Ares V Circe. Which emeny is smarter?

[gwhh]

Ares V Circe. Which emeny is smarter? Ares is pretty crafty, but Circe always seems to be having more thought out plots and plans.

[RepHope]

Ares is kind of an idiot who has to constantly be reminded that a WWIII would kill all of the humans that empower him. Circe was very manipulative in Rucka's Rebirth run so I'd say her.

[SiegePerilous02]

If we are going with Rucka's Ares from his first run, I'd go with him. That was the only time he was ever interesting as an antagonist, and it was because he went with a more subtle approach. Other than that though, I would probably pick Circe most of the time.

[Restingvoice]

I don't know for sure but my impression it's Circe. It makes sense too. Although quite powerful, Circe is not a god, so she needs to be more careful. Ares is a god with conflict-based power and by gathering more followers he can become even more powerful, so has less fear and less reason to be smart or careful.

[Koriand'r]

I could go with Ares because he didn't get lost in his mortal guise of Ares Buchanan the way Circe did when she was Donna Milton. Circe however is willing to work with other major villains to achieve her goals and her schemes have affected the entire DCU (War of the Gods, Amazons Attack).

[Joao]

I didn't like the first story arc I read with Circe in Pérez's run (vol. 3?) and thought Ares was very dumb/impulsive too. But in Rebirth both seem great. I'd go with Circe cause her plan to trap Deimos and Phobos was just so amazingly evil and complex and the fact that they worked and she had a smile while being tied-up by Diana's lasso... You can't beat that "i'm a genius aren't I" face.

[Stanlos]

Ares V Circe. Which emeny is smarter? Ares is pretty crafty, but Circe always seems to be having more thought out plots and plans.

I think of the two throughout their various interpretations Circe has proven smartest and most successful. Though their biggest successes (WOTG for Circe and GENESIS for Ares) were ultimately undone, it was only the slimmest of coincidences that undid Circes plan while Ares was checkmated by Darkseid by design at the moment of his triumph.

[Joao]

I think Ares falls in line with that problem Rucka identified in Diana's rogues gallery: they are villains because of ideas, and not character or pathos. Ares is always treated like the embodiment of war, and that's why people (and most writers) find him interesting. He balances Diana's peace-oriented values. But that makes him fail as a fleshed-out character.

Take Year One's Ares. It's not actually Ares, but an exaggerated perception of him. And that's exactly how he's usually portrayed.

I'm not saying that characters as ideas can't ever work, or that the gods are not where that model is more naturally highlighted (My favorite Ares story is Gods and Mortals, cause it plays with the concept of what a global war would mean for him and has that powerful ending - srsly they should've used that for the movie. But he still very one-dimensional as a character).

Best example for me of god as an idea but built into the actual character: New 52 Hera. Rucka's first run was good too but I barely remember him. Even Azzarello's Ares is better in terms of pathos than what we usually get.

[WonderScott]

I think of them as on par with one another and it's part of the reason I find it delicious when they're together. I loved when Rucka was playing around with their relationship and child in his first run.

What I find interesting about the gods (and I consider Circe as one given her parentage), is that writers seem to want them to stagnate in some Hellenistic representation, instead of acknowledging that they've been existing for millennia alongside humans. They were as flawed, mischievous, acrimonious, and vengeful as they could be helpful or loving. That's what made Rucka's take on them in his first run so fun. They were gods and the basis of ideas, but had personalities and messed around with humans' lives, just as they had in myth. Applying that to the pantheon today and letting their soap operas and intrigues and whims play out in a new age of mortals and "heroes" will help make them more interesting.

There are a lot of missed opportunities with the gods in the DCU. It's a no-brainer to me that someone like Ares and someone like Circe might contact Darkseid and get down to the bottom of divinity and what that means in the DCU.

Also, not all of their schemes need to be cosmic and another let's "take over the world" play for their actions to be dramatic, meaningful, and wicked.

[Fuzzy Mittens]

Lets see....

Golden age Ares/Mars was a universe wide personification of war with planets under his sway, a massive army and incredible power. That said he was beaten by Wonder Woman playing 'dodge the bull' until he destroyed his own palace. On top of that he relied on the Duke of Deception to come up with any and all plans.
Golden age Circe ruled a planet where she would play tricks and work to outsmart and fool people with her powers and toy with them as if it was all a game.

The following ages were pretty much the same stuff. Ares is undoubtedly more powerful than Circe and more ambitious but she could probably play him like a fiddle as gullible as he tends to be.