Zeus (Marvel Comics)

The comic version of Zeus is based on the god of the same name from Greek mythology . Zeus first appears in the Venus # 5 comic (June 1949) and was adapted by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby .

Zeus is the youngest son of the Titans Cronus and Rhea, children of the sky god Uranus and the elder goddess Gaia (also known as "Mother Earth"). His father Kronos came to power in a dimension that later became known as Olympus after the fatal defeat of his own father Uranus. When he lay dying, Uranus prophesied that one of Kron’s children would overthrow him in turn, so Kronos ate each of his children when they were born. His wife Ray hid Zeus, their sixth child, on Mount Lyceum in Arcadia, and tricked Crohn into eating a stone instead of the baby Zeus. There Zeus grew up into adulthood and then prepared for revenge on Cronus. Zeus, out of revenge, went down to Tartarus and freed his siblings Hades, Hestia, Hera, Poseidon and Demeter, all now grown to adulthood, as well as three Cyclops and three giants with hundreds of arms called Hekatonheyra, whom he also imprisoned . The Cyclops gave these three gods their respective weapons (Lightning of Zeus, the Trident of Poseidon and the Wheel of Darkness of Hades) and taught Zeus how to wield his abilities, allowing him to manipulate energy. Thanks to this, Zeus defeated his allies during the ten-year war against Kronos and the Titans. After winning the war, Zeus imprisoned Kron and most of the male Titans in Tartarus. Zeus drew lots with his brothers Hades and Poseidon, and became the supreme ruler of the Olympic gods, their dimension and sky. Zeus married Hera, but participated in many relationships with goddesses and mortal women alike, outraging his jealous wife. Some of his children from these unions were gods and joined the Olympic pantheon, while others were mortals, such as Elena Troyanskaya and the hero Hercules, who eventually became a god.

After the Age of the Highboron Era, ancient Greek civilization began to rise, so Zeus made the Olympic gods known to them to receive their worship. Zeus discovered that the main connection between the Olympic dimension and Greece was at the top of Mount Olympus, Greece, under Olympia, the main city of the Eternal on Earth. Zeus and his daughter Athena met with Zuras, the leader of the Eternal and his daughter Azura. Given the physical resemblance between the Eternal and the Olympians, both sides made an alliance with the action of the Eternal , representing the gods on Earth. Zuras soon wanted Azura to become Tena. However, people began to think of the Eternal as the Olympic gods themselves and not just their representatives, leading to a growing indignation of the gods towards the Eternal, which eventually erupted in war for some time. Christianity ultimately became the dominant religion of the Roman Empire, and Zeus decided that the Olympic gods would break most of their ties with the Earth, with the exception of Poseidon, who would continue to follow his parishioners in Atlantis. During the Trojan War, Zeus, against whom Thor fights, who was accidentally transported there. Hades regretted the decree of Zeus and challenged the superiority of Zeus many times. A millennium ago, Hercules transported a group of soldiers from ancient Greece over time to fight against the Asgardians, who were protected by the Asgardian god Thor , leading to a war between the Asgardians and the Olympians. Zeus secretly met with the ruler of Asgard Odin , and the two elder gods put an end to the war and entered into an alliance to protect the Earth from Celestial.

The first description of Zeus in modern comics shows his first meeting with Thor . He breaks the struggle between Hercules and Thor , and then, with a bolt of lightning, makes them squeeze their hands in friendship. Zeus became later unable to violate the "Olympic terms of the Hercules contract" with Pluto. Zeus later exiled Hercules to Earth for a whole year, because he came without permission. The enchantress took control of the mind of Hercules, but was exiled with other Olympic gods to another dimension by Typhon. Zeus was later saved by Hercules, and he canceled the expulsion of his son, and also sent Typhon to Tartarus. Zeus then prevented Pluto's attempt to conquer the Earth. Zeus was later overthrown by the union of Ares and the Enchantress, and was restored by the power of the Avengers . Zeus resisted the failed attempt of Ares and Pluto to rekindle the war between Olympus and Asgard. Zeus also interfered with the plot of Pluto, Ares and Hippolyta, because they wanted to overthrow him. Zeus later testified that the treaty did a few millennia ago to end the war between Asgard and Olympus. He also showed an alliance with Odin and the other sky gods against Celestial, who threatened to close the Earth to the Gods, implying that several All-Fathers created the destroyer armor and transferred some of his power to the Torah along with other Divines to restore Odin , who was killed by Celestials at that time. while he was in the armor of the Destroyer . Zeus later appeared and taught Hercules a lesson in his responsibility to mortals. He later attacked the Avengers and tried to throw them at Tartarus, accusing them of having Hercules in a coma. After an accidental attack on Hercules, he decided that the Olympians should not visit Earth.

Olympus was later attacked by the forces of the Japanese God of Evil, Amatsu-Mikaboshi . Mikaboshi also stole Alexander, the son of Ares , and brainwashed him into becoming his personal God of war. In the end, though, thanks to Ares' love for his son and the power of Zeus, Alexander broke free and apparently killed Mikaboshi . It came at a high price, although as Zeus sacrificed his life to do so, he was stabbed twice by Mikaboshi's dark tentacles and his body was not found.

During the Dark Dominion, the main plot of the Domination revealed that Pluto holds Zeus in prison and is conducting a trial against him with Hercules helping his father. The jury consists of the enemies of Zeus with Pluto as the prosecutor. Ultimately, Zeus was convicted, and his punishment was to drink water from the Leta River, which made him lose his memory and abandon his crown, and give it to Pluto. After drinking the waters of Leta, he runs away and is reborn, because the teenager, with Hercules and Athena, who understands the newly born Zeus, must be hidden from Hera. The child Zeus accompanies Hercules on an adventure in Svartalheim, where he becomes disgusted by the obviously silly ways of his son and expresses admiration for Thor . When meeting with Thor, he was convinced that Hercules also had its merits.

The continuum of Hera’s weapons is a device created to recreate the universe in an improved version, destroying the existing one. Hercules, Amadeus Cho, Zeus and Athena join the Avengers group in an attack on the headquarters of the Olympic Society. Zeus battles the warriors of the Amazons along with Mercury before being captured by Typhon. The knowledge of Zeus returning stuns Hera, and he succeeds in convincing her to stop the Continuum machine. Before she can do this, Typhon reveals that he is now free from her control. Hera and Zeus try to kill him with their lightning, but she reflected back, and Hera dies. Typhon reveals that he wears the breastplate of Aegis and kills Zeus as well. The souls of these two gods are seen in the company of Thanatos, reunited with him, they were taken to the underworld.

During the Chaos War storyline, Zeus, Hera, and Ares are among the dead gods liberated by Pluto to help protect the underworld from Amatsu-Mikaboshi . When Amatsu-Mikaboshi arrived, he rips out Zeus's heart again. Zeus, Hera and Ares then appear among the slave gods Amatsu-Mikaboshi , who increased the Olympians' abilities far above their actual mastery. Zeus quickly knocks Galactus to the ground with a powerful lightning strike and physical attacks. After Hercules defeats Mikaboshi , he restores Zeus along with the rest of the universe.

Bruce Banner , because of his family being crucial for fighting to save the universe and taking serious damage doing so, turns to Hercules to help heal the A-Bomb and cure the Red Hulk Woman of her madness. After Hercules claims that only Zeus is able to do this, the Hulk begins to wander on Mount Olympus, intending to ask Zeus to pay his debt, and is attacked by hordes of Greek deities and mythical monsters. After they fail, Zeus personally engages and severely beats the Hulk in a duel, after which he torments the already fallen fighter, allowing the vultures to continuously eat him alive (like Prometheus), gloating that the Hulk was “complaining” and that his intended self-sacrifice for his friends was "the wrong religion." However, Zeus allows his beloved son Hercules to save his captive, since he believes that his existence as the Hulk is already a terrible "punishment."

Superhuman Strength: Like all Olympians, Zeus is superhumanly strong. His strength is many times greater than the strength of other Olympians, and he is able to easily lift weight, far exceeding 100 tons. Zeus is, physically, the second most powerful of the Olympians, surpassed only by his son Hercules. However, he can easily overpower Hercules, repeatedly increasing all his physical characteristics with the help of magic. Reinforced Zeus is able to shift stars, galaxies, and even the universe.

Invulnerability: Zeus has divine invulnerability. He can withstand the most powerful energy, magical and physical attacks without damage. Immune to any kind of poisons and toxins, extreme temperature drops and weather conditions. Strikes by heavyweights such as the Hulk are unable to even scratch him.

Superhuman tissue density: The skin, muscles and bones of an Olympian are 1000 times denser than that of an ordinary person. It contributes to such a huge body weight.

Superhuman Stamina: The physiology of Zeus produces almost no fatigue toxins during physical activity. As a result, he has almost unlimited stamina. He can fight for months without getting tired. Only a few of the Olympians have the same stamina as Zeus - these are his brothers Pluto and Neptune, as well as his sons - Ares, Hercules and Hermes.

Superhuman speed: Zeus can run faster than the best earthly athlete.

Superhuman Dexterity: Dexterity, balance and coordination of Zeus are developed to a level exceeding that of the best athletes.

Superhuman reflexes: Olympian reflexes also exceed the level of reflexes in the best athletes on Earth.

Teleportation: Zeus can teleport himself or others to anywhere in the universe.

Resize: Zeus can grow to a gigantic size, making itself, for example, growing from a mountain.

Regenerative healing factor: Despite its almost invulnerable skin, Zeus can still be hurt, but the wounds heal instantly.

Immortality: Like all Olympians, Zeus is immortal. He is not subject to aging, despite the fact that he is already many thousands of years old.

Magic and cosmic energy: Zeus has at his disposal huge reserves of magical and cosmic energy, with the help of which he can achieve almost any effect. Through magic, Zeus can control the weather at the desired level, whether it be light rain or storms and powerful cataclysms. Also, using magic and cosmic energy, he enhances his already considerable capabilities: he creates energy explosions, controls lightnings (gives them the desired shape and strength), strengthens his body to such a level that its dimensions reach heaven. But his power is not only in strengthening and magical abilities: Zeus is able to create mountains with the power of thought, close gaps in reality, create or restore life, travel and carry someone along various dimensions with different dimensions. Also, the power and energy of many Olympians is subject to him (he took and restored the mystical powers of Hercules).

Prophetic abilities: Zeus's gaze extends to the entire universe and even to other worlds and dimensions.

Flight: Zeus can fly.

Television

• Zeus appears in episode 12 of The Mighty Thor in the 1966 animated series Marvel Superheroes
• Zeus also appears in the animated series Superhero Squad , in an episode titled "Support Your Local Sky-Father", voiced by Travis Winglingham.

• Journey into Mystery Annual # 1
• Thor # 129
• Avengers # 38
• Avengers # 49-50
• Thor # 164
• Avengers # 100
• Champions # 1-3
• Thor annual # 5
• Thor # 300-301
• New Mutants # 81
• Ares # 1-3
• Incredible Hercules # 130
• Incredible Hercules # 131
• Incredible Hercules # 132, 134, 136
• Incredible Hercules # 140-141
• Chaos War # 2
• Chaos War # 3
• Chaos War # 5
• Incredible Hulk # 621-622
• Herc # 6.1

• Zeus on the Marvel Database website.
• Biography of Zeus (English).