10 DC Characters Derived From Ancient Myth
2. Ares
In DC’s stories, while the canon of Ares may deviate somewhat from the original mythology, his character in general is mostly the same. Son to Zeus and Hera, he is despised by not only both parents, but by most of the Olympian gods too, as detailed in the Homeric works.
In Greek myth the war god is often shown to lack virtue, and represent the most aggressive, unfettered, brutal aspects of war. His perception by contemporary humanity of the time is thought to have been mixed, with some hating him along with the other gods, and some holding feelings of ambivalence; he is a force of nature useful on the battlefield, but causing strife, chaos, and fear.
This, in contrast to a goddess such as Athena, venerated Ares as an intelligent military strategist.
Ares’ origins remain the same in DC comics, and thus he has familial ties to Wonder Woman, consistently acting as her antagonist, as he stokes the flames of war in the world to parasitically feed his power.