Ares (also known as Mars) is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. Based on the Greek mythological figure Ares, he is the Olympian god of war, the son of Zeus and Hera, and the half-brother of the superhero Wonder Woman, as well as her recurring adversary. Since his first comic book appearance in 1942, he has been featured prominently as an antagonist during every era of Wonder Woman's comic book adventures, and in many adaptations of her stories in other media.
Ares first appeared in Wonder Woman #1, published in the summer of 1942, written by Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston. His introductory panels name him as Ares, though the narration goes on to note that he is "now called" by his Roman name Mars.Wonder Woman #1 He would be known by that name (with sporadic exceptions) for the next 45 years, until creative team George Pérez and Greg Potter restored the Greek name Ares as part of their reboot of the Wonder Woman comic book mythos in 1987.Wonder Woman vol. 2 #1
As the narrative continuity of Wonder Woman comics has been adjusted by different writers and artists throughout the years, various versions of Mars/Ares (with various personalities and physical appearances) have been presented, though most have been depicted wearing Greek hoplite or Roman gladiator armor. The character's longest-running look, designed by George Pérez, is that of a red-eyed Greek warrior clad in black and indigo battle armor, face hidden by an Attic helmet. After DC's continuity was rebooted in 2011 (an event known as The New 52), the character cycled through several divergent visual interpretations (including one inspired by the physical appearance of then-writer of Wonder Woman, Brian Azzarello) before returning to his Pérez-inspired warrior design.Wonder Woman vol. 5 #12
The character has appeared in various forms of media. He has been voiced in animation and video games by actors Alfred Molina, Fred Tatasciore, and Michael York, and portrayed on-screen in the DC Extended Universe by David Thewlis in the films Wonder Woman (2017) and Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021).
Fictional character biography Pre-Crisis
During most of the Golden Age, Silver Age, and Bronze Age of Comic Books, Ares was called Mars. His visual depiction remained faithful to Harry G. Peter's original design throughout the Golden and Silver Ages: a brawny, clean-shaven figure in Greco-Roman battle armor with entwined serpents emblazoned across the breastplate. In the character's first appearance, his armor was gold. Subsequent Golden Age appearances vary the armor's coloration, rendering it as bronze with green filigree, and later as pale violet with bronze filigree. Mars' Silver Age appearances maintained Peter's character design, but altered the color to gray.
His debut appearance sees Ares seeking to realize his vision of eternal war and conflict in the world of man. He is chiefly opposed by Aphrodite, goddess of love, who seeks to realize a contrary vision of eternal peace. The men who worship Ares kill each other and their weaker brothers, selling women cheaper than cattle. Taunted by Ares that she has no champions of her own, Aphrodite creates a new race of women, the Amazons, from clay. They build a city-state called Amazonia, where they create a women-centered civilization for spreading the gospel of Aphrodite's Way. Endowed by divine gifts, they soon prove stronger than Ares' followers. Hippolyta, chosen as queen, is presented with a golden girdle to make her invincible.
Ares flees to Mars (which he adopts as his new name after declaring himself ruler), establishing a citadel and enslaving its native population to serve him and his chief deputies, the Duke of Deception, the Count of Conquest and the Earl of Greed. Mars' aide-de-camp is General Destruction. He uses Mars as an interplanetary headquarters, supplementing the enslaved Martian population with the spirits of the dead he collects from war zones on multiple planets, including Saturn and Earth. The collected spirits are tested to determine whether they should be used as personal slaves, gladiators, or factory workers. The very strongest are trained and given new bodies, then sent back to their worlds as engines of war to expand Mars' influence. He also sets up the "Injustice Court" for humiliating slaves and meting out punishments. He also establishes a secret base beneath Mount Olympus, managed by the Count of Conquest.Wonder Woman #2
From this base, he seeks to defeat the Allied cause in World War II, sending thoughts of conquest, deception, and greed into the Axis leaders via astral projection, but he finds himself repeatedly thwarted by the Amazonian champion Wonder Woman. When Wonder Woman rescues Steve Trevor, the War God promises to reward whichever of his lieutenants can capture her. The Earl of Greed enlists German aid and sets a trap for Wonder Woman by manipulating her friend, the Dean of Holiday College, to commit theft so Wonder Woman must rescue her. His plan fails, and an enraged Mars has him imprisoned.
The Duke of Deception gains Japanese help and captures Wonder Woman, but she escapes before she leaves Earth, and he is also humiliated and imprisoned. The Count of Conquest gains Italian help and, by trickery, succeeds in shackling Wonder Woman and Trevor and brings them to Mars. Greed and Deception are released, and Wonder Woman is set to be put to death by the Injustice Court. However, with the help of Etta Candy's spirit form, Wonder Woman escapes and overpowers Mars, whose Iron Palace is destroyed by his weapons, though he survives. The Duke of Deception makes several further attempts to exact revenge on Wonder Woman, but fails despite his cunning and incredible technology, and Mars finally strips him of his mighty appearance, showing him to be a weak, toothless man. Set to live among the female slaves, he leads them in rebellion and briefly gains the throne of Mars.
Mars repeatedly tangles with Wonder Woman on Earth-One and Earth-Two. During a period when Diana abandons her powers to live as a mortal woman while the Amazons retreat temporarily to another dimension, Mars (by now using his original name of Ares again) and his children Phobos, Deimos, and Eris engage in battle with the Amazons to gain dominion over all planes of existence but are beaten back by Hippolyta's superior leadership. Later, he enlists his human descendant Helen Alexandros to become Silver Swan.
His final scheme before the history-changing battle of Crisis on Infinite Earths is to ally with Hades and the Anti-Monitor to subdue the Gods of Olympus. While fighting Wonder Woman, he fails to stop Trevor from freeing the gods, while Hades deserts him after his wife uses love to coerce her husband to return to the Underworld. For his hubris, Ares' power is taken from him and he is cast into Tartarus, the inescapable prison of the gods.
Post-Crisis Despite being Zeus's eldest son, Ares never fit in with the other gods of Olympus and creates his own realm, the Areopagus, from which he plots to corrupt the mortal world with violence and greed. Aphrodite persuades her fellow gods to fashion the Amazons as representatives of Olympus among men, using them to thwart Ares' vile ambitions. Through his deceit and manipulations, Ares deposes his uncle, Hades, and subsequently becomes God of the Dead.
Ares attempts to destroy the Amazons, sending his half-brother Hercules to destroy them, but Diana is born and raised just in time to fight Ares as Steve Trevor's plane, driven by one of Ares's human puppets, crashes into Paradise Island. Ares seeks to instigate a nuclear war between the United States and Russia, but Diana traps him with her magic lasso, showing how a world devoid of life would result in his own disappearance, as there would be none left to worship him. Humbled by this revelation, Ares swears to no longer interfere in Man's World so long as Diana "saves them from themselves".
Through magic, Ares transfers his essence into the body of low-level mobster Ari Buchanan and changes his name to "Ares Buchanan".Wonder Woman vol. 2 #78–84. DC Comics. He quickly becomes a powerful crime boss by dealing in high-powered weaponry to rival gangs. As Buchanan, he has a relationship with his lawyer, Donna Milton, who is Circe in disguise, although not even she knows it. Milton conceives a daughter, Lyta Milton, but when she shares the news with Ares, he expresses disgust at fathering a half-human child and shoots her. Circe, as Donna, survives and later comes to Diana's aid when Ares traps her, using the last of her magic to banish him from the mortal plane. Diana, the child, and she survive, but Circe is forced to shed her memories and life as Donna, becoming a full villain once again.
As opposed to ancient times, the roles of various gods are shown to have altered somewhat according to modern practices and beliefs. Accordingly, the faith-based power Ares's father Zeus receives proves to be very much diminished as the pagan faith of Ancient Greece gives way to Christianity. Other gods such as Athena, Aphrodite, and Ares began to gain more power due to the appearance of the computer age, love never diminishing, and conflict remaining consistent. Thus, the three godly siblings finally depose their father and take over Olympus.
Following his ascension to power, Ares formally revises his divine role as a god from "War" to "Conflict". To celebrate this change, he alters his appearance to a more approachable visage. His rule under this name proves to be short-lived, though; when Hades is defeated and forced to abandon his responsibility as keeper of the Underworld, Ares is all too eager to become God of the Dead.
Family reunited Realizing that a crossroads for the gods of Olympus is at hand, Ares confides in his half-sister Cassie Sandsmark about a future war. In exchange for additional powers, he asks only for her love. He travels to Themyscira and kidnaps his daughter Lyta, who is under the protection of the Amazons. Circe confronts Ares and is surprised to learn of his new godly title. She agrees to remain as his consort and to raise their daughter in the Underworld.
During Ares' family bonding with Cassie, he blesses her with a powerful lasso able to expel Zeus's lightning in times of anger. Ares appears to Cassie repeatedly to warn her about "the coming war". In the "Titans Tomorrow" storyline, the Teen Titans are thrown 10 years into the future, where Cassie has inherited the mantle of Wonder Woman after Diana's death.Teen Titans vol. 3 #17–19. DC Comics. She is also referred to as "Ares's champion".
Ares later appears to Cassie, informing her that the gods are leaving this plane and Zeus is taking the power he had granted Cassie.Teen Titans vol. 3 #33 In exchange for acknowledging their siblinghood and becoming his champion, he offers her some of his power, saying only that she would be "more powerful than [she has] ever been". The full extent of Cassie's powers has not been revealed, though some indication exists that she has retained all of her former powers at this point.Infinite Crisis #6 and Teen Titans vol. 3 #34. DC Comics.
In Amazons Attack!, it revealed that Ares left Circe and kidnapped their daughter to raise on his own. As Lyta and he were only spoken of during the storyline, their presence is yet unknown.
Cassie is confronted by Ares' son, Lord Lycus, whom Ares has sent to interfere with Cassie's powers.Teen Titans vol. 3 #63. DC Comics.
Death