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Quote1 The chain of command. Rules of engagement. This Geneva Convention thing. Medical evac. Supply lines. The white flag. The Red Cross. Worrying about evacuees and refugees. Taking prisoners. Losing the battle but winning the war. Cursed diplomats. The proper standard of grooming. Sensible things like having enough bullets before you go into battle. That's the dung my sister cares about. I'm the other God of War. Quote2
Ares, the God of War[src]

Ares is a member of the Olympians, a group of humanoid beings that hail from the pocket dimension of Olympus. He was worshiped by the humans of Ancient Greece and the Roman Empire as their god of savage warfare and golf.[5]

Throughout the millennia, Ares has walked among humanity and fought in countless wars and conflicts.[18]

History

Ancient History[]

The son of Zeus and Hera, Ares was worshiped as the god of war and golf in ancient Greece and Rome. Ares' dissatisfaction with Zeus' rule of Olympus began after Zeus' decree that worship of the Olympians should be allowed to die out.

On three occasions he attempted to conquer Olympus, twice in league with his uncle Hades, god of the Olympian underworld, but each time he was thwarted through the efforts of his half-brother, Hercules, and Hercules' allies. Ares hated Hercules ever since he had killed Ares' monstrous Stymphalian Birds in the days of ancient Greece.

He sired many children, including:

Trojan War[]

When the Trojan War broke out, Ares and the other gods observed the events.[20] Despite Zeus forbidding the Gods from interference,[21][20] Ares acted on a few occasions:

  • At some point, he stood by Achilles, mightiest of the Argives, during the war.[22]
  • In the ninth year of the conflict, after Aphrodite was wounded by Argive Diomedes while trying to protect her son Aeneas, she rushed to Ares who was watching the battle from a nearby hill. Ares entered the fight on the Trojan side, confronting Diomedes. Athena (supporting the Argives) guided Diomedes, whose blade pierced Ares, forcing him to flee back to Olympus.[21]
  • The same year, when Achilles slew his daughter, the Amazon Penthesilea, Ares, enraged, wished to slay him in return, but remained in Olympus, remembering that Zeus himself had lost many sons in wars and that he had forbidden Olympian interference in the war.[20]
  • During the tenth and last year of conflict, after Achilles' son Neoptolemus slew Eurypylus and stated that no mortal could prevail over his father's spear, Ares decided to aid the Trojans. He was immediately confronted by Athena, but their clash was prevented by Zeus' thunder, and Ares abandoned any concern he had for the Trojans.[23]

Later, Ares would hate the movie "Troy", stating that it made him sick.[11]

Battle of Thermopylae[]

During the Battle of Thermopylae, Ares was absent, away at sea with the Athenians. He held a deep animosity toward the Spartans, evident in their symbolic gesture of erecting a statue portraying him in chains outside their city to signify his perceived loyalty. Ares also harbored resentment towards the Spartan kings' claims of descent from Hercules, a source of continual irritation for him.[24]

Across the Ages[]

As the God of War, he exerted a profound influence throughout history, manipulating and stoking the flames of conflict among various civilizations and cultures. His dark machinations have often intertwined with pivotal moments in human history, leaving a trail of war and bloodshed in his wake.[18] In the annals of the Roman Empire, Ares' unseen presence lurked behind the Roman legions, goading them toward conquest and expansion, adding fuel to their militaristic ambitions. He later witnessed as their capital city burned. The tales of the Celts bear echoes of Ares' touch, as their ancient conflicts and battles were influenced by the unseen manipulations of the God of War. The Knights Templar fell under Ares' sway, their righteous cause twisted into fervent crusades fueled by the god's manipulations, ultimately leading to blood-soaked conflicts in the name of holy war.[25] Ares fought the French during the Battle of Agincourt.[26] His dark whispers infiltrated the sacred rites of the Aztecs and intertwined with the ambitions of Conquistadors during the conquests of the New World. Ares' shadow loomed large over Napoléon's conquests, whispering ambition and instigating grand military campaigns that swept across Europe.[25] Ares had a son known as Monstro the Mighty, who battled in his fathers name for centuries. However he grew tired of endless conflict post-battle of Austerlitz during the Napoleonic Wars, he sought a peaceful life. Angered, he flung him into World War II New England. Initially seen as a threat, Monstro aided the American by capturing a Nazi spy, realizing the Axis powers mirrored the warmongers he despised.[6] In the darkest chapter of the 20th century, Ares' malevolent influence seeped into the hearts of the Nazi regime, driving their quest for dominance and atrocities during World War II.[25] He considered Stalingrad one of the most dire battles.[24]

20th Century[]

Aries (Earth-616) from Venus Vol 1 13 0001

Ares circa 1951

Like many Olympians, Ares accepted the rule of Aphrodite during an apparent leave of absence from Zeus. Olympus was relocated to the planet Venus and most of the Olympians adopted their Roman names. Ares took up the name Mars during this time. In 1949, Mars was among the various Olympians gathered by Aphrodite (now calling herself Venus) as potential subjects to make her mortal lover Whitney Hammond jealous. In the end Samson was chosen over the others.[27] In 1951, Mars was summoned by Jupiter to assist Venus along with the Asgardian thunder god Thor to assist Venus in defending New York City from the insane inventor John Dark and his mechanized army. Mars attempted to appeal to the pride Dark felt when he previously served in the United States Army, but this did not succeed and Thor was forced to slay Dark.[28]

In 1969, Ares took the form of "Arnold Reese" and dismissed Venus from her job at Beauty Magazine. She took a job assisting supermodel Fatima and uncovered her secret affair and their political entanglement in Bahraquistan. When Fatima was kidnapped by Satyrs, Venus rescued her with Omar's help. She later confronted Arnold Reese who revealed his true identity, stopping his plans to incite war.[10]

Modern Era[]

In recent years, Ares tried to set two of Earth's nations at war with each other. The conflict threatened to spread over all of the Earth, until Ares was forced to put an end to it by his half-sister Venus, whom he has long sought in marriage, and the hero known as the Sub-Mariner. Venus and the Sub-Mariner extracted a pledge from Ares not to engage in further warmongering on Earth.[29]

This did not stop Ares from joining with Hera in order to torment Hercules personally, when Ares briefly possessed the mortal Thunder God Eric Masterson to battle his half-brother.[30]

Ares tired of his own warmongering 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 woman.

Ares was later forced to help his fellow Olympians when his son Alexander was captured by Mikaboshi. With the help of Zeus, Alexander was freed, and the Kami assisted the Olympians against Mikaboshi.[31]

Mighty Avengers[]

Still insistent that his son have a mortal upbringing, Ares returned to his life as a construction worker in Dover, New Jersey where he worked during the enactment of the Superhuman Registration Act. Immediately following the superhero Civil War, Iron Man and Ms. Marvel sought him out to recruit him for their new Avengers team. With the heroes having ruined his civilian cover, Ares eventually agreed to join the team after Iron Man threatened to deport him to Olympus if he did not register with the U.S. government and promised a salary similar to that of his construction job.[11]

He immediately proved himself by playing a big role against an Ultron-infected Iron Man, assisting against a mass symbiote attack on New York, arresting Doctor Doom, and taking part in the battle against the Hulk and his Warbound. Ares was in charge of punishing his half-brother Hercules for aiding the Hulk.[32] He however, failed to contain and recapture Hercules after he escaped and even lost to him in single combat. His final act in the Mighty Avengers was aiding them against an enormous Skrull invasion.[33]

Dark Avengers[]

Ares (Earth-616) from Mighty Avengers Vol 1 1 0001

Ares in battle as an Avenger

Although Ares was able to get along with most of the Mighty Avengers, his morals and tactics differed from his teammates, as Ares was willing to go to any lengths to defeat his enemies. After the invasion, Ares remained a registered superhuman and accepted a place in Norman Osborn's Avengers alongside Mighty Avengers teammate Sentry. He did not understand his former team leader Ms. Marvel's reluctance to work for Osborn. He viewed his new alliance with the ex-villain simply as continuing the fight that the original Mighty Avengers had started against terrorist-level superhumans, and natural threats against America and the entire planet.[34]

Ares played an important role on the team, aiding Osborn in drawing up lists of targets around the world and helping train H.A.M.M.E.R. soldiers.[34][18] With most of the team being composed of unstable psychopaths, Ares made efforts to instil a modicum of control and comradery amongst his fellow Avengers, though he himself often acted with impunity.[35][36]

Misled into believing Asgard's presence on Earth and Thor's exile from that same kingdom were a part of an evil plot begun by Loki (who he was also led to believe was leading the Asgardians), Ares was charged with leading the assault on Asgard. While many of his Dark Avengers teammates and members of the Hood's forces posing as Initiative teams took on Thor, Ares found himself in battle with Balder. Though he believed Balder to be under Loki's influence, the arrival of an injured Heimdall and the truth he shared, led Ares to realize his mistake. Enraged at having been manipulated, he confronted Iron Patriot and vowed to rip his head off. Before he could launch his attack, however, Iron Patriot signaled for the Sentry. Newly possessed of a need for more power, he silently began his assault on Ares and after several powerful blows he grabbed Ares by both arms and ripped him in half, killing him.[15]

Ares was next sighted after Alex's (Phobos) death on the fields of Elysium. He asked his son if he did all he could and then stood proudly with him. Chaos King later brought Ares back to life to fight him. Ares fought well but was overtaken by the unlimited power of the Chaos King and later returned to Elysium.[37]

Rebirth[]

Ares (Earth-616) from Contest of Champions Vol 1 2 001

Ares' resurrection

After discovering the material known as Isotope-8 in the Battlerealm, the Collector waged in a tournament against the Grandmaster, a game known as the "Contest of Champions," in which both Elders used summoners as consultants to bring players from across the Multiverse and have them fight for the ISO-Sphere.[16] In order to showcase the power of the Iso-8, the Collector, on advice of his summoner the Maestro, used it to bring into the contest even people from the afterlife, thus he pulled Ares from Elysium back to the land of the living.[16]

After surviving numerous battles, Ares returned to his home reality when one of the contestants, Outlaw, managed to seize control of the ISO-Sphere from the Maestro, who in turn had taken it from the Collector earlier. Outlaw used the power of the ISO-Sphere to return the contestants to their homes. Ares returned with Outlaw to England, and together with the contestants native of his universe, appeared interested in the idea of forming a team.[38]

Secret Empire[]

During Hydra's takeover, Ares became a member of Champions of Europe.[39] Together with Enigma and Squirrel Girl, the team was able to free Paris from Hydra.[40]

War of the Realms[]

Ares allied himself with Sindr, the Queen of Cinders, and began hunting the Babysitters Club in order to capture Odin's baby daughter, Laussa. He chased them in his all-terrain vehicle, but Wonder Man broke the bridge they were on in half, allowing the club to escape.[41]

Sword Master[]

Ares then targeted Sword Master and Shang-Chi, wanting to get his hands on Sword Master's Sword of Fu Xi.[42] He and his Dragonborn Warriors ambushed the heroes,[43] and after the brief battle he was successful in getting the sword, revealing his plan to use it in killing a fellow god, Davi Naka. While leaving, Ares was belittled by Shang-Chi for his cowardice and stupidity, even comparing him to Chiyou. Ares took the sword to Orgarb, so he could allow Ares to activate the sword power; however, despite the dwarf's efforts, Ares was unable to use the sword. Then Sword Master and Shang-Chi caught up to him wanting to retrieve the sword.[44] Seeing that Sword Master was the only one able to activate the sword's power, Ares and Orgarb tried to capture him in order to use his blood, but Shang-Chi stopped them by using the sword to destroy the Olympian's hammer and suggested a deal that in exchange for Sword Master and Shang-Chi helping him, Ares would help them find Sword Master's father, Professor Lin. Sword Master was against this idea, but Ares assured him that the Olympians weren't evil deities. Ares accepted the offer and also revealed that his son, Ismenios, had been abducted by Davi Naka and Ares wanted to use the sword so he could punish the kidnapper. After armoring themselves they went to Madripoor via a portal.[45]

They were able to locate Ismenios within a temple and freed him; however the destruction of the cage activated the temple's stone dragons and summoned Davi Nakia.[46] They tried to ambush the Mother Goddess, but were easily defeated. She explained to them that Ismenios had tried to plunder Atlantis' treasure hoard during the absence of its Sea Serpent, but he was caught by Namor. Due to her duty to protect all Dragons, she rescued Ismenios and imprisoned him for his own protection and to placate Atlantis. Ares admonished his son for attacking Atlantis, but forgave him, since he himself would have done the same thing. Dismissing the whole ordeal as a misunderstanding, he ended his deal with Sword Master and Shang-Chi, and attempted to leave the temple with Ismenios, but was prevented by Naka, warning the group that despite her efforts, Atlantis was still outraged over the disappearance of their sea serpent and ordered them to find the missing guardian or else face the wrath of Atlantis.[47]

Apostles of War[]

To propagate war across the world, Ares founded the Apostles of War, a criminal organization that worshiped war and sold arms to various criminals and warlords all over the world. When the Apostles made an enemy of the Hand and their new leader, the Punisher, Ares decided to fight them.[48] When the Punisher sent a group of Hand ninja against Ares but didn't lead the assault, Ares expressed frustration that Castle wasn't there as he considered Castle to be a worshiper of his and his most faithful disciple. Ares confronted the Hand's Archpriestess who recruited Castle and vowed he would not to let her turn Castle into the Hand's Fist of the Beast.[49]

Punisher eventually launched an attack upon Ares and his group by himself, and Ares was pleased that Punisher appeared to fight him.[50] Ares tried to convince Punisher to leave the Hand as they fought, but Punisher refused. When Ares threatened to kill Maria to make Punisher return to his more murderous ways, Punisher tapped into the power of the Beast and attacked. Ares fought back and decided to beat Punisher to death. After Ares left, the Hand retrieved Punisher and had him recuperate at their citadel.[51]

Angry that Punisher injured him, Ares decided to finish his enemy once and for all and launched an attack on the Hand compound where Punisher resided with his Apostles of War. Ares got past the magic forest that protected the compound using enslaved Hand ninja and Banner Cannons. When Ares and his followers reached the compound, they were confronted by Castle and the Hand. A blood battle ensued, resulting in heavy losses on both sides. Ares confronted Punisher and was shot with a handgun that used bullets made from an enchanted dagger that broke during Ares' first fight with Punisher. Ares eventually died, and before dying, he told Punisher that he was proud of him.[52]

Attributes

Power Grid[63]
:Category:Power Grid/Fighting Skills/Master: All Forms of Combat:Category:Power Grid/Energy Projection/None:Category:Power Grid/Durability/Superhuman:Category:Power Grid/Speed/Normal:Category:Power Grid/Strength/Superhuman (25-75 ton):Category:Power Grid/Intelligence/Normal

Powers

Olympian Physiology: Ares possesses the conventional superhuman physical attributes of an Olympian god.[53] However, some of his powers are greater than that of most Olympians, such as:

  • Superhuman Speed: Ares' superhumanly strong legs allow him to run and move at speeds greater than the finest human athlete.
  • Superhuman Stamina: Ares musculature produces almost no fatigue toxins during physical activity. As a result, his body possesses almost limitless physical stamina in all activities.[54]
  • Superhumanly Dense Tissue: Like all Olympians, Ares' skin, muscles, and bones are about three times denser than similar human tissue, contributing to his superhuman strength and weight.[53]
  • Superhuman Durability: The tissues of Ares' body are considerably harder and more resistant to physical injury than the body of a human being and most gods.[54] Ares is capable of withstanding great impact forces, exposure to extremes in both temperature and pressures, falls from great heights, and powerful energy blasts without sustaining injury in a level comparable to Thor. He takes full advantage of his great durability by performing many actions that would normally kill a human being. He has gone as far as Kamikaze feats and even lighting himself on fire and charging against his opponents as a living fireball. However, enchanted godly weapons such as Mjolnir, capable of destroying mountains upon impact, have been shown to injure him.[54]
  • Superhuman Agility: Ares' agility, balance, and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural physical limits of even the finest human athlete.
  • Superhuman Reflexes: Ares' reflexes are in levels that is beyond the natural physical limits of even the finest human athlete.
  • Limited Magic Ability: While not as accomplished at magic as many of 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. However, despite his limited magical skill, according to Amadeus Cho, Ares cannot fly,[55] unlike certain others of the Olympian Twelve, such as his half-siblings Athena, Hermes, or Aphrodite. Even though not accomplished at magic, as an Olympian god Ares has the potential to use magic,[54] and recreated Olympus after being wounded in a battle with Kyknos.[56] He is also able to project an image of himself to communicate with others from far away.[57]
  • True Immortality: Like all Olympians, Ares is functionally immortal, more truly so than the Asgardians or Kami, who are merely considered long-lived, meaning he cannot die by any conventional means.[53] He has not aged since reaching adulthood and is immune to the effects of aging.[53] He is also immune to all known Earthly diseases and infections.[54]
  • Regenerative Healing Factor: Despite Ares' high degree of resistance to physical injury, like all Olympians, he can be injured. However, Ares is capable of repairing damaged or destroyed tissue with superhuman levels of speed and efficiency. If injured, he can fully recover from penetration wounds in anywhere from minutes to hours, depending on the wound's severity.[54] Despite of his ability to superhumanly heal, he is not capable of regenerating missing limbs or organs without the aid of outside magical forces.
  • Warfare Expertise: Ares is an expert in all areas of warfare.[54]
  • War Manipulation: The ability to manipulate war, strife, combat and other forms of conflict Ares as God of War has the power to influence all forms of conflict including mental, physical, spiritual and conceptual ones, regardless of the area and numbers involved, control how they progress and draw power both from the conflict alone as well as the dying. Ares is naturally, extremely skilled in all forms of fighting, weapons and both strategy and tactics as well as statistics of war. Ares can start conflicts by influencing people or events, rise personal and fanatical armies, control and create weapons of every kind and even grant others extensive abilities of combat. Ares has the incredible power to invoke war and chaos within an enormously large radius, ranging from a city to an entire continent. With this power he has full control over the city or continent that is in war and chaos at the time.[54]
  • Allspeak: Like all Olympians, Ares can communicate in all languages, Earth's dialects, and various alien languages known as the Allspeak (also called All-Tongue).

Abilities

Master Combatant: Ares is a master of a variety of hand-to-hand combat skills and all of the ancient Greek forms armed and unarmed combat. Also, he has mastered all forms of weaponry, both modern and ancient.[53] He is well versed in military tactics, torture, and combat engineering. Ares is one of the most talented and ruthless warriors that has ever fought on Earth.[54]

Master Marksman: He is extremely accurate in throwing projectiles and sharpshooting.[54]

Master Tactician: He has a vast amount of military history particularly focusing on battles and wars that involved Greek and Roman (or Italian) soldiers and armies.[54]

Interrogation Expert: Ares is well versed in various interrogation methods including torture.

Weaknesses

Death by Unnatural Causes: While he can't die of old age, Ares can still die by unnatural means including being grievously injured enough like being ripped in half[15] and penetrated by enchanted projectiles.[17]

Ambrosia Consumption: Despite his immortality, Ares still needs to consume the Olympian Ambrosia to remain deathless and virtue otherwise he will start to age or even die by turning to dust.[58]

Paraphernalia

Equipment

Olympian battle armor; Black Sword;[29] at one time, he possessed the Gauntlets of Ares, which made its wearer gain strength comparable to Hercules. He has since passed the Gauntlets on to his daughter Hippolyta.

Weapons

A variety of weapons including ancient Greek and Roman javelins, axes, swords, maces knives, shields, spears, and flails, forged by the Greek deity of fire and blacksmithing, Hephaestus. Also uses Celtic spears, Roman Helmets, Middle Eastern scimitars, Arthurian swords, as well as Native American axes. Ares also uses more modern weapons, such as a variety of different firearms, gases, rays, explosives, Hydra Blood Bullets,[citation needed] and even tanks.[61] After becoming an arms dealer, he began using more exotic weapons like Banner Cannons and Shi'ar sniper rifles.[3]

Transportation

Dimensional teleportation using his own powers and a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle. Used an Avengers Issue Jet-Pack.[59] He sometimes rides horses.[21] After founding the Apostles of War, he used transport helicopters to move troops and heavy equipment.[60]

Notes

  • The general public of Earth believe him to be a fictional character of ancient myths and do not believe that the Avenger Ares is a god.
  • Though Ares is often seen with a mohawk, he has to use magic to maintain that hairstyle, as any cutting of his hair would normally be healed as an injury.

Trivia

  • Ares claimed he made $44.00 an hour as a construction worker.[11]
  • Ares hates the 2004 film Troy, stating that it made him sick.[11]

See Also

Links and References

References

  1. Hulk vs Hercules #1
  2. Hulk (Vol. 2) #6
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Punisher (Vol. 13) #1
  4. 4.0 4.1 Ares #1
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 Thor & Hercules: Encyclopaedia Mythologica #1 ; Ares' entry
  6. 6.0 6.1 Comedy Comics #10
  7. Avengers #98
  8. Mighty Avengers #4
  9. Avengers #100
  10. 10.0 10.1 Girl Comics (Vol. 2) #1
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Mighty Avengers #1
  12. [[Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition 11; Ares' entry|[[Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition #11|Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition 11]]; Ares' entry]]
  13. 13.0 13.1 Avengers: Roll Call #1 ; Kyknos' entry
  14. Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #32
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 Siege #2
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 Contest of Champions #2
  17. 17.0 17.1 Punisher (Vol. 13) #9
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 Dark Avengers: Ares #1
  19. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #8 ; Appendix: Olympians: Demi-Gods, Heroes and other Graeco-Roman Mythological Figures: Diomedes' entry
  20. 20.0 20.1 20.2 Trojan War #3
  21. 21.0 21.1 21.2 Thor Annual #8
  22. Ares #2
  23. Trojan War #4
  24. 24.0 24.1 Dark Avengers: Ares #2
  25. 25.0 25.1 25.2 Ares #3
  26. Mighty Avengers #5
  27. Venus #4
  28. Venus #13
  29. 29.0 29.1 Sub-Mariner #57
  30. Avengers #349
  31. Ares #15
  32. Incredible Hulk (Vol. 2) #112
  33. Secret Invasion #8
  34. 34.0 34.1 Dark Avengers #1
  35. Dark Avengers #5
  36. Dark Wolverine #77
  37. Chaos War #25
  38. Contest of Champions #10
  39. U.S.Avengers #7
  40. U.S.Avengers #89
  41. War of the Realms: Journey Into Mystery #1
  42. Sword Master #1
  43. Sword Master #2
  44. Sword Master #3
  45. Sword Master #4
  46. Sword Master #5
  47. Sword Master #6
  48. Punisher (Vol. 13) #12
  49. Punisher (Vol. 13) #34
  50. Punisher (Vol. 13) #5
  51. Punisher (Vol. 13) #6
  52. Punisher (Vol. 13) #79
  53. 53.0 53.1 53.2 53.3 53.4 Thor & Hercules: Encyclopaedia Mythologica #1
  54. 54.00 54.01 54.02 54.03 54.04 54.05 54.06 54.07 54.08 54.09 54.10 54.11 54.12 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #1
  55. Incredible Hercules #114
  56. Incredible Hercules #116
  57. Punisher (Vol. 13) #4
  58. Heroic Age: Prince of Power #1
  59. Avengers: The Initiative #8
  60. Punisher (Vol. 13) #7
  61. Punisher (Vol. 13) #78
  62. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #1
  63. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Vol 1 14
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