Ares is a fictional deity in the Marvel Comics Universe based on the Greek God of the same name. It is also the name of a 5 issue mini-series, written by Michael Avon Oeming and drawn by Travel Foreman, that focuses on this character. Marvel Comics (Stan Lee is behind many of the superheros) is an American comic book line published by Marvel Publishing, Inc. ... In comic books, first appearance refers to first comic book to feature a character. ... Thor (often called The Mighty Thor) is a fictional character and a superhero appearing in the Marvel Universe. ... Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber on December 28, 1922[1] New York, New York) is an American writer, editor, Chairman Emeritus of Marvel Comics, and memoirist, who — with several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko — introduced complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into... Jack Kirby (August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was one of the most influential, recognizable, and prolific artists in American comic books. ... The Olympian gods that appear in the Marvel Universe are loosely based on the Olympians of Greek Mythology. ... Mighty Avengers is a comic book published by Marvel Comics. ... A healing factor is a term used to describe the ability of some characters in fiction to recover from bodily injuries or disease at a superhuman rate. ... This article is about living for infinite period of time. ... Fiction (from the Latin fingere, to form, create) is storytelling of imagined events and stands in contrast to non-fiction, which makes factual claims that can be substantiated with evidence. ... Look up deity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Marvel Comics (Stan Lee is behind many of the superheros) is an American comic book line published by Marvel Publishing, Inc. ... The Marvel Universe is the fictional shared setting where most of the comic stories published by Marvel Comics take place. ... In Greek mythology, Ares (in Greek: - Aris (Battle Strife))[1] is the son of Zeus (king of the gods) and Hera. ... Mike Oeming at Heroes Con 2006. ... Travel Foreman is an American comic book artist. ...

Ares first appeared in the pages of Thor #129, written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby. He would often appear as a villain in both Thor and The Avengers, but in the recent Ares mini-series, he has been portrayed as an anti-hero. Thor (often called The Mighty Thor) is a fictional character and a superhero appearing in the Marvel Universe. ... Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber on December 28, 1922[1] New York, New York) is an American writer, editor, Chairman Emeritus of Marvel Comics, and memoirist, who — with several artist co-creators, most notably Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko — introduced complex, naturalistic characters and a thoroughly shared universe into... Jack Kirby (August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was one of the most influential, recognizable, and prolific artists in American comic books. ... The Avengers are a fictional superhero team that appear in the Marvel Universe. ... In literature and film, an anti-hero is a central or supporting character that has some of the personality flaws and ultimate fortune traditionally assigned to villains but nonetheless also have enough heroic qualities or intentions to gain the sympathy of readers or viewers. ...

Fictional character biography

Early life

Ares is the son of Zeus and is the Olympian God of War. Ares revelled in war and combat in all its forms, not caring about sides or victims. Ares has hated Hercules ever since Hercules killed Ares' pets, the monstrous Stymphalian birds^[1], and his hatred increased when he noticed Hercules being favored by their father, while he was shunned for his brutal behavior. As the Romans took on worship of Greek gods and renamed them, Ares is also the deity Mars. For other instances of the Greek God in comics, see Zeus (comics). ... This article is about the mountain in Greece. ... Hercules is a fictional character, an Olympian god and superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe, based on the mythological demi-god and hero called Herakles by the Greeks and Hercules by the Romans. ...

Modern Years

Villain

After Zeus allowed the worship of the Greek/Roman gods to cease, the disatisfied Ares would try to overthrow Olympus, this time aiding Pluto. Hercules teamed up with the Asgardian god Thor^[2] in order to defeat Ares, leading to Ares' retreat. During this period, he frequently battled teams and individuals such as the Champions^[3], the Eternal Ikaris, the Avengers ^{[4] [5]}, Namor the Sub-Mariner^[6], and other heroes. Thor (often called The Mighty Thor) is a fictional character and a superhero appearing in the Marvel Universe. ... The Champions was a short-lived fictional comic book superhero team in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Ikaris is a fictional member of the Eternals, a race appearing in the Marvel Comics universe. ... The Avengers are a fictional superhero team that appear in the Marvel Universe. ... Namor the Sub-Mariner is a fictional character, featured in Marvel Comics. ...

Father

In recent times, Ares' uncle Pluto sought to overwhelm Mount Olympus with an army of the dead, leading to a stalemate that the gods and Demi-gods (including Hercules and Achilles) were unable to break. In desperation to end the siege of Olympus, Zeus called upon his son Ares who defeated Hades' army almost single handedly. Hoping that this would allow him to join his kind in Olympus, Ares was disappointed to hear his parents and the other gods disparage his "crude" and "dishonorable" nature. He abandoned his brethren to live amongst mortal men, but did not completely give up his god nature yet.^[7] Pluto is a fictional deity in the Marvel Comics Universe based on the Greek God of the same name. ... This article is about the mountain in Greece. ... Look up dead in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Stalemate is a situation in chess where the player whose turn it is to move has no legal moves but is not in check. ... Look up deity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A demigod, a half-god, is a person whose one parent was a god and whose other parent was a human. ... The Wrath of Achilles, by François-Léon Benouville (1821–1859) (Musée Fabre) In Greek mythology, Achilles (also Akhilleus or Achilleus) (Ancient Greek: ) was a hero of the Trojan War, the central character and greatest warrior of Homers Iliad, which takes for its theme, not the War... A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition, often accompanied by an assault. ... Olympus is a fictional location in the Marvel Universe. ...

Ares tired of his own war mongering when he realized that was why the other gods despised him and decided to live a normal life. He gave up his position as god of war, but maintained his skills, weaponry, and immortality. On Earth, he set himself up as a builder/carpenter. He would later father a son with an unidentified mother. ^[8] Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Carpenter at work in Tennessee, June 1942. ...

Ares: God Of War (2006 miniseries)

The 2006 mini-series begins with Ares living a relatively peaceful life with his son, Alexander. This life is interrupted when Hermes visits Ares with a request...help Olympus fight off a new threat from the east, Amatsu-Mikaboshi (the Japanese god of evil). Taking advantage of the chaos left by the fall of Asgard and the Norse pantheon, Mikaboshi planned to extend his influence by capturing Olympus and crushing the Olympian gods. With the Olympians defeated, Mikaboshi hoped to cow all the other pantheons into surrendering. To this end, Mikaboshi laid siege to Olympus, which was very close to succeeding. For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... In Japanese mythology, Amatsu-Mikaboshi (August Star of Heaven; also called Ama-no-kagaseo, Brilliant Male) is the god of evil and of the stars, specifically the pole star. ... Asgard is a fictional dimension in the Marvel Comics universe based on the Asgard of Norse mythology and is home to six different races. ... A pantheon (Greek: παν, pan, all + θεός, theos, god), is a set of all the gods of a particular religion or mythology, such as the gods of Hinduism, Greek mythology, Norse mythology, and Egyptian mythology. ...

Ares by Travel Foreman.
Cover art for Ares #2.

Ares, still bitter about the treatment he received from the other Olympians, refuses to raise a finger to help them. Desperate for his aid and wishing to goad Ares into action, Zeus has Alexander kidnapped and brought to Olympus where he is placed under the care of Achilles and his Myrmidons. On Earth, Ares wages an assault against police forces, who have found his social security number to be false. One of the policemen states that the New Avengers have just formed as a team. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Travel Foreman is an American comic book artist. ... ...

With the tide turning against them, Hermes goes to earth to fetch an enraged Ares in an attempt to get him to speak with Zeus, but Ares's only concern is his son. Relenting, Hermes transports them both to Achilles's stronghold where they were keeping Alexander, only to find the fortress destroyed and Alexander missing. Hermes is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. ...

While Achilles was away, Mikaboshi's forces managed to destroy the Myrmidon fortress and steal Alexander away to his own stronghold in the eastern lands. Mikaboshi slowly begins to warp Alexander's mind in an attempt to turn him against his father by revealing the brutal history and patricides committed by the Greek gods. Mikaboshi hopes to turn Alex into the new god of war, one that could be used against the Greek gods and, more importantly, Ares himself. Patricide is (i) the act of killing ones father, or (ii) a person who kills his or her father. ...

Finding out his son is in the hands of Olympus's enemies, a furious Ares begrudgingly agrees to join in the fighting, but only to rescue his son.

Mighty Avengers

After the events of Civil War, Ms. Marvel and Iron Man have recruited Ares as part of the new Mighty Avengers. He was recruited to serve on the new team due to their need for a combination "Thor and Wolverine in one." Ares says he didn't get involved in the Civil War as "It was just a slapfight". During the times of Civil War Ares was living a peaceful life as a civilian with his son, while working as a construction worker. until the Avengers blew his civilian cover. In order to provide compensation and secure his services, Iron Man offered him a higher salary than what he was making as a construction worker if he joined the Avengers. Civil War is a Marvel Comics summer 2006 crossover event, based around a core limited series of the same name written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven. ... Carol Danvers as Warbird. ... Iron Man (Anthony Tony Edward Stark) is a fictional comic-book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. ...

Ares has been identified as one of the 142 registered superheroes who appear on the cover of the comic book Avengers: The Initiative #1.^[9]

Powers and abilities

Ares is a god who possesses superhuman strength, speed, healing, agility, reflexes, and endurance. He has all of the conventional superhuman physical attributes common to the Olympians. However, Ares is considerably stronger (able to lift approximately seventy-five tons), faster, and more durable than the vast majority of his race. Among the Olympians, his strength is equaled only by his uncles, Poseidon and Hades, and is exceeded only by his father, Zeus, and his half-brother, Hercules. Ares' body generates almost no fatigue toxins during physical activity, granting him almost limitless superhuman stamina. He is also immortal; he doesn't age, is immune to all terrestrial diseases, poisons and vulnerabilities, and while he can be wounded with extremely focused force, most wounds he will receive will heal quickly. He has shown to be harmed by magical attacks on the order of Thor's hammer. Only extreme force would be able to kill him and even then his divine essence may be untouched, allowing him to be resurrected. For other instances of the Greek God in comics, see Zeus (comics). ... Hercules is a fictional character, an Olympian god and superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe, based on the mythological demi-god and hero called Herakles by the Greeks and Hercules by the Romans. ...

While not as accomplished at magic as his fellow Olympians, Ares can sense the presence of other gods, demons, and the use of magic, call other gods, summon weapons from Olympus, and transport himself by teleportation to Olympus and to Earth at will.

He is, as fits his station as the Olympian God of War, an impressive fighter of tremendous skill and an expert in many (if not all) weapons. In his earlier appearances, he preferred ancient weapons like axes and spears, but his most recent appearance shows him favoring a mixture of ancient and modern weapons, like gases, rays, firearms, and high-explosives. He is an aficionado, expert and collector of the most unusual instruments and methods of death dealing. He is well versed in military tactics, torture and is one of the most talented and ruthless fighters in Earth's history. Look up war in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Ares sometimes wears Olympian battle armor and carries a mace and battle axe all forged from adamantine by Hephaestus. He sometimes rides a chariot of enchanted Olympian horses. He once also possessed the Gauntlets of Ares, which made its wearer gain 100 times their normal strength. He has since passed these on to his daughter Hippolyta. He often carries both ancient and modern weaponry. Adamantine is a mineral, often referred to as adamantine spar. ... Hippolyta is a fictional Amazon character within the Marvel Comics universe. ...

Deviation from Mythology

• In mythology, Aphrodite is Ares' lover, and (in some sources) the mother of his children. In the Marvel universe Ares is considered an enemy of Aphrodite and he fathered Deimos and Phobos upon a woman posing as Aphrodite.

The Birth of Venus, (detail) by Sandro Botticelli, 1485 Aphrodite (Greek: Αφροδίτη; Latin: Venus) (IPA: English: , Ancient Greek: , Modern Greek: ) is the classical Greek goddess of love, lust, and beauty. ... In DC Comics comic books, Deimos was a character created by Mike Grell as a villain for the Warlord in the comic series of the same name. ...

Refereces

External links

• Marvel entry for the mini-series trade paperback
• Ares bio on Marvel.com