Since the characters are in the public domain, it’s no surprise that both Marvel Comics and DC Comics have their own takes on Greco-Roman mythology. These gods interact with both the Amazon princess Wonder Woman and the Norse god of thunder Thor, with a prominent example of two takes on the same character being Ares. Though both companies use the Greek god of war, they use him in vastly different ways.
Marvel’s Ares is usually a villain, though he’s also taken on more heroic attributes before. DC’s version, on the other hand, is a villain through and through, thriving off of battle and becoming strong from it. In the end, if these two deities were to meet in battle, it would be a bloodbath like no other, with only one god of war walking away from it.
Marvel’s Ares Is One of the Strongest Olympians
Debuting in Thor #129, Marvel’s Ares was introduced by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, developing a fierce rivalry with both Thor and his half-brother Hercules. Though he would sometimes fight alongside the Avengers, even joining the roster of Norman Osborn’s Dark Avengers, he’s usually portrayed as trying to influence violence for violence’s sake. For this reason, he’s come to oppose the recent changes to The Punisher, who has become a member of The Hand. He sees this is diluting the pure essence of Frank Castle’s violence, showing that Ares’ morality begins and ends at the battlefield.
Physically, Ares’ might is bested only by two other Olympians: Zeus and Hercules. He’s usually beyond the reach of mortal weapons to harm, but that’s not always the case. One incident in the series Ares: God of War had him beaten by normal bullets due to his then weakened state. Mortals with no magical or godly status can also beat him, such as when The Sentry mercilessly killed him. Ares is also an amateur when it comes to magic, making him feel almost “street level” compared to other gods. Given his role, it makes sense that he’s basically just a brawler like Thor and Hercules, as pure bare-knuckled bloodshed is his specialty.
DC’s Ares Is the Greatest of All Wonder Woman Enemies
DC’s version of Ares theoretically debuted back in the Golden Age in the first ever issue of Wonder Woman, being created by Diana’s “father” William Moulton Marston and artist H.G. Peter. He would quickly begin using the Roman name Mars, however, and a general disregard for using the appropriate names would proliferate in Wonder Woman’s mythology until 1987. There, George Pérez rebooted Wonder Woman and her mythology, making things much more accurate to Greek myth, including Ares. Now decked out in a demonic-looking horned armor, Ares was Diana’s greatest threat.
Ares is vastly more powerful than even the mighty Wonder Woman, with conflict and chaos only making him stronger. For this reason, it was completely impossible for Diana to physically defeat him when she first came to Man’s World. In the New 52 reboot (where he was redesigned by artist Cliff Chiang to resemble series writer Brian Azzarello), his mere presence would force mortals into a violent frenzy. Only magical and godly weapons have any effect on him, and even these could be negligible. On top of these defenses, Ares can change his form to suit his needs, as well as teleport wherever he needs to go.
DC’s Ares Stomps the Floor With Marvel’s War God
When it comes to both raw power and magical prowess, the Ares of the DC Universe is simply too much for Marvel’s version to handle. As mentioned, his physical form is nearly unbeatable, made greater by the fact that conflict, anger and violence only further empower the rival of Princess Diana. Only magical weapons have any chance against him, whereas mere mortal ones have been shown to have some effect on Marvel’s Ares.
On top of this, DC’s version has all the magical acumen that one would expect of a god. His shapeshifting, flight and teleportation abilities are things that Marvel’s version simply don’t have, and he also has a much greater resistance to even the most powerful magicks. Marvel’s Ares, meanwhile, was turned to stone by a spell cast by a student of Morgan le Fay, meaning that any magic DC’s version could employ would be likely obliterate him. Thus, when all is said and done, only DC’s Ares would walk away from the smoldering wreckage of the Areopagus, going on to vex his father and Wonder Woman another day.