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Ares was the Greek god of War. He had little regard for mortals and felt their only purpose was to kill each other for his amusement.
History
Eager to escalate the civil conflict in Kaznia, which could spread to the surrounding countries, Ares had his brother Hephaestus build the Annihilator, a self-propelled battlesuit which fed off of human rage. He offered this suit to the hard-pressed Northern tribes, who gratefully accepted it to defend against an offensive from the South.
However, Ares was outraged when he learned that the Northerners were content with staying on the defensive. He disguised himself as their leader Nardoc after he killed him and spurred them on to greater fighting. The Justice League thwarted his plan and took control of the Annihilator. Ares withdrew, vowing to return.
Powers and abilities
Although he was an immortal god with superhuman strength, indestructible armor, and a mastery of sword fighting, Ares preferred to manipulate humans on a strategic scale.
One notable fact about Ares was that the bigger the conflict, the stronger his powers became. This is a trait that would be passed down to the weapon he commissioned, the Annihilator.
Ares also had the ability to change his appearance, and the power of teleportation.
Background information
- Besides being a figure from classic Greek Mythology, Ares is a character from DC Comics, appearing most often as an enemy of Wonder Woman. He has a long-standing hatred for her, her mother Hippolyta, and the Amazons, who have always undermined his efforts to foment war among mortals.
- In Greek mythology, Ares is the son of Zeus and Hera and the main lover of Aphrodite. In the Iliad, he is often portrayed as a coward who instigates conflict and then withdraws to watch the mayhem from a safe position. He is almost never depicted as a strategist, most frequently appearing as a brawler who gets in over his head and runs. In contrast, Athena was most frequently depicted as the strategic genius of the Greek pantheon.
- Although not indicated, Ares in the comics and original myths (which the comics are generally consistent with, Ares himself being a notable exception and Hercules as an anti-hero) is the full brother of Hephaestus as they are both children of Zeus and Hera (though in some versions, they only are maternal half-brothers), along with being the nephew of Hades. He and Hephaestus are also half-siblings of Hermes and Athena as they all share the same father, Zeus. Ironically, in Greek mythology Hippolyta is his daughter, so this would make him Diana's maternal grandfather and if Hades is truly her father, then Ares would also be her first cousin.
- Ares was originally considered to be the main villain for "Paradise Lost", however it was felt that he didn't quite match the needs for the story of the episode, and they opted for a more "satanic" character from the Greek Pantheon, which ended up being Hades.