To prepare for both her audition and the role, Egan drew inspiration from several classic Hollywood actresses, including Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, and Lauren Bacall, in addition to Stanwyck.

After opting not to draw the character realistically, supervising animator Ken Duncan decided to input elements of Greek pottery into Meg's hair, body, and clothing, while borrowing some of Egan's own mannerisms.

Reception towards Meg has been positive, with critics welcoming her independence, wit, and moral ambiguity as departures from previous Disney heroines, as well as praising Egan's performance.

Meg has made subsequent appearances in the film's sequel, television spin-off, and video game adaptations, as well as a live-action iteration in Once Upon a Time, portrayed by actress Kacey Rohl.

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,[9] although she denies feeling this way.

[15] These elements were entirely omitted from the animated film while retaining a female character named "Meg",[18][22] instead adapting her into a con artist with a troubled past, whose relationship with Hercules ultimately redeems her.

Meg is voiced by American actress and singer Susan Egan who,[34] prior to Hercules, had auditioned for every animated Disney film since 1991's Beauty and the Beast.

[37] 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.

[40] 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.

[45] 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.

[44] Egan continued to draw inspiration from classic Hollywood performers, adapting "a hard-boiled frame of mind" when approaching Meg's putdowns, retorts and insults.

[42] 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.

[35] 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.

[21] Stylist writer Kayleigh Dray described Meg as manipulative, sarcastic, fierce, and wise,[56] characteristics that Egan said are typically reserved for male characters in Disney films.

[46] 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",[57] suffering from a complicated past that leaves her bitter and cynical.

[60] 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"[59] 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.

[61] Disney, Pixar, and the Hidden Messages of Children's Films author M. Keith Booker called Meg Hercules' "version of Kryptonite", Superman's weakness.

[62] 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.

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.

[18] 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".

[1] 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".

[79] 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.

[85] 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.

[88] Nerdist named Meg "The real star of Hercules",[89] 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".

[99] According to Sara Franks-Allen of ScreenCrush, Meg was omitted due to Hercules' underperformance at the box office,[66] while MovieWeb and Kessock suggested that Disney found the character too sexualized to market.

[101] 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".

[13] 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.

[82] 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".

[104] 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".