lead role. Still, Hermes is a powerful Olympian god. His appearances are important to the story.Hermes is also the father of Luke Castellan. Luke is one of the main demigod characters. This gives Hermes a personal link to the main conflict of the series.His character in Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Season 1, is small. Nevertheless, his short scene is unforgettable. Hermes comes to the screen for the very first time in Episode 3. He is completely absent in the first book, The Lightning Thief. The first season is adapted from that novel. The show creators chose to add him early. They gave him a short cameo instead.In that scene, Hermes arrives at Olympus with a box. Inside is the severed head of Medusa. This comes from events in earlier episodes. Hermes wears a modern postal-style uniform. This is a creative twist on his messenger role. The scene is short but striking.It shows Hermes as playful and confident. He feels larger than life. This matches how the gods are shown in the series. Adding Hermes early changes how viewers later see Luke Castellan. His anger no longer comes only from having an absent father. Percy Jackson and the Olympians gives Hermes a real presence and personality.In the book from which Season 2 derives, The Sea of Monsters, the character of Hermes has a more significant influence. He is the one who provides magical gifts to the heroes. These gifts are of great assistance to them in their undertaking. Their ultimate aim is to locate the Golden Fleece. Additionally, they aim to rescue their place of residence, which is Camp Half-Blood.Because of this, many fans expect Hermes to matter more in Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2. The show creators have hinted at this as well. He may act as a link between Olympus and the demigods. He may give help, share secrets, or offer divine tools at key moments.It is unlikely that Hermes will outshine the primary demigods (Percy, Annabeth, and Grover will still be the main characters), but the very fact of his coming back means that Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 might put more emphasis on the mythological side of things than the first season, more openly connecting the realms of gods and humans than there was in the first season.