Ares (Marvel Comics)

Ares
Variant cover art for Incredible Hercules #124. Art by Ed McGuinness.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Thor (vol. 1) #129 (June 1966)
Created by	Stan Lee (Writer) Jack Kirby (Artist)
In-story information
Alter ego	Ares
Team affiliations	Dark Avengers Mighty Avengers Gods of Olympus Warhawks
Notable aliases	Mars, Mister Talon, John Aaron, God of War, The Warhawk
Abilities	Expert armed combatant with weaponry Superhuman strength, speed, agility, stamina, durability, and reflexes superior to that of most Olympians Magic manipulation Immunity to all diseases and infections Virtual immortality Shapeshifting

Ares is a fictional character, a deity appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is based on the Greek god of the same name. He first appeared in Thor (vol. 1) #129 (June 1966) and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Ares has commonly appeared as an enemy of Thor and Hercules and starred in his own self-titled series in 2006. In 2012, Ares was ranked 39th in IGN's list of "The Top 50 Avengers".

Ares, the Greek God of War, was initially depicted as a villain in the Marvel Universe, opposing Thor, Hercules and the The Avengers. Early on his influence on Earth was less direct as he created an organization known as the "Warhawks" and used them to create war on Earth.

In 2006 the character was recast to not be a villain but instead more of an antihero who simply lived for battle, any battle. He was added to the Avengers roster as one of their "heavy hitters" and showed himself to have his own "Warriors Honor" codex and not the one-dimensional villain he had been portrayed as in the past. He would later join Norman Osborn's Dark Avengers, believing that he could put his powers to good use. During the Siege storyline Ares is killed by Sentry as he is literally torn apart.

Ares first appeared in Thor #129, 1966, written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby. He would often appear as a villain in both Thor and The Avengers over the next 30 years.