Ares (DC Comics)

Ares
Ares as depicted in Wonder Woman (vol. 5) #60 (December 2018). Art by Cary Nord.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Wonder Woman #1 (June 1942)
Created by	William Moulton Marston Harry G. Peter
In-story information
Species	Olympian Gods
Partnerships	Deimos, Phobos, Eris, Eros
Notable aliases	Mars, War, Ari Buchanan
Abilities	Superhuman strength, speed, stamina, agility, reflexes, senses, and intelligence Immortality Invulnerability Draws power from violence and conflict Darkness manipulation Dimensional travel Regeneration Teleportation Energy projection Flight Dark magic Shapeshifting Mind control Necromancy Power distribution Pyrokinesis Size alteration Molecular reconstruction Telepathy Telekines Illusion casting Weapon proficiency Expert martial artist and hand-to-hand combatant Time manipulation Master strategist and tactician

Ares (also sometimes Mars) is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. Based on the eponymous Greek mythological figure, he is the Olympian god of war and major recurring adversary of the superhero Wonder Woman. He has been featured significantly as a persistent foe throughout 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.^[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.^[2]

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^[3]) before returning to his Pérez-inspired warrior design.^[4]

The character has appeared in various forms of media. He has been voiced in animated TV and film 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)^[5] and Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021).