Olympians (Marvel)
The Olympians are a species that feature in Marvel Comics.
Contents |
History
The Olympians were a race of Gods that were part of the Greek mythological pantheon and resided in their realm of Olympus. Their origins were traced to the reign of the Titans where Cronus had slain his own father but in time came to learn of a prophecy from Mother Gaea that his own child would bring about his demise. Thus, he began to devour each of his offspring that was born from his sister-wife Rhea. However, Rhea came to hide her son Zeus from Cronus where he grew up in a cave beneath Crete to be reared by the goat Amaltheia. He eventually came to poison a cup that was by his father side forcing Cronus to vomit forth his siblings. With them freed, Zeus led his kin in a war known as the Titanomachy to destroy Cronus along with all those that opposed their rule. (Incredible Hercules v1 #130) It was said that the modern Olympians formed in the time after the primordial darkness when the first of their number Nyx came into being and sometime afterwards the god Zeus formed. Through his power, he helped bring light which led to the rise of the Olympians that came to settle on Olympus. (Avengers: No Road Home v1 #4)
A great conflict erupted among the Olympians between them and Nyx along with her Children of Night as the latter had grown increasingly angered at being rejected by their kin. Despite their internal quarrelling, the Olympians were united in the hatred of Nyx and her offspring who were defeated. With her defeated, Zeus stole parts of her soul and encased them in the Nightshards thus stripping her of her great power of the darkness as she along with her children were imprisoned in the dark so long as the Sun shined on Earth. (Avengers: No Road Home v1 #4)
It was said that the gods of Olympus had grown cruel and arrogant in their rule. This saw Mother Gaea sending her children the Giants to depose them where they attempt to overthrow the rule of Zeus. Thus, began a terrible conflict known as the Gigantomachy that was noted for being a blood-filled atrocity as the rebelling giants were slaughtered by the Olympians. (Incredible Hercules v1 #130)
As the Age of Myth ended, forbade the gods of Olympus from interfering in the world of mortals as the Age of Science began. (Herc v1 #4) By the modern day, Rome's gods and goddesses walked Earth in contemporary form where they could be worshipped in modern ways. (Avengers v7 #2)
During the Contest of Champions, the Grandmaster and the Challenger engaged in a cosmic game which saw Earth's Sun being removed from the sky for a time. This act broke the seal that imprisoned the goddess Nyx whereupon she and her children attacked Olympus. Despite being opposed by the Olympians, the gods of Olympus were overwhelmed and overpowered by their foes leading to their massacre. Nyx then sought to learn the location of the Night Shards that contained the fragments of her lost power as they were pieces of her soul after which she claimed the throne of Olympus for herself as she planned to restore herself and purge the universe of life to begin anew according to her designs. (Avengers: No Road Home v1 #2) Though seemingly killed, the Olympians went through a period of rebirth and reformed in the space beyond space under the leadership of Zeus as they embarked on their next epic. (Avengers: No Road Home v1 #10)
Overview
They considered their immortal lifespans to be the norm with everyone else being the exception. (Avengers v7 #11)
Within their culture, it was common practice for the selection of an eromenos. (Incredible Hercules v1 #121) The circle of combat was a method by which Olympians proved the truth of their words with this being a trial by combat. (Thor v1 #467)
Artifacts attributed to the Olympians included the:
- Ambrosia : the fabled nectar of the gods that was drunk by the Olympians to remain virile and deathless. (Heroic Age: Prince of Power v1 #1)
- Night Shards : broken fragments of Nyx's soul that were scattered across the universe to prevent the Mother of Night from ever attaining her true power. (Avengers: No Road Home v1 #2)
- Heart of Athena : a creation of Zeus that amplified the power sent through it which had been used to sink continents and erase entire civilizations. (Hercules and the Heart of Chaos v1 #2)
- Godkiller : a blade created by a blacksmith on behalf of Zeus for his conflict against Amatsu-Mikaboshi. (Secret Warriors v1 #10)
- Pandora's Box : the urn containing all the evils in the world that had been released leaving 'hope' inside where over the millennia she had been driven insane and having a desire to be free to get revenge against the world. (Incredible Hulks v1 #629)
- Continuum :
A metal used by the Olympians was Adamantine that was godly version of Adamantium. (Incredible Hercules v1 #138) Adamantine was referred to as the Metal of the Gods that was golden in colour and able to deflect powerful blasts of concussive force. (Atonishing X-Men v3 #45) This metal manufactured by the Greek gods that was so molecularly dense that it was difficult to phase through the substance. (Chaos War: Dead Avengers v1 #2)
Members
- Zeus :
- Hercules :
- Ares :
- Achelous : a male bull-headed Olympian river god with a tail that was a snake who had fought Hercules in the past. (Hercules v3 #1)
- Artemis :
- Athena :
- Boreas : the god of the north wind who had white wings and could blow freezing breath from his mouth. (Incredible Hulks v1 #621)
- Cacus : the red skinned hulking being was the alleged son of Vulcan and could breath flames from his mouth. (Fantastic Four v4 #5)
- Charon :
- Hebe :
- Hera :
- Hypnos : a pale skinned male offspring of the goddess Nyx that was formed when she desired children with her first born attempting to find a place on Olympus but decided to stay by his mothers side to protect her dreams. (Avengers: No Road Home v1 #4)
- Nyx : the blue skinned shadow coated female goddess known as the Mother of Night whose soul was broken into the Night Shards by Zeus to weaken her whereupon she was banished from Olympus. (Avengers: No Road Home v1 #2)
- Thanatos : male skulled-faced winged god of death who only was summoned when someone was destined to die where he claimed their souls. (Incredible Hercules v1 #138)
- Sibyl : a female goddess, Sibyl Aquila was one of the Fates who could glimpse into the future. By the modern day, she took on a mortal form as head of the Federal Reserve. (Avengers v7 #2)
- Tharamus : a dark skinned male Olympian god of learning who by the modern age masqueraded as a human that founded the Museum of Greek Antiquity in New York City to preserve the memory of their kind to humans and was later killed by Ares who had been searching for the Heart of Athena. (Hercules: Heart of Chaos v1 #1)
- Theseus : When the Uprising Storm emerged, Theseus was called upon by Hercules to help fight these new gods. (Civil War II: Gods of War v1 #2)
Notes
- The modern Olympians were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby where they made their first appearance in Journey into Mystery Annual v1 #1 (October, 1965)
- Prior to then, the gods of Olympus were first seen in Venus v1 #1 (August, 1948).
- They were loosely based off the Twelve Olympians and other deities of Greek mythology.
Alternate Versions
- In Hercules v1 (1984), the Olympians featured in an alternate timeline future set in the 24th century after Hercules was banished from Earth by Zeus in order to learn humility. In the aftermath, it was believed that the now mad Zeus had killed the Olympians and became a terrifying force until he was defeated by the returned Hercules. It was later revealed that the Olympians had not been killed by left for another realm with Zeus joining them after regaining his sanity and learning that Hercules gained humility to be a great hero. After departing, Hercules was left behind in the mortal world to found a new dynasty of gods.
In other media
Television
- In Avengers Assemble, the Olympians were shown in the animated television series fourth season Secret Wars in the episode "Incredible Hercules" with Hercules and Ares being representatives of their race. It was said that the were the opposite of the Asgardians who were cold and grim with the Olympians being a more lively jolly people.
Appearances
- Journey into Mystery Annual v1:
- Ares v1:
- Incredible Hercules v1:
- Chaos War: Dead Avengers v1:
- Heroic Age: Prince of Power v1:
- Herc v1:
- Astonishing X-Men v3:
- Avengers: No Road Home v1:
External Links
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