.gif)
Ares (DC Comics)
Encyclopedia
Ares is a fictional character, a supervillainous God appearing in DC Comics
publications and related media. Based upon the Greek mythological figure of the same name
, he is the god of War and one of the major adversaries of Wonder Woman
. He first appeared in Wonder Woman #1, volume 1, published in the summer of 1942, written by Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston
. In the very next issue, he reappeared under his Roman name, Mars. He would retain this name until February 1987, when comics writer/artist George Pérez
restored the Greek name Ares as part of his reboot of the Wonder Woman mythos. As the narrative continuity of the Wonder Woman comic has been adjusted by different writers throughout the years, various versions of Mars/Ares, with various personalities and physical appearances, have been presented. His current incarnation has, in recent years, appeared in one of two guises - either as a muscular blond man in contemporary clothing, with red eyes and a scarred torso; or as a demonic Greek warrior clad in black and blue battle armor, face hidden by a hoplite helmet.
, Silver Age
, and Bronze Age
, Ares was called Mars and was one of the most recurrent enemies of Wonder Woman. He was depicted as a Greco-Roman warrior in orange armor. Unlike the contemporary version of the character, his face was visible.
Ares, who eventually became known as Mars, sought to realize his vision of eternal war and conflict in the world of man. He was chiefly opposed by Aphrodite
, goddess of love, who sought to realize a contrary vision of loving civilization. Meanwhile the men who worshipped Ares killed each other and their weaker brothers, selling women cheaper then cattle. When Ares taunted Aphrodite with the success of his plans, Aphrodites molded from clay and breathed life into a new race of women, the Amazons, who built a city-state called Amazonia in which they created a women-centered civilization
for spreading the gospel of Aphrodite's Way. They were stronger than Ares' men. Hippolyte was granted a golden girdle which made her invincible.
Enraged at the success of the Amazon nation, Ares, now known chiefly as Mars, called upon Hercules
to steal the golden girdle and enslave the Amazons. He was defeated by Hippolyta after challenging her to personal combat, but tricked her by pretending to have a peaceful talk with her and stole the girdle when asking if he could touch it, binding the Amazons to heavy chains. Aphrodite answered the prayers of the contrite Amazons and allowed them to break free, then sent them to a new hidden home they would call Paradise Island
, but she told them they must wear wrist bands to show the folly 'of submitting to man's domination'. If an Amazon allowed a man to chain her she would become as weak as an ordinary woman. After he mocked Aphrodite that he ruled the whole world as it was at war, she sent an Amazon champion to help America win.
During a period when the Amazons of Earth-One
sent a champion, named Artemis, into Man's World as a champion for justice and peace, Mars manipulated circumstances so that Artemis would slowly drift from a path of trust and love, ultimately setting her up to appear to have betrayed the hidden location of the Amazons' interim hidden home called Themiscyra.
Mars eventually created a home base on the planet of Mars
, with its superpowerful population enslaved to serve him and his chief deputies, the Duke of Deception
, Lord Conquest
, and the Earl of Greed
. He used Mars as an interplanetary headquarters, supplementing the enslaved Martian population with the spirits of the dead he collected from war zones on multiple planets, including Saturn and Earth. Slave spirits became embodied after being ferried to the planet Mars, where they were subjected to strength tests to determine how they would best be used, whether as gladiators in slave games, personal slaves in the retinue of Mars himself, or employees in the War Factories, one of which included the Lie Factory run by the Duke of Deception. The very strongest would be trained and given new bodies to be sent to wage future wars on earth. He also set up the Injustice Court for humiliating slaves and meting out punishments.
From this base, he sought to defeat the Allied cause in World War II, sending thoughts of deception into the Axis leaders with the use of astral projection
, but he found himself repeatedly thwarted by the Amazon champion Wonder Woman
. The Duke of Deception tried many times to defeat her, but failed despite his cunning and incredible technology, and Mars finally stripped him of his mighty appearance, showing him to be a weak, toothless, man. The Duke, after being set with the female slaves, caused them to rebel and briefly ruled Mars.
Mars repeatedly tangled with Wonder Woman on Earth-One and Earth-Two
. During a period when Diana abandoned her powers to live among the world of men as the Amazons retreated temporarily to another dimension, Mars (calling himself Ares this time) and his children Phobos, Deimos, and Eris battled the Amazons to secure from Hippolyta the secret to domination of all dimensions of existence. Later, he enlisted his descendant Helen Alexandros to become the Silver Swan
.
His final scheme before the history-changing battle of the Crisis on Infinite Earths
was to ally himself with Hades and the Anti-Monitor
to subdue the Gods of Olympus. As Wonder Woman
engaged him in final battle, Steve Trevor
freed the gods and Hades' wife Kore appealed to her husband with a message of love, leaving Mars isolated.
Despite being Zeus
' son, Ares never fit in with the other gods of Olympus
and created his own realm, the Areopagus
. Aphrodite
, the patron of the Amazons, swore that her women would save the world with love from the hatred and warfare of Ares, meaning he opposed their creation. Recently, through his deceit and manipulations, Ares deposed Hades
and became ruler of the underworld.
Ares did his best to destroy the Amazons, using Hercules
against them, who sacked the island, but Diana
was born and raised just in time to fight Ares as Steve Trevor
's plane, driven by one of Ares's human puppets, crashed into Paradise Island. His plot was to fire the missiles between the United States
and Russia
at the same time, provoking World War III
, but Diana managed to make him see, trapped in her magic lasso, how this chaos would lead to his own disappearing, with Ares having no one to worship him. He then tasks her with "saving mankind from themselves", promising to return if she fails, essentially acting as a continuous test of her success.
Although Ares abandoned his plans that time, he managed to possess an unimportant criminal, Ari Buchanan. Possessing his body, he changed his name to Ares Buchanan. He began climbing the business ladder by providing hi-tech weapons for gang
war
s. As Buchanan, he had a relationship with his lawyer Donna Milton (who was Circe
in disguise, although not even she knew it then), conceiving a daughter named Lyta Milton
. Lyta has been shown to possess a great amount of magic, which she is still practicing. However, Ares did not care much about Donna, shooting her while she was pregnant. Circe, as Donna, later tried to help Diana out of a trap he laid. She used the last of her forces to shoot a gun, which produced a sort of mini-black hole and absorbed Ares into it. She, Diana, and the child survived.
As opposed to ancient times, the role of various gods were shown to have altered somewhat according to modern practices and beliefs. Because of this, the actual faith-based power Ares' father Zeus
received proved to be very much diminished. On the other hand, other gods such as Athena
, Aphrodite
, and Ares began to gain more power due to the appearance of the computer age, love never diminishing, and conflict remaining consistent. Thus the three godly siblings eventually took over Olympus as the godly home's new masters.
Realizing that conflict proved to maintain his strength over the output of war, Ares changed his title to the God of Conflict. To celebrate this change he altered his appearance to a more approachable visage. His rule under this name proved to be short-lived though as the god Hades
was also overthrown and Ares was all too eager to take up the mantle of God of the Dead.
and kidnapped his daughter Lyta who was under the protection of the Amazons
. Discovering this fact, Circe
confronted Ares and was surprised to learn of his new godly title. She agreed to remain as his consort and to raise their daughter Lyta in the Underworld.
During Ares' family bonding with Cassie, he blessed her with a powerful lasso able to expel Zeus's lightning in times of anger for her to use in her persona as Wonder Girl
. Ares has since appeared to Cassie repeatedly in order to warn her about "the coming war
." In one story the Teen Titans were thrown ten years into the future, where Cassie had inherited the mantle of Wonder Woman after Diana's death. She was also referred to as "Ares' champion."
Ares later appeared to Cassie informing her that the gods were leaving this plane and Zeus was taking the power he had granted Cassie as well. In exchange for acknowledging their siblinghood and becoming his champion, he offered her some of his power, saying only that she would be "more powerful than [she's] ever been." The full extent of Cassie's powers has not been revealed, though there is some indication that she has retained all of her former powers at this point.
During the events of Amazons Attack!
it is discovered that Ares left Circe and kidnapped their daughter to raise on his own. As he and Lyta were only spoken of during the storyline, their presence is yet unknown.
Cassie is confronted by Ares' son, Lord Lycus, whom Ares has sent to interfere with Cassie's powers.
Shifting himself into the future, Ares stole the dead body of Wonder Woman and brought it back into the present. He then manipulated several villains to use the body to create his bride and chief agent Genocide
. He then imbued this new creature with his own magical dominance, causing the new being's persona to be more deadly but also completely obedient to him. Ares' plans to destroy the present day Wonder Woman went awry when Diana was able to destroy Genocide, leaving the monster's dead body to drown in the ocean. Angered, Ares commanded a son of Poseidon
to cause a swarm of deadly sea creatures to attack Themyscira and the new island nation of Thalarion
. During this battle Diana deduced that Ares was the grand manipulator and confronted him. Not allowing Ares much time to gloat in his latest masterpiece of war, Diana took a battle axe and used it to strike Ares' head, splitting his helmet in two. The then-dead Ares falls to the floor uttering in his last breath, "Amazon, what have you done?"
Despite being gone from the mortal world he reveals he is still manipulating events to lead to the end of the Amazons. This new plot involves the birth of five male children via five random Amazons. Once they are born he takes them under his wing before Ares is banished from Themyscira both in body and spirit by his father Zeus.
himself and others. He is now also recognized as the Death god
of the Greek Pantheon
and thus has control over the dead.
Being a god, he is also immortal
and cannot be harmed by mortal weapons, only magical ones.
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
publications and related media. Based upon the Greek mythological figure of the same name
Ares
Ares is the Greek god of war. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. In Greek literature, he often represents the physical or violent aspect of war, in contrast to the armored Athena, whose functions as a goddess of intelligence include military strategy and...
, he is the god of War and one of the major adversaries of Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
. He first appeared in Wonder Woman #1, volume 1, published in the summer of 1942, written by Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston
William Moulton Marston
Dr. William Moulton Marston , also known by the pen name Charles Moulton, was an American psychologist, feminist theorist, inventor and comic book writer who created the character Wonder Woman...
. In the very next issue, he reappeared under his Roman name, Mars. He would retain this name until February 1987, when comics writer/artist George Pérez
George Pérez
George Pérez is a Puerto Rican-American writer and illustrator of comic books, known for his work on various titles, including Avengers, Teen Titans and Wonder Woman.-Biography:...
restored the Greek name Ares as part of his reboot of the Wonder Woman mythos. As the narrative continuity of the Wonder Woman comic has been adjusted by different writers throughout the years, various versions of Mars/Ares, with various personalities and physical appearances, have been presented. His current incarnation has, in recent years, appeared in one of two guises - either as a muscular blond man in contemporary clothing, with red eyes and a scarred torso; or as a demonic Greek warrior clad in black and blue battle armor, face hidden by a hoplite helmet.
Pre-Crisis
During most of the Golden AgeGolden Age of Comic Books
The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s...
, Silver Age
Silver Age of Comic Books
The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those in the superhero genre. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books and an interregnum in the early to mid-1950s, the Silver Age is considered to cover the...
, and Bronze Age
Bronze Age of Comic Books
The Bronze Age of Comic Books is an informal name for a period in the history of mainstream American comic books usually said to run from 1970 to 1985. It follows the Silver Age of Comic Books....
, Ares was called Mars and was one of the most recurrent enemies of Wonder Woman. He was depicted as a Greco-Roman warrior in orange armor. Unlike the contemporary version of the character, his face was visible.
Ares, who eventually became known as Mars, sought to realize his vision of eternal war and conflict in the world of man. He was chiefly opposed by Aphrodite
Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.Her Roman equivalent is the goddess .Historically, her cult in Greece was imported from, or influenced by, the cult of Astarte in Phoenicia....
, goddess of love, who sought to realize a contrary vision of loving civilization. Meanwhile the men who worshipped Ares killed each other and their weaker brothers, selling women cheaper then cattle. When Ares taunted Aphrodite with the success of his plans, Aphrodites molded from clay and breathed life into a new race of women, the Amazons, who built a city-state called Amazonia in which they created a women-centered civilization
Matriarchy
A matriarchy is a society in which females, especially mothers, have the central roles of political leadership and moral authority. It is also sometimes called a gynocratic or gynocentric society....
for spreading the gospel of Aphrodite's Way. They were stronger than Ares' men. Hippolyte was granted a golden girdle which made her invincible.
Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
to steal the golden girdle and enslave the Amazons. He was defeated by Hippolyta after challenging her to personal combat, but tricked her by pretending to have a peaceful talk with her and stole the girdle when asking if he could touch it, binding the Amazons to heavy chains. Aphrodite answered the prayers of the contrite Amazons and allowed them to break free, then sent them to a new hidden home they would call Paradise Island
Themyscira
Themyscira is a fictional island nation in the DC Comics universe that is the place of origin of Wonder Woman and her sister Amazons. Known as Paradise Island since Wonder Woman and the island's first appearance in All Star Comics #8 , it was renamed "Themyscira" with the character's February...
, but she told them they must wear wrist bands to show the folly 'of submitting to man's domination'. If an Amazon allowed a man to chain her she would become as weak as an ordinary woman. After he mocked Aphrodite that he ruled the whole world as it was at war, she sent an Amazon champion to help America win.
During a period when the Amazons of Earth-One
Earth-One
Earth-One is a name given to two fictional universes that have appeared in American comic book stories published by DC Comics...
sent a champion, named Artemis, into Man's World as a champion for justice and peace, Mars manipulated circumstances so that Artemis would slowly drift from a path of trust and love, ultimately setting her up to appear to have betrayed the hidden location of the Amazons' interim hidden home called Themiscyra.
Mars eventually created a home base on the planet of Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
, with its superpowerful population enslaved to serve him and his chief deputies, the Duke of Deception
Duke of Deception
The Duke of Deception is a fictional character, a DC Comics villain that battled Wonder Woman in the Golden and Bronze Age of Comics.He first appeared in the Golden Age in Wonder Woman #2 and was re-introduced in Wonder Woman #217 in the Bronze Age.-Fictional background:Little is known about the...
, Lord Conquest
Lord Conquest
Lord Conquest is a fictional DC Comics villainous demigod who battled Wonder Woman in the Golden Age.-Fictional character biography:Lord Conquest, also known as Count Conquest and the Count of Conquest, is a son and lieutenant of Ares, God of War....
, and the Earl of Greed
Earl of Greed
The Earl of Greed is a fictional DC Comics villainous demigod who battled Wonder Woman in the Golden Age.-Fictional character biography:The Earl of Greed is a son and lieutenant of Ares, God of War....
. He used Mars as an interplanetary headquarters, supplementing the enslaved Martian population with the spirits of the dead he collected from war zones on multiple planets, including Saturn and Earth. Slave spirits became embodied after being ferried to the planet Mars, where they were subjected to strength tests to determine how they would best be used, whether as gladiators in slave games, personal slaves in the retinue of Mars himself, or employees in the War Factories, one of which included the Lie Factory run by the Duke of Deception. The very strongest would be trained and given new bodies to be sent to wage future wars on earth. He also set up the Injustice Court for humiliating slaves and meting out punishments.
From this base, he sought to defeat the Allied cause in World War II, sending thoughts of deception into the Axis leaders with the use of astral projection
Astral projection
Astral projection is an interpretation of out-of-body experience that assumes the existence of an "astral body" separate from the physical body and capable of traveling outside it...
, but he found himself repeatedly thwarted by the Amazon champion Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
. The Duke of Deception tried many times to defeat her, but failed despite his cunning and incredible technology, and Mars finally stripped him of his mighty appearance, showing him to be a weak, toothless, man. The Duke, after being set with the female slaves, caused them to rebel and briefly ruled Mars.
Mars repeatedly tangled with Wonder Woman on Earth-One and Earth-Two
Earth-Two
Earth-Two is a fictional universe appearing in American comic book stories published by DC Comics. First appearing in The Flash #123 , Earth-Two was created to explain how Silver-Age versions of characters such as the Flash could appear in stories with their Golden Age counterparts...
. During a period when Diana abandoned her powers to live among the world of men as the Amazons retreated temporarily to another dimension, Mars (calling himself Ares this time) and his children Phobos, Deimos, and Eris battled the Amazons to secure from Hippolyta the secret to domination of all dimensions of existence. Later, he enlisted his descendant Helen Alexandros to become the Silver Swan
Silver Swan (comics)
The Silver Swan are three fictional characters in the Wonder Woman stories. The first Silver Swan first appeared in Wonder Woman vol. 1 #288. The second Silver Swan first appeared in Wonder Woman vol. 2 #15. The third Silver Swan first appeared in Wonder Woman vol...
.
His final scheme before the history-changing battle of the Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
was to ally himself with Hades and the Anti-Monitor
Anti-Monitor
The Anti-Monitor is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain and the antagonist of the 1985 DC Comics miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths. He first appeared in Crisis on Infinite Earths #2 , and was destroyed in Crisis on Infinite Earths #12, only to return after a long absence in Green...
to subdue the Gods of Olympus. As Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
engaged him in final battle, Steve Trevor
Steve Trevor
Steve Trevor is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics, as the primary love interest of Wonder Woman. He first appeared in All Star Comics #8 .-Golden Age:...
freed the gods and Hades' wife Kore appealed to her husband with a message of love, leaving Mars isolated.
Post-Crisis
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
' son, Ares never fit in with the other gods of Olympus
Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece, located on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, about 100 kilometres away from Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city. Mount Olympus has 52 peaks. The highest peak Mytikas, meaning "nose", rises to 2,917 metres...
and created his own realm, the Areopagus
Areopagus
The Areopagus or Areios Pagos is the "Rock of Ares", north-west of the Acropolis, which in classical times functioned as the high Court of Appeal for criminal and civil cases in Athens. Ares was supposed to have been tried here by the gods for the murder of Poseidon's son Alirrothios .The origin...
. Aphrodite
Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.Her Roman equivalent is the goddess .Historically, her cult in Greece was imported from, or influenced by, the cult of Astarte in Phoenicia....
, the patron of the Amazons, swore that her women would save the world with love from the hatred and warfare of Ares, meaning he opposed their creation. Recently, through his deceit and manipulations, Ares deposed Hades
Hades (DC Comics)
Hades is a fictional character, a god in the DC Comics universe based on the actual Hades from Greek mythology. He is primarily featured in the Wonder Woman series, alternately as a divine benefactor and enemy of the heroine.-Fictional character biography:...
and became ruler of the underworld.
Ares did his best to destroy the Amazons, using Hercules
Hercules (DC Comics)
Hercules is a fictional Olympian god in the DC Universe based on the Greek demigod and hero of the same name....
against them, who sacked the island, but Diana
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
was born and raised just in time to fight Ares as Steve Trevor
Steve Trevor
Steve Trevor is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics, as the primary love interest of Wonder Woman. He first appeared in All Star Comics #8 .-Golden Age:...
's plane, driven by one of Ares's human puppets, crashed into Paradise Island. His plot was to fire the missiles between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
at the same time, provoking World War III
World War III
World War III denotes a successor to World War II that would be on a global scale, with common speculation that it would be likely nuclear and devastating in nature....
, but Diana managed to make him see, trapped in her magic lasso, how this chaos would lead to his own disappearing, with Ares having no one to worship him. He then tasks her with "saving mankind from themselves", promising to return if she fails, essentially acting as a continuous test of her success.
Although Ares abandoned his plans that time, he managed to possess an unimportant criminal, Ari Buchanan. Possessing his body, he changed his name to Ares Buchanan. He began climbing the business ladder by providing hi-tech weapons for gang
Gang
A gang is a group of people who, through the organization, formation, and establishment of an assemblage, share a common identity. In current usage it typically denotes a criminal organization or else a criminal affiliation. In early usage, the word gang referred to a group of workmen...
war
Feud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight between parties—often groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one party perceives itself to have been attacked, insulted or wronged by another...
s. As Buchanan, he had a relationship with his lawyer Donna Milton (who was Circe
Circe (comics)
Circe is a fictional character, a villainous sorceress and a major adversary of Wonder Woman appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. Based upon the Greek mythological character of the same name who imprisoned Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey, the comic book incarnation of Circe first...
in disguise, although not even she knew it then), conceiving a daughter named Lyta Milton
Lyta Milton
Lyta Milton is a fictional character owned by DC Comics and created by writer William Messner-Loebs for the Wonder Woman comic book series. In that comic she is the daughter of Wonder Woman villains Circe and Ares. Her first appearance was in March 1994....
. Lyta has been shown to possess a great amount of magic, which she is still practicing. However, Ares did not care much about Donna, shooting her while she was pregnant. Circe, as Donna, later tried to help Diana out of a trap he laid. She used the last of her forces to shoot a gun, which produced a sort of mini-black hole and absorbed Ares into it. She, Diana, and the child survived.
As opposed to ancient times, the role of various gods were shown to have altered somewhat according to modern practices and beliefs. Because of this, the actual faith-based power Ares' father Zeus
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
received proved to be very much diminished. On the other hand, other gods such as Athena
Athena
In Greek mythology, Athena, Athenê, or Athene , also referred to as Pallas Athena/Athene , is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, warfare, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, justice, and skill. Minerva, Athena's Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is...
, Aphrodite
Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.Her Roman equivalent is the goddess .Historically, her cult in Greece was imported from, or influenced by, the cult of Astarte in Phoenicia....
, and Ares began to gain more power due to the appearance of the computer age, love never diminishing, and conflict remaining consistent. Thus the three godly siblings eventually took over Olympus as the godly home's new masters.
Realizing that conflict proved to maintain his strength over the output of war, Ares changed his title to the God of Conflict. To celebrate this change he altered his appearance to a more approachable visage. His rule under this name proved to be short-lived though as the god Hades
Hades (DC Comics)
Hades is a fictional character, a god in the DC Comics universe based on the actual Hades from Greek mythology. He is primarily featured in the Wonder Woman series, alternately as a divine benefactor and enemy of the heroine.-Fictional character biography:...
was also overthrown and Ares was all too eager to take up the mantle of God of the Dead.
Family reunited
Realizing that a crossroads for the gods of Olympus was at hand, Ares confided in his half sister Cassie Sandsmark about a future war. In exchange for additional powers, the only wish he requested in return from his sister was her love. He then traveled to ThemysciraThemyscira
Themyscira is a fictional island nation in the DC Comics universe that is the place of origin of Wonder Woman and her sister Amazons. Known as Paradise Island since Wonder Woman and the island's first appearance in All Star Comics #8 , it was renamed "Themyscira" with the character's February...
and kidnapped his daughter Lyta who was under the protection of the Amazons
Amazons (comics)
The Amazons of DC Comics are a fictional all-female society of superhumans, based on the Amazons of Greek mythology. There have been three major incarnations of these Amazons, one before the Crisis, and two after. What two of these groups have in common is that they are the race which produced...
. Discovering this fact, Circe
Circe (comics)
Circe is a fictional character, a villainous sorceress and a major adversary of Wonder Woman appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. Based upon the Greek mythological character of the same name who imprisoned Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey, the comic book incarnation of Circe first...
confronted Ares and was surprised to learn of his new godly title. She agreed to remain as his consort and to raise their daughter Lyta in the Underworld.
During Ares' family bonding with Cassie, he blessed her with a powerful lasso able to expel Zeus's lightning in times of anger for her to use in her persona as Wonder Girl
Wonder Girl
Wonder Girl is the name of three fictional characters featured as superheroes in comic books and other media produced by DC Comics. The original was a younger version of Wonder Woman...
. Ares has since appeared to Cassie repeatedly in order to warn her about "the coming war
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
." In one story the Teen Titans were thrown ten years into the future, where Cassie had inherited the mantle of Wonder Woman after Diana's death. She was also referred to as "Ares' champion."
Ares later appeared to Cassie informing her that the gods were leaving this plane and Zeus was taking the power he had granted Cassie as well. In exchange for acknowledging their siblinghood and becoming his champion, he offered her some of his power, saying only that she would be "more powerful than [she's] ever been." The full extent of Cassie's powers has not been revealed, though there is some indication that she has retained all of her former powers at this point.
During the events of Amazons Attack!
Amazons Attack!
Amazons Attack! is a six-issue comic book limited series that was published by DC Comics. Written by Will Pfeifer and pencilled by Pete Woods, the first issue was released April 25, 2007.-Development:...
it is discovered that Ares left Circe and kidnapped their daughter to raise on his own. As he and Lyta were only spoken of during the storyline, their presence is yet unknown.
Cassie is confronted by Ares' son, Lord Lycus, whom Ares has sent to interfere with Cassie's powers.
Death
Genocide (comics)
Genocide is a fictional character owned by DC Comics, and created by writer Gail Simone for the Wonder Woman comic book.-Fictional character biography:...
. He then imbued this new creature with his own magical dominance, causing the new being's persona to be more deadly but also completely obedient to him. Ares' plans to destroy the present day Wonder Woman went awry when Diana was able to destroy Genocide, leaving the monster's dead body to drown in the ocean. Angered, Ares commanded a son of Poseidon
Poseidon
Poseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
to cause a swarm of deadly sea creatures to attack Themyscira and the new island nation of Thalarion
Thalarion
-H. P. Lovecraft:Thalarion is a fictional location in H. P. Lovecraft's Dreamlands. The name refers to one of the largest cities in the Dreamlands, known as "the City of a Thousand Wonders", where all knowledge that humans have been unable to understand resides...
. During this battle Diana deduced that Ares was the grand manipulator and confronted him. Not allowing Ares much time to gloat in his latest masterpiece of war, Diana took a battle axe and used it to strike Ares' head, splitting his helmet in two. The then-dead Ares falls to the floor uttering in his last breath, "Amazon, what have you done?"
After Death
Ares has since appeared to Diana, now sans helmet, his head crudely stitched together, to reveal he has gone to some level of the afterlife reserved for the gods, where he is being tortured by all those who have died in all the world's wars.Despite being gone from the mortal world he reveals he is still manipulating events to lead to the end of the Amazons. This new plot involves the birth of five male children via five random Amazons. Once they are born he takes them under his wing before Ares is banished from Themyscira both in body and spirit by his father Zeus.
Powers and abilities
As do all the Olympian gods, Ares possesses tremendous strength, though he is now perhaps the strongest of them, except perhaps for Heracles. Moreover, he is a master of conflict and strategy, and has complete command over any weapon. Pertaining to his being a war god, violence and bloodshed make him stronger. His armor is virtually indestructible and his weapons are greater than mortal ones. He can regenerate his being into any form he wishes and can teleportTeleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
himself and others. He is now also recognized as the Death god
Death deity
Deities associated with death take many different forms, depending on the specific culture and religion being referenced. Psychopomps, deities of the underworld, and resurrection deities are commonly called death deities in comparative religions texts...
of the Greek Pantheon
Twelve Olympians
The Twelve Olympians, also known as the Dodekatheon , in Greek mythology, were the principal deities of the Greek pantheon, residing atop Mount Olympus. Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Demeter, Hestia, and Hades were siblings. Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Athena, Apollo, and Artemis were children of Zeus...
and thus has control over the dead.
Being a god, he is also immortal
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
and cannot be harmed by mortal weapons, only magical ones.
Television
- Ares made an appearance in the Justice League UnlimitedJustice League UnlimitedJustice League Unlimited is an American animated television series that was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and aired on Cartoon Network. Featuring a wide array of superheroes from the DC Comics universe, and specifically based on the Justice League superhero team, it is a direct sequel to the...
episode "Hawk and Dove", voiced by Michael YorkMichael York (actor)Michael York, OBE is an English actor.-Early life:York was born in Fulmer, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, the son of Florence Edith May , a musician; and Joseph Gwynne Johnson, a Llandovery born Welsh ex-Royal Artillery British Army officer and executive with Marks and Spencer department stores...
. In the episode, Ares commissions HephaestusHephaestusHephaestus was a Greek god whose Roman equivalent was Vulcan. He is the son of Zeus and Hera, the King and Queen of the Gods - or else, according to some accounts, of Hera alone. He was the god of technology, blacksmiths, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metals, metallurgy, fire and volcanoes...
to forge the Annihilator, a living suit of armor fueled by violence. He uses it to incite conflict between North and South KasniaKasniaKasnia or Kaznia is a fictional country which appears in the DC animated universe. It appears to be located in the Balkans, and to alternated between peace and a civil war between Northern and Southern factions.-Superman:Kaznia first appears in the premiere episode of Superman: The Animated Series,...
, hoping to destabilize the entire region and create more conflict. Wonder WomanWonder WomanWonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
and Hawk and DoveHawk and DoveHawk and Dove is the moniker given to two superheroes when they team up to fight crime. Hawk and Dove describes each character's attitude or approach to fighting crime. The hawk represents aggression, and the dove representing pacifism.-Hank and Don Hall:...
intervene, forcing Ares to back down after discovering the Annihilator's weakness. The suit is confiscated by the Justice League. He appeared by the name of Tom Sera in the episode (Sera spelled backwards is Ares).
Film
- Ares was featured in the direct-to-videoDirect-to-videoDirect-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
animated movie, Wonder WomanWonder Woman (film)Wonder Woman is a 2009 direct-to-video animated film focusing on the superheroine Wonder Woman. The plot of the film is loosely based on George Pérez' reboot of the character, specifically the "Gods and Mortals" arc that started the character's second volume in 1987. It is the fourth in the line of...
voiced by actor Alfred MolinaAlfred MolinaAlfred Molina is a British-born American actor. He first came to public attention in the UK for his supporting role in the 1987 film Prick Up Your Ears...
. He differed slightly in this incarnation in that he had long platinum hair, although he wears a variation of his classic armor early in the film.
Toys
- DC DirectDC DirectDC Direct is the collectibles division of DC Comics, the Time Warner subsidiary that publishes comic books and licenses characters such as Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, Batman, Batgirl and Hawkgirl. DC Direct produces statues, props, replicas and prints for the direct market, a...
released an Ares action figure in 2001 as part of their Amazons and Adversaries line of Wonder Woman action figures. MattelMattelMattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
released an Ares action figure in 2008 as part of their DC Universe ClassicsDC Universe ClassicsDC Universe Classics is an action figure toyline, a sub-line of the DC Universe toy brand manufactured by Mattel. These are 6-inch scale figures based on characters owned by DC Comics...
line of toys.