Marvel Comicshas always been considered the more grounded of the Big Two, their stories trying to look “like the world outside the readers’ windows”. This was what made their Silver Age heroes so unique; they were American people, living in the Cold War, each of them with their own issues that complicated their lives. However, even back then, there were hints of the superpowered grandeur that their distinguished competition brought to the superhero and the best example of this was Thor. He was the Norse God of Thunder brought to the modern day, linked to the body of Dr. Robert Blake. He battled supervillains and gods, alien warlords and ancient monsters, protecting the Ten Realms from every threat.
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Thor was basically the Superman of the early Marvel Universe and would go on to become the foremost god of the Marvel Universe. His stories were able to bridge the gap between science fiction, superheroes, and mythology, showing what could be done with characters like him. The Odinson’s adventures have seen him have to leave the Earth for a variety of reasons, leaving a Thor-shaped hole in the Marvel Universe. This was the case in the mid ’00s, when Civil War was shaking the Marvel superhero community. There was no God of Thunder, other than the clone Ragnarok, and Iron Man needed someone of that stature for his new Avengers after the dust settled. This would lead to the introduction of a new god, one who could have reached Thor levels of popularity… and still could despite Marvel bungling him: Ares.
Ares Was the Perfect Addition to the Avengers
There had been an Ares in the Avengers mythos before, a member of the Zodiac, villains whose gimmicks fit that of the zodiac signs. However, there was also just the Greek God of War, who had first appeared in The Mighty Thor back in the ’60s but rarely played much of a role in anything. The Avengers had started a renaissance with New Avengers, and Thor had been missing the whole time. The closest we had to him was the Sentry and he barely played a role in anything. Civil War‘s Rangarok reveal made readers think the robotic clone was the real deal, but the next issue would reveal otherwise. We all knew a new Avengers were about to born and it looked like we were going to get another team without a Thor analogue.
Mighty Avengers #1 would premiere was a man in a helmet with a massive ax on the cover, looking very Thor. This was Ares, introduced as an Avenger recruited by Tony Stark to add muscle to his new team. However, this wasn’t someone like Thor, a regal god and honorable Viking warrior, this was someone very different. Ares didn’t speak in the thees and thous that the God of Thunder did, he was raw and modern, a smart-mouthed arrogant mountain of muscle who constantly talked smack to his teammates and enemies. He was perfect for writer Brian Michael Bendis, who used Ares’ blunt personality to play off the other characters. He wasn’t there to make friends, he was there to fight evil. It was a subversion of the trope set up by Thor and it was refreshing.
He became a standout of the group, the perfect arrogant warrior hero. The character would reach his apex during the fantastic “Dark Reign” status quo. This was after Secret Invasion had seen Norman Osborn kill the Skrull Empress Veranke. He was rewarded with control of the Avengers, SHIELD, and the Superhero Initiative, staffing all of it with villains who he could control in Dark Avengers. However, he was smart enough to keep Ares and the Sentry close. Ares promised to fight alongside the Dark Avengers and keep them in line as long as he thought that Norman was doing the right thing; the moment that stopped, he promised to behead the Iron Patriot. He played a similar role in Dark Avengers as he did in Mighty Avengers – the caustic, violent god – but his sincere hatred for everyone around him was more entertaining than ever.
He was basically a ticking clock for readers; we knew that he was going to explode on Norman, we just didn’t know when. It made him an even more fun character than he had been before, because we knew something awesome was going to happen down the road. Siege would see his final battle as an Avenger, finally turning on Osborn during the attack on Asgard. The Sentry, under the control of the Void, tackled the God of War, leading to a brutal, fatal battle for Ares. It was an awesome death, but it would prove to be a waste of a good character.
Ares wasn’t resurrected for years and it was never treated as a big deal. He went back to being a D-list character, a former Avenger who was sometimes heroic and sometimes pragmatic and antagonistic. He was never brought back to his former place in the Marvel Universe. On the one hand, this makes sense – he didn’t really make friends with anyone, so there’s really no reason for him to be invited back to the Avengers, especially once Thor was back. However, this was a waste of a different kind of Marvel god. Ares was a rough and tumble modern god, not one of the courtly deities of Asgard. His time with the Avengers showed how entertaining he could be if given the right push. However, there’s still time for Ares to shine.
Ares’s Potential Was Squandered but It’s Not Too Late
Ares slotted perfectly into the Bendis-era Avengers books, a mouthy warrior who filled an important role in two very different teams of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. He was all smashmouth heroism, as quick to yell at a teammate for doing something stupid as he was to punch a bad guy as hard as he could. He was the Thor of these teams, but he was also was his own kind of character. His death was massive and it could have been springboard for a big return that could have kept the character vital. We could have gotten Ares and Thor stories, two disparate warriors who would play off each other well.
Instead, he was resurrected too long after when he was somewhat popular and is now languishing in the D-list. However, we’ve reached a time when it would be perfect for him to return. The Avengers are being broken in Avengers: Armageddon and Ares could be the ultimate addition to this group. While this isn’t exactly street-level Avengers – Captain Marvel is still leading the team and Wolverine is there – it’s more down to Earth. Ares was basically the down to Earth version of Thor, so he would fit the tone of the book. Marvel could use more stars and Ares could be in ascendance very easily.
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