Zendaya's Athena Role In The Odyssey Perfectly Continues A Decades-Long Nolan Trend

One of the most memorable characters in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is Zendaya’s Athena, who, despite her limited screen time, makes a strong impression and continues a decades-long Nolan trend. Not long after the world was led to believe that Christopher Nolan had done his biggest and most ambitious movie ever with Oppenheimer, he surpassed himself with The Odyssey, his biggest, most expensive, and most challenging project to date.

Based on Homer’s ancient Greek epic poem of the same name, The Odyssey follows Odysseus (Matt Damon), who, after the Trojan War, comes across various obstacles on his way back to Ithaca – from a Cyclops to sirens to a witch and a nymph. Meanwhile, his son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), sets out to find his father, while his mother, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), fends off many suitors, including Antinous (Robert Pattinson). Also part of the star-studded cast of The Odyssey is Zendaya, who plays the goddess of wisdom, Athena.

As mentioned above, Zendaya has limited screen time as her character briefly appears to Odysseus at different points throughout the movie as a figure of wisdom, a protector in his journey, and also a guide. However, as most of Nolan’s movies do, and despite being based on pre-existing material, The Odyssey has a twist, and it’s all about Zendaya’s character – and thanks to it, the movie keeps a decades-long Nolan trend alive.

Was Zendaya Really Athena In The Odyssey?

Credit: MovieStillsDB

Throughout The Odyssey, different deities are mentioned, most notably Poseidon (who is revealed to be the Cyclops’ father), Zeus (with Zeus’ law being key to the story), and Athena. The goddess appears to Odysseus at key moments throughout his journey, being the one who encourages him to find his way back home and leave the island he had been living on with Calypso, but Nolan added a twist in the third act that left the question of whether Zendaya was really Athena or not.

When Odysseus talks about their invasion of Troy to Penelope, while hiding his identity from her, The Odyssey shows Odysseus and his men desecrating Athena's statue in Troy and killing her priestess, played by Zendaya. This raised the question of whether Zendaya was truly playing the goddess Athena or if she was playing the priestess through the entire movie, appearing to Odysseus due to his guilt over what they did to her, the statue, and Troy.

The Odyssey leaves this question unanswered on purpose as it invites the audience to give their own interpretation of it. The most widely accepted one, however, is that Zendaya plays two characters, instead of the same one (the priestess) in different scenarios. Zendaya, then, plays Athena, who takes the form of the priestess Odysseus’ men kill in front of him to represent his guilt. However, it’s also possible that the priestess was Athena in disguise, as they believed the gods and goddesses often walked among mortals.

Zendaya's Athena Role Is A Classic Christopher Nolan Mystery

The mystery of Zendaya’s Athena role in The Odyssey is what continues a well-known Nolan trend. Nolan often leaves mysteries and ambiguous moments towards the end of his movies that invite the audience to offer their own interpretations. Some notable examples of this are the end of Inception, with Cobb’s (Leonardo DiCaprio) spinning top and the question of whether he’s awake or not, and the end of The Dark Knight Rises, which leaves the audience wondering if Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) truly survived or not.

Taking all this into account, it’s not surprising that Nolan managed to continue this trend in The Odyssey and with a character that no one would have expected to be left ambiguous. Ultimately, the mystery around Zendaya’s Athena fits the themes of The Odyssey, particularly those of trauma, faith, and guilt, and leaves the audience with a lot to think about and process.

Release Date July 15, 2026

Runtime 173 minutes