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  1. #1
    Mighty Member Fuzzy Mittens's Avatar
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    Default Ares appreciation thread

    Wonder Womans greatest villain, Ares the god of war has seen a fair amount of differing interpretation over the years.

    Ruler of an expansive space empire across the astral plane. God in exile plotting to reclaim his throne. Trapped in another dimension with his family waiting for the chance to return to Earth and become its god. Ruler of Olympus with other gods at his beck and call. Grandfather of Wonder Woman. Master manipulator. Doomed fool. Unlikely ally. Evil fiend. Teacher. Imprisoned with love by his own will.

    His appearance also differing quite a bit over the years, one of the few consistencies has been that he is empowered by wars and fighting. With peace being his antithesis.
    His powers constantly altering, hes gone from being utterly invincible and indestructible to having an army of those who have fallen in war (regardless of whether or not they were soldiers.) Being capable of bestowing powers to others. Transforming to massive size. Manipulating and controlling those who have war in their heart. Possessing an indestructible armor. Transforming himself and others. And being a master of any tool used in war.

    He has a number of children which has included Deimos, Phobos, The Duke of Deception, The Lord of Conquest. The Earl of Greed. Eris/Strife (When she isn't portrayed as his sister), Harmonia, Eros, The Crow Children, Lyta Milton, the Silver Swan.

    And various minions of his family which has over the years in various media included Doctor Psycho, Doctor Poison, Hermes, Hercules, Angle man, Nubia, Moot. Even bronze age Artemis.

    With all of this, Ares has at his disposal most of Wonder Womans most powerful and dangerous villains under his thumb. Power rivaling if not surpassing the likes of Darkseid. And alot of potential for being a good villain for Wonder Woman to oppose.

    So on that note, heres a thread to appreciate Ares.

  2. #2
    Moderator Nyssane's Avatar
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    I shudder at the idea of Ares as her greatest enemy. Unfortunately, while he does have some standout appearances (Perez's first arc, Rucka's first run), Ares as a whole is quite disappointing as a "big bad."

    Despite all that, this is of course an appreciation thread. My favorite version is Ares's seductive trickster. I like a behind-the-scenes "dirty war" version rather than a blunt, straight-forward "me kill you" version that is often seen in the comics. As a schemer, Rucka's first Ares was fantastic and had quite a bit of chemistry with Diana.

  3. #3
    Extraordinary Member kjn's Avatar
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    Given my background and interest in mythology, I have a slightly different view of the Greek gods and goddesses than is expressed in comics.

    I'd love to see Diana being at odds with not only Ares or Zeus, but basically everyone else of the Greek gods and goddesses. Or looking beyond Ares as simply "the god of war", because had other roles. Ares is the god of courage, physical strength, and passion—something which includes anger and rage. He is arguably the only male Olympian who seemed to care about his daughters. His counterparts in other mythologies often held status as the god of justice (e.g. Tyr of Nordic mythology).

    I'd also say that antagonists like Doctor Poison and Doctor Psycho fits other Olympians much better. Poison can go under Apollo, and both can go under Zeus. Heck, Doctor Poison could fit under Athena. The one of Diana's antagonists who fit Ares best is arguably Cheetah.

    (And I'd love to read a reinterpretation of Pérez's Gods and Mortals where the Cold War basically was Athena gone mad.)

  4. #4
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    My favorite look for Ares.
    Quote Originally Posted by kjn View Post
    Given my background and interest in mythology, I have a slightly different view of the Greek gods and goddesses than is expressed in comics.

    I'd love to see Diana being at odds with not only Ares or Zeus, but basically everyone else of the Greek gods and goddesses. Or looking beyond Ares as simply "the god of war", because had other roles. Ares is the god of courage, physical strength, and passion—something which includes anger and rage. He is arguably the only male Olympian who seemed to care about his daughters. His counterparts in other mythologies often held status as the god of justice (e.g. Tyr of Nordic mythology).

    I'd also say that antagonists like Doctor Poison and Doctor Psycho fits other Olympians much better. Poison can go under Apollo, and both can go under Zeus. Heck, Doctor Poison could fit under Athena. The one of Diana's antagonists who fit Ares best is arguably Cheetah.

    (And I'd love to read a reinterpretation of Pérez's Gods and Mortals where the Cold War basically was Athena gone mad.)
    I've been of the idea that Zeus or Poseidon should replace Ares as Diana's main villain for a while.

  5. #5
    Mighty Member Fuzzy Mittens's Avatar
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    Most all of my favorite moments with Ares lie in pre crisis.
    The Golden age take where Ares manipulated the Martians into killing one another in war, leading to the entire planet being slaves to his will was an epic set up. Establishing that he had minions enslaving those who fall in battle across the universe to add to his armies establishes him to have a massive force at his disposal. Revealing that multiple planets have been destroyed utterly by Ares efforts shows what he is capable of. I miss this take on the villain where he had so much power.

    That said I also enjoyed the take on Ares during the mod era where he was trapped, unable to get to Earth and was in battle with the Amazons who barred his way. Having Phobos and Deimos posessing an army made up of the nightmares of humanity is honestly the most competent ive ever seen them in DC.

    I also rather enjoyed the whole 'first Wonder Woman' thing where he was established to have manipulated and turned the first Wonder Woman into the champion of war through his manipulations and cunning.

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