After 84 Years, DC Finally Gives An Iconic Villain The God-Tier Origin They Always Deserved

Wonder Woman’s connection to Greek lore has always been a big part of what makes the character interesting. For example, depending on the writer and when a comic book was published, Zeus may or may not be Wonder Woman’s father. What was once Hippolyta sculpting Diana Prince out of clay turned into the affair between the Queen of the Amazons and Zeus birthing Diana. The one consistent thing about DC's King of Gods over the past decade or so is that he is consistently one of the most deplorable deities in DC Comics’ Earth-0. Thanks to Kelly Thompson, that remains true in the Absolute Universe.

The Greek Gods have been an influence in Diana’s life throughout Absolute Wonder Woman. As a baby, Diana was dropped off to the underworld by Apollo in issue #1 and confronts Athena in 2026’s Absolute Wonder Woman Annual No. 1. In the most recent storyline (“Heretic”), Ares becomes the most recent of the gods to enter Diana’s life. Thanks to DC's new version of Zeus (and writer Kelly Thompson), it looks like it will continue to make them accurate to Greek Lore.

How Does Ares Fit Into This Series?

The issue begins on Olympus with Ares telling Zeus to appear or he’ll leave. Zeus, who never shies away from attempting to intimidate, emerges as a giant orange eye in the sky. He tells his son that he has a need of his services as the God of War. Ares tries to defy his father because of how he (Zeus) mistreated the Amazons, calling their punishment aggressive and stupid. Sadly, as he’s telling his father off, the Lord of War is overcome by the chaos of war, which “may never be contained for long.”

Since the God of War is one of Diana’s strongest and most determined antagonists, it's assumed that he’d be seen on more than a few pages. However, the tease will get readers pumped to see where this goes. With that being said, the part that seemed to be the most important is that Ares isn’t all in on attacking the Amazons like other members of his family. Unfortunately, fans of Greek mythology will know that Ares not being on the same page as the rest of the pantheon is typical.

The Calamitous God of War

There are two gods of war in Greek Mythology: Athena and Ares. Athena’s connection to battle seems to lean towards strategy since she’s also the Goddess of Wisdom. Meanwhile, Ares is the God of Violence and Bloodshed. And even though he’s known as a war god, he’s been defeated in embarrassing ways. Maybe the biggest example is what happened to him with Aphrodite.

Another humiliating story is when Ares is defeated by two of Poseidon’s sons and then trapped in a jar. It’s bad enough for the lord of War to be beaten by his uncle’s kids and stuffed in a jar, but the part that’s truly sad is that Hermes just happens to find him. He was gone for over a year, and nobody cared or noticed he was gone. Sadly, this isn't shocking since no one cares about Ares.

How Does This Connect To The Comics?

As can be seen, there’s a pattern of the Greek Pantheon not caring about Ares. It’s so bad that it happens in the Marvel Comics miniseries written by Michael Avon Oeming. The Lord of War's family only calls on him when they need their monster. Yet, when he’s in trouble or shamed, they’ll laugh or leave him to be defeated.

Just from this brief interaction with his father in Absolute Wonder Woman #23, it's clear that Ares was only acknowledged because his services were needed. It's easy to guess that when he's eventually defeated, the Greek Pantheon will turn their back on him again. Hopefully, this time he will get some sort of freedom from his family. Unfortunately, that may only come in his death.